Issue 133

News

By Pip Hinman In a landmark victory against sex discrimination, some 700 women who took up the fight against the Big Australian, BHP, have finally won their case. An out-of-court settlement was announced at a press conference in Wollongong on
Police intervene at 'smoke in' By Bernard Wunsch BRISBANE — Up to 40 police intervened in a "smoke in" at the University Of Queensland on February 23. The action was organised by the Student Union and the student club High Society.
Resistance clubs in successful O-Week By Bill Mason BRISBANE — Resistance Clubs on campuses all around Brisbane launched a lively year of activity with highly successful Orientation Week stalls and meetings over the middle weeks of
Qld Social Security bans lifted By Bill Mason BRISBANE — Work bans imposed by Public Sector Union members in the Department of Social Security in Queensland were lifted on February 23. This followed a vote at workplace meetings to accept
Greens launch campaign for Central By Maurice Sibelle BRISBANE — Fifty people attended the February 22 launch of the Greens campaign for the Brisbane City Council elections seat of Central. The Greens are running Willy Bach, a
Ferguson gags Bougainville address By Frank Enright An invitation to Rosemarie Gillespie to speak about Australia's involvement in the war on Bougainville at a conference of regional Trades and Labour Councils, held at the Clyde Cameron
By Bernie Brian DARWIN — Jose Gusmao, cousin of jailed East Timorese resistance leader Xanana Gusmao, has called on Prime Minister Paul Keating to support the National Council of Maubere Resistance (CNRM) peace plan. Gusmao presented a
Rally demands end to ocean dumping HOBART — Four hundred angry people filled the Parliament House lawns for a loud and vibrant march and rally on Saturday, February 26, to voice their objections to Pasminco-EZ's jarosite dumping plans.
The Wilderness Society revealed on February 23 that the Queensland Department of Minerals and Energy is pushing for 10,000 hectares of Starcke to be gazetted as a mining reserve. The 225,000 hectare wilderness area was acquired the day before from
By Jill Hickson SYDNEY — The Sydney Water Board is planning to axe 3000 jobs over the next two years. On February 17, the Water and Maritime Industry Union released a document from the board which proposed a restructuring that would involve
By Bill Mason BRISBANE — "Green, democratic and socialist — this is the guiding theme of our campaign in the upcoming council elections", Susan Price, Demcratic Socialist candidate for Central ward in the March 26 Brisbane City Council poll,
By Sue Bolton MELBOURNE — A strike by Richmond Council workers is into its fourth week, and another 26 local councils in Melbourne are affected by industrial bans. The key issue in the dispute is job security. Job security is threatened
By Ray Fulcher Melbourne — A coalition of groups and individuals, Brunswick Against the Nazis (BAN), is planning a mass counter-demonstration against the extreme right-wing group National Action (NA) at the Brunswick Town Hall on March 5.
By Reihana Mohideen The Israeli settler who massacred around 50 Palestinian worshippers on the morning of February 25 at the Ibrahimi mosque in Hebron, was a well-known leader of Kach, an extreme right-wing Zionist organisation. Wearing a

World

By Renfrey Clarke MOSCOW — A new surge of labour protests swept across Russia during the first half of February, as wage payments to millions of workers remained months in arrears. The most militant struggles were by workers in the coal
By Norm Dixon JOHANNESBURG — Prisoners will launch a campaign of peaceful mass action to win the right to vote in the April elections, it was announced here on February 22. The campaign, to be spearheaded by members of the South African
By Kate Shannon "We knew we were breaking the law. We went right out into Sussex, into the middle of nowhere. We were petrified that we were going to be caught." So a young gay man describes his first homosexual experience under the shadow of
Day of Action for Innu March 26 is the second annual International day of Action for the Innu and the Earth. The Innu, aboriginal people who live in a portion of the Quebec-Labrador peninsula known as Nitassinan, have endured low-level
Poll supports ending Cuba embargo According to an opinion poll released in early February, the majority of Miami's Latino population disagrees with the US embargo against Cuba. The Miami Herald published the results of the survey, for which
Hazardous waste flowing into Philippines MANILA — Hazardous waste from industrialised countries is still flowing into the Philippines despite a national law banning waste imports into the country, Greenpeace has revealed. The February 17
There is no safe place in Serbia for men refugees refusing to do military service in Bosnia, and perhaps the danger will soon be extended to women. The governments of Serbia and of the Serbian Republic of Bosnia have made an agreement under which the
NEW YORK — Borden Chemicals and Plastics, a limited partnership affiliated with the dairy products conglomerate, on February 18 ordered a shipment of toxic mercury waste returned from South Africa to the Louisiana plant where it was generated,
Student's murderer goes free in Belfast A Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officer, who admitted shooting dead Tyrone student Kevin McGovern, was acquitted of murder by the Belfast Crown Court. Judge Nicholson said RUC man Timothy Hanley had
By Norm Dixon JOHANNESBURG — The misnamed Freedom Alliance of right-wing parties opposed to South Africa's first non-racial democratic elections on April 26-28 is preparing to plunge this country into civil war, Tokyo Sexwale, has warned. The

Culture

Story by Sean Lennon Photo by Terry Riggs MELBOURNE — Every Saturday morning at around 11 the Band Who knew Too Much descends on the Victoria Markets. The band consists of Dave, who plays the accordion, Andy who plays Bass, another Andy
Alternative NRG Various artists Greenpeace Records through Festival Reviewed by Nick Fredman The Alternative NRG album had its Australian launch on February 15 at Greenpeace's campaign shed in Sydney, with an energetic acoustic set by
By Tracy Sorensen Photo by Jorge Gonzalez SYDNEY — "The Blue House" is an artistic installation representing a domestic interior, complete with "real" doors, walls and windows. This almost-life size piece, to be launched at Neeta City
Beyond Capital: Marx's Political Economy of the Working Class By Michael Lebowitz MacMillan, 1992. 187 pp. $30 Reviewed by Roger Clarke This book is an attempt by an "orthodox Marxist" to confront "actually existing Marxism". Michael
By Jill Hickson SYDNEY — Only 12 months old, Black Power Clothing is taking off in Australia. It features T-shirts and other apparel with slogans by people such as Martin Luther King, Ralph Ellison ("I am invisible, understand, simply because
About Us: Socialism or Death SBS TV Wednesday, March 9, 8:30pm (8 Adelaide) Reviewed by Roberto Jorquera No-one can deny that the situation the Cuban people face is extremely difficult. But one must put the difficulty into a political
Fabulous fetishes By Alex Cooper MELBOURNE—On Tuesday, March 8, 3CR will broadcast its annual International Women's Day program from the Brunswick Pool. Part of this 24 hours of live radio starting will be a comic extravaganza for women

Editorial

Telling it the PNG way The coverage of the Bougainvillean war for self-determination on Channel Nine's Sunday program, screened on February 20, was just about crude enough to compare with the black and white Pathe newsreel commentary during