News

  • Public servants prepare to resist Howard

    GREG ADAMSON is an ACT assistant branch secretary of the Community and Public Sector Union and a member of the Democratic Socialist Party. Green Left Weekly's JENNIFER THOMPSON spoke to him about how the union movement can resist the Howard

  • Election threat over Century mine

    BRISBANE Premier Rob Borbidge on April 13 threatened to call a state election over Aboriginal opposition to the huge Century Zinc mine project in the far north of the state. After a confrontation with Carpentaria Land Council

  • East Timor protester jailed

    BRISBANE — Jim Dowling, a long-time peace activist and member of the Catholic Worker group, was jailed for three months on March 22, for a peaceful protest with other Christian demonstrators at the Defence Force Headquarters in the

  • ACT wage agreements

    CANBERRA — On April 3, 400 public servants met to endorse an in-principle agreement reached with the ACT government by the Community and Public Sector Union, and to end their industrial action. The agreement consists of a 10.1% pay

  • Geelong workers' strike solid

    GEELONG — The E.P. Robinson Pty Ltd plant here is an amazing sight. There are glass panels missing from the skylights; a number of others are slipping. More than one worker has narrowly missed being hit by a falling panel. When

  • Cape York alliance to defy Borbidge

    BRISBANE A landmark Cape York agreement between Aborigines, conservationists and pastoralists will go ahead, regardless of the opposition of Queensland Premier Rob Borbidge, according to Noel Pearson, Cape York Land Council executive

  • Noise 'shared' at Sydney airport

    SYDNEY — On April 11, Sydney airport's east-west runway was reopened. According to Prime Minister John Howard, this fulfilled his pre-election promise to share around the burden of aircraft noise. This is far from true. Under the

  • Why Kennett won

    MELBOURNE — As expected, the March 30 state election returned Jeff Kennett's Coalition government with a slightly reduced majority. The ALP gained a very modest two-party preferred swing of 2.4%. However, fuelled

  • Weipa strike resumes

    Award workers at CRA-owned Comalco's Weipa bauxite mine and kaolin plant went on strike again on March 27 over the company's insistence that they individually sign an enterprise agreement. Unionists won the right in February

  • Cuba support campaign launched

    MELBOURNE — Following the passing of the Helms-Burton bill in the United States, which tightens the US embargo against Cuba, Latin American solidarity activists here held the first meeting of the End the Embargo campaign on

  • Carnell government in trouble

    CANBERRA — When the Carnell Liberal government came to power in the February 1995 ACT elections, its main stated goal was to make the health system more "efficient" and "effective". It has now been revealed that there has been an

  • Wool scourers defiant

    GEELONG — After four weeks on strike, the morale of workers at EP Robinson, a wool scouring plant here, is still high. According to Shearers and Rural Workers Union (SRWU) Assistant General Secretary, John Morgan, the