By Anthony Thirlwall MELBOURNE — A coronial hearing into the 1989 police shooting of Gary Abdallah has heard allegations from the victim's family and counsel that the shooting was an execution carried out by members of the Victorian police
Issue 37
News
By Peter Boyle Question: How do you sell a tax reform that shifts more of the tax burden from the wealthy minority to the poorer majority? Answer: By making sure that everyone appears to get something more. This is the secret recipe for Dr John
Mindarie sacred sites threatened By Leon Harrison PERTH — Aboriginal people are opposed to a new land fill dump at Mindarie which has threatened to disturb sacred sites. They say that the site contains a burial mound and Dreamtime tracks of
Nile abortion bill defeated By Paula Nassif SYDNEY — Reverend Fred Nile's anti-abortion bill was defeated in the NSW upper house on November 20. There were only seven votes in favour, four of those from Labor Party members Johno Johnson,
By David Jagger SYDNEY — Australia's first Aboriginal high school, Pemulwuy College, is back on a sure footing with a more manageable size and a new governing council for next year. It is calling for enrolments for years seven, eight and nine
By Dave Holmes MELBOURNE — A well-attended meeting on November 21 heard a panel of speakers forcefully argue the case for supporting Croatia's struggle for independence. The forum at the Celtic Club registered a growing support in the
CANBERRA — Protesters blockaded entrances to the Aidex '91 arms bazaar here on November 24. Car bodies and other materials were used to barricade the two main gates to the National Exhibition Centre (Natex), locking out army vehicles intended for
Vigil against executions SYDNEY — Australians Against Executions will hold a silent vigil in remembrance of 254 prisoners executed in the USA since 1970 and in protest against the US death penalty. The vigil will take place on Saturday,
Vigil for Palestine By Jenny Long SYDNEY — The Palestine Human Rights Campaign and Women in Black will hold a vigil on December 1 to mark the anniversary of the Intifada, the Palestinian uprising against the Israeli occupation of the West
By Peter Boyle MELBOURNE — December 1 is World AIDS Day. According to the World Health Organisation, between 9 and 11 million adults are HIV positive and an additional 1 million children are estimated to have been born with the virus. By the
Upstart "The Newstart program will basically force the unemployed to work for the dole", says James Basle, an activist in the Sydney Unemployed Workers Union. "In essence, the government will be subsidising the private sector with public money,
Left gains in Young Labor MELBOURNE — Senior sources from Young Labor have confirmed that the Young Labor left "Back to Basics, Forward to Change" ticket has gained six of the 11 Victorian delegate positions to the Australian Young Labor
World
Children exploited in tobacco industry Child workers in the tobacco industry in Jember, a province in north Java, are forming their own organisation to protect their rights and improve their working conditions. The organisation, Paguyuban
Japanese whalers condemned SYDNEY — Greenpeace here has condemned the recent departure of Japan's whaling fleet for Antarctica. In a November 19 statement, campaigner Peter Gill criticised the Japanese government for disguising its whaling as
By Peter Gellert MEXICO CITY — Despite 500 years of pressure and persecution designed to destroy them as ethnic entities, there are currently almost 45 million Indians on the American continent, grouped into 7500 distinct cultures. These
By Max Lane All indications to date are that the Suharto regime is not going to bow to international pressure in any substantial manner following worldwide outcry after the November 12 massacre in Dili, East Timor. While the regime has
By Peter Annear and Sally Low KOSICE, East Slovakia — Across a flat plain not too far from the Soviet border, a rail line disappears over the horizon into the Ukraine. Its sole purpose is to carry iron ore into the Vychodoslovenske Zeleziarne
In the days following the Dili massacre reports from East Timor point to an escalation of repression and a reign of terror launched by the Indonesian military in the territory.
By Renfrey Clarke MOSCOW — As Russian President Boris Yeltsin prepares to implement his harsh free-market "reform" program, a major split in his support coalition has cast doubt on the readiness of other "democrats" to pay the political price of
NEW YORK — Libya has denied any involvement in the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am aircraft which killed 270 people, disclaiming charges made against it on November 14 by the United States and Britain which raised the possibility of armed retaliation.
ALFREDO FERREIRA, Fretilin representative in Australia, spoke to REIHANA MOHIDEEN of Green Left on November 22. Following are his comments on recent events in East Timor. After the massacre of November 12, the Indonesian army, together with the
NEW YORK — Cuba has accused the United States of mounting a campaign of "intimidation, threats and pressure" against the international community to prevent a United Nations vote on Washington's economic blockade against it. In August, Cuba
Arab feminist group banned By Susan Mackie The international Arab Women's Solidarity Association (AWSA), based in Egypt, has been outlawed by the Egyptian government, according to the November 7 Human Rights Co-ordinator newsletter. The
By Jill Hickson and Camilo Jorquera On November 15, the FMLN of El Salvador declared a unilateral truce as a sign of good will in its negotiations with the Cristiani government. The negotiations, held in Mexico under the auspices of the United
By Reihana Mohideen According to a recently published New Zealand National Business Review Insight poll, the Alliance of third parties, of which the NewLabour Party is a leading component, leads the National Party government in voter popularity.
By Norm Dixon The brutal massacre of Timorese mourners in Dili on November 12 has led to protests in the Indonesian capital. Those involving the Timorese community and human rights activists have been met with repression. However, protests have
Culture
Saving the earth for everyone Save the Earth Edited by Jonathon Porritt Angus & Robinson, 1991, 208 pp. $39.95 (hb) Reviewed by Amanda Toland Save the Earth is both a dramatic statement of the damage already done to the earth and a desperate
Aftershocks Workers Cultural Action Committee Civic Playhouse, Newcastle, until November 30 Reviewed by Philip Bilton-Smith Aftershocks is six actors on a bare stage telling stories surrounding the collapse of the Newcastle Workers Club in the
Doing Well by Doing Good By Derek Tribe Reviewed by Craig Cormick Last month, October 16, was World Food Day — and on that day almost one billion people in the world went hungry, and more than 40,000 died from hunger-related diseases. For
Whose belly laughed? Political Speak By Paul Lyneham With cartoons by Ron Tandberg ABC Books, 1991 89pp. $9.95 pb Reviewed by Tracy Sorensen ABC TV's Paul Lyneham seems to have become a "media personality". Why? His humour, his insight, his
The Sweet Breath of Freedom em = By Peter Hicks and Geoff Francis Early one November morning, The people there, most of them poor, They prayed for the soul of their brother Shot dead only two weeks before. As they stood there by his graveside,
Beware of Excellencies: A cautionary tale for Amnesty letter writers em = By Duncan Richardson Beware of Excellencies whose addresses cover A4 envelopes titles and sub-titles bulging with double bullet-proof vests. Beware especially of
Disappearing Charity Donations in Adelaide By Norman Barber Earth Friend Press. 1991 Reviewed by David Munn In 1981 the Adelaide Central Mission refused to give free second-hand furniture to a group of people who had recently moved into a group
Arresting Shadows em = By Duncan Richardson Women bring out plywood figures of the disappeared, black silhouettes fill the streets, they know their way these shields in human shape confronting the batons, watercannon, machine-guns, with
Sweetown Red Shed Company Directed by Cath McKinnon Tuesday-Saturday until December 7 at Red Shed, 45 Cardwell St, Adelaide Reviewed by Liam Mitchell Red Shed has been entertaining Adelaide for five years with original Australian theatre.
Accompanied by Neil Murray, Dave Steel, Andrew O'Phee, and Bart Willoughby and Murray Cook from Mixed Relations, Aboriginal musician KEV CARMODY launched his new album, Eulogy (for a black person), before a full house at Sydney's Rose Shamrock and
Editorial
Timor, morality and human rights In its actions on East Timor over the past two weeks, the Hawke government has demonstrated just how hollow is its commitment to human rights, proclaimed so loudly earlier this year when George Bush was looking for