A matter of hygiene
By Brandon Astor Jones
"Inmates are offered access to toilets, sinks and showers as well as a full range of hygiene items. I am unfamiliar with where you received your information but I can assure you that all inmates in
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Resistance campaigns around JabilukaNEWCASTLE — Around 70 people heard Jacqui Katona and Yvonne Margarula speak about the campaign to stop the Jabiluka uranium mine in Kakadu National Park last week. David Bradbury's film
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SYDNEY — Hunter Valley residents who read the front page article "200 new jobs in power move" in the February 6 Newcastle Herald may have thought that a much needed jobs boost for the region had occurred. The article concerns
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"White people have four seasons, but we have only two: the wet and the dry, the high and the low of the river. The land rules the seasons for us. In the dry, we know the pools where the big fish have stayed. In the floods we know
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As government has been "downsized" in recent years, corporations have found opportunities to fund scientific research and education that the government used to fund. Will this give corporations the chance to influence scientific
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Stop hiding behind 'conscience vote'!On May 11, 1970, the NSW police swooped on the Heatherbrae clinic in Sydney's eastern suburbs. The doctor, an anaesthetist and the matron of the clinic were charged under Sections 82, 83
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Dayak seek solidarity ADELAIDE — Thirty people heard representatives of the Dayak people of Kalimantan here on February 14. They have been touring Australia to raise awareness of the effects of the mining activities of Rio Tinto and Aurora
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How far can Mardi Gras take us?With half a million people in the streets of Sydney watching a celebration of lesbian and gay pride, a Mardi Gras visitor from Mars might presume that Australian society in 1998 is relaxed and
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One of the most controversial recommendations of the West review of higher education was the proposal for "student centred funding" — vouchers or "learning accounts" for higher education. The rhetoric that
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The Newcastle Legal Centre has called for a new inquiry into the 1981 death of Eddie Murray in a police lock-up. In a report published late last year, the NLC criticised the inquest and subsequent investigation of Murray's
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Resistance campaigns to support the wharfiesMELBOURNE — Resistance has been campaigning to build support among young people for the struggle of the maritime workers. Resistance activist Mark Abberton explained, "As soon as
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The United States is moving inexorably towards another bloodbath in Iraq. Disregarding overwhelming worldwide opposition and hampering proposals for peaceful compromise, Washington seems determined to launch a massive, unilateral air
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Homophobia: has anything changed?At the first organised street protest in defence of gay and lesbian rights 20 years ago, the police arrested 53 people. At this year's mardi gras in Sydney on February 28, the NSW police force is an
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On February 10, several thousand union delegates met in Melbourne to discuss how to support the Maritime Union of Australia at Webb Dock. The feeling at the meeting reflected the dilemma of Australian unionism today. The
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Illegal fees on the riseSYDNEY — A decision by Macquarie University to levy a $50 "information technology charge" on all students has focused attention on the issue of illegal ancillary fees. Macquarie University's decision comes
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Life of Riley: An excuse for butchery Do you know what the quintessence of sheephood is? Shearin' and slaughterin' — that's what it is. In a word: sacrifice. We're sentenced to live our lives for the sake of others. For many, the meaning of
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Waterfront performance Chris Corrigan wants his company, Patrick Stevedores, to make a profit. If Mr Corrigan's performance, in relation to Dubai and Webb Dock, Melbourne, are his standard level of executive excellence, then what other explanation
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PERTH — Doctors Victor Chan and Hoh Peng Lee appeared in the Central Law Court on February 17, charged with unlawfully performing an abortion. The doctors were supported by a rally of 200 women chanting "Not the Church, not the state, women must
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On February 16, the Australian ran a "scoop" on the Coalition government's allocation of most of the funds from the National Heritage Fund to its own electorates. The fund was never going to solve Australia's environmental
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Actively Radical TV — Sydney community television's progressive current affairs producers tackle the hard issues from the activist's point of view. CTS Sydney (UHF 31), every Thursday, 10pm and Saturday, 7pm. Ph 9565 5522. Access News —
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Allies Should or shouldn't men be encouraged to actively participate in the feminist movement? What business is it of theirs anyway? How would it affect women's role in their own movement? These questions have been hotly debated for decades,
News
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And then ignore it "You don't need it on all of those things. There are always areas where you take public advice." — Treasurer Peter Costello, suggesting that food and other necessities would be exempt from a GST, two weeks after saying he
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Justice for women On March 7, thousands of women in Australia, and many more around the world, will march to celebrate International Women's Day. Many of these women will be marching for the first time. Some will have marched regularly for
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Hollow decision for Mount Thorley minersNEWCASTLE — The Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union has vowed to maintain pickets at Rio Tinto's Mount Thorley mine following a favourable, but toothless, decision in the
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IWD live to air on 2SER-FM SYDNEY — As women take to the streets of Sydney on Saturday, March 7 — International Women's Day — community radio 2SER-FM (107.3) will take to the airwaves between 11am and 5pm to present a unique day of
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Actions around Australia condemn violence in MexicoIn response to the escalation of violence in Mexico, activists in Brisbane, Canberra and Sydney organised protest actions on February 16 to condemn the Mexican government's
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Sacked miners robbed by companySYDNEY — On February 10, 40 copper workers from the Cobar mine in western NSW, organised by the Rural Workers Union, occupied John Howard's Sydney office. The workers were demanding to know why
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BRISBANE — The fate of the Queensland Coalition government hangs in the balance in the aftermath of "Black Friday", February 13, when three senior National Party ministers were sacked or resigned because of allegations of rorting of
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Olsen reneges on privatisation promiseADELAIDE — Prior to the December 1996 state election, Liberal leader John Olsen declared that he would not sell off public assets. He specifically promised that ETSA, the state
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Ambassadors for peace PEACE ACTIVIST Dean Jeffries took part in an international peace camp with activists from 15 countries on the border between Saudi Arabia and Iraq in early 1991. He is coordinating a new initiative for a brigade of
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Protest against Hanson's One NationWOLLONGONG — Pauline Hanson has been in the news again. Not content with her racist rhetoric, she is revealing more of her reactionary agenda by arguing that young people should be kept off
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Mt Vickery mine to closeNEWCASTLE — On February 17, Rio Tinto announced the closure of the Mt Vickery coal mine, outside Gunnedah. The company claimed the closure is due to a fall in the price of coal. Despite huge coal
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Protests demand 'No more blood for oil!' More than 1000 people marched from Defence Plaza to the US consulate in Sydney on February 21 to protest against the US plans to bomb Iraq. The protesters demanded that the US get out of the gulf, that the
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On February 16, members of the Maritime Union of Australia ended their 18-day strike at Webb Dock, Port Melbourne, following an Australian Industrial Relations Commission order to return to work. At the same meeting, it was decided to launch a
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M2 charges dropped SYDNEY — On February 20, the remaining charges relating to the M2 motorway protests in Sydney were withdrawn by the police. Other charges were withdrawn in December. Freeway Busters spokesperson Gus Gulson said, "This is a
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Mock funeral warns against Badgerys Creek airportSYDNEY — On February 15 a mock funeral cavalcade left the proposed Badgerys Creek airport site and proceeded to Warragamba Dam, to dramatise the dangers of noise and water
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MELBOURNE — About 600 people attended a Defenders of Native Title (DONT) public meeting on February 15 in the Melbourne Town Hall. Speakers included former Democrat senator Sid Spindler of the DONT coordinating committee, singer
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Native title movement makes gains in IllawarraWOLLONGONG — Native title has become one of the most important issues since the Wik decision. Illawarra Residents for Native Title (IRNT) was formed last year to combat Howard's
Analysis
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Editorial: Taxation: reform or reaction? The Coalition government has relaunched its bid to introduce a consumption tax after the next election. The government and big business won't give up on their plans for a GST. Having learned that it is best
World
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Hong Kong democracy activist finedVeteran pro-democracy activist Leung Kwok-Hung was fined by a Hong Kong magistrate on February 17 and given a "good behaviour" order for six months for protesting last July 16 against the
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Anti-war anger in the heartland"One, two, three four! We don't want your racist war!", was the shout that greeted US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright as she took the podium to defend Washington's policy before what was
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Protests continue as PA bans demonstrations Adam Hanieh RAMALLAH — More than 50 people gathered outside the US consulate in East Jerusalem on February 16 to protest against US policy on Iraq. The demonstration, which united Palestinians and
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On January 26, Jimmy Nolan, the chairperson of the Merseyside Port Shop Stewards Committee, notified supporters that the Liverpool dockers had decided to end their two-and-a-half-year dispute. After a herculean and heroic
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While all attention is focused on Sinn Féin's battle to remain in the northern Ireland peace talks, one vital factor is being overlooked. No progress is being made. Only one item has been on the agenda: Sinn Féin's
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Oppose the bombing of Iraq "Liverpool dockers call on fellow trade unionists to oppose the drive towards a new war in the Gulf, being orchestrated by the US and British governments despite widespread opposition in the Arab world and
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RAMALLAH — The sanctions against Iraq are supposed to stop Saddam Hussein from arming himself with chemical and biological weapons, but a cursory glance at the list of items under embargo reveals this claim as ridiculous. Many of
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"We have worked for 30 or 40 years to develop our countries to this level, but along comes a man with a few billion dollars and who, in a period of just two weeks, has undone most of the work we have done", Malaysian Prime Minister
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KATHMANDU — The deep level of mass support for the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist) was reflected by the size of the opening rally for its sixth congress on January 25. More than 100,000 gathered in Nepalgunj, in
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Attacks on government offices, police stations and shops by groups of poor people in the cities and countryside have become a feature of social and political life in Indonesia since February 1996. It is an irregular but important
Culture
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The Activist Cookbook: Creative Actions for a Fair EconomyBy Andrew Boyd96 pp.Send US$16 to United for a Fair Economy, 37 Temple Place Boston, MAQ 02111 Review by Dave Riley In my time trying to pilot coalitions hither and thither so that we'd win
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Art is for the rest of us ART IS NOT A COMMODITY OR A PLAYTHING OF CORPORATE POWER . ART IS FOR THE REST OF US . art for the rest of us TRANSFORMS THE WORLD . art for the rest of us CAN BE MADE BY "NON ARTISTS" . art for the rest of us IS POLITICAL
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Rory McLeod: Left-wing troubadourRory McLeod is in Australia until April 20. If he's playing somewhere near you, make the effort to see him. Rory is hard to pigeonhole. His bio says he's an "ex-circus clown and fire eater —
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The Way The Wind Blew: A History of the Weather UndergroundBy Ron JacobsVerso, 1997. 216 pp., $27.95 (pb) Review by Phil Shannon The '60s produced some inspirational politics and music of protest in the USA. But one of the less glorious products of
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Sexuality in the suburbs Ma Vie En RoseStarring Georges Du FresneDirected by Alain BerlinerScreening nationally from February 19 Review by Tamie Meem and Conrad Barrett Ludo just wants to grow up, get married and live in a big pink house with her