By Chris Spindler
SYDNEY — Green Left Weekly sellers have been visible most lunchtimes and afternoons in Town Hall tunnel (between the Queen Victoria Building and Town Hall station) for as many years as Green Left has been publishing. However,
Issue 297
News
Youth protest discrimination by Myer
By Alex Hlivka
BRISBANE — On October 31, 250 people protested against Myer Centre security staff's ejection of Aborigines, homeless people, punks and people without shoes from the centre. After hearing
By Marina Carman
While the discussion paper of the government's review of higher education will now not be released until this week, it seems set to recommend higher student fees and a voucher system of university funding. Under the current system,
By Emma Webb
ADELAIDE — A painting by artist Pro Hart — donated to Campaign Against Racism — raised $450 when it was auctioned on November 3. The painting was donated after its owner heard that Hart had donated a painting to One Nation. CAR
By Ted Lord
PENRITH — In the largest rally ever here, some 4000 people marched down High Street to a rally at Penrith Stadium on a "Walk for Reconciliation" on November 1. Supported and organised by local church and community groups, the rally
Meeting debates protection of NSW national parks
By Chris Spindler
SYDNEY — The Carr Labor government is taking NSW national parks down the commercialisation road via its recently drafted "Access Strategy Plan". Up to 300 people attended a
By Alex Bainbridge
HUNTER VALLEY — The Industrial Relations Commission decided on November 7 to terminate the enterprise bargaining period at the strike-bound Hunter Valley No. 1 mine and begin compulsory arbitration. Miners' union leader Mick
Doing it ourselves
John Howard's most recent ludicrous comments on his plan to further dispossess Australia's indigenous people are a stark reminder (as if we needed it) that the Coalition government is completely out of touch with the reality of
Appropriate technology in Guatemala
BRISBANE — West End's House of Freedom was packed to hear Patricia Morrow present a talk and slide show on two projects in the highlands of Guatemala as part of the Australian Volunteer Abroad Program organised
Convicted for possessing a book
Queensland's most dangerous book, The Book of Bud, has claimed its second victim. Steve Dimitriou, perennial Australian Marijuana Party candidate (he first stood as the AMP Senate candidate in South Australia in
Refugee right of appeal threatened
By Jon Land
The Howard government is preparing to restrict refugees' right of appeal with a bill to be put to parliament later this month. The migration bill will include a "privative clause", designed to make
Rally against Olympic rent increases
By Margaret Gleeson
SYDNEY — Rentwatchers, a coalition of community groups (including Redfern Legal Centre, Tenants Union of NSW, Tenants Advice Services and Shelter NSW) has called a demonstration outside
By Lachlan Malloch
SYDNEY — Around 600 people marched here on November 8 to commemorate the November 12, 1991 Dili Massacre in East Timor. After a mass held at St Marys cathedral in the city, hundreds of East Timorese left the church, each
Tasmanian forest deal signed
By Kylie Moon
HOBART — A Tasmanian Wilderness Society protest in Perth, 15 minutes' drive from Launceston, on November 8 failed to prevent John Howard and the Tasmanian politicians there for the day from signing a
Greenhouse rally planned in Adelaide
Greenhouse rally planned in Adelaide
ADELAIDE — A rally, march and bike ride are planned for the November 30 greenhouse national day of action. The bike ride is planned for 10:30 am, starting and finishing
Perth women reclaim the night
By Mary Nielson
PERTH — Approximately 2000 women gathered at Claremont Park on Bayview Terrace on the evening of October 31 for the annual Reclaim the Night rally and march. This was a significant turnout in
A coalition of more than 20 environment groups has written to federal and state environment ministers to oppose a move by the federal government to water down national air quality standards. The groups, including the Australian Conservation
Not in Kakadu, not anywhere!
By Andrew Gough
KAKADU — The November 5 "open day" at the Ranger uranium mine was met with an emotional, non-violent protest against the approval by the federal government of a new uranium mine at nearby Jabiluka.
World
By John Percy
VARANASI — Waving red flags, chanting slogans and singing revolutionary songs, 50,000 peasants and workers assembled for an inspiring rally to conclude the sixth congress of the Communist Party of India Marxist-Leninist
Can East Timor win freedom?
By Jon Land
On October 11, 1996, Jose Ramos Horta and Bishop Carlos Felipe Ximenes Belo were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of their efforts to win freedom for the people of East Timor. The Nobel
By Jennifer Thompson
On October 29, Iraq's Revolutionary Command Council announced that US citizens and aircraft working for the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) on Iraq would be banned. However, the Iraqi leadership's hope of forcing a
Israeli house demolitions punish innocent Palestinians
By Adam Hanieh
RAMALLAH — The Israeli military has ordered the demolition of the homes of four alleged suicide bombers in the West Bank village of Asira. The order is based on the Emergency
By Eva Cheng
Asia's export growth plunged across the board last year, hitting also the so-called "tiger" economies. Advocates of the "Asian miracle" theory claimed the causes were short term, and played down any structural problems. Then, early in
Voluntary student unionism push in NZ
By Marina Carman
In an attempt to weaken student opposition to the privatisation of higher education, sections of the New Zealand government are making a renewed push to legislate for voluntary student
Problems with herbicide-tolerant cotton in US
According to a report by the Center for Ethics and Toxics, farmers throughout the mid-south region of the US began experiencing problems with Roundup Ready cotton in August 1997 as cotton bolls began
OH JONG-SAE, president of the organisation committee of the Korean Federation of Hyundai Group Workers Union, was interviewed for Green Left Weekly by JAMES VASSILOPOULOS about the implications for Korean workers of the crash in Asian currencies, and
Ontario teachers strike for jobs
By Paul Howes and Becky Ellis
More than 126,000 teachers in Ontario, Canada have launched an indefinite strike. The teachers, from both public and private schools, walked out of school on October 27. Negotiations
By Michael Karadjis
ATHENS — Seven thousand workers marched through the streets of Athens during the October 23 general strike called by the General Union of Greek Workers (GSEE). In many areas, 60-70% of the work force participated in the
By Renfrey Clarke
MOSCOW — For several months from mid-1997, the message in the mainstream Russian press was unanimous: the bad times were ending. The collapse that had almost halved the size of the country's economy since 1990 had bottomed out.
Defining terrorism in Sri Lanka
By Ana Pararajasingham
The bomb blast that shook Colombo's financial centre on October 15 killed 13 people and injured scores of others. The Sri Lankan government promptly blamed the Tamil Tiger rebels (LTTE).
Culture
Green Left Weekly's JOHN TOGNOLINI interviewed singer-songwriters KEV CARMODY and NEIL MURRAY about their views on the Olympics, the stolen generations, native title, reconciliation and racism. Question: It's only a few years since Sydney won the
KissedA film by Lynne StopkewichWith Molly Parker and Peter OuterbridgeDendy Cinemas Review by Sean Healy
Ooh, yuck, you say, and quite understandably — that was my reaction when I heard what this film was about necrophilia. That's right, it's a
Jabiluka
Chorus: I've got the Jabiluka bluesnothing to gainbut every damn thing to lose.I used to worry about uraniumuntil Pan Con bought me off.I'm trying to sell uraniumbut everyone's got enough.
I got the Jabiluka blues,while driving my
He Plays Zeus From Olympus
I work the phones, where the raw stuff's on tap,a million soap operas bottled and trapped,and think how apart from boosting the ratings ofradio personalities,this is quite the best line for the developing poet,about how
The French MathematicianBy Tom PetsinisPenguin, 1997. 422 pp., $17.95 (pb) Review by Phil Shannon
"I refuse to be a mathematician in a prison, and Paris will continue to be a prison until King Charles and the Church are overthrown", declares the
Reading in the darkBy Seamus DeanVintage, 1996. 233 pp. Review by Suneeta Peres da Costa
This is a book of haunting and beautifully rendered childhood revelations. In their subtle evocation of a youth burdened by a terrible family secret, these
Left on-line
The Aboriginal Deaths in Custody Watch Committee (WA) now has a web page. See .
Latest news on the trial of the Herri Batasuna leadership â The Spanish government is prosecuting the entire national executive of the legal
The latest in Barbie-mania has hit the Australian airwaves. Now we have not only the Barbie house, the Barbie horse and the Barbie car, but also the Barbie song.
The Victory — (The Inside Story of the Takeover of Australia)By Pamela WilliamsAllen & Unwin, 1997, 370 pp., $24.95 (pb) Review by Melanie Sjoberg
The Victory is a gripping tale of intrigue, dubious financial deals and dynamic interpersonal
Buena Vista Social ClubFeaturing Compay Segundo, Rubén González, Eliades Ochoa, Ibrahim Ferrer, Omara Portuondo, Ry CooderIntroducing Rubén GonzálezRubén GonzálezA Todo Cuba le GustaAfro-Cuban All StarsWorld
The power of Oils
20,000 WATT R.S.L.Midnight OilColumbia/Sony Review by John Gauci
Nowadays, artists tend to release a greatest hits collection after three or four albums which include a few hits and a couple of misses. Midnight Oil has waited 10
Editorial
Editorial: 'Tough on drugs' hypocrisy
At a record low in the opinion polls, confronted with mounting criticism of his positions on greenhouse and Wik, and still smarting from Cheryl Kernot's defection to the ALP, PM John Howard on November 2