News

Simon Butler, Newcastle The mining division of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) has welcomed the August 9 conviction of the companies and individuals responsible for events that led to the tragic deaths of four coal

SYDNEY — On March 23, NSW Labor and Coalition MPs voted to deny a request by Greens parliamentarian Lee Rhiannon to join a NSW Legislative Council inquiry visit to the "Supermax" (maximum security) wing of the Goulburn prison. "The major parties

Philippa Skinner NSW Premier Bob Carr is attempting to introduce legislation to counter a victory won by protests opposing filming of the movie Stealth in the Blue Mountains National Park, a world heritage area. In late April, the NSW Land and

BRISBANE — Queensland Department of Boating and Fisheries Patrol staff struck for 24 hours on September 17. The patrol workers, members of the Queensland Public Sector Union, are negotiating an enterprise agreement and protesting the lack of

Working stiffs, as always "Most rich people are able to avoid taxes, and if you can't raise enough money from taxing the rich, guess who pays the taxes?" — Emperor George Bush II, August 11, defending his tax policy. Land of opportunity "The

BRISBANE — On March 23, students at Griffith University's Nathan campus discussed the fight against the Howard government's new industrial relations laws. Organised by the Education Action Group (EAG), the forum was addressed by Ron Edwards, the

Howard chased off campus CANBERRA — Prime Minister John Howard's attempt to launch the Coalition's new policy on research and development funding at the CSIRO on May 6 was gatecrashed by 150 angry students and activists from the Australian

Peter Sypkens, Hobart On May 14, the final tally of votes for the Tasmanian upper house seat of Elwick was declared, with Socialist Alliance candidate Kamala Emanuel receiving 936 votes — 5.21% of the total count. This was the best result for a

NEWCASTLE — On July 21, 70 truck drivers protested outside the Coles store in the NSW Central Coast town of Wyoming after being left with no job security by Coles-Myer and the Linfox trucking company following the closure of the nearby Coles-Myer

2 Films by and for workers SYDNEY — One-hundred people gathered on August 12 to mark the first anniversary of Oz Dox, the Australian documentary forum. The event heard from John Hughes and Norma Disher, who worked in the Waterside Workers

Kiraz Janicke, Perth Student anger erupted on April 26 as the University of Western Australia's senate met to vote on a 25% HECS increase. More than 200 students rallied at the doors of the meeting in opposition to the fee increase. Although the

Susan Price, Sydney On the night of November 22, following threats of eviction, the University of Newcastle moved to changed the locks on the offices of the National Tertiary Education Union on the campus. The NTEU had previously made attempts at