By Peter Boyle The Hawke Labor government's budget last month contained new rules for federal subsidies for child-care which will deny the children of people without jobs equal opportunity to child-care, according to Cheryl Cameron of the
Issue 29
News
By John Tognolini SYDNEY — Lucas Heights, on the southern edge of Sydney, has become a national dumping ground for radioactive waste. More than 10,000 drums of radioactive soil were transported there from Victoria, and there is a proposal for
Welch wins in Marrickville Bruce Welch became the first person to be elected as a Green in Sydney in elections to the Marrickville Council on September 14. The ALP has lost control of the council for the first time in over 30 years. Welch
Feminist campaign for reproductive freedom By Adrienne Barrett MELBOURNE — An ambitious project has been launched here by the Campaign for Women's Reproductive Rights. The group aims to hold a host of activities, large and small, to publicise
ADELAIDE — The Australian National Railways Commission is about to issue more than 1000 forced redundancy notices in South Australia under an "inefficiency improvement" program. This follows the compuslory redundancy of 162 ANR employees in
Government announces Fraser Island package By Bill Mason BRISBANE — Conservation organisation representatives have generally welcomed the Queensland government's decision to end logging and sand mining on Fraser Island by December 31, while
By Doug Hine SYDNEY — Balmain Green activist Nick Masterman is likely to be the last candidate elected to Leichhardt Council, contributing to a strong progressive majority of 10 on the 12-member council. Masterman was originally to have headed
Cuban women to tour By Bernie Brian A delegation of Cuban women will be visiting Australia from October 18 to November 9. Nieves Alemany is a primary school teacher, a member of the National Secretariat of the Cuban Federation of Women, a
Harsh US jail conditions for peace activists By Bill Mason BRISBANE — Australian peace activists Ciaron O'Reilly and Moana Cole are facing harsh prison conditions in the US, after their conviction for damaging a B-52 bomber and a US Air Force
Compensation for 10B victims? By Bill Mason BRISBANE — The Queensland government has announced plans to compensate former patients of Townsville Hospital's notorious Ward 10 psychiatric unit. Solicitors acting for 18 victims of the brutal
By Tracy Sorensen The Victorian government's standing committee on infertility has approved experiments on embryos up to 14 days old. Previously, the committee's guidelines allowed limited experimentation to embryos between 22 and 48 hours old.
Actors Equity criticises Perth cops By Leon Harrison PERTH — The WA Police Union has been slammed by Actors Equity over its defence of the Tactical Response Group intimidation of two Aboriginal actors a fortnight ago. On the evening of
PENRITH — The outer Sydney centre of Penrith had its biggest demonstration in years on September 17, when 1500 workers rallied to protest against Nick Greiner's industrial legislation and to express their solidarity with the workers at Vista, who
Story and photo by Col Hesse SYDNEY — More than 2000 residents of packed the Marrickville Town Hall on the night of September 18 and heard nurse Sue Larkings condemn the state government's decision to close Marrickville Hospital without any
Abortion debated in Hobart HOBART — The abortion issue in Tasmania flared up again two weeks ago when a Right to Life organisation organised a talk and video on Tasmania University campus. The video was interrupted by protesters who unfurled
Jo Vallentine resigns from Senate By Frank Noakes PERTH — Jo Vallentine has announced her intention to leave federal parliament as of January 31, 1992. A replacement for the Greens (WA) senator will be chosen by a ballot of its members, and
By Chris Perkins WOLLONGONG — Throughout the Illawarra region, an estimated 50,000 workers took part in protests against the Greiner government's Industrial Relations Bill on September 17. Participants included public sector, health and welfare
By Rebecca Meckelburg ADELAIDE — About 3000 students rallied on the steps of parliament house on September 11 to oppose the state government's budget decision to charge students full fares for travel on public transport. The only students who
Jobs and Justice rally By Jon Lamb PERTH — High unemployment and the intimidation of unemployed people through the federal government's Newstart program were the target of a "Jobs and Justice" rally held here on September 17. The rally,
Free speech theme on 2SER SYDNEY — Freedom of speech and expression will be the theme of public radio 2SER FM's week-long membership drive and radiothon October 1-7. The radiothon, an annual event celebrating the birthday of the station, will
Aborigines oppose Yakabindie nickel mine By Leon Harrison PERTH — The WA Labor government has declared its intention to allow the development of the Yakabindie nickel mining project at Wiluna, despite opposition from the traditional
World
By Peter Annear PRAGUE — Among all the countries of Eastern Europe, Czechoslovakia has been regarded as the most likely to succeed in the transition to a market economy. Its economy is stronger than others and it is not troubled by a massive
By Robert Went AMSTERDAM — More than 600,000 workers went on strike during part of the day on September 17 as part of the campaign by three trade union federations against cuts in social security announced by the government. Trade union leaders
By Tony Iltis Two million people are at risk of famine in Ethiopia and Eritrea, reports David Armstrong of Community Aid Abroad, who recently returned from Ethiopia. The overthrow on May 28 of dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam, ending a 17-year
From Milan and Turin, SALLY LOW concludes a report on trade union politics in the Italian car industry. After passage of a law to reduce the sliding scale, which tied wages to inflation, a strong movement based on the workers councils emerged in
By Norm Dixon Cuba has demanded that the United States government close the Guantánamo Naval Base. The base, opened in 1903, was imposed on Cuba after US troops occupied the island during war with Spain in 1898. There are growing fears
By Renfrey Clarke MOSCOW — It was, one of the participants remarked, like a bizarre flashback to the early days of the Russian democratic movement in 1988. Opposite the city soviet building, beneath the outstretched arm of the equestrian statue
By Norm Dixon The United Nations General Assembly, which convened on September 17, has been asked to put on its agenda the US government's end crippling 30-year economic, commercial and financial blockade against Cuba. The agenda will be
By Michele Lee On August 28, the village of Kijevo (population 1000), a Croat enclave in the middle of the so-called Serb Autonomous Region of Krajina, ceased to exist, having been razed to the ground by the Yugoslav army deploying aircraft, tanks
By Renfrey Clarke MOSCOW — Within weeks of the defeat of the August coup, important sections of the Russian democratic movement have come out in public opposition to actions of President Boris Yeltsin and his associates. In the second week of
Culture
By Peter Boyle MELBOURNE — Making its debut at the Melbourne Fringe Arts Festival is the Ilbijerri Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Theatre Co-op, which is performing a new play, Up the Road, by Koori-Torres Strait Islander playwright John
Class Analysis and Contemporary Australia Janeen Baxter, Michael Emmison and John Western (eds) Macmillan Australia, 1991 Reviewed by Jeremy Smith Australian studies of class have often been overshadowed by international efforts, notably those
The sharp pen of our poet lorikeet The Bastard Who Squashed the Grapes in Me Bag 313 poems, songs and stories By Denis Kevans Left Book Club 128 pp. $10.00 Reviewed by Bruce Copping Denis Kevans is neither an academic's poet nor the
A Bit of a Post Script Written and performed by Sue-Anne Post Directed by Sue Ingleton Universal Theatre, Fitzroy, till September 27 Reviewed by Bronwen Beechey The great US writer James Baldwin was fond of joking that, as a black homosexual,
Editorial
Update on the New World Order Remember the peace and security that were supposed to be brought about by George Bush's New World Order (plus the "death of communism")? In the last few days, two series of events have demonstrated in practice what