The federal government should restore Indian doctor Mohamed Haneefs work visa immediately, and pay him compensation for distress and financial loss, Jim McIlroy, the Socialist Alliance candidate for the south Brisbane seat of Griffith, told Green left Weekly. Griffith is held by ALP leader Kevin Rudd.
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Launching his new film War on Democracy at the Dendy Theatre on September 24, well-known progressive journalist, author and film-maker John Pilger described it as perhaps my most optimistic film.
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Ros Kidd, author of a new report detailing the theft of hundreds of millions of dollars from Queensland Aboriginal workers through unpaid wages over many decades, has called for part of the federal budget surplus to be used as compensation. The Hard Labour, Stolen Wages report was launched at the Irish Club on September 5.
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In the wake of a Federal Court judge finding that the Australian government wrongfully revoked the visa of Dr Mohamed Haneef, a community forum on Anti-terror laws and your civil rights was held in Brisbane on September 2.
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Earlier this year, three workers on 457 “guest worker” visas died on the job in separate incidents. Both the construction union (CFMEU) and the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) are calling for an independent judicial enquiry into the treatment of all of the 50,000 workers on these visas. In many cases, these workers are underpaid and given heavy manual labour, rather then the skilled work that is stipulated in their visa conditions. Green Left Weekly’s Andrew Martin interviewed AMWU Queensland state secretary Andrew Dettmar, about the 457 issue.
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On August 25, 500 people braved unseasonal rainstorms to participate in a Walk against Warming rally for urgent action on climate change. The event was sponsored by the Queensland Conservation Council and other environment groups.
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The federal governments political campaign against Dr Mohamed Haneef took a further blow on August 19, when Federal Court judge Jeffrey Spender ruled that immigration minister Kevin Andrews had unlawfully cancelled Haneefs work visa on character grounds.
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Around 30 workers and supporters rallied outside Fosters Queensland marketing headquarters in Fortitude Valley on August 9. Fosters is still refusing to accept a union-backed collective agreement despite it being the choice of the majority of workers at the Yatala Brewery.
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On August 8, 1000 people packed into the Brisbane City Hall for a public forum on Australia at the Crossroads: A New Direction. Organised by the Just Peace and the Just Rights groups, the forum was sponsored by a wide variety of peace, environment, social justice and political organisations.
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Hiroshima Day is not just a day for commemoration, but a day for action, Nic Maclellan from the Nuclear Free Independent Pacific told a rally of around 200 people on August 5.
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More than 200 people gathered at the Arena on August 11 for the Justice for the Innocent benefit gig for the Doomadgee family of Palm Island. The gig raised funds for the civil case against the Queensland police and Senior Sergeant Chris Hurley, who admitted that his actions caused the death of Mulrunji Doomadgee in the Palm Island watchhouse in 2004.
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An estimated 8000 people rallied at South Bank and marched to state parliament on August 3 to protest the Queensland Labor government’s plan for the forced amalgamation of 156 local councils into 72. The majority of the marchers were residents of Noosa shire, who were opposing the inclusion of their council into a Sunshine Coast super-council, involving Noosa, Maroochydore and Caloundra.