Timor activists appeal harsh sentence
BRISBANE — On May 16, Jim Dowling and Ciaron O'Reilly, from the Catholic Worker organisation, were sentenced to three months' jail for a sit-in at the Defence Recruiting Centre here during Easter week, in
Issue 189
News
Faulkner refuses to save the Tarkine
By Ben Courtice
HOBART — On May 24, federal environment minister John Faulkner was met by about 20 protesters demanding that he take action to save the Tarkine wilderness.
Faulkner, on his way to
By Jim McIlroy
BRISBANE — "The Goss Labor government's move to cut stamp duty on share trading is a blatant handout to big business, at a time when the corporations are making massive profits", Zanny Begg, Democratic Socialist candidate for
Right accuses ALP of sexism
By Alex Bainbridge
On May 13, Newcastle's sitting ALP federal member, Allan Morris, defeated a preselection challenge by Lyn Holmes. Holmes, losing 66 votes to 226, has since accused the ALP of being "sexist".
'Environment before profit' in Brisbane
By Zanny Begg
BRISBANE — The World Environment Day rally, to be held on June 3 with the theme "environment before profit", will be addressed by the CFMEU, the Wilderness Society, Resistance, HEMP,
Alliance against live animal exports
By Margaret Setter
An alliance between the Australasian Meat Employees Industrial Union (AMIEU) and Animal Liberation has been forged to fight for the abolition of the live cattle export trade to Asia
By Natasha Simons
Hundreds of activists from across Australia will meet in Melbourne from July 8 to 10 for the 24th national conference of Resistance. It will be the largest socialist youth gathering in Australia and a great opportunity for
East Gippsland forest plan attacked
By Bronwen Beechey
MELBOURNE — Conservation groups have slammed the Victorian government's East Gippsland Forest Management Plan, calling it a recipe for environmental disaster.
On May 26, 100
Financial scandal hits SA Liberals
By Melanie Sjoberg
ADELAIDE — The SA Liberal Party has been rocked in recent weeks by revelations of a scandal surrounding a significant donation to its 1993 state election campaign.
Under new
Gay men on WA council
By Leon Harrison
PERTH — In a postal vote which concluded on May 6, two openly gay candidates have been elected onto the Vincent Town Council in WA.
Gay activist Brian Grieg, representing Mt Hawthorn, received
By Gemma Byrne and Julia Perkins
PERTH — A Liberal state government proposal involves ending funding of all peak bodies in the welfare sector by June 30. They must then tender "expressions of interest" for new funds (up to a maximum of
By Deepa Fernandes
Policies of child removal that the government used throughout this century to separate Aboriginal families are still happening today, according to the Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care(SNAICC).
An
Story and photos by Jane Kelly
FREMANTLE — On Friday night, May 26, the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) won the first round in its battle against the Liberal state government and stevedoring company BAAC, which tried to use scab labour in
By Jim McIlroy
BRISBANE — A crane driver was stood down at MIM's Mt Isa mine in the days following the return to work, accepted at a mass meeting on May 22, despite a 14-day cooling off period agreed to by unions and the company to end the
Woolworths workers strike against speed-ups
By Dave Mizon
SYDNEY — While workers at the Kurnell refinery were taking strike action two weeks ago, a much less publicised struggle was also taking place. Woolworths warehouse workers, members
East Timor protests target Habibie
By Andrew Hall
SYDNEY — More than 150 people picketed the Regent Hotel on May 26 over the visit of Dr B.J. Habibie, Indonesia's research and technology minister and close confidant of President Suharto.
By Bernie Brian
DARWIN — The student union at the Northern Territory University has adopted two students of the University of East Timor (UET) as associate members. Jose Antonio Belo is a 23-year-old English student from Kelikai Bacau and Jose
Teachers voted at stop-work meetings around Victoria on May 3 to begin an industrial campaign to improve working conditions. The Melbourne meeting was attended by more than 5000 teachers, and good attendances were recorded at meetings in Mildura,
World
Muchtar Pakpahan released
By Max Lane
Muchtar Pakpahan, chairperson of the Indonesian Workers for Prosperity Union (SBSI), was released from prison on May 19.
Pakpahan was arrested, tried and sentenced to three years' jail in November.
By Finn Kjeller
More than 150,000 Danish workers went on strike on April 20 in support of bus drivers fighting the effects of privatisation. Defying aggressive bosses, local and national government and daily police brutality, 82 bus drivers have
By Sarah Stephen
Travelling from Madrid to the Basque region in the far north of Spain, I could feel a change in the political atmosphere. In the narrow cobblestone streets of Bilbao, colourful posters advertising upcoming rallies plastered the
Mexican reject Helms bill
The following statement was released by the Institutional Revolutionary Party, Mexico's governing party, on May 14.
The National Executive Committee of the Institutional Revolutionary Party express its
Execution threat against prisoners in Iran
According to what the Tudeh Party regards as reliable information, the Iranian government is preparing to execute 44 political prisoners.
There are also indications, the party says, of plans to
By Gideon Spiro
"An ill wind is blowing from the Egyptian Foreign Ministry." Such was Yitzhak Rabin's response to Egypt's demand that Israel sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The demand would subject this country to international
By Renfrey Clarke
MOSCOW — Yes, there are to be parliamentary elections in Russia in December. After repeated indications that the authorities wanted the polls put off indefinitely, or run in conjunction with the presidential election due for
Cuba's National Assembly has slated public hearings on the bill sponsored by US Senator Jesse Helms and Dan Burton and aimed at intensifying the blockade against Cuba.
These hearings were scheduled by the foreign relations and legal affairs
Protests against British arms deals with Indonesia
LONDON — Between now and the 20th anniversary of the Indonesian invasion of East Timor on December 7, 1995, activists will be stepping up the campaign to stop the export of Hawk jets and other
BAe rattled by protest
By Alden Salter
LONDON — More than 100 people demonstrated outside British Aerospace's annual general meeting on May 4 at Mayfair's Marriot Hotel. The protesters charged BAe with aiding and abetting genocide in East
Contrary to earlier reports, detained East Timorese student Filomeno dos Santos did not die as a result of beatings in Becorau prison.
According to investigations by Tapol (British Campaign for Human Rights in Indonesia), Red Cross officials met
Culture
City in the country
By Phil Patterson
ORANGE — Hard-edged urban theatre comes to country NSW with Sparky, a new play by Corinne Staas showing at the Civic Theatre Forum here in June and July.
Sparky is about domestic violence, youth
Dili November 1991
By Egas Alves
Today in my city the sky to be cloudy
To turn off in the view of the sunrise
The town apparently to be with sadness
What melancholy will appear to the people who are living there?
Today in my
The Private Life of Chairman Mao: the inside story of the man who made modern China
By Zhisui Li
London: Chatto and Windus, 1994. 682 pp., $19.95
Reviewed by Eva Cheng
Official history often only tells half truth and leaves out what the
Taking up where World War II left off
The Secrets of Porton Down
The Cutting Edge, SBS TV
Tuesday, June 6 8.30pm (8pm SA)
Reviewed by Sean Moysey
World War II produced some horrible weapons: napalm, nuclear bombs, guided rockets, fire
World Music: The Rough Guide
Rough Guides/Penguin Books, 1994
720pp., $29.95 (pb)
Reviewed by Norm Dixon
This moderately priced brick of a book is a godsend for anybody interested in beginning the addictive journey of exploration through
A moving tale, told in music
Oh My God I'm Black!
Devised by Maryanne Sam, Irine Vela and Patricia Cornelius
Performed by Maryanne Sam and Irine Vela
Budinski's Theatre, Carlton, until June 10
Reviewed by Bronwen Beechey
Melbourne
Burnt by the Sun
Directed by Nikita Mikhalkov
Screening at the 42nd Sydney Film Festival
State Theatre, June 9-24
Reviewed by Peter Boyle
As a hero of the Red Army in the civil war, Colonel Sergue Petrovitch Kotov lived comfortably and
By Willie Wahlin
SYDNEY — Anyone who has been to a session of Brackets and Jam will already be familiar with the lively, sweaty, loud and happy atmosphere that is created every Monday night. For those who have not, you are in for a feast of
Much too nice
The Threepenny Opera
Music by Kurt Weill. Text by Bertolt Brecht
Director: Chris Johnson
Musical Director: Michael Morley
Suncorp Theatre, Brisbane
Until June 10
Reviewed by Dave Riley
Before Hair and The Rocky
Trim, Taut and Terrific
Written by Nick Hughes and Ian Farr
Junction Theatre, Thebarton (Adelaide), until June 10
Reviewed by Sophia Villis and Anthony Thirlwall
Trim, Taut and Terrific is exactly that. It's musical theatre that neatly
Loud silences and abusive families
Spanking the Monkey
Opening in Sydney June 1 and Melbourne June 9
Previewed by Lou Stanley
The film is well directed and at points quite funny, but the most disturbing aspect is the audience's response
Ding Zilin is the mother of Chiang Jielian, a 17-year-old student who was among the hundreds massacred in Tienanmen Square six years ago, on June 4, 1989. Chinese officials branded the pro-democracy protests "counter-revolutionary" and claimed that
Editorial
Israel, Iran and the US
Reports that Israel is planning to bomb Iran's nuclear power facilities coincide with US attempts to strangle Iran economically through the unilateral imposition of sanctions.
The Israeli government claims that Iran