Issue 328

News

By James Vassilopoulos SYDNEY — On the night of August 6, two truck drivers attempting to break the picket line at Davids' Blacktown warehouse jumped out of their truck and assaulted picketers. One discharged a fire extinguisher at the workers
Burmese rally for democracy CANBERRA — More than 400 Burmese and their supporters protested outside the Burmese embassy in Canberra on August 8. The action was part of actions worldwide to commemorate the August 8, 1988 uprising in Burma in which
On July 24 and July 28, in the largest secondary student action of its kind in Australia's history, more than 14,000 students walked out of class and publicly demonstrated their opposition to racism and the policies of the One Nation party. It was
From Hiroshima to Jabiluka Peace and anti-nuclear activists commemorated the 53rd anniversary of the US nuclear attack on Hiroshima, Japan, with marches and rallies which focused on Energy Resources of Australia's planned uranium mine at Jabiluka
ALP/One Nation attack anti-racists By Andy Gianniotis BRISBANE — Queensland One Nation leader Bill Feldman has continued his tirade against Resistance, telling state parliament it is peddling "hate and division" in Queensland schools. Then on
Resistance calls second national walkout By Sean Healy The socialist youth organisation Resistance has called a second national secondary school walkout for Friday, August 28, to protest against the rise of racism and Pauline Hanson's One Nation.
SA workers to support anti-racism rally By Emma Webb ADELAIDE — The South Australian United Trades and Labour Council has voted to call a two-hour stop-work on August 28, from 2 to 4pm, in solidarity with high school students walking out of
Northcote rally against racism By Ben Reid MELBOURNE — Two hundred people rallied against racism and One Nation in Northcote on August 8. The rally was part of the Democratic Socialists' by-election campaign. With no Liberal candidate in the
Solidarity from Indonesia The following message was sent to the Resistance national office from the People's Democratic Party (PRD) of Indonesia. We congratulate you on your success in mobilising young people and high school students all over
Doing time for Jabiluka mine By Adam Nelson DARWIN — Protests against Jabiluka uranium mine are intensifying with more than 390 arrests to date at the Jabiluka blockade. Ten activists have been remanded in Berrimah Prison. Many others have
Electricity privatisation battle in SA By Anthony Benbow ADELAIDE — For most Adelaide residents "Privatisation stinks" is not a slogan but a literal description. The city suffered the "big pong" for weeks in 1996 following breakdowns at the
Democrats no alternative By Ben Reid MELBOURNE — Labor Party members and some media commentators are reporting that the Northcote by-election on August 15 will result in a high vote for One Nation. The by-election is taking place to allow high
Labor to 'trade off' native title rights By Bill Mason BRISBANE — Within a few days of taking their seats in parliament, the new Queensland Labor government introduced legislation to extinguish native title on 2900 pastoral leases. Premier
Victorian nurses take action By Kim Linden MELBOURNE — Nurses at the Royal Melbourne Hospital voted on August 5 to begin an industrial campaign to force the Kennett government to fund adequate staffing levels and patient care. On August 6, the
Resistance growing rapidly By Sean Healy The enormous success of the July 24 and 28 secondary school walkouts against racism, and the attendant media spotlight, have led to rapid growth for Resistance. In the two weeks since the walkouts, more
Hanson heavy gets rousing reception By Annemarie Hopcroft NEWCASTLE — David Oldfield, Pauline Hanson's "trusted adviser", was greeted by a vocal crowd as he arrived at a Newcastle Business Club luncheon on August 4. The 30 or so protesters
Funding for Migrant Resource Centre halted By Lynda Hansen BRISBANE — An emergency meeting of Brisbane Migrant Resource Centre members and supporters was held on August 6 to plan a response to the federal government's decision to terminate the
Regional area students If you are interested in organising a walkout against racism in your region on August 28, get in touch with Resistance: phone (02) 9690 1230 or e-mail <resistance@peg.apc.org>.

World

Korean workers offer wage cuts to save jobs By Eva Cheng On August 6, the occupation by about 3000 workers of Hyundai Motors' key plant in Ulsan entered its 18th day. Hyundai Motors is South Korea's biggest car maker. The workers are trying to
By James Balowski Although military suppression of national liberation struggles in East Timor and West Papua are well known, equally violent incidents have occurred in the Indonesian province of Aceh, North Sumatra. With the military coming under
By Barry Sheppard As the 190,000 idled General Motors workers were returning to work following the end of the strikes at two plants in Flint, Michigan, management announced that GM would sell off its parts subsidiary, Delphi. This move ups the ante
New left unity in the Philippines By Reihana Mohideen MANILA — The "State of the Nation" address is an important day in the Philippine left's calendar, demonstrations being held outside the opening of Congress in the new financial

Culture

TogetherWhiteville Apparel ChoirSend US$13 (cassette) to UNITE Choir Project, 1010 Tucker St, Greensboro, NC 27405, USAFortunes of the HighwayPhil CohenSend US$15 (CD) to PO Box 5208, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, USA Review by Norm Dixon "We are the

I spent my first days in Havana walking down the broad, leafy streets of el Vedado, going past stores with long queues but little on the shelves.

Freeing China's Farmers: Rural Restructuring in the Reform EraBy David ZweigME Sharpe, 1997. 365 pp., $45 Review by Eva Cheng The title of David Zweig's book, Freeing China's Farmers, is consistent with one of its main underlying assertions — the
Great show, but where was the audience? The Government InspectorBy Nikolai Gogol (adapted by Adrian Norman)New Theatre, SydneyFridays and Sundays until August 22 Review by Brendan Doyle Polish theatre guru Grotowski did his plays with a select
Scam! Everything has a priceMusic and lyrics by Sean PeterBook by Barry LoweJunction Theatre CompanyQueen's Theatre, Playhouse Lane, AdelaideWednesday to Saturday, August 5 to 22$18/12 concession Review by Melanie Sjoberg Corporate greed and
Jabiluka Blockade In peace we coloured the camping groundin harmony we moved boldly on the tar.In dust and warm dry air we cared for our selves,in horror we looked on those faces of scornSun shaded blind eyed, stick figures of the long arm. Why
Never a White Flag: The Memoirs of Jock Barnes, Waterfront Leader Edited by Tom BrambleVictoria University PressAvailable from One World BooksBox 68-419, NewtonAuckland NZe-mail <books@oneworld.org.nz>NZ$36 (includes postage) Review by
New Jabiluka video Keith Armstrong of Queensland Jabiluka Action Group has announced the release of his film, Interstate Ferals for the Planet: 3 Weeks at the Jabiluka Blockade (½ hr VHS). Armstrong said the video was made "straight after
Not as useful as a cat 50 things to do with John HowardBy Shaughan DavisCarlton, Victoria: New Holland Publishers, 1998$9.95 Shaughan Davis' collection of cartoons is in the tradition of 101 Things to Do with A Dead Cat. The smaller number of
Mordechai Vanunu's story on stage ADELAIDE — In August 1986, Mordechai Vanunu revealed Israel's secret nuclear bomb-making facilities and paid a high price for his courage. He was kidnapped by Israel's secret police and shipped in a crate from
By Greg Hardwick Nestled in a picturesque valley, the historic town of Wollombi is usually serene, perhaps a little too slow for many city dwellers. But every year the town is invaded by crowds of people, from Newcastle and Sydney and just about

Editorial

Watch out: here comes another 'reform' We've had years of economic "reform" — deregulation and privatisation to benefit big business at the expense of the rest of us. We've had workplace "reform" — restrictions on workers' rights to organise