By Sean Healy
During the past week, rallies and protests on campuses throughout the country were organised to protest against the federal government's higher education policy, in particular its funding cuts to universities, fees for
Issue 287
News
Water reform package "empty"
By Chris Spindler
SYDNEY — The Carr state Labor government's long-awaited water reform package has changed little. The plan sets targets for increasing water flows in rivers and reducing irrigation allocation,
Bathurst snubs Hanson
By Emma Nicholson
BATHURST — A tour by Pauline Hanson of NSW's central western region has been met by anti-racist demonstrations. The largest of these was here on August 19, when some 1000 Charles Sturt University
Motion — compulsory retrenchments in Tax
This meeting of CPSU members in [insert department name] condemns the moves by ATO management to resort to compulsory retrenchments in the INB Business Line in Sydney and Melbourne Tax Offices when
By Tony Iltis
HOBART — The state Rundle Liberal government has announced plans for a November 29 referendum on parliamentary change. The referendum would ask two questions: whether to reduce Tasmania's parliamentarians from 54 to 40, and, if
Women for Wik
By Angela Walker
ADELAIDE — Several hundred women gathered at Maughan Church on August 16 to endorse the High Court Wik decision and native title rights for indigenous Australians. The gathering heard four Aboriginal women
Greens, socialists contest NT election
In the Northern Territory elections on August 30, one Democratic Socialist and two Greens candidates will challenge the Country-Liberal Party's anti-native title and Labor's "law and order" scare campaigns.
By Nick Everett
SYDNEY — Around 150 people attended a public meeting on August 22 to launch the Action in Solidarity with Indonesia and East Timor (ASIET) activists' conference. The national conference, held at the University of Technology,
By Alison Dellit and Marcel Cameron
MELBOURNE — As Green Left Weekly went to press, 100 students were still occupying the main finance department of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in an attempt to force the administration to
Medicare the loser in bid to shore up private health
By Susan Laszlo
Just a few days after federal health minister Dr Michael Wooldridge announced new measures supporting private health insurance, figures released by the Private Health
By Sylvia Hale
SYDNEY — Marrickville Council at its August meeting unanimously declined to ban Pauline Hanson's One Nation party from using council facilities. Ashfield Council had, only weeks before, voted unanimously to support such a ban.
By Sarah Wilson
Over recent months, Aboriginal and environment groups have united to campaign against the proposed uranium mine at Jabiluka in Kakadu. They argue that the mine is irreconcilable with both the wishes of the traditional owners and
By Ben Courtice
MELBOURNE — Management of the Australian Taxation Office has decided to make compulsorily redundant staff in INB Business Line, where there have not been enough volunteers for the redundancies that management wishes to
Curragh miners claim victory
By Paul Glenning
BLACKWATER, Queensland — After maintaining a strike and picket for 15 weeks, workers at the Curragh mine have claimed an important victory over management's attacks on the wages and working
East Timor rally on Indonesia's independence day
By Georgie Arnott
MELBOURNE — As guests entered the back gate of the Indonesian consulate on August 17 to celebrate 52 years of Indonesian independence, they were greeted by other
Students seize Tasmania Uni building
By Kylie Moon
HOBART — Three hundred students rallied on Tasmania University on August 20 in protest at university plans to cut services. The planned cuts include the amalgamation of three libraries, a
Unionists and students present protest petition
By Earl Henderson
MELBOURNE
Jobs and services slashed in Tasmanian budget
By Tony Iltis
HOBART — Since coming to power, the Rundle Liberal government has overseen the destruction of 10,000 jobs. The state budget handed down on August 14 is set to continue the failed
By Bill Mason
BRISBANE — The Queensland Coalition government is sinking, with a motion of no confidence in Liberal attorney-general Denver Beanland rocking state parliament, and revelations of an alleged police and judicial cover-up of
Campaign Against Racism launched
By Angela Walker
ADELAIDE — Anti-racist activists here launched a new committee on August 13 to fight racism and challenge One Nation's and the Liberal government's racist policies. Campaign Against Racism
By Jon Lamb
ADELAIDE — Speculation is mounting about when the Liberal state government will announce the date of the next election, due to be held by April. Preselection tussles are under way in the Labor and Liberal camps, and Premier John
Victory for Citipower Workers
By Sue Bolton
MELBOURNE — After 15 weeks on strike defending their jobs, wages and conditions, 140 Citipower workers have won a significant victory. On August 21, the workers marched back to work beneath
Housing crisis week in Melbourne
By Lev Lafayette
MELBOURNE — Victorian community organisations and individuals have formed People for Public Housing to oppose federal and state government changes to the public housing system. The
World
GREG OGLE reports on the Hiroshima and Nagasaki peace conferences and rallies in Japan which he attended earlier this month as a representative of the Australian Peace Committee. Justice will only be done for the Hibakusha — the survivors of the US
Brazil privatises oil production
On August 6 Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso signed the Petroleum Law, privatising the country's lucrative oil industry.
The law ends the monopoly of the state-owned Petrobras over oil
By Rupen Savoulian
Alarm bells are now ringing in Washington and Islamabad, because the Afghanistan opposition forces, led by General Ahmad Shah Masood, have pounded the Taliban out of northern Afghanistan and are on the outskirts of the
By Russell Pickering and Nikki Ulasowski
BILBAO — In the wake of the Spanish government's offensive against the Basque independence movement, particularly focused on ETA (the armed Basque resistance movement) and the political organisation
MYINT THU and YE WIN are both in the 30-member central committee of the All Burma Student Democratic Front, formed after the students led a million-strong uprising nine years ago. Like other democratic activists, ABSDF members had to flee the
In August 1996 the Mercury News of San Jose, California, ran a series detailing how a group of right-wing Nicaraguans supplied cocaine to one of Los Angeles' leading crack distributors in the 1980s and sent at least some of the profits to support the
Teamsters point the way forward
By Barry Sheppard
At a news conference announcing victory in the 15-day strike against the United Parcel Service, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters' president, Ron Carey, hailed the settlement as "a
By Dave Riley
It is now certain that Sinn Féin will be included in the peace talks process when it resumes in September. Despite persistent unionist intransigence, the initiative, for the moment, rests with Sinn Féin as it pushes
New cabinet foreshadows more repression in Iran
By Rupen Savoulian
The election of Mohammad Khatami as president of Iran in May was welcomed in many quarters as the victory of "moderation". However, the composition of the proposed cabinet
By Ana Kailis
HAVANA — Cuban foreign minister Roberto Robaina addressed the opening session of the 14th World Festival of Youth and Students, held here from July 28 to August 5. The subject of the session was human rights. In his address,
At 5:38am on October 6, a spacecraft called Cassini is scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral in the United States. On board will be 72.3 pounds (32.8 kg) of the deadliest substance known, plutonium. This is by far the most plutonium ever
By Renfrey Clarke
MOSCOW — There was a time, about 1991, when only slightly drunk members of Moscow's liberal intelligentsia would exclaim to you across their kitchen tables that Russia was at last about to become a normal country. Enterprises
Culture
A Bunch of Leaves
Around my door, the oak leavesAre tarnished bronze scalesFrom Etruscan armour, I can count them,And in my arc of view,Platoons of them wait the wind;
Looking at each of theseI think of all the East TimoreseAnd name each
Leaping off the edge
The Women's Circus, based in Melbourne, is an innovative community arts project. Now it has been documented in the splendid book, Women's Circus: Leaping Off the Edge. The book's authors, women who have performed in the
A Woman AloneWritten by Dario Fo and Franca RamePerformed by Maxine GarnseyDirected by Anne O'CallaghanHayman Theatre, Curtin University, WAUntil August 31 Reviewed by Mary Little
A Woman Alone is consistent with the strong tradition of
Cowrie continues her journey
The Journey HomeBy Cathie Dunsford — Spinifex Press, 1997. 301 pp., $16.95 (pb) Review by Carla Gorton
Cathie Dunsford's second novel, The Journey Home, takes her central character, Cowrie, on a journey which
Ian Roberts: Finding OutBy Paul FreemanRandom House, 1997, 325 pp.,$29.95 (hb) Review by Phil Shannon
"AIDS will finish you in hell. SODOMIST. An arsehole bandit. You are pure filth and will die SOON!". Thus ran one of the letters to Ian Roberts
LibertariasDirected by Vincente ArandaDendy Films Review by Marina Cameron
Libertarias is a fantastic and inspiring look at the Spanish Civil War through the eyes of a group of women who fight to play their part in the struggle for
Who Cares? Guilt, hope and the child-care debateBy Sally LoaneReed Books, 1997. 359pp., $15.95 (pb) Review by Pip Hinman
Who Cares? provides valuable information about the evolution of professional child-care in Australia, including the impact
What's Up Dockers?SBS TV, Sunday, August 318.30pm (8 in SA)Edited by Channel 4 Strike, the Flickering Flame — A Story of Contemporary MoralityDirected by Ken LoachSBS TV, Sunday September 7 8.30pm (8 in SA)
Review by James Vassilopoulos
A Celebration of Voices
Hundreds gather for a concert in the cityto celebrate treeswhile others gather in the forest, to protest destruction.As the chainsaws advancewe form a human chain around each treesing our songs, chant for
Left On-line
Webgrrls — Webgrrls is a real-world, face-to-face networking group for women in and interested in new media. Chapters are forming around the world to provide a forum for women to exchange information, give leads, learn about new
Lee Sappho sings the BluesWritten by Robyn Archer and Lee Sappho with Angela ChaplinOuter metropolitan Perth tour, August 26-30South-west WA tour, September 2-6
Review by Anne O'Callaghan
Robyn Archer has returned to Deckchair Theatre for
Editorial
Chairman Wallop and Chairman Tim
The federal government last week provided, not one, but two ministers to entertain the guests at a conference in Canberra dedicated to preventing any meaningful action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The
General
Festival Records dispute ends
SYDNEY — After 12 weeks on the picket line, workers at Festival Records have won a better redundancy package. Fifty members of the National Union of Workers at the Pyrmont plant were sacked on May 12.
The