News

Opposition grows to CPSU centralisationCANBERRA — Opposition is growing inside the Community and Public Sector Union to attempts by the union's leaders to centralise control over membership services, publications and finances

Ten months ago, the students of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) voted to go on indefinite strike to protest against university president Francisco Barnes de Castro's plans to charge students tuition fees for the first time (even

ACT opposes mandatory sentencingCANBERRA — Three hundred people turned out to a protest on February 17 against mandatory sentencing in the Northern Territory and Western Australia. The rally, called with only two days'

Pressure mounts to abolish mandatory sentencingDARWIN — The death in custody of a 15-year-old Aboriginal youth on February 10 has increased calls for the abolition of mandatory sentencing laws in the Northern Territory and Western

Campaign against fees The campaign against tuition fees in England, Scotland and Wales is heating up. A four-day occupation of the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London ended on January 29. It was part of a campaign to

Deckhands fight for jobsSYDNEY — Two hundred tugboat deckhands and their supporters gathered at Circular Quay on February 17 to protest efforts by Adsteam, the country's largest tugboat operator, to cut crew numbers from four

Teachers warn of strike actionBRISBANE — Queensland teachers are considering industrial action, including strikes and work bans, over a stalled agreement on wages and conditions. The state Labor government has refused to

HOBART — Last September, the University of Tasmania student union held a referendum on whether or not to create a "men's officer" position on the Student Representative Council (SRC). Because of the way the proposal was phrased,

In Orientation Weeks, student activists around the country are launching the campaign to stop the privatisation of higher education. The National Union of Students has called a national day of action on March 22 and numerous

SYDNEY — On February 14, a small but vibrant rally was held outside the Liberal Party headquarters in Sydney to protest against the GST. The action, organised by the Cross-Campus Women's Network, aimed to highlight the

Ten members of Action in Solidarity with Indonesia and East Timor (ASIET) returned on February 14 from an action-packed, two-week student exposure tour of Indonesia. During the tour, the students met with activist and human

Indonesian police threaten Australian unionist Indonesian police are threatening to imprison or deport Australian trade unionist Roger Smith. Smith, who works in Indonesia for the American Centre for International Labour Solidarity, has been