Issue 758

  • Venezuelan Independence Day celebrated

    CANBERRA — The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela celebrated its national independence day on July 5 under the theme “For true independence and sovereignty”.

  • Another NSW council gets the sack

    WOLLONGONG — The ALP-dominated Shellharbour City Council was sacked on July 9 by Paul Lynch, NSW minister for local government. The Illawarra Mercury reported Lynch as saying, "The elected council seemed so dysfunctional that an administrator could

  • Coalmining damage

    SINGLETON — A 100-strong community forum on July 3 to discuss the damage caused to people's health, rivers and water tables by coalmining, watched Rivers of Shame, a documentary made by Rivers SOS that profiles rivers and water tables irreversibly

  • Protest the unholy father

    Pope Benedict XVI is coming to town. Sydney is once again to be subject to a special police regime as this saintly, celibate white man bravely preaches the joys of sexual abstinence in the very Circus Maximus of Sin City (Randwick race course).

  • 'An incredible experience'

    CANBERRA — "Participating in a solidarity brigade to revolutionary Venezuela is an incredible experience", Margaret Allum told the 20 people gathered at the Showcase Gallery on July 10 to hear her report-back on the Australia-Venezuela Solidarity

  • Venezuela independence speak-out

    BRISBANE — To mark US and Venezuela independence days, on July 4 and 5 respectively, a speak-out sponsored by the Australia-Venezuela Solidarity Network, the Australia-Cuba Friendship Society and Australia Solidarity with Latin America was held on

  • Forests and Gunns

    HOBART — A July 6 meeting of the 21-country United Nations World Heritage Committee unanimously called for the extension of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area (TWWHA). The WHC's recommendations would protect some of the native forests

  • Tasmanian power workers take action

    HOBART — On June 25, workers at Tasmania's electricity provider, Aurora, began industrial action to stop a performance-based pay system. The action was decided at a June 18 meeting of more than 300 delegates. Kevin Harkins, secretary of the

  • WA uranium expansion planned

    PERTH — In November 2007, the WA Labor government passed legislation outlawing nuclear power plants in WA, and the ALP officially maintains its policy of not allowing the mining and export of uranium. Despite this, mining companies are planning at

News

  • ETU organiser: 'Cuban unions are enmeshed in society'

    “Unions are totally enmeshed in Cuban society”, Scott Wilson, an organiser for the Queensland branch of the Electrical Trades Union told a July 9 public forum, sponsored by the ETU and the Australia-Venezuela Solidarity Network (AVSN).

  • Posties' campaign against privatisation

    Postal workers protested outside Australia Post HQ on June 25 to voice their opposition to AP’s policy of hiring new employees on lower pay rates and the splitting up their jobs.

  • Students of Sustainability

    Australia is a leading exporter of coal, shipping millions of tonnes every year around the globe. It was appropriate, therefore, that the annual environmental conference, Students of Sustainability (SoS), was this year held in the world’s coal export capital: Newcastle.

  • Power privatisation? Let the people decide

    Socialist Alliance candidates in the upcoming local government elections are calling for a state-wide referendum on power privatisation to be conducted alongside council elections.

  • 'Annoyance laws' challenged

    Activists have asked the Federal Court to rule that the recently gazetted NSW regulation declaring that people can be fined $5500 for “annoying” behaviour during July, but especially during the pope’s World Youth Day (WYD) visit, be declared invalid. The case was heard on July 11.

  • NSW teachers rally

    On July 8, 600 NSW teachers and principals gathered outside the Department of Education to protest against the state ALP government’s attacks on teacher transfer rights.

  • Minimum wage rise leaves workers behind

    On July 8, the Australian Fair Pay Commission (AFPC) granted a pay rise of $21.66 per week to around 1.3 million workers earning the standard federal minimum wage. This 4.15% rise translates into an hourly increase of 57 cents. Last July, the minimum wage was increased by only $10.26.

  • NAIDOC week celebrated

    Each year, National Aboriginal and Islander Day of Observance Committee (NAIDOC) week, July 6-13, celebrates Indigenous history and culture, with events taking place in regional and urban places. Organisers say a record number of people took place this year.

  • Tamils call for solidarity

    One thousand Tamils gathered in Federation Square on July 5 for Pongu Thamil (Tamil upsurge). The event included traditional Tamil dancing, music and speeches on the Tamil people’s struggle for self-determination in Sri Lanka.

Analysis

  • What union response to Garnaut?

    Right at the beginning of his draft report on climate change, Professor Ross Garnaut points out that global warming can’t be beaten unless an international “prisoner’s dilemma” gets resolved.

  • Working parents need a national paid parental leave scheme

    The Rudd government has asked the Productivity Commission to examine the economic, productive and social benefits of introducing a national paid maternity leave scheme. The Commission has heard submissions from a range of unions, business and community groups, and is due to release its report in February, 2009.

  • Venezuela: a real education revolution

    PM Kevin Rudd’s “education revolution”, a sad misuse of the word “revolution”, continues to starve public schools of funds. Meanwhile, wealthy private schools are given so much federal money they don’t know what to with it other than bank it or build Olympic-sized gymnasiums.

  • Responding to Garnaut: immediate action, not hand wringing

    Arctic sea ice reached a record minimum in the Northern summer of 2007, prompting the revision of scientists’ predictions of how quickly it will melt away altogether in response to global warming — perhaps as early as 2010-13, rather than the hundred years later estimated in the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports.

  • Nepal: Formation of new government frustrated

    While the historic elections for a constituent assembly were held in April — a product of the pro-democracy uprising that has ended Nepal’s monarchy and created a republic — Nepal is still yet to have a new government sworn in.

  • Write On: Letters to the editor

    Zimbabwe In response to Brian Souter's letter (GLW #757), I would say that while there is officially a two party system in Zimbabwe, the Mugabe regime has refused to relinquish its power after losing the first election earlier this year, and has

  • Deal leaves teachers short

    On May 5, Victorian Premier John Brumby announced that a deal had been struck with the Australian Education Union that would end the union’s 16-month-long industrial campaign. Victorian state school teachers had campaigned to secure better working conditions and pay rises and to reduce contract teaching.

  • 'Clean coal' power station: at what cost?

    Some unionists are angry that despite all the warnings about the climate emergency and Australia’s high per capita greenhouse gas emissions, the Victorian ALP government has given the go-ahead to a $750 million 400 megawatt brown coal power station in the Latrobe Valley.

  • 25 years on — celebrating the saving of the Franklin

    The campaign to stop the damming of the Franklin River in Tasmania’s south-west wilderness resulted in a historic victory for the environment movement in 1983. More than 1000 people came together on July 1 to mark the 25th anniversary of this victory in a night of celebration at the Grand Chancellor’s Federation Ballroom.

World

  • Mercosur confronts global crises

    In stark contrast to the thumb-twiddling of the G8 overlords, who meet on July 7-9 to decide on taking as little action as possible on climate change and the developing global food and fuel crises, the June 30-July 1 summit of the Common Market of South America (Mercosur) was one more demonstration of the role being played by Venezuela — together with other South American countries — in charting a way out of these crises.

  • General strike shakes Peru

    Tens of thousands of workers and peasants rallied across Peru on July 9 as part of a general strike called by the General Confederation of Workers (CGTP) against the neoliberal policies of the government of President Alan Garcia.

  • South Korea: Mass movement stops the neoliberal bulldozer

    The newly elected neo-conservative regime of President Lee Myungbak has been humbled by the spontaneous emergence of a mass movement — sparked by female middle and high school students. This movement has resulted in the largest and longest sustained demonstrations since the fall of the military dictatorship.

  • Switzerland: Chocolate-coated espionage

    According to the June 26 Solidarites, the Swiss multinational Nestle infiltrated and spyied on the anti-globalisation activist group Attac in the Swiss canton of Vaud during the publication of a book critical of the company.

  • East Timor: Student protests face repression

    Over three days, starting on July 7, the students at the East Timor National University protested in opposition to the purchase of luxury cars for each parliament member. All up, the government of Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao arrested 53 students.

  • Britain: More nails in New Labour's coffin

    Following disastrous performances in the English local council elections and the Crewe and Nantwich by-election in May, the ruling Labour Party suffered more humiliation at the hands of the electorate in the June 26 by-election in Henley-on-Thames.

  • Agricultural crisis rocks Argentina

    A recent move by the government of President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner to implement a system of variable taxes on agricultural exports has opened up a crisis that has lasted more than 100 days.

Culture