Analysis

Well known author and environmentalist Clive Hamilton recently announced he will stand for the Australian Greens in the December 5 by-election for the seat of Higgins in Melbourne.
On November 6, the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) and the mining division of the Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union (CFMEU) announced they would jointly donate $10,000 to the 78 asylum seekers aboard the Oceanic Viking.
“What threatens Australian workers is the abuse of guest workers and the use of guest workers to drive down Australian workers’ wages and conditions”, Dave Noonan, national secretary of the construction division of the Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union (CFMEU) told Green Left Weekly.
Many Queenslanders assume abortion is legal, since 14,000 terminations occur every year in the state.
The following speech by renowned journalist and film-maker John Pilger was delivered on November 5 as he accepted the 2009 Sydney Peace Prize. To read more of John Pilger's work, visit www.johnpilger.com
The Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) released by the federal Treasury on November 2 is upbeat. Revising the May budget’s projections for the Australian economy, it predicted unemployment will peak lower, growth will be higher and inflation will be under control.
NSW Premier Nathan Rees launched a government “education program” about climate change in May. The “what you can do in your world” program urged householders to cut carbon pollution by using less energy and switching to energy-efficient light bulbs and electrical appliances.
The following statement by Socialist Alliance Indigenous rights activists was released on November 4.
Shiko Zaher is a member of the Tulo Association in Wollongong, which runs assistance and service to Afghan people in the community. She delivered the speech below at the October 30 Reclaim the Night rally in Wollongong.
Australia’s racist refugee policy continues to create greater horror stories. Over recent weeks, in a replay of the years of former prime minister John Howard, the prospect of masses of refugee boats landing on Australian shores have sent politicians and the corporate media into a frenzy of right-wing rhetoric.
Newcastle-based climate activist and Socialist Alliance member Laura Ealing is an organiser of the Just Transition Tour, a bus trip through NSW coal communities from November 20 to 26. She spoke to Green Left Weekly about the aims of the tour.

A recent national speaking tour generated growing support for the Ampilatwatja community walk-off — an ongoing protest camp against the Northern Territory intervention.