News

Zoe Kenny, Sydney At its annual conference in November, attended by 400 delegates, the NSW branch of Young Labor adopted a policy supporting the reinstatement of a national draft for high-school students. NSW Young Labor will lobby for inclusion of

SYDNEY — Twenty unionists picketed the George Street Optus shop on June 29, to protest the sacking via text messages of 70 Optus technicians. The workers were told in a subsequent meeting that they could reapply for their jobs as individual

Paul Benedek, Sydney "The union would have no control, we'd lose the award, lose hours, lose jobs - we're being flushed down the cleaners!", said Condell Park High School cleaner John Everett, one of 2000 cleaners who rallied on September 8 to

Shua Garfield, Hobart Since the Coalition's federal budget was launched, the Socialist Alliance has waged a campaign to raise support for its demands to tax the rich more and the poor less. A tax tug-of-war has emerged in the local newspaper,

Emma Brown, Melbourne On July 18, 65 people who attended a public meeting organised by the Victorian Peace Network heard a firsthand account of recent events in Lebanon and Palestine from Dr Bernard Sabella, a recently elected Fatah member of the

NEWCASTLE — All kinds of drivers tooted their car horns as they drove past the protest outside the Newcastle Spotlight store on June 22. The community action expressed solidarity with Spotlight unionists and condemned Spotlight's attempts to

Jim McIlroy, Brisbane "Time for a change: Refugees; Iraq; Medicare; social services; education; Aboriginal rights. Join a range of community groups to say 'enough is enough'." This call is featured on publicity for Brisbane's "Time for a change"

Noreen Navin, Sydney NSW Teachers Federation president Maree O'Halloran announced on May 21 that the union's executive would decide at its meeting on May 24 the date for a 48-hour strike of NSW public school teachers. The strike is being called

PERTH — As part of the Australian Council of Trade Unions' Your Rights at Work campaign, Unions WA is undertaking a bus trip, beginning on August 5, through the north-west of Western Australia to build community support for the campaign against the

Carey Hemingway, Brisbane The 15th annual Students of Sustainability (SoS) conference, the largest student-run environment conference in Australia, will take place in Brisbane on July 9-15. Ellie Smith, convenor of Queensland Environment Activist

An August 21 dinner organised to raise funds for Green Left Weekly and the Socialist Alliance turned into a celebration of Venezuela's Bolivarian revolution, after Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez easily defeated a recall referendum on August 15.

Ruth Ratcliffe & Owen Richards, Sydney Around 200 activists rallied outside NSW parliament on May 13 to protest the state Labor government's inaction on the ADI site. Speakers called on Premier Bob Carr to declare the site a conservation zone,