News

Top tax avoiders The Australian Taxation Office recovered an additional $1.2 billion in tax last financial year from the country's top 100 companies. The results come from the ATO's "large-case audit program", set up in 1988. The ATO plans to

Forum praised on environment Greenpeace has welcomed the emphasis of the South Pacific Forum, just concluded, on environmental issues, but says there is still a long way to go. "The South Pacific leaders know that environmental issues are not

High Court challenge to ClearyMELBOURNE — The High Court will hear a challenge to left independent Phil Cleary's victory in the April by-election for former prime minister Bob Hawke's Victorian seat of Wills. The

Fahey bashes building unionSYDNEY — The minority Liberal government of NSW, under new Premier John Fahey, is preparing legal action for deregistration of the Building Workers Industrial Union (BWIU) in line with a

MELBOURNE — As increasing public attention focuses on youth anger over persistent unemployment, Resistance held its 21st national conference here on July 4-6. Young activists came from across the country to plan action around

Forest protesters bamboo the RegentSYDNEY — Rainforest activists planned to erect a symbolic bamboo barricade across the entrance to the Sydney Regent hotel on July 13 in a re-enactment of a similar protest at the

Queensland forests 'cleared like Amazon'BRISBANE — Queensland is losing proportionately as much forest and woodland each year through clearing as the Amazon basin of South America, according to state officials. Queensland

SYDNEY — NSW education minister Virginia Chadwick has backed away from changes to the years 7-10 geography syllabus after an unrepresentative elite of private school principals rammed through a number of amendments. The course

MELBOURNE — Australian Liberals and the New Right have looked to New Zealand, and the economic policies of both National and Labour governments, as a possible model for what they would like to do here. But the New Zealand

Airport transport workers have accepted a 6% wage rise following strike action last week by aircraft refuellers and tanker drivers. The strike was the third major action in 18 months over award restructuring in the industry. PERTH — The

Hard times 1 "It's very difficult to drive into the office at nine on a Friday morning, fire 10 people and get into a $150,000 Mercedes and drive away again." — Ron Klein, managing director of Klein and Associates, on the social stigma of

MELBOURNE — Encouraged by the response to the campaign of Phil Cleary in the Wills by-election, political activists here are planning a rally for social and economic justice on October 10. This is expected to be close to