Issue 46

News

Furore over Brunswick baths By Pip Hinman MELBOURNE — The Brunswick City Council may not be permitted to schedule women-only sessions at the Brunswick swimming pool because this would allegedly discriminate against men. On March 5, the
By Frank Noakes and Leon Harrison PERTH — The ALP state executive voted to condemn the Labor government of Premier Carmen Lawrence on February 24. The executive was particularly concerned by the dumping of a safe sex campaign and savage
By Tom Jordan and John Tognolini SYDNEY — "We're confident", NSW Aboriginal leader Arthur Murray told Green Left Weekly following a February 26 appeal in the NSW Supreme Court over charges of assault and riotous assembly arising from the 1987
Lesbians and gays oppose racism By Michael Schembri SYDNEY — The national gay magazine, Campaign, is embroiled in controversy over a racist letter run without an editorial disclaimer, which was dropped for a late advertisement. Act-Up
'On a smoggy day, I can't let him outside' By John Tognolini SYDNEY — She's struggling to breathe, her lungs are contracting, it's another asthma attack, and it can kill her. She's 10 years old and a friend of mine. Her family has no
By Tracy Sorensen SYDNEY — SICH (Student Initiatives in Community Health) has been lost its funding by the federal government for printing an article in its magazine Catalyst which was not to the liking of health minister Brian Howe. This
Cuts to youth wages Keating's package shares with Hewson's a determination to cut youth wages. The Liberals simply assert that cutting youth wages is the solution to youth unemployment, currently about 30% nationally. Keating's approach is
By Peter Boyle Paul Keating's February 26 economic statement was supposed to be about "creating jobs, jobs and jobs". But while Keating promised to create 800,000 jobs in the next four years, by his own estimates unemployment will remain around
NSW Forest Commission operated illegally By Steve Painter SYDNEY — The NSW government's proposed Timber Industry (Interim Protection) Bill amounts to an admission that the state's Forestry Commission has operated illegally for the past 12
Environmental threats Significantly, the decisions in Keating's economic statement which affect most the environment come in the section titled "Facilitating Major Projects". Keating has promised big business that he will not let
Accord Mark 6.5? By Peter Boyle In talks with ACTU officials before and after the February 26 economic statement, the Keating government stitched up a new Accord deal. Unions will defer a national wage claim till next financial year and
Making Sense of Sex The federal government withdrew funding for the NSW Family Planning Association's Making Sense of Sex hotline for young people on February 24. The week before, Prime Minister Paul Keating stopped further publication of the
SYDNEY — Peace Squadron member Ian Carswell was arrested on February 22 after painting "Nuclear Free Pacific" in fluorescent red paint on the bow of the French Warship Garonne. Carswell said: "My actions were motivated by a desire to

World

Progress in case of framed US unionist By Paul Roberts "Congratulations on a great victory. Now let us expose the frame-up", said Tim Anderson, in a message to jailed US trade unionist Mark Curtis. Anderson was twice framed and twice
By Colin Pemul Riau Province, Sumatra — The huge Kota Panjang hydro-electric power plant and dam project is currently under construction here. The project will flood 124 square km of land, including a 1000-year-old temple site, and
By Norm Dixon "We have made tremendous progress in the direction of transforming South Africa into a democracy. In the very foreseeable future, we are going to see a new constitution in the country. We are going to see the transfer of power
By Linda Paric Whatever the outcome of the referendum on independence held on February 29 and March 1 in Bosnia and Hercegovina, many fear that a long and bloody war will be the final result. In a republic one-eighth the size of Victoria,
By Sally Low VIENNA — While concern over the rise of racism and the far right in Austria is justifiably mounting, there are also encouraging signs of the potential for a progressive counteroffensive. With 22.5%, the populist right Freedom
By Stephen Robson SYDNEY — Nguyen Thi Madame Binh, the president of the Vietnam Union of Peace, Solidarity and Friendship Organisations, visited Australia from February 14 to 21. Also part of the delegation was Tran Minh Quoc, the assistant
Market triumph KALININGRAD — Unusually cheap cocaine, only 20 roubles (20 US cents) a gram has appeared on the local black market here. Experts from drug circles supposed that this is the work of Polish colleagues, who attempted to conquer
Recently returned from three months in Phnom Penh, HELEN JARVIS describes the problems facing Cambodia as it attempts to implement the peace agreement signed in Paris last October. On December 16, welcoming Australian foreign minister Gareth
By Renfrey Clarke MOSCOW — Everybody knows January in Russia was a bad month. But just how bad? The figures are now coming in. According to the Russian State Committee on Statistics, retail trade turnover during January, measured in
The following statement was sent to John McGill, POW Officer of Australian Aid for Ireland (WA Branch) by MARY MCARDLE, an Irish Republican prisoner of war in Maghaberry jail in occupied Ireland. We the women POWs of Maghaberry Gaol would like
South Africa's new non-racial cricket administration, the United Cricket Board of South Africa, has agreed that the touring South African team is playing as "South Africa" not "Springboks", which has become a term associated with apartheid sport.
Syrian political prisoners near death By Sean Malloy Abdul Aziz Al-Khayer and Bahjat Shaabu were arrested in Syria on February 1 for being leaders of the Communist Action Party, a progressive opposition group to the Syrian dictatorship.
Gender studies launched in Prague By Sally Low PRAGUE — With the assistance of the New York-based Network of East-West Women, a project to provide resources for gender studies courses has been started by several Czech women. Currently
Progress in talks with US By Stephen Robson Negotiations between Vietnam and the United States took place in Fiji from February 10 to 15. The US delegation included representatives from the State Department, Congress, the business community

Culture

Changing Our Lives: Women working in the women's movement 1970-1990 Edited by Maud Cahill and Christine Dann Bridget Williams Books, NZ, 1991 Reviewed by Bronwen Beechey Reading this book was a nostalgic and enjoyable experience. Like the 21
By Norm Dixon Renowned throughout Africa and Europe for spectacular concerts, Youssou N'Dour and the 12-piece Le Super Etoile De Dakar are touring in March. N'Dour, an undisputed "superstar" of World Music, is credited with doing more to
Adelaide Festival and Fringe season begins By Liam Mitchell Adelaide is once more being treated to an extraordinary array of talent in performances from all over the world at the Adelaide Festival and the Adelaide Fringe Festival. The
Aboriginal Health and Society: the Traditional and Contemporary Aboriginal Struggle for Better Health By Sherry Saggers and Dennis Gray Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 1991 Reviewed by Nick Everett "Aboriginal health is a political issue", argue
Green It Up returns By Maurice Sibelle BRISBANE — Brisbane's weekly infotainment night, Green It Up, opened with a bang on February 27. The Celtic Club, packed with supporters of Green Left Weekly, eagerly listened to the sounds of the
By Barb Kempnich ADELAIDE — The city's newest women's venue, the Red Shed, will present its next Women Performing on Friday, March 13, at 8 p.m. Among the performers will be Dani Burbrook singing original music of a contemporary flavour,

Editorial

Macedonia is Macedonian In a disgraceful display of opportunism, politicians from both Liberal and Labor parties are scrambling to support a chauvinist campaign whipped up by the Greek government against independence for the formerly Yugoslav