News

Roberto Jorquera, Melbourne On October 29, a stall selling Green Left Weekly in the inner-city suburb of Brunswick was ordered to leave by police who had been called by the Barkly Square Shopping Centre management. Barkly Square has been the

Jim McIlroy, Brisbane The Bolivarian revolution in Venezuela is an "unprecedented revolution in participatory democracy", Leonel Vivas, Venezuelan ambassador to Australia, told an audience of around 70 people on August 7. When Hugo Chavez was

1 PSA says 'Put it to a vote!' ADELAIDE — The Public Service Association has called on the South Australian government to put its wage offer for public servants to a vote of employees, after negotiations failed to reach a conclusion. The PSA

John Gauci, Sydney On October 26, members of the NSW Teachers Federation voted overwhelmingly to accept an offer from the state Labor government that will raise first-year teachers' annual pay to at least $50,000 and teachers at the top end of the

Susan Austin, Hobart "The issue of old-growth forests has been dominating the political debate in Tasmania", the Wilderness Society's Geoff Law told 500 people who turned up to the University of Tasmania on August 3 to hear him debate Forestry

Dave Andrews, Fremantle The state ALP government is set to introduce long-awaited reforms to WA's workers' compensation laws in May. The reforms, outlined in a discussion paper Restoring Fairness, Balance and Certainty: Workers Compensation Reforms

PERTH — More than 200 people crammed into the Maritime Union of Australia's North Fremantle office on October 29 to hear discussion about how to fight the Howard government's proposed industrial relations laws. Speakers included former

Graham Matthews, Melbourne A Victorian government survey of 2003 year 12 graduates has confirmed that less than 34% of students from public schools entered university, compared with 67% of students from private schools, which are being increasingly

3 Muslims protest Iraq war SYDNEY — Chanting "Down, down Washington!" in English and "America go to hell!" in Arabic, 400 Muslims marched down the main road of the western Sydney suburb of Auburn to the local park on April 11. Speakers at

Terry Costello, Melbourne At a Your Rights at Work forum on October 17, Community and Public Sector Union assistant national secretaries Margaret Gillespie and Stephen Jones signaled their intention not to mobilise members against the federal

Chris Williams Outside cinemas around the country, a new "parliament of the streets" is developing as people discuss and debate Michael Moore's new film, Fahrenheit 9/11. Cinemas have been packed out by people attending previews of what is fast

Kamala Emanuel, Hobart Tasmania's Labor government continues to feel public anger at its decision to support a private hospital downgrading services in violation of its contract with the government. At least 2000 people attended an open-air meeting