News

MELBOURNE — Maintenance workers at Toyota went on strike for three days after an Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) delegate was stood down by management on August 29. When Toyota relocated its Port Melbourne production facility to

#4 Refugees on hunger strike ADELAIDE — On September 14, asylum seekers from Sri Lanka, including some Tamils, being held in the Baxter Detention Centre began a protest on the third anniversary of their controversial arrival in Australia's

Graham Matthews, Sydney On March 23, Qantas closed its heavy maintenance facility at Mascot, making 480 workers redundant. While the company has promised that it will not outsource maintenance to China, the 140 extra jobs promised for Melbourne and

Lynda Smith In their second week at sea, from the South Bellona Reef 500 miles north-west of Brisbane, the seven-person crew of the Flotillas of Hope expressed their ongoing gratitude to all who continue to support them and their desire to be

SYDNEY — Thirty people attended a forum organised by the Parramatta Peace Group on July 29 on the theme of "Iran and the myth of a nuclear threat". The keynote speaker, Greens Senator Kerry Nettle, restated the Greens' opposition to nuclear energy

#3 SIEV X book launched BRISBANE — The story of SIEV X, the unseaworthy, overcrowded refugee boat that sank in October 2001, drowning some 350 asylum-seekers off the Indonesian coast, involves a "massive Australian government agency cover-up",

Paul Benedek, Brisbane More than 1000 workers from most unions attended a Queensland Council of Unions "Workers' Breakfast" on March 29, to protest against the enactment of the Howard government's Work Choices laws. The crowd heard from former

SYDNEY — On May 20, "Public Education Day", around 60 teachers and supporters of public education rallied outside federal education minister Brendan Nelson's office in Lindfield. The rally, organised by the Middle Harbour Teachers Association of

Roger X. & Marce Cameron, Sydney "Nobody should assume any of these people are guilty", Dr Waleed Kadous, co-convenor of the Australian Muslim Civil Rights Advocacy Network (AMCRAN), told a November 21 public forum attended by 100 people. Kadous

Band banned for politics HOBART — On August 24, Hobart College band Mr Mukhole played at the school's assembly. Before the band started to play, the lead singer, Bryn Heathwood, explained the band's name and reason for existing. As Heathwood

Niko Leka, Newcastle On March 16, Boeing conceded on three demands made by the Australian Workers Union on behalf of 25 aircraft maintenance workers employed at the company's Williamtown centre. The previous day, the AWU lodged objections with the

Selena Black, Sydney Postal workers across NSW, Victoria and Queensland went on strike for 24 hours on May 13, following the breakdown of negotiations over a new enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA) and Australia Post's unwillingness to accept