News

  • Plans to break Maritime Union

    SYDNEY — The Australian newspaper on April 27 carried advertisements for waterfront workers. These workers are part of the federal government's plan to break the Maritime Union of Australia by encouraging new stevedoring

  • Milo Dunphy

    SYDNEY — The funeral of Milo Dunphy was held here on April 26. Milo Dunphy was one of Australia's best known conservationists — a fiery and eloquent advocate for many causes, especially for forests and wilderness. I first met Milo in the

  • Anti-uranium rallies on Chernobyl anniversary

    Marking the 10th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, activists around Australia held pickets and rallies on April 26 and 27 to protest against the nuclear industry and the Australian government's role in it. Actions were organised by

  • NSW teachers take united action

    SYDNEY — In a historic day for teacher unions, some 15,000 TAFE teachers, Teachers Federation and Independent Education Union members held a spirited rally outside Parliament House on April 23, the day of their 24-hour strike.

  • More sponsors for August 25 East Timor day

    On April 23, Indonesian scholar Dr George Aditjondro announced that he would be a sponsor of the August 25 national day of solidarity to demand withdrawal of Australia's formal recognition of Indonesia's annexation of East Timor. The day of action is

  • Rusden students save their campus

    MELBOURNE — Students at Rusden campus of Deakin University on April 24 occupied the pro vice-chancellor's office and the surrounding administration offices. The 250-strong student protest was undertaken in response to

  • SA unions begin discussing fight back

    ADELAIDE — More than 60 union officials and rank and file gathered for a seminar on April 16 to discuss strategies for fighting the Brown Liberal government's economic rationalist agenda and the need for renewing the labour

  • Warning against abolishing EPA

    SYDNEY — Friends of the Earth has warned the federal government against disbanding the Commonwealth Environment Protection Agency, arguing that it would make environmental impact assessments of uranium and other projects under

  • Lebanese demonstrate in Canberra

    On April 24, the Australian Lebanese Solidarity Committee organised buses and cars to transport members of the Lebanese community in Sydney and Melbourne to a demonstration outside Parliament House. Some 250 people braved the four-hour trip to have

  • Loose cannons

    Great minds "Gareth used to say that, and he was dead right." — Foreign minister Alexander Downer, on his predecessor Gareth Evans' frequent claim that there was no point in "haranguing" the Indonesian government over human rights abuses in

  • Boral, Daishowa push for increased woodchip quota

    Two of the biggest companies in the woodchipping industry, Boral and Harris-Daishowa (Australia), are pushing for the federal Coalition government to lift 1996 woodchip export quotas. The export volumes for 1996, set by the former

  • Sand mining threatens Jasper Lake

    DENMARK, WA — The state government may soon do a deal with the mining company Cable Sands (a wholly owned subsidiary of Japan's largest chemical company, Nisshio Iwai) over D'Entrecasteaux National Park. Three hundred and eight-six