Issue 370

News

Disabled condemn government neglect By Sean Healy SYDNEY — People with Disabilities (NSW) Inc held a public meeting on July 31 to condemn the "unprecedented disability policy and funding crisis". More than 8000 people with disabilities in NSW
East Timor protest in Blue Mountains By Shane Bentley SPRINGWOOD — On July 25, 40 people rallied here in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney to demand freedom for East Timor and an end to the violence against pro-independence East Timorese.
Academics warn of further action By Andy Gianniotis WOLLONGONG — A strike by Wollongong University academics took place on July 28 and 29. The strike was called by the National Tertiary Education Industry Union (NTEU) after a breakdown in
Indonesian trade union leaders to tour By Pip Hinman SYDNEY — Plans are well under way for the national speaking tour, from August 8, of Indonesian trade union leader Dita Sari. Dita's tour, organised by Action in Solidarity with Indonesia and
By Sean Healy SYDNEY — The NSW coroner's report into the death in custody of a young Aboriginal man, James Brindle, has highlighted the urgent need for alternatives to incarceration for minor offences. Yet politicians are strengthening their "law
Petition to free Mordechai Vanunu By Mervyn Murchie Mordechai Vanunu, a nuclear technician who worked at Israel's Dimona nuclear establishment, was kidnapped by Israel's secret police, Mossad, on September 30, 1986. He was condemned to 18 years'
Workers strike over sackings By Alastair Dickinson SYDNEY — On July 29, workers at Plastiflex Australia, a small Belgian-owned enterprise in Sydney's western suburbs, walked off the job to begin a 48-hour strike against management's refusal to
'Perfect place' for a waste dump By Natalie Zirngast DARWIN — Thirty people from Everyone for a Nuclear-Free Future (ENuFF) protested against federal environment minister Senator Robert Hill's presence here on July 30. The action involved
By Jonathan Singer The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union has announced it will establish an industry-wide trust fund to pay workers' sick leave, annual leave, long service leave, severance pay and other accruable entitlements. The AMWU is also
Academics strike at UNSW By Bea Brear SYDNEY — Classes at the University of New South Wales were cancelled on July 28, the third time this year, because of industrial action by academic staff. Since October, the National Tertiary Education
By Tom Flanagan SYDNEY — Ten thousand construction workers jammed the streets in a march from Sydney Town Hall to NSW Parliament House on July 28. Andrew Ferguson, state secretary of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU),
By Sean Healy The federal Labor "opposition" has begun internal policy discussions on solutions to unemployment. It plans to release "Workforce 2010", a report on the labour market by economists, and a discussion paper in early September. Labor is
By Shane Bentley SYDNEY — Anticipating an August announcement by the federal Coalition government that a 24-hour airport will be built at Badgerys Creek, thousands of western Sydney residents have rallied to say "no". The next rally is planned
HOBART — During six weeks on the road to raise awareness about forest preservation, the Forest Cycle has run information stalls, talked to schools, lobbied politicians and held public meetings and music evenings. In the last week of their
BRISBANE — The Committee in Solidarity with Latin America and the Caribbean's annual fiesta was held at the Ukrainian Hall on July 24. More than 100 supporters attended, and $600 was raised for a water tank project in El Salvador. Latin American
By Sue Bull CANBERRA — Since July 20, the Department of Education and Community Services (DECS) has made primary schools suffer. Twenty-nine school bursars have been stood down, one at a time, under the "lockout" laws in the federal Workplace

World

It is possible that Governor Tom Ridge will sign a new death warrant for Mumia Abu-Jamal soon, according to the Philadelphia Daily News. The move is motivated by the state's desire to force Abu-Jamal's legal team to file for a writ of habeas corpus
Panthers still caged in Angola By Mumia Abu-Jamal " For people of colour, doing time is only one among many terms of imprisonment legitimised by the concept of race." — John Edgar Wideman, Behind the Razor Wire: Portrait of a Contemporary
Vote in East Timor delayed again By Jon Land On July 28, a spokesperson for United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan announced that the referendum on independence for East Timor will be delayed yet again. August 30 has been scheduled as the
National student league formed in Indonesia By Max Lane JAKARTA — On July 9-12, delegates representing 19 student activist committees met to form a new national student organisation, the National Student League for Democracy (LMND).
Amidst great controversy, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and (MBG) recently agreed to support a gas pipeline project proposed by Enron and Shell Eastern Bolivia. The San Miguel-Cuiabá pipeline, a joint
PRD leader Anom Astika released By Max Lane JAKARTA — On July 29, Anom Astika, a leader of the radical People's Democratic Party (PRD), was released from prison so that he could receive medical treatment for problems exacerbated by the almost
By Farooq Sulehria LAHORE — Cricket is a big craze throughout the Indian subcontinent. Though Pakistan's loss in this year's World Cup left the millions of Pakistanis in tears, for the multinationals it was a windfall. According to an Agence
By Norm Dixon Workers turned out in huge numbers in Turkey's capital, Ankara, on July 24 to oppose government moves to "reform" the country's social security system. Turkey's right-wing coalition government, elected in May on a wave of anti-Kurdish
By Jim Green Splits are emerging within the German Greens since NATO's bombing of Serbia ended. The Greens became the minor partner in a coalition government with the Social Democrats in October. In February, Martin Hufner, chief economist with
The left after the ANC election victory By Dale T. McKinley JOHANNESBURG — The African National Congress (ANC) still commands overwhelming support amongst the South Africa's poor and working class, who are the vast majority of the population.
Indonesian peasants form people's councils By Jody Betzien and Ruth Ratcliffe JAKARTA — Peasants and rural workers, who make up around 60% of Indonesia's population, are potentially a significant force in the nation's democracy movement. Since
Dhyta Caturani: 'Nothing has changed' JAKARTA — People's Democratic Party (PRD) leader DHYTA CATURANI was seriously injured by a plastic bullet shot into her back at point blank range by police at a July 1 protest outside the electoral commission

Culture

A struggle of heroism and valour They Spoke Out Pretty GoodBy Elaine DarlingJanoan Media Exchange, 281ppSend $26 to Elaine Darling4 Warattah Court, Wurtulla Qld 4575 Review by Bob Brown The title of Elaine Darling's book was taken from May
New forms, new truths Falling LeafSiroccoABC Music through EMI Review by Barry Healy A new release by Australian world music group Sirocco is always welcome. I've lost track of how long their swirling mix of Irish whistle, didgeridoo, percussion
Keeping Marley's spirit alive RevolutionNasioAphelion ProductionsOrder from <http://www.reggaecd.com>, e-mail enquiries to <hafilion@nas.net>Visit Nasio's web page at <http://www.nasio.net> Review by Norm Dixon
Black pride pop Rhythm of NatureColoured StoneCAAMA Music<http://www.caama.com.au/music> Review by Barry Healy Coloured Stone, proud propagandists for Aboriginal consciousness, are back with another poppy release that presents their
Maggie wouldn't treat me like that By Karen Fredericks When the producers of Blue Heelers first approached the Victoria Police to borrow uniforms, badges, cars and other paraphernalia to use in the show, the force was not keen. Producer Hal
Labor with the wrong class Labor Without Class: The Gentrification of the ALPBy Michael ThompsonPluto Press, 1999118pp, $20 (pb) Review by Sue Boland The Labor Party lost government at the 1996 federal election when a substantial number of
Three other little pigs Once there were three little pigs who lived together in mutual respect and in harmony with their environment. Using materials that were indigenous to the area, they each built a beautiful house. One pig built a house of

Editorial

End military ties with Jakarta, now! The federal government has made much of its supposed foreign policy "shift" on East Timor. Foreign minister Alexander Downer travelled to Indonesia on July 30 for discussions with Indonesian government and

Resistance!

By Kim Bullimore The fight to stop uranium mines at Jabiluka, Beverley, Roxby Downs, Honeymoon and the dozens of others proposed, and the fight for land rights are intertwined. For more than 200 years, the racist doctrine of terra nullius was used
By Kate Carr After discussions at the four major student conferences this year, a new student group, the National Broad Left (NBL), was established in Melbourne on July 21. The group will initiate national campaigns, intervene in student unions and
By Srini and Shane Bentley SYDNEY — "Foreign students go AWOL", screamed the headline of the July 14 Australian. Three hundred international students are out of pocket and face the risk of deportation following the collapse of the National
By Leigh Hughes and Nick Soudakoff CANBERRA — The Productivity Commission's recent research paper, "Productivity and the Structure of Employment", revealed that teenagers' percentage of the work force had fallen from 10.6% to 6.7%, while 20- to
By Paul Jenkins MEXICO CITY — More than 80,000 striking students marched on July 26 through central Mexico City to celebrate 100 days of their strike against the imposition of student fees. The students were joined by contingents of electricity
By Troy Dunn ADELAIDE — Queer Collaborations (QC), the annual gathering of transgender, lesbian, bisexual and gay student activists, converged at Flinders University July 5-10. It was attended by 270 people from a broad range of backgrounds. A
By Bea Brear SYDNEY — The NSW Labor government has announced significant changes to the state's drug policies in the wake of the Drug Summit. The new measures are in line with a number of the recommendations of the summit, including a focus on
By Chris Slee MELBOURNE — About 70 people filled Comrades Bar on July 28 to discuss opposing industrial relations minister Peter Reith's "second wave" anti-union legislation. At the monthly Politics in the Pub, organised by Green Left Weekly,

MELBOURNE — More than 600 women gathered here for the Network of Women Students Australia (NOWSA) conference on July 16-20. NOWSA is the largest national gathering of student feminists in Australia. As such, it is an important forum for discussing how to rebuild the women's liberation movement.

This year's conference included many constructive debates on topics such as abortion rights, prostitution and issues for working women.