By Phil Shannon
The ballot for a new certified agreement in the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care concluded last week. The result was a resounding "no". Sixty per cent of staff rejected the shabby agreement, which provided for a very
Issue 388
News
Ruddock challenged on immigration policy
By Sarah Stephen
PERTH — Federal minister for immigration Philip Ruddock presented the closing speech to a two-day conference on immigration here on December 1. Speaking at the University of WA, Ruddock
Tas Labor stalls on teacher salaries
By Alex Bainbridge
HOBART — The state branch of the Australian Education Union has called on the government to implement its pre-election promise to introduce a "salary nexus" between teachers in Tasmania
CFMEU demands justice for retired worker
By Tom Flanagan
SYDNEY — Sixty members of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union occupied a furniture factory in Milperra, south-west Sydney, on December 1 to demand that 61-year-old Heather
By Russell McGilton
MELBOURNE — Fifty or more armed police lined up outside of the departments of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Industry ready for a surge of angry anti-World Trade Organisation (WTO) demonstrators on November 30. However, the
Protest against forced deportations
SYDNEY — More than 30 members and supporters of the Burmese community protested outside the Thai consul general's office on December 2 to call for an immediate halt to the forced deportation of Burmese
By James Vassilopoulos
CANBERRA — In the same week that the federal ALP voted for corporate tax cuts and the new racist refugee laws, the ACT Labor Party voted to reintroduce rank and file preselection of its election candidates. A special ACT
Union win at Macquarie University
By Daniel Jardine
SYDNEY — At Macquarie University, the National Tertiary Education Industry Union and management have agreed to sign a "heads of agreement" to cover wages and conditions for academic and
Aboriginal death in WA prison
PERTH — Murray Jones, the new chairperson of the WA Deaths In Custody Watch Committee, expressed his sorrow and anger on November 29 at the death of yet another Aboriginal man in custody.
"How many more of our
Queensland University takes union to court
By Robyn Marshall
BRISBANE — On November 26, the management at the University of Queensland took the National Tertiary Education Industry Union (NTEU) to the Australian Industrial Relations Commission
By Anthony Benbow
PERTH — Since mid-November, BHP Iron Ore workers at the company's operations at Mt Newman and Port Hedland in WA's north-west have had to deal with unprecedented individual contracts. For decades, workers at the mine and
To add your name to the following petition or obtain copies for wider distribution, please phone (02) 9690 1230, fax (02) 9690 1381, or e-mail <glw@greenleft.org.au>. In 1997 Australia became infamous because of the rapid rise of the
Public meeting condemns white Australia policy
By Edward Johnstone
BRISBANE — Green Left Weekly hosted an emergency public meeting here on December 1, entitled "Reject the new white Australia policy", in response to the federal government's
Union defends tenants
SYDNEY — Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union members joined a picket at a Glebe Point Road boarding house on December 1 to protest against the threatened eviction of two tenants. It is believed the owner wants to
WTO protest in Brisbane
By Martin Schenke
BRISBANE — About 50 people protested against the World Trade Organisation on November 30, outside the Stock Exchange Towers. Called by the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), the action was in
Rally supports indigenous education
By Robert Milne
DARWIN — Seventy staff, students and supporters rallied at the Northern Territory University (NTU) on November 26 to protest the sacking of more than half of the staff in the Faculty of
Correction
The article "Victimised unionist garners support" in Green Left Weekly issue #387 reported that an Australian Bureau of Statistics NSW sub-delegates' committee meeting voted unanimously for a motion in support of Organising Works trainee
World
By David Bacon
SEATTLE — Those who marched or stood or sat in the streets here last week made history, and they knew it. And like the great marches against the Vietnam War, or the first sit-ins in the south in the late '50s, it was not always
By Boris Kagarlitsky
MOSCOW — While continuing its war in the Caucasus, Russia is due later in December to elect the national parliament. Few people show much interest in the elections. The numerous parties and blocs have had trouble scraping
By James Balowski
JAKARTA — Spending a day at the People's Democratic Party (PRD) headquarters in East Jakarta watching the stream of activists coming and going, it's easy to forget that just three years ago, the party was banned, its key leaders
Poll victory will test Alliance
By Eva Cheng
The November 27 poll in New Zealand gives the balance of power to the centre-left Alliance (which received 8% of the vote and will gain 10-11 seats, depending on the special votes). This will give this
Australian solidarity activist jailed in Jakarta
By Max Lane
Action in Solidarity with Indonesia and East Timor member Chris Latham was arrested in Jakarta on November 29. Latham, who is a student in Sydney, was participating in a demonstration
Troops attack West Papuans
By Linda Kaucher
Indonesian military forces shot protesters trying to prevent them lowering the West Papuan independence flag in the south coast town of Timika on December 1. Approximately 30 people were injured by the
By Adam Hanieh
RAMALLAH — An outcry has arisen following the arrests of several prominent Palestinians living in the West Bank. The arrests came after they had issued a public statement which criticised corruption within the Palestinian
Left loses in Uruguay
By Neville Spencer
Jorge Batlle of the ruling Colorado Party was elected Uruguay's president in a second round run-off vote on November 28. The vote followed parliamentary and first round presidential elections held on
Scottish socialists see good growing weather
Lisa Young and Pam Currie
GLASGOW — The Scottish Socialist Party exploded onto the political scene in 1999. Tommy Sheridan's election to the Scottish parliament represents a major breakthrough for a
By Jody Betzien
LONDON — Around 3000 people rallied outside Euston railway station on November 30 as part of worldwide protests against the World Trade Organisation's agenda at its conference in Seattle, USA. The rally here was the culmination of
By Lyn Gerry
LOS ANGELES — Pacifica Radio, also known as "Free Speech Radio", was founded in 1948 by journalist Lewis Hill and a group of anarcho-pacifist war resisters who wanted to counter the rising repression and militarism of the Cold War.
Chile's social democracy struggling in election
By Jorge Jorquera
SANTIAGO — On December 12, Chileans will elect a new president. Extreme right-wing candidate Joaquim Lavin has been gaining ground on a campaign "for change"; Chileans are weary
Left-of-centre coalition wins in New Zealand
By Murray Addison
AUCKLAND — The elections on November 27 resulted in a swing to the left, giving a left-of-centre coalition of the Labour Party and the Alliance sufficient seats in parliament to
By Jon Land
As investigations by both the United Nations and the Indonesian Human Rights Commission continue into the Indonesian military's involvement in the killing and destruction which took place in East Timor, the Howard government remains
NZ judge supports asylum seekers
By Murray Addison
AUCKLAND — Asylum seekers at Auckland's Mt Eden Prison have been released after a High Court judge told the Immigration Service on November 30 that the men may have been wrongly jailed. The 16
The future of Pakistan's military regime
By Farooq Tariq
The new regime of General Pervaiz Musharraf argues that the Nawaz Sharif government, which it overthrew in a military coup in October, was not able to save the system from a total
Conference discusses US role in Colombian conflict
By Jorge Jorquera
QUITO, Ecuador — On November 25-26, more than 60 international delegates and 300 Ecuadoran human rights and social justice activists met here at the Conference for Peace and
Culture
Radical LA band to play free
By Norm Dixon
SYDNEY — Ozomatli, a politically and musically incendiary band from Los Angeles' sprawling and distressed working-class suburbs, is coming to Sydney for three free concerts at Darling Harbour. No
Tiddas say farewell
By Anthony Benbow
FREMANTLE — It was standing room only at the Fly By Night Club on November 27. The lights went down. The background music stopped. The crowd hushed, then cheered as Tiddas strode onto the stage at their
By Jeremy Smith
Anti-disciplinary Protest: Sixties Radicalism and PostmodernismBy Julie StevensCambridge University Press, 1998. $29.95 Yippies to yuppies, students to stockbrokers, hippies to entrepreneurs, grand narratives to relativism. Did the
Review by Tony Iltis
Imperialism, The Highest Stage Of CapitalismBy V.I. Lenin (1916)Resistance Marxist LibrarynResistance Books, Sydney, 1999. 147 pp., $10.95Available at Resistance Bookshops, or send $12.95 (incl. postage) to PO Box 515, Broadway
Keep your finger on the pulse
Just because Green Left Weekly is taking a break for the next six weeks, you don't have to lose touch with what's going on in the green and left movements.
Green Left Weekly's TV show in Sydney (on channel 31) will
Orwell, Darwin-style
By Bridget Riggs
DARWIN — Using creative licence and a line from George Orwell's famous book Animal Farm, a new musical collective of the same name is attempting to combat the "all bands are equal, some are more equal than
Editorial
A victory to build on
Twenty-four years ago this week, the Indonesian military launched its brutal invasion of East Timor. Today East Timor is at last free of the Indonesian occupation. Although the East Timorese have paid a huge price, and now
Resistance!
By Chris Atkinson
His image is widely recognised, but most people know little about his incredible life. This is no accident. Che's life is a story of a commitment to fighting all the values that capitalist consumer society imposes. Che's image
By Marce Cameron
"If you tremble with indignation at every injustice, then you are a comrade of mine." — Che Deep in the jungles of Colombia, guerillas who call themselves "Guevaristas" prepare for another offensive against the brutal and corrupt
By Nick and Kate Carr
Tinsel, unbearable family reunions and presents are the contemporary attributes of what was once a festive day for celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. The story of the virgin birth of baby Jesus in a stable in Bethlehem is
For the capitalists, Che is a marketing gold mine, his face being used to launch a thousand products:
Wear a Che Swatch watch;
Go to a Che theme night at pubs like Bonaparte's Hotel in Brisbane;
Follow Kate Moss by wearing a designer Che
By Zanny Begg
BRISBANE — The Queensland Art Gallery is currently hosting the Third Asia Pacific Triennial (APT3). The Asia Pacific Triennial began in 1993 as an attempt to bring the art of the Asia-Pacific region into contemporary focus. Up to 77
By Zanny Begg
Che Guevara was made head of the National Bank of Cuba in 1960. As head of the bank, and later director of industry, Che wrote a lot about the planning of a socialist economy. Implicit in Che's writings on human socialisation and