Campaigning for a free East Timor
By Stuart Munckton and Arun Pradhan
PERTH — On November 12, East Timorese and their supporters attended a protest at Parliament House to commemorate the 1991 Dili massacre. Amidst crosses bearing the
Issue 299
News
By Bill Day
DARWIN — The Northern Territory government and the Darwin City Council have rejected appeals for water and toilet facilities for homeless Aborigines camped under the busy flight path of the international airport in Ludmilla. The
CANBERRA — The Aboriginal tent embassy has issued an invitation for the "great gathering of the elders" — a corroboree for sovereignty — to mark the 26th anniversary of the embassy and survival day, January 26, 1998. The embassy is inviting
Greenhouse action in lead up to Kyoto conference
By Amanda Lawrence
CANBERRA — A speak-out in Civic on November 21 organised by members of Resistance condemned the Howard government's stance on the greenhouse issue. The Australian
Burmese leader to visit
A Burmese democracy leader, Dr Thaung Htun, will visit Australia to participate in the Asia Pacific Solidarity Conference being organised by the Asia Pacific Institute for Democratisation and Development (API) from April
By Sibylle Kaczorek
DARWIN — In August last year, the Northern Territory government changed the law relating to unpaid fines. Until then defaulters were sentenced to do community service work. The government abolished that option and replaced
Progressive gift-giving
Just in case you haven't ventured near a shopping centre in the past few weeks, there is something you may need to know. Those who celebrate Christmas will be doing so in a matter of weeks.
That means the shops are
By Paul Oboohov
On December 1, the 50 year-old Commonwealth Employment Service will cease to exist and the Public Employment Placement Enterprise will take over its functions. The 5000 remaining CES workers face the unenviable choice of either
Rallying for native title
SYDNEY — More than 300 people rallied at the Town Hall steps on November 21 to support native title and Aboriginal land rights. Speakers included Ian Cohen, NSW Greens MP; Dr Arthur Chesterfield-Evans from the
Bus drivers to walk out over cuts
By Bill Mason
BRISBANE — Bus drivers employed by Brisbane City Council are preparing to take strike action to protest against threatened cuts to jobs, pay and conditions. The workers rallied in King
Hinchinbrook: new evidence of disaster
By Tim Walgers
BRISBANE — Keith Williams' Port Hinchinbrook development is again under a cloud of controversy after reports last week that thousands of litres of acidic water have poured off the site
Move for legal recognition of same-sex couples
By Ruth Ratcliffe
BRISBANE — The Queensland Labor opposition announced last week that it will introduce an amendment to the Powers of Attorney Act to include the recognition of same-sex
By Ben Courtice
The Tax Office section council of the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU), meeting in Sydney on November 13-16, discussed how to respond to the threat of compulsory redundancies in the Australian Taxation Office. Management
By Sue Bull
CANBERRA — Not content with demolishing public sector jobs and services, the Howard government has decided to demolish public buildings in Canberra, supposedly to get the economy going. Sound bizarre and irrational? But wait ...
New airport driven by profits
By Alistair Dickinsonand Rupen Savoulian
SYDNEY — Developers of the Badgerys Creek airport will make big profits, while residents will pay the cost, Kay Vella, a coordinator of the western Sydney anti-airport
By Sue Bolton
MELBOURNE — After two successful strikes and demonstrations, more actions are planned in the campaign against cuts to WorkCover. The Kennett government is planning to dramatically cut payments to injured workers; change the
SYDNEY — The Capsicum Gas Monitoring Committee, which has done extensive international research into the use of this chemical weapon, has condemned the announcement by state police minister, Paul Whelan, that capsicum gas would be introduced into
Another Aboriginal death in custody in WA
PERTH — Another Aboriginal person has died in custody in Western Australia, the Deaths In Custody Watch Committee (WA) has reported. "His body was found in his cell on the evening of November 14 at the
By Chris Spindler
SYDNEY — A group of overseas trained doctors are on a hunger strike to protest discrimination against them. The Australian Doctors Trained Overseas Association (ADTOA) is trying to counter a sustained campaign by the
Activists sued over Kumarangk campaign
By Emma Webb
ADELAIDE — Five more organisations and individuals are being sued for defamation by Thomas and Wendy Chapman, the proprietors of the development company Binalong, formerly associated
New premises for Women's Liberation House
SYDNEY — New premises for the Sydney Women's Liberation House have been found after an accidental fire destroyed the original centre on June 6. The new address is 43 Bedford Street in Newtown.
By Penny Law and Tony Iltis
HOBART — Around 40 people attended a film night organised by Everyone for a Nuclear Free Future (ENuFF) on November 18. The films shown were irt Cheap, about uranium mining in the Northern Territory; Take Heart,
By Leo Wellin
An ominous silence from Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) officials has marked the end of the first stage of Telstra privatisation. By November 17, after weeks of being tied up in working parties and negotiations over an
World
By Michael Karadjis
Turkey's one-year-old Liberty and Solidarity Party's (ODP) annual congress on October 26 was attended by thousands. The ODP brings together various strands of the Turkish left which have fought against repressive regimes for
Suharto blocks East Timorese asylum seekers
By Jon Land
The Indonesian government is refusing to allow six East Timorese sheltering for more than three months in the Austrian embassy in Jakarta to leave for Portugal. Indonesian authorities
Dita Sari hospitalised with typhoid
By James Balowski
On November 18, the Javanese daily Surya reported that the chair of the Centre for Labour Struggles (PPBI), Dita Indah Sari, had been admitted to the Syaiful Anwar hospital in Malang,
Prisoners' group condemns ANC Youth League bid
By Norm Dixon
The SA Prisoners Organisation for Human Rights (SAPOHR) has expressed "shock and outrage" at the ANC Youth League's involvement in a consortium bidding for a multimillion-rand
Israeli racism murders Palestinian child
By Adam Hanieh
WEST BANK — On November 11, a Palestinian child was shot in the head by an Israeli soldier in Bethlehem. He was pronounced dead on November 15 by Israel's Hadassah hospital. Ali
Corruption scandal hits Russia's 'young reformers'
By Renfrey Clarke
MOSCOW — During a meeting with Boris Yeltsin on November 4, "young reformers" Anatoly Chubais and Boris Nemtsov reportedly urged the Russian president to sack business
In early October, Italy's Party of Communist Refoundation (PRC) withdrew its support for the ruling Olive Tree coalition government of Prime Minister Romano Prodi because of the cuts contained in the government's draft 1997-98 budget. However, after
West Papua: Indonesia's brutal colonialism
By Sean Moysey
Life in "Irian Jaya" — the name the Indonesian government gives to West Papua — is akin to the colonies of Spain in Latin America, or Europe in Africa. The land and its fruits
NEW YORK — An Amnesty International report released on November 19 documents a spiralling increase in violence in Algeria, which has claimed up to 80,000 lives since 1992. Amnesty called for an international investigation into recent massacres and
South Korea: another Asian economy in trouble
By Eva Cheng
Seoul's November 21 call for assistance from the International Monetary Fund is the latest sign that the South Korean economy, the 11th biggest in the world, is in deep trouble.
Washington seeks revenge for successful UPS strike
By Barry Sheppard
A former federal judge, acting on behalf of the capitalist government, has barred the Teamsters' current president, Ron Carey, from running for re-election. Carey
Culture
Fremantle's women take centre stage
Waterfront WomenDeckchair Theatre CompanyDirected by Angela Chaplin, written by Marcus HughesVictoria Quay, Fremantle, until November 29Regional WA tour to December 6 Review by Anne O'Callaghan
The Port
Activist launches first book
By Connie Fraser
ADELAIDE — About 100 women crowded into the Lion Bar of the Lion Arts Theatre Complex on November 11 to congratulate well-known activist Marg McHugh on the launch of her first book, What Would
The Bottom LinePeter HicksSend $22.50 to PO Box 163, Camperdown NSW 2050 Review by Alex Bainbridge
The Bottom Line is the first solo album by left-wing Sydney singer/songwriter Peter Hicks for several years. The result is excellent — a truly
Global Spin: The Corporate Assault on EnvironmentalismBy Sharon BederScribe Publications, 1997. 288 pp., $24.95 Review by Allen Myers
It is hard to find words sufficiently enthusiastic to describe Sharon Beder's new book. This is an outstanding
By Paul Oboohov
Music at the Creek — as the November 7-9 Major's Creek Folk Festival is known — has been running for five years. Each year it attracts more musicians and larger audiences to the former gold-mining hamlet about 15 km south of
Seven years in TibetA film by Jean-Jacques AnnaudReleased by TriStarOpening at Hoyts on December 4 Review by Allen Myers
First things first. The Tibetan people should have the right to self-determination, including complete independence from
Pope JoanPerformed by the Women's CircusDirected by Sarah CathcartAt the Old Police Garage, Russell Street, MelbourneThurs-Sat, 8.30pm, until December 6 Reviewed by Bronwen Beechey
The Women's Circus began as a project for women survivors of
Money?
How much for a breath of fresh air?Is it very expensive, should consumers beware?How would I be for a smile,Will it come with a warranty, last for a while?
Would world peace cost the earthWill we all pay the priceIs our generation
Sting like a butterfly, buzz like a bee
Bernard ShawBy Michael HolroydChatto & Windus, 1997. 834 pp., $49.95 (hb) Review by Phil Shannon
"A good man fallen amongst Fabians" — so Lenin was alleged to have summed up the playwright
Left on-line
ApologyList is collecting apologies from white Australians for the removal of Aboriginal children — the stolen generations — citing that fact that almost half of the Aboriginal deaths in custody investigated by the 1988 Royal
Editorial
l = Editorial: US out of the Persian Gulf!
l = US out of the Persian Gulf!
The US government has threatened to launch a military attack on Iraq over a relatively insignificant matter to do with the composition of the United Nations Special