Issue 1286

News

The community is incensed about a private club's proposal to privatise a section of the iconic beach, reports Jim McIlroy.

Following the dropping of charges against ABC reporter Dan Oakes, Jim McIlroy reports on the media union's campaign to reform laws that criminalise journalism.

Up to 2000 people marched in support of UnionsWA’s successful call on the Legislative Assembly to pass a new industrial manslaughter law. Alex Salmon reports.

The Australian Peoples’ Tribunal report into the Baarka/Darling River system disaster has made recommendations to decommodify water, reports Coral Wynter.

Brisbane rally to support the Thai democracy movement

Alex Bainbridge reports on a rally outside the Thai consulate in Brisbane on October 20 to express support for the democracy movement in Thailand.

The federal government has given the ageing privately-owned Vales Point coal fired power station on the NSW Central Coast a public funding boost, writes Margaret Gleeson.

First Nations advocates and families of people who have died in custody are planning a Black Lives Matter protest in Sydney on October 26,  reports Jim McIlroy.

Mental health nurses from the Waratah Mental Health Centre protested the NSW government's effective wage freeze outside their hospital, reports Niko Leka.

Thai democracy activists took to streets after the violent police attack on a peaceful mass democracy protest in Bangkok, reports Peter Boyle.

More than 200 people took part in a protest against the Queensland Labor's decision to increase police funding by some $624 million.

Analysis

The growing discussion about system change is the result of how barbarous capitalism has become, writes Peter Boyle

Amy MacMahon

The Queensland Greens have laid out a bold vision for the state elections, including free public transport, an energy transition and greater mining royalties. Greens candidate Amy MacMahon talks to Green Left.

Sue Bolton argues we need a federal anti-corruption commission — but real accountability requires mobilised unions and social movements.

After being grilled by ICAC, questions are now raised about Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s involvement in other shonky decisions, write Jim McIlroy and Pip Hinman.

Serious criminal charges against ABC journalist Dan Oakes for reporting leaked material on Australian elite troops committing atrocities in Afghanistan have been dropped, on public interest grounds. Pip Hinman argues this is an important win.

Federal parliament looks set to approve the government's latest attack on higher education, which will hike up fees and cut funding overall, reports Leo Crnogorcevic.

When David Mcevoy last spoke to Green Left in January, he and three friends had barely escaped Cobargo with their lives. He spoke to Suzanne James about recovering from trauma during COVID-19 and his hopes and fears for the future of the historic town.

World

A week after the Thai regime issued an emergency decree banning gatherings of more than five people, Peter Boyle reports the Free Youth student-led democracy movement has been staging nightly mass gatherings around the country.

The racism and lack of democracy that underpins the institutions of the United States has been exposed thanks to the Black Lives Matter movement and President Donald Trump's rush to confirm a new Supreme Court, writes Barry Sheppard.

Since Indonesia's parliament secretly signed the Omnibus Job Creation bill into law, more than 100,000 people have protested across the country, writes Wagimanto

For eight months in 2018-19, Sudan was gripped by an unprecedented mass movement to overthrow the 30-year dictatorship of Omar al-Bashir. Green Left spoke to Khalid Hassan about the achievements of the Sudanese people and the difficult challenges ahead.

Bolivians have overwhelmingly voted the left-wing Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) back into office in a resounding reversal of last year’s coup, writes Federico Fuentes.

If carbon continues to be pumped into the atmosphere, we may see the end of complex societies and the extinction of most species, writes Shawn Hattingh. But, we can still avoid climate catastrophe and build a radically democratic, egalitarian and caring society.

October 18 marked one year of mass protests for systemic change in Chile, and one year of brutal repression, writes Sandra Cuffe

Julian Assange imagined a future where digital technologies would be used for collective projects of humanisation and anti-imperialist resistance, writes Yanis Iqbal. He is being brutally punished by the United States for disrupting the drive for profits from surveillance and militarism.

 

Venezuela is no stranger to protests. But, unlike other recent protests, today the country is witnessing a wave of "protests of the poor" driven by the difficult situation people face, reports Federico Fuentes.

Culture

The Trial of the Chicago Seven retells the story of the 1969 show trial of seven high-profile activists, while stripping away much of the period's radicalism in the process, writes Alex Salmon.

Karl Marx drew on horror, gothic and fantasy literature throughout his mature works, evoking the power, wonder and terror of capital through supernatural allusions writes Aleks Wansbrough.

Neville Spencer reviews John Bellamy Foster's The Return of Nature, which examines the ecological thought of those who came after Karl Marx and were influenced by his philosophy, politics and ecology.