Issue 57

News

By Ben Pearson SYDNEY — A bill now before the federal parliament would place control of the Lucas Heights nuclear facility in the hands of the federal government, and possibly make the site a national dumping ground for radioactive waste.
By Peter Boyle The banks' latest attempts to hit credit card holders with more charges has driven the Australian Consumers Association to call a national day of protest against the banks for June 2. Whether you are struggling with a home
Talking union ADELAIDE — A mass meeting of vehicle workers from Mitsubishi's Tonsley Park and Lonsdale plants threw out a proposed enterprise agreement on May 22. The 3000 angry workers jeered VBEF union officials who supported the package,
New assembly laws introduced By Bill Mason BRISBANE — Around 200 people rallied in the Queen Street Mall here on May 22 to defend the right of free speech, in the wake of the introduction of new public assembly laws by attorney-general Dean
MELBOURNE — Malaysian sawn timber imports fell last year to their second lowest level since 1954, according to figures compiled by the Melbourne Rainforest Action Group (MRAG). This fall was partly due a shift in consumer preference towards

The best way to assist the newly independent state of Macedonia would be to help fund independent news bureaus in the region, Labor Party lobbyist and journalist Richard Farmer

Cuba stands up to blockade By Elizabeth Llewellyn SYDNEY — Cuba is successfully adopting emergency measures to cope with the United States economic blockade and the collapse of its trade with the former eastern bloc, visiting Cuban trade
Apology to Senator Michael Tate In the Green Left Weekly of 1st April, 1992 an article was published under the headline "Cops raid Launceston jobless group" which referred to a raid on the offices of the Unemployed Workers Union in Launceston
Sexual harassment alleged at Australia Post By Angela Matheson SYDNEY — Complaints from female staff and a male worker of sexual harassment at Australia Post are being investigated by the Women's Electoral Lobby (WEL) and the Human Rights
By Ian Jamieson BURNIE — In a massive display of solidarity with striking pulp mill workers, 1500 people marched through Burnie on May 18 to protest against what local unionists are calling Associated Pulp and Paper's industrial terrorism.
By Peter Chiltern The Federal Court has ordered Federal Police to return computers worth about $17,000 seized in a raid on the Launceston Unemployed Workers Union two months ago. During the hearing, Justice Northrop was critical of police
Early release likely for Denning By John Tognolini SYDNEY — NSW prison authorities are presently considering an appeal for release by Raymond Denning, a former prison activist who turned informer against Tim Anderson in the police attempt
By Tracy Sorensen The conservative Northern Territory government has lashed out at the federal government, Aborigines and environmentalists over Aboriginal affairs minister Robert Tickner's intervention to halt a proposed flood mitigation dam
Raul Macias tours Brisbane By Bill Mason BRISBANE — Raul Macias, Asia-Pacific head of the Cuban Institute for Friendship with the Peoples, visited here from May 21 to 24, as part of a nationwide speaking tour. Macias addressed a public
Wastebusters support recycling bill By Liz Humphrys MELBOURNE — Community and green groups attended a May 20 Wastebusters rally in support of the Victorian government's Environment Protection (Resource Recovery) Bill, which aims to halve
Suzuki: Learn from indigenous peoples By Andrew Kitto ADELAIDE — Scientific thought is moving away from limited technical frameworks towards a more complete "web of life" approach, and therefore more towards the beliefs of the indigenous

World

By John Queripel "We could not have done this once. But now we can look you straight in the eye because we know we are worthwhile human beings", Palawig Cabalig, whose ancestral land was destroyed by the Mt Pinatubo volcanic eruption in the

Swaziland is one of the smallest African states and the world's last absolute monarchy.

WASHINGTON — "The big fossil fuel industries have turned what was supposed to be the jewel in the crown of the Earth Summit into a lump of coal", commented Greenpeace spokesperson Paul Hohnen on the Earth Summit global warming accord signed by
By Michael Karadjis On May 6, a court in Greece, which regards itself as "the birthplace of democracy", sentenced four people to 19 months in prison for handing out a leaflet. Another six people are already spending six months in jail for
By Sally Low and Peter Annear PRAGUE — Ironically, the Suma Mountains region owes its largely unspoiled condition to the old Czechoslovak regime. Bordering on Austria and (West) Germany, for several decades it was closed off to most
By Norm Dixon The determination of the South African government to entrench white minority rule in any new constitution has stalled the Conference for a Democratic South Africa (CODESA) negotiations. The uncompromising demand of President F.W.
Earth Summit notes Earth Summit secretary general Maurice Strong told a May 11 meeting organised by the US Senate that he hopes there will be a variety of mechanisms to raise and administer the estimated $125 billion needed annually to fund
Return blocked SAN SALVADOR, May 14 — The FMLN charged yesterday that the government is blocking the return home of 258 war-wounded who received medical attention in Cuba. The FMLN says the wounded had received treatment, physical
Cuba presses UN on terrorism NEW YORK — The United Nations Security Council "is not and cannot be allowed to become, a secret society or private club", Cuban ambassador Ricardo Alarcon said on May 14. Alarcon was commenting on a UN
Five years after the coups, Fijians are at the polls this week in the first general election since the military takeover. DAVID ROBIE reports. It is likely that the Soqosoqo ni Vakavulewa ni Taukei (SVT), the Fijian Political Party supported by
By Renfrey Clarke MOSCOW — As of mid-May, some 2.5 million health workers in three-quarters of the administrative regions of Russia were either on strike or had taken part in protest actions. Doctors, nurses and ambulance crews were demanding
The Committee to Defend Human Rights in El Salvador (CDHRES) is organising the "Feliciano Ama" work and solidarity brigade to travel to El Salvador in December. The brigade will participate in the construction of a city to be named "Guillermo

Culture

Walsh Street By Tom Noble John Kerr Pty Ltd, 1991 Reviewed by Michael Heaney On October 12, 1988, two young Melbourne policemen, Damian Eyre and Steven Tynan, were murdered in the early hours of the morning after answering a call to
Don't Call Me Buckwheat Garland Jeffreys BMG records Available on CD and cassette Reviewed by Norm Dixon Rarely does a day go by lately that this album doesn't end up blasting out from my stereo. Musically, lyrically and politically, it is
By Nick Fredman and Julia Perkins Billy Bragg, Britain's rock poet, is currently on his third Australian tour, this time bringing a band, the Red Stars, and new songs from his latest release, Don't Try This at Home. Bragg's recording career
Good enough without the recipe Julia Has Two Lovers Directed by Bashar Shbib Starring Daphna Kastner, David Duchovny, David Charles Reviewed by Mario Giorgetti Financed on the scrounge and put together with a weeny $19,000 outlay, this
"East Timor 1942-1992" is an exhibition of photographs that picture the lives and history of the people of East Timor over the last 50 years. The exhibition opens on May 29 at 6 p.m. at the Tin Sheds Gallery, 154 City Rd, Sydney University, and
They shoot young people, don't they? Bring Down the House A play by John Romeril At the CUB Malthouse, South Melbourne until May 31 Reviewed by Peter Boyle It is 1997. In the smouldering ruins of what was once Melbourne, four young

Editorial

Thailand Yet another glimpse into the reality of the New World Order emerged on our television screens on May 18 as Thai troops mercilessly opened fire and killed at least 100 peaceful demonstrators demanding democracy. The Thai military