By Jeremy Smith
MELBOURNE — Delegates to a two-day National Tertiary Education Industry Union conference on June 15 and 16 resolved to go on the offensive against the federal government's cuts and privatisation. The conference was organised to
Issue 323
News
One Nation challenged by a multi-ethnic election team
By Jennifer Thompson
The Democratic Socialists have announced an initial 13 candidates for the federal election to present a progressive alternative to the economic "rationalism" of the Labor
Council tries to ban free speech rally
By Emma Webb
ADELAIDE — Around 100 people attended a rally for free speech in Rundle Mall on June 26, despite attempts by Adelaide City Council to prevent the action from going ahead. The protesters were
Jabiluka blockade: 'a symbol of resistance'
JABIRU, NT — MEGAN KINNINMENT, a member of the Jabiluka blockade coordinating group, spoke to Green Left Weekly's REBECCA MECKELBURG on June 26 about the situation at the blockade, which began at the
By Sean Martin-Iverson
PERTH — Hundreds of students from City Beach Senior High School walked out on June 25 to protest a government restructuring plan which would result in schools being closed, merged and downgraded to middle schools (Years
Self-determination struggles discussed
By Jo Williams
MELBOURNE — A forum organised by Resistance on June 21 brought together young people from the Kurdish, East Timorese and Tamil communities to discuss their people's struggles for
Youth peak council cut
By Nikki Ulasowski
CANBERRA — Federal youth affairs minister David Kemp has announced the end to funding of the Australian Youth Policy Action Coalition, the peak council of youth groups. This move to silence a critic of
Victorian secondary students strike against Hanson
By Jo Williamsand Reuben Endean
MELBOURNE — On June 25, 1000 secondary students from across Victoria walked out of school to demonstrate their opposition to Pauline Hanson and the racist One
Resistance calls national high school walkout By Sean Healy Following the success of the high school strike against One Nation in Victoria on June 25, the socialist youth organisation Resistance has called a national school walkout on July 24. A
By Bill Mason
BRISBANE — Serious faults with a new computer system, the Newstart Common Platform (NCP), dealing with unemployment and related benefits has caused chaos at Centrelink, the federal agency responsible for delivering social security
By Edward Johnstone
BRISBANE — The meaning of the rise of One Nation and the need to build a real alternative to racism and nationalism were the themes of a public meeting held here on June 24. The meeting, sponsored by the Democratic Socialists,
By Sibylle Kaczorek
On July 1 the federal government will introduce the Youth Allowance to replace the Youth Training, Newstart and Sickness Allowance, and Austudy for unemployed people under 21 years old and full-time students under 25. The YA has
World
By Peter Montague
The Cold War ended six years ago, and President Clinton has said, "In this new world, our children are growing up free from the shadows of the Cold War and the threat of nuclear holocaust". Unfortunately, the president is not
By Dave Riley
The issue of loyalist parades has dominated the final days of election campaigning for the Northern Ireland assembly. One of the most contentious parades of the Northern Ireland marching season passed without major incident. The
Namibian miners: 'Rio Tinto is racist'
WINDHOEK — Rio Tinto, the world's biggest private mining company, has been accused of "racist practices" in Namibia by the trade union representing mining workers. On June 19, the Mineworkers' Union of
By Barry Sheppard
On June 18, 6000 members of the Independent Union of Telephone Employees (UIET), which represents technicians and phone repair workers, and the Independent Brotherhood of Telephone Employees (HIETEL), which organises office
Protests continue in East Timor
By Jon Land
The people of East Timor continue to demand the right to self-determination and reject Habibie government's offer of "special status". Mobilisations of thousands of students and young people, which have
Behind the Ethiopia-Eritrea clash
By James Thomson
Instead of spearheading Africa's renaissance, two of Africa's poorest
countries â Ethiopia and Eritrea â have been launching rockets, artillery
shells and air strikes at each
Anti-EU conference in Wales
By Margaret Allan
CARDIFF — Progressive and environmental organisations from all over Europe joined here to protest against the summit meeting of the leaders of the European Union on June 15 and 16. The EU's
VW washes hands of slave labour
By Norm Dixon
Giant German-based multinational car company Volkswagen is refusing to pay back wages and compensation to people forced to work in its factories as slaves during the second world war. Similar
Habibie gets an unwanted birthday present
By Helen Jarvis
JAKARTA — Tensions are high throughout Indonesia one month after Suharto stepped down from the presidency, in the wake of massive demonstrations, handing over to his vice-president, B.J.
By Renfrey Clarke
MOSCOW — Early on June 11, a train drew into Yaroslavsky Station here, bringing 150 miners from the Pechora coal basin in the Arctic north. Linking arms, the miners marched through central Moscow to the building that houses the
Culture
Three DollarsBy Elliot PerlmanPicador, 1998. 381 pp., $16.95 (pb) Review by Phil Shannon
For a few short years, Eddie and Tanya, fresh young husband and wife university graduates, seemed to be making their way through life securely and serenely. In
Community theatre on Tasmania's west coast
By Julia Perkins
ROSEBERY — The "Big hArt" community theatre company is developing a theatre project with young people here. With funding from DEETYA and the Arts Council, two Melbourne community
Battlers and Stirrers: Journal of Australian Studies 54/55, 1997Edited by Richard NileAdvisory editor Ross FitzgeraldUniversity of Queensland Press Review by John Nebauer
Battlers and Stirrers is a collection of essays on "an alternative group of
Jabiluka 1
The ground it was sodden, the grass it was greenWhen first I did hear of something obsceneTo mine Jabiluka, to sink down a mineFor what use is a portal, without a decline?
Oh dread for the future, and cry for the earthWeep for you
Stones in a long path
Urban Clan: A portrait of the Page Brothers and the Bangarra Dance TheatreDirected by Michelle MahrerMusicArtsDance films Review by Claudine Holt
The title of this documentary is apt. Three urban indigenous Australians,
Marsinah's song heard around the world
By Janet Parker and Bec Conroy
On March 10, Indonesian playwright Ratna Sarumpaet was arrested along with her daughter and eight others for organising a protest against the "re-election" of Suharto for a
From Hollywood to Ouagadougou
By Norm Dixon
For decades, Hollywood has busily churned out images of Africa that are both ludicrous and racist. Africa is usually portrayed as "wild and untamed", its majestic wildlife taking centre stage. African
Why the South African revolution stalled
The ANC and the Liberation Struggle: A Critical Political Biography
By Dale T. McKinley
Pluto Press, 1997
175 pp., $34.95 (pb)
Available at Resistance Bookshops (see page 2)
Editorial
Editorial: Unions can't keep ignoring Hanson
The large vote for the racist One Nation organisation in the Queensland
election, and the outfit's rise in national opinion polls, should be seen
as a threat by the entire union movement.
The