Sue Bolton, Melbourne The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) — originally established to protect consumers from shonky trade practices — has now been enlisted in the Howard government's drive to destroy trade unions as
Issue 682
News
Kiraz Janicke, Sydney On September 1, 60 people packed out the conference room at Sydney University's Darlington Centre to hear Tammam Sulaiman, Syria's ambassador to Australia, speak on "War in the Middle East — A Syrian Perspective". The forum
Pip Hinman The Environment Centre Northern Territory (ECNT) described the NT government's decision on August 29 to approve an environmental assessment for a controversial open-cut zinc mine on the McArthur River as a "big mistake". The Swiss-based
MELBOURNE — On August 30, a picket line was held at CSR Sugar in the western suburb of Yarraville by Union Solidarity in support of sacked occupational health and safety representative Craig Marshall. A member of the Australian Manufacturing
Dave Riley, Brisbane Members of the Murri community and their supporters rallied and marched on September 1, in the week that the state inquest into the death in custody of Cameron Doomadgee on Palm Island on November 19, 2004, wound up. The inquest
Michaela Stubbs, Melbourne On August 30, anti-nuclear campaigners staged protest actions at the offices of engineering company Parsons Brinckerhoff as part of a national day of protest against the federal government's plan to set up a nuclear waste
Peter Boyle As this column is written, the tally of civilian casualties from the war on Iraq is estimated by Iraq Body Count (<http://www.iraqbodycount.net>) at between 41,041 and 45,613 — and rising fast. This is a war that the
MELBOURNE — A national anti-nuclear symposium will be held at the Victorian State Library on September 15 and at the Victorian Trades Hall Council the next day. It is being organised by the Beyond Nuclear Initiative, a collaborative project between
SYDNEY — Acting NSW prisons commissioner Ian McLean misled parliament when he claimed that the women prisoners of the Emu Plains minimum security prison initiated reductions to their visiting hours, Brett Collins of Justice Action claimed on
Linda Seaborn, Hobart On August 26, Victoria's Supreme Court rejected Tasmanian timber company Gunns Ltd's third statement of claim, in which it detailed its case against 20 people and called for $6.9 million in compensation. In December 2004,
Kim White, Sydney Last minute legal action in the Federal Magistrate's Court on August 29 resulted in an interim injunction to prevent a Bangladeshi man from being deported to India the next day. The deportation order was the immigration
Sam Wainwright, Perth Led by some of the 107 workers being sued by the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC), around 4500 people rallied on August 29 in support of the first workers to face fines under the Howard government's new
Justine Kamprad, Geelong On August 28, the 13 workers employed by Williamstown Sheet Metal Pty Ltd, in the south-west Melbourne suburb of Laverton North, took their first ever industrial action. The workers voted unanimously to refuse the company's
Justin Tutty, Darwin Members of the Northern Territory's No Waste Alliance (NWA) attended the annual Country Liberal Party conference on August 27, urging the party to disendorse federal CLP MPs intent on turning the territory into a nuclear
MELBOURNE — Five years after the rescue of 433 refugees by the Norwegian freighter the MV Tampa, 600 people formed a "human installation" on the footbridge over the Yarra River on August 26. The protest was organised by Victoria's Refugee Action
Sarah Stephen, Sydney Staff at the University of New South Wales face an unprecedented attack in the wake of vice-chancellor Fred Hilmer's pursuit of his vision for UNSW as one of the "top three" universities in Australia. Before the ink was even
ADELAIDE — On August 17, 70 staff and students gathered in the Flinders University student union building for a forum on "The war in Lebanon — is peace possible?" The forum was addressed by David Palmer, senior lecturer in American Studies, and
Simon Cunich, Sydney In defiance of Sydney University management, 30 students attended a forum organised by Resistance on August 30 titled "Hezbollah: terrorist organisation or national liberation movement?" A week earlier, university officials
Saeb Ali Occupied Palestine and Iraq feature in the news almost daily, so much so that people no longer seem shocked by the massive loss of innocent life. But this changed with Israel's latest barbaric attack on Lebanon in which more than 1000
Despite PM John Howard's call for a "full-blooded debate" about energy, greenhouse and uranium mining, there has been little discussion about renewable energy sources such as wind power.
World
Claims by left-leaning presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador of massive fraud in the July 2 election have been rejected by Mexico's electoral court. The original results had Lopez Obrador losing by just 0.58% to right-wing candidate
Doug Lorimer United Press International reported on August 25 that an opinion poll showed 63% of Israeli voters want Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to resign for what they see as the failure of Israel's 34-day war on Lebanon to achieve any of its stated
James Balowski, Jakarta Activists from the West Papua Peoples United Struggle Front (Pepera) held a protest at the US Embassy in Jakarta on August 28 calling for the defendants in the Timika shooting case in West Papua to be released. The
Nawab Akbar Bugti, a key leader of the Baloch national liberation movement in Pakistan's south-western Balochistan province, was killed in a military attack on his headquarters on August 26. Nawab Bugti was 79, a veteran of the Baloch liberation
At an August 28 press conference in Jakarta, activists expressed disappointment over a recent decision by the governments of Indonesia and East Timor to extend the mission of the Truth and Friendship Commission (KKP). They also called for the KKP to
Kim Bullimore Israel gunboats and air-to-surface missiles continued to pound Gaza as "Operation Summer Rain", which began on June 28, entered its 11th week. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA),
Peter Gellert, Mexico City A massive civic movement in the southern state of Oaxaca has placed what was a local conflict onto the centre stage of Mexican political life. In May, Local 22 of the National Teachers Union — which in Oaxaca has a
Roberto Jorquera Workers at BHP's Escondida copper mine in northern Chile voted on August 31 to end their strike and accept a deal for a 5% pay rise and bonuses of some US$17,000. More than 2000 workers had been on strike since August 7. Chile
Eva Cheng The consolidation of private capital in China at the expense of the state sector has taken another significant leap forward. "Mergers and acquisitions" (M&A) among Chinese companies and the gobbling up of Chinese entities by foreign
VENEZUELA: Chavez calls for Israeli leaders to face trial On August 24, several thousand people gathered on the Calvary Steps in the Caracas suburb of El Silencio to hear speakers call for justice for the Lebanese and Palestinian peoples, and to
Jim McIlroy& Coral Wynter, Caracas As part of the revolutionary Bolivarian government's program of building popular involvement in decision-making, the First Social Parliament of the Streets was held on August 26 in the grounds of the Federal
On August 28, three people accused of participating in a March 16 demonstration appeared before the Jayapura district court. When they were transported back to the prison, they were met by dozens of police officers, who severely beat 20-year-old
Federico Fuentes After facing his toughest challenge since his January 22 inauguration, President Evo Morales has seemingly come out the victor in a debate over the viability of the nationalisation of Bolivia's gas, but not without some bruising.
Norm Dixon The "foiling" of an alleged "terror plot" to bring down passenger planes between Britain and the United States has revealed the existence of a highly coordinated international network that aims to spread public panic and create distrust
Doug Lorimer On August 24, British troops in south-eastern Maysan province abandoned their base, which, Reuters reported had been under "almost nightly attack". The base has been a target for frequent mortar and rocket barrages since being set up in
Alex Miller In an August 29 statement, former Scottish Socialist Party leader Tommy Sheridan confirmed his plan to set up a rival breakaway group to the SSP. The group, "Solidarity — A new movement for socialism in Scotland", will be launched at a
Culture
Frank Hardy: Politics, Literature, LifeBy Jenny HockingLothian Books, 2005310 pages, $39.95 (hb) REVIEW BY PHIL SHANNON It took 40 police and the Tactical Response Group to arrest Frank Hardy in 1986 at a Writers-in-the-Park event at the Harold
Born Jewish: A Childhood in Occupied EuropeBy Marcel LiebmanVerso, 2005181 pages, $39.95 (hb) REVIEW BY PHIL SHANNON The Belgian brothers, Marcel, Henri, Leon and Jean-Claude Liebman, sustained by "the patriotism of official ceremonies and school
Bittersweet SixteenBlack 47<http://www.gadflyrecords.com> REVIEW BY BILL NEVINS Larry Kirwan's never been a quiet immigrant. Since his green suede Irish boots hit American ground some 30 years ago, the man's been rocking and screaming his
Message Stick: The Gathering —The epic and poignant story of the Indigenous Mirning people of the Nullabor. ABC, Friday, September 8, 6pm. The Chaser's War On Everything — George W Bush waged a "war on terror", but only The Chaser wages a war on
We — video documentary featuring Arundhati RoyCreated & distributed on the internet anonymouslyDownload free at <http://www.weroy.org> or order a DVD for a small donationDVD version produced by Joe Alamo, New York REVIEW BY LACHLAN