Ogoni representative tours
By Matt Wilson and Jonathan Strauss
Nigeria's minority Ogoni people face environmental and social destruction at the hands of the Shell oil company and the country's military dictatorship. This is the message
Issue 277
News
Seminar on reinterpreting history
By Linda Kaucher
SYDNEY — A seminar titled "The View from the Other Side of the Hill: Reinterpreting History in the Context of Reconciliation" was held at the NSW State Library on May 24, organised by
Residents tour ADI site
SYDNEY — Members of the ADI Residents Action Group on May 18 were given a guided tour of the Australian Defence Industries site, between St Marys and Penrith in Sydney's west, where developer Lend Lease has proposed to
Protest against Chinese vice-premier
By Matt Wilson
ADELAIDE — About 150 protesters braved a cold night outside the Hyatt Hotel on May 25 to protest against the visit by Chinese vice-premier Zhu Ronji. The trade mission took place in
TAFE workers rally in Brisbane
By Bill Mason
@box text intro = BRISBANE — More than 800 Technical and Further Education staff rallied in the Roma Street Forum here on May 28 to protest against the Borbidge government's refusal to
Rally slams executions by Iraq
By Sue Bull
CANBERRA — Forty people rallied outside the Iraqi embassy here on May 30 to protest against executions of political prisoners by the Baghdad regime. Between February and April, 264 political
By Michael Burville
MELBOURNE — A campaign to retain the independence of the auditor-general is being waged by individuals and organisations, with the Victorian Council for Civil Liberties taking a leading role. A public meeting on May 14
Increased power to sack workers
By James Vassilopoulos
@box text intro = Peter Reith, the minister of industrial relations, is threatening to introduce new legislation to completely exempt small businesses from unfair dismissal laws if the
Brisbane picket hits state budget
By Bill Mason
@box text intro = BRISBANE — Colourful banners and placards from a variety of unions and community groups were displayed outside the Queensland parliament here on May 29 in a speak-out and
By Alex Bainbridge
NEWCASTLE — More than 4000 people protested against Pauline Hanson's May 30 public meeting in Newcastle. The atmosphere was electric as anti-racists confidently demonstrated that we were not prepared to accept racism here.
Murris rally for Referendum Day
By Bill Mason
BRISBANE — "May 27, 1967, represented a significant first step towards genuine reconciliation", Murri Watch president Sam Watson told a rally of more than 600 Aborigines and white supporters
CPSU incumbents returned on reduced vote
By Bruce Marlowe
The Wendy Caird leadership of the Community and Public Service Union (CPSU) has been returned in elections for the main national office-holder positions in the union. With over 95%
By James Vassilopoulos
Up to 1000 jobs will be lost under Qantas plans to contract out its customer service and ramp services work at Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth airports. According to the Australian Services Union (ASU), almost all workers
By Margaret Gleeson
SYDNEY — Emulating Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett, NSW Labor treasurer Michael Egan announced on May 22 that the government intends to sell the state's power generation, transmission and distribution system for a $22
Protest against cheap labour in garment industry
By Margaret Allan
SYDNEY — The Fair Wear Campaign, launched in April by a coalition of churches, community organisations and unions, held a speak-out outside the Sportsgirl retailer in the
Bendigo residents oppose open cut mining
By Kerryn Williams
BENDIGO — Driving along Kangaroo Valley Road, it is impossible to ignore the sentiment of residents against the proposed open cut gold mining project in Kangaroo Flat. Large
Vigil for justice
By Sue Bull
CANBERRA — To mark the 30th anniversary of the 1967 referendum which granted Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people citizenship on May 27, a 500-strong all-day vigil for justice was held in front of
Since the invasion of southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq) by 80,000 Turkish troops backed by tanks and helicopters on May 14, a series of protests have occurred around Australia. Arty Killis and Maurice Sibelle write from Melbourne that more than 100
Email workers' victory a test case
By Sue Bolton
MELBOURNE — On ABC-TV's Lateline program on May 28, Metal Trades Industry Association spokesperson Bert Evans said the Martin Bright workers' victory here was an example of the weakness of
WA unions continue campaign against 'third wave'
By Anthony Benbow
PERTH — The next stages of the campaign against the state government's anti-union "third wave" legislation are being planned by the WA Trades and Labour Council. Half the
By Zanny Begg
BRISBANE — Activists registered a victory at the University of Queensland last week when students voted to affiliate the union to the National Union of Students. Of the 3402 students who voted in the referendum, 73% voted for
Queensland public servants stop work
By Jim McIlroy
BRISBANE — Federal public servants throughout Queensland stopped work for half a day on May 29 as part of the Community and Public Sector Union's national campaign to protect Australian
World
By Renfrey Clarke
MOSCOW — When the Russian government fails to pay wages and slashes state subsidies and investment programs, it runs a definite risk: that energy and water supply systems will cease functioning, and that the collapse of
Roisin McAliskey gives birth
@box text intro = As Roisin McAliskey gave birth to a healthy 2.6 kg baby girl on May 26, international pressure redoubled on the British and German governments to quickly release mother and child.
Roisin has
The 'new, open' CIA
By Barry Sheppard
The Central Intelligence Agency recently declassified 1400 pages from its files on the coup it engineered in Guatemala in 1954, installing a corrupt military regime that waged war on its citizens
Green Left Weekly's Melanie Sjoberg spoke to People's Democratic Party (PRD) activist Wilson, while waiting in a holding cell at the South Jakarta Court on May 26. The trials of PRD activists arrested since the Suharto government's July 27 crackdown
By Norm Dixon
Seemingly oblivious to the fact that Laurent Kabila's Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo (ADFL) achieved more in the struggle against the Mobutu dictatorship in eight months than the Kinshasa-based
Turkish forces massacre Kurds
More than 100 civilians killed when Turkish government forces launched an attack on the city of Irbil in the Kurdish part of northern Iraq on May 16. Heavy artillery was used against the hospital of the Kurdish Red
The following is an abridged version of a speech by Sinn Féin president GERRY ADAMS in response to the statement on Ireland made by British Prime Minister Tony Blair on May 16. As Tony Blair began the long Labour climb to power, he showed
By Max Lane
Two days after the elections in Indonesia, interim official results are giving President Suharto's Golkar party 74% of the vote, the Islamic United Development Party (PPP) about 23% and the puppet Indonesian Democratic Party
Mustapha's death
France's crackdown on immigrants has devastating consequences for its victims. The story of Mustapha Diffalah is such a case. The November 13 judgment fell like the guillotine. Mustapha had applied for the tribunal to overturn
By Eva Cheng
June 30 will be the last day of Britain's 155 years of colonial rule in Hong Kong. A majority of Hong Kong's people are keen for the end of a long period of humiliating subjugation. Around 98% of the population is ethnic Chinese,
Censored rap
By Sam Wainwright
@box text intro = The ability of the ideas of the extreme right to penetrate France's state institutions was dramatically demonstrated in Toulon last year. Kool Shen and Joey Starr, singers with the rap group
By Sam Wainwright
PARIS — With the National Front (FN) registering up to 20% in polls and in control of four local councils, its leader Jean-Marie Le Pen recently boasted, "We have become a movement to be reckoned with, not just in France, but
East Timorese killed in election violence
By James Balowski
Indonesian authorities have confirmed that at least 13 East Timorese were killed in the lead-up to voting in the Indonesian general elections on May 29. Dili police chief, Colonel
Culture
My Father's Son: The Last Knot UntiedBy Ric ThrossellMelbourne: em Press, 1997. 428 pp., $19.95 (pb) Review by Phil Shannon
Canberra author and former Commonwealth public servant Ric Throssell is one of many Australians to have fallen foul of
The People's Champion — Fred Paterson, Australia's Only Communist Party Member of ParliamentBy Ross FitzgeraldUniversity of Queensland Press, 1997.312 pp., $26.95 (pb) Review by John Nebauer
In 1944, Fred Paterson was elected as the member for
Poem: Distorted Dreams
Distorted Dreams
I sleep until morning.I dream through the night.I think of existenceAnd the beauty of life.My dreams are distortedBy what I have seen.I've read it in booksAnd saw it on TV.The destroying of my
The Fifth ElementStarring Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich and Gary OldmanDirected by Luc BessonNow showing in all major cinemas Review by James O'Donnell
The Fifth Element is flawed. More than this, it is a whole procession of secondary flaws
By Cameron Parker
If you have the time and motivation, the annual Sydney Film Festival is an escapist experience par excellence. The 44th Sydney Film Festival will be presenting about 150 films, from 25 countries, over 15 days in June. Ticket
Some Mother's SonDirected by Terry GeorgeStarring Helen Mirren and Fionnula FlanaganNow screening in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney Review by Michael Heany Any visitor to Northern Ireland who keeps at least half an eye open will notice that politics
Turning Up 20Various artistsCommunity Radio 2XX$25 ($20 for 2XX subscribers) to 2XX, GPO Box 812, Canberra ACT 2601, or phone credit card details to (06) 249 4512. Review by Morgan O'Keefe
Throughout 1996 Community Radio 2XX volunteers, staff
TomorrowBy Ric ThrossellMelbourne: em Press, 1997. 289 pp., $19.95 (pb) Review by Phil Shannon
Ric Throssell's latest novel is a fictional re-creation of the life of the Communist Party of Australia from the late '30s to the party's dissolution
Poem: The reply of the orange-bellied parrot
The reply of the orange-bellied parrot
"... not the orange-bellied parrot. They're just trumped up corellas." — Jeff Kennett, Premier of Victoria.
Hey, Jeff, it's that "not" that worries
The Crocodile ClubBy Kaz CookeAllen & Unwin, 1997. 230 pp., $14.95 (pb) Review by Phil Shannon
The comic genius of Kaz Cooke has been let loose again with the paperback release of her novel, The Crocodile Club. There is no funnier cure than Kaz
BoundSpecial preview presented by 2XX and SistaActJune 19, 8.15pmElectric Shadows CinemaTickets $15/12 for 2XX subscribers and concessionProceeds to 2XX Review by Tristan Ray
The debut film of the Wachowski brothers, Andy and Larry, Bound, by
Editorial
Reconciliation requires justice
@box text intro = Prime Minister John Howard's offensive performance at last week's Reconciliation Convention in Melbourne made it abundantly clear, if it wasn't already, that his government is determined to
General
A two-week issue
Green Left Weekly is taking a mid-year break next week. The next issue will be dated June 18.