Issue 360

News

By Nick Everett On May 3-5, Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) members in Centrelink, the federal government's service delivery agency, voted on a new enterprise agreement. The result was 63% for, 37% against, reflecting a sharp debate among
Free East Timor campaign escalates By Vannessa Hearman MELBOURNE — The East Timorese community held a rally in the city centre to coincide with the New York signing of an agreement between Indonesia and Portugal on East Timor on May 5.
By Jonathan Singer Federal industrial relations minister Peter Reith on May 6 detailed proposed "second wave" changes to industrial relations law that will further reduce workers' ability to organise industrial action and control their unions and
Unionists say no to UN deal By Pip Hinman SYDNEY — On May 6, the day after Indonesia and Portugal signed the United Nations-brokered deal on East Timor in New York, activists here picketed the Indonesian Trade Promotion Centre to voice their
By Jim Green The federal government is proceeding with its plan to build a nuclear waste dump in South Australia, even though negotiations with traditional owners over heritage conservation remain unresolved. On April 30, the government issued a
Bronc Finlay, 1904-1999 On March 11, in his 95th year, Communist Party veteran Bronc Finlay died. One of Comrade Finlay's greatest contributions to the proletarian cause was spearheading the Communist Party of Australia's courageous and
Science minister approves reactor By Jim Green SYDNEY — On May 3, federal science minister Nick Minchin gave his approval for the construction of a new nuclear research reactor at Lucas Heights. Minchin's announcement coincided with national
No-ticket, no-start campaign launched By Michael Bull MELBOURNE — On April 21, more than 600 shop stewards and 80 organisers from the Alliance unions — the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU), Federated Engine Drivers and
By Corinne Batt-Rawden LISMORE — A 250-strong protest rally was held on May 8 to oppose the decision by Southern Cross University (SCU) to abruptly withdraw funding from 2NCR community radio. The university's unilateral decision in March was made
East Timor features at Australian May Day rallies Rallies and marches were held on the weekend of May 1 and 2 to mark May Day, the international day of workers' solidarity. Bronwen Beechey reports for Adelaide that around 500 people rallied on May
EEIRC ends teachers' bargaining period By Melanie Sjoberg ADELAIDE — After taking several weeks to reach a decision, the state Industrial Relations Commission has granted the South Australian government's request to end the bargaining period
Green Left Weekly dinner CANBERRA — More than 100 Green Left Weekly supporters attended an extremely successful May Day dinner here on May 1. Over $1000 was raised for the paper at the event, organised by the Democratic Socialist Party.
By Paul Oboohov CANBERRA — In the ACT budget announced on May 4, Kate Carnell's Liberal government proposed to cut 450 ACT government jobs to save $86 million a year and supposedly eliminate the ACT budget deficit by the end of the 2000-01
WA media, government attempt a greenwash By Justin Harman PERTH — Western Australia's old-growth forests will remain open to logging and $41 million of public money will go to WA's big timber companies under the regional forest agreement (RFA)
The Howard government is bringing up to 4000 Kosovar refugees temporarily to Australia. The government has not provided significant aid to help the refugees to stay in areas near Kosova. It will not allow the refugees to apply for permanent residency
Vigils for East Timor By Graham Matthews BRISBANE — The second of three planned vigils in support of East Timor was held at King George Square on May 2 at 6.30pm. The vigil was organised by the Graceville-Corinda parish, and more than 100
Support for East Timor and democracy in Indonesia By Bea Brear and Jenny Long SYDNEY — On May 5, around 25 people attended a Univeristy of NSW Resistance Club public forum about the political situation in East Timor and Indonesia. Green Left
Hunger strike As part of the international day of solidarity with Indonesia and East Timor on May 22, high school students and Resistance are organising a 24-hour hunger strike. The aim is to raise money for the People's Democratic Party (PRD)
Attempt to hide GST impact on indigenous people By Margaret Allum The minister for Aboriginal affairs, Senator John Herron, admitted on April 29 that he ordered the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) to remove from its web

Analysis

... and ain't I a woman?

Jill Barad is arguably the world's highest paid woman. According to the April 29 Sydney Morning Herald, despite her company's revenue decline during 1997, Barad's total remuneration package as chief executive officer for that year — inclusive of salary, bonuses, incentive pay and other compensation — was US$26.3 million.

World

India: mafia, massacres and mass resistance DELHI — Class exploitation takes extreme forms in India. Workers are forced to sell their labour for a pittance. Landlords and bosses use criminal gangs to enforce subservience, with wholesale massacres
Socialist wins seat in first Scottish parliament By Lisa Macdonald A socialist was elected to the first Scottish parliament on May 6. Tommy Sheridan headed the Scottish Socialist Party's (SSP) Glasgow regional list for the second vote, which is
SA cops' culture of racist violence exposed By Norm Dixon Television footage has graphically illustrated how little the culture of racist violence and lawlessness within the South African Police Service (SAPS) has changed as South Africa's second
May Day around the world By Norm Dixon May Day, the international day of workers' action and solidarity, was marked throughout the world on May 1. Some of the biggest actions took place where the class struggle is raging. Opposition to NATO's war
Man Mohan Adhikari, 1920-1999 On April 23, the chairperson of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist), Man Mohan Adhikari, died. He was 78 years old. Adhikari had been a tireless leader of the Nepalese communist and workers'
By Renfrey Clarke MOSCOW — Real wages in Russia, the State Audit Chamber reported recently, were down during the first quarter of this year by 30% from the levels a year earlier. In most countries, that would guarantee a hot May Day. May 1 in
Tamil priest calls for solidarity By Bronwyn Beechey ADELAIDE — Fifty people attended a meeting organised by the Tamil community here on May 1. The guest speaker was Father Kasparaj, who hosts a Tamil-language show on Radio Veritas Asia, a
By Patrick Bond The African National Congress has a long history of accommodating competing political interests within its tent. Unlike Brazil's Workers Party, the ANC does not countenance active internal "tendencies". However, its formal Alliance

Culture

Wild Spaces film festival The fourth Wild Spaces environmental film festival is only a couple of weeks away. Taking place on May 28-30 in all capital cities (except Canberra), as well as Fremantle, Geraldton, NSW north coast, Bowraville and the
By Richard Ingram Issue number 12 of the socialist journal Links has just appeared. As is typical of Links, it ranges around the world, covering topics of importance to socialists and the labour movement in many countries. The theme of this issue
Music for buffaloes and punters alike By Vannessa Hearman MELBOURNE — "Buffalo Music", a May 1 concert raising funds which will go to East Timorese farmers for buying buffaloes, attracted more than 500 people and raised almost $7000. The crowd
Revolutionary politics and revolutionary theatre Meyerhold: A Revolution in TheatreBy Edward BraunMethuen, 1998347 pp., $32.95 (pb) Review by Phil Shannon Vsevolod Meyerhold believed that revolutionary art and revolutionary politics belonged
CANBERRA — If you were one of the many people blasted away by ACT Jabiluka Action Group's "Jabiluka Jive" last year (which raised more than $2000 for the Jabiluka Legal Fund), then keep May 19 free from 8.30pm. Atomic Rage, again at the Gypsy Bar,

General

By Allen Myers The German Greens are to hold a special congress on May 13 to decide their stand on the war in the Balkans. The party has been deeply divided by the issue, and there is even talk of a split between the pro-NATO wing, which includes
The rules of the game By Noam Chomsky There is a regime of international law and international order, binding on all states, based on the United Nations Charter and subsequent resolutions and World Court decisions. In brief, the threat or use of
By Michael Karadjis NATO's bombing has caused hundreds of civilian deaths in Serbia, strengthened the Milosevic regime and resulted in a massive escalation of the Serbian regime's genocidal assault against Kosova's Albanian majority. This confronts

Resistance!

By Farooq Sulheria LAHORE, Pakistan — The young women of Punjab University have launched a movement against the Islam Jamiat Talaba (IJT), the largest student organisation of fundamentalists in Pakistan, which has links to Afghanistan's brutal
Escape the system? Change it! By Gina Knight Some environment activists argue that "living green" is the most important step towards saving the environment. But can individual lifestyle choices reverse the destruction of the planet's ecology?
NZ students say: 'Butt out of student affairs' By Zanny Begg In April university students across New Zealand were asked to vote in referendums on whether membership of student unions should be compulsory or voluntary. Initially the private
By Sarah Peart When I heard someone yell out "Hey chick!", I calmly turned around prepared to explain to this juvenile male that I don't appreciate being referred to as a fluffy baby chicken. To my shock, I found that it was a feminist woman. The
By Wendy Robertson On May 30, the National Organisation of Women Students Australia (NOWSA) collective voted to expel Resistance activist Virginia Brown. At the previous meeting, Brown had presented a paper which made a range of suggestions for the