Issue 194

News

Sydney Up to 40,000 people rallied, marched and picketed here on Bastille Day, July 14, to condemn the proposed French nuclear testing in the Pacific, write Amy Phillips and Chris Spindler. A day-long picket was held at the French
By Jim McIlroy BRISBANE — The result of the Queensland state election hung in the balance on July 16, following a huge swing against Labor. The swing of 5.5% statewide shocked observers, who had generally predicted a moderate protest vote
By Afrodity Giannakis SYDNEY — Teachers at the Adult Migrant English Service (AMES) in Auburn and Parramatta are campaigning to stop a threatened closure of English for migrants classes at Auburn. AMES is administered by the state
'A wasted six-year opportunity' By Jim McIlroy BRISBANE — "Whichever way the final result goes, the Goss Labor government has wasted a priceless six-year opportunity for major reform in Queensland", Democratic Socialist candidate for
By Julia Perkins MELBOURNE — The ninth conference of the National Organisation of Women Students in Australia was held here July 3-7. With around 600 participants, it was the largest NOWSA conference yet. The theme was "Women in revolt".
By Tom Flanagan MELBOURNE — More than 200 people attended the 1995 Queer Collaborations conference, held at Melbourne University July 10-14. The conference brought together lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgenderist students (and many
Seminar challenges privatisation By Rob Graham and Melanie Sjoberg ADELAIDE — Widespread concern and opposition to privatisation were demonstrated here on June 28-29, when 100 people attended a seminar, "Selling off the State".

SYDNEY – Teachers and the NSW government seem set on a collision course after the NSW Teachers Federation's 77th annual conference voted to place bans on the introduction of new programs until the beginning of the 1997 school year. Bob Carr's Labor government responded by insisting that it had a mandate to carry through its education reform agenda.

By Norm Dixon The worldwide uproar over the French government's decision to resume nuclear tests in the Pacific has been fuelled by the violent seizure of the Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior off Moruroa atoll on July 9. Protests were
By Jennifer Thompson MELBOURNE — The 24th national Resistance conference, held here July 7-10, attracted around 220 people for intensive discussions on the conference theme, "Struggle, solidarity, socialism". Discussion in plenaries and

World

TERESITA CARPIO works in the Midas garment factory in the Philippines where, in 1986, she was a founder of the first workplace trade union. Since then she has held the position of union secretary. She is also an executive committee member of the
By Renfrey Clarke MOSCOW — The typical Russian murder: the door of a Jeep Grand Cherokee swings open, cartridge-cases from an assault rifle spray onto the pavement, and a strongly built, crew-cut young man in a strawberry-coloured jacket
By Eva Cheng Japanese banks are sinking in a sea of bad debts, threatening to drag the already ailing economy down with them. Japan is a key supplier of capital to many countries, including the US. A financial collapse there could have serious
Australian gunships in action again on Bougainville By Norm Dixon At least one of the four Iroquois combat helicopters supplied to the Papua New Guinea government by Australia in 1989 is in action over Bougainville again, says the
South Africa grapples with apartheid's environmental legacy By Eddie Koch JOHANNESBURG — Rainbows have become emblematic of the Republic of South Africa's shift from apartheid to non-racial democracy. Since Nelson Mandela used references
By Renfrey Clarke MOSCOW — Throughout much of the second week of July, the streets of the Chechen capital, Grozny, were under the control of demonstrators chanting anti-Russian slogans and holding up portraits of separatist leaders. Russian
By Richard Horsey Burmese opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi was released on July 10 after six years under house arrest. A spokesman for the Burmese junta confirmed that her release was unconditional, and said
Burma 'still a prison' By Jon Lamb No official announcement was made by SLORC that Aung San Suu Kyi's detention had ended, but word travelled fast around Rangoon, and her residence was quickly surrounded by supporters. Suu Kyi held meetings

Culture

Mina Tannenbaum Directed by Martine Dugowson Starring Romane Bohringer and Elsa Zylberstein Opens in late July at the Pitt Centre, Sydney Reviewed by Pip Hinman This story of the friendship between two girls, Mina and Ethel, who both
Opus 1 Pan African Orchestra Real World through Larrikin Entertainment Reviewed by Norm Dixon This brilliant, ambitious and beautiful recording is a welcome reminder that it is crude and inadequate to bunch the complex and varied musical
OH INDUSTRY (Whatever Will Become of Me?) By Kamala Emanuel A cloud descends on Mayfield; It's from the BHP. We cough, we choke, we splutter; We vainly try to see. It greets us when we go out, It greets us coming in. It gets
Splendid's By Jean Genet Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney Reviewed by Jorge Sotirios It was with great anticipation that I headed off to Belvoir Street to see a writer rarely produced in this country. Splendid's was written by the late great
Missing in Cyprus: Dead or Alive SBS, Thursday, July 20, 8.30pm (8 SA) Previewed by Michael Karadjis This is the most up to date report on the ongoing tragedy of 1619 Greek Cypriots who have been missing since 1974. In that year, the
Masculinities By R.W. Connell Allen and Unwin, 1995. Reviewed by Chris Slee In recent years, an increasing number of books have been written about men's problems. These books have varied greatly. Some are progressive, questioning the
Mapplethorpe exhibition in Perth Robert Mapplethorpe Retrospective WA Art Gallery until August 6 Reviewed by Leon Harrison Robert Mapplethorpe, a famous and controversial gay US photographer, died in 1989 leaving a legacy in his mainly
Film maker ANAND PATWARDHAN participated in the anti-Vietnam War movement as a student in the US in 1970-72 and has been involved in a variety of social movements in India. His latest film, Father, Son and Holy War, is a documentary exploring the
Dismantling the Bomb The Cutting Edge SBS, Tuesday, July 25, 8.30pm (8 in SA) Previewed by Lisa Macdonald "From day one, when we first produced plutonium in this country, we never had an option for its disposal. The notion always was that

Editorial

The well-worn path The decision of ACTU president Martin Ferguson to seek preselection for the safe Melbourne Labor seat of Batman is no surprise. A spate of departures from the trade union bureaucracy suggests that the same rats who gnawed