News

Academics get political PERTH — Australian academics intend standing candidates in the next federal elections as a protest against government education cutbacks. Eight marginal Labor held seats will be targeted, including four in Western

HOBART — About 60 people attended a rally on July 26 to protest against the Newstart program, which entails the abolition of unemployment benefits after 12 months to be replaced by a compulsory

MELBOURNE — Colleen Hartland, a long-time activist in the western suburbs, will contest the seat of Footscray in the next state elections. She is a member of the Hazardous Materials Action Group, and was until recently a

Threatened ginkgo Korea's environmental movement may one day owe its birth to a 1000-year-old ginkgo tree, and a dedicated preservationist, Cha Joon Yup, attempting to save the tree's life. Construction plans for one high-rise apartment in

The anticipated struggle for the NSW old-growth forest of Chaelundi began with a dawn raid by police on July 23. Forest campaigners have been camped in the forest for several months, erecting barricades to prevent Forestry

SYDNEY — "Living in Sydney" is the title of a conference being held here August 3-4 to address the issues raised by living in Australia's biggest city. The conference is divided into panel sessions followed by

BRISBANE — As a result of the Accord and enterprise bargaining, "the rank and file have less say in union affairs than ever before," Transport Workers Union Brisbane branch secretary Hughie Williams told an all-day seminar on June 30. Williams said

Green fridge The Australian Conservation Foundation has launched a quest for an energy-efficient, ozone benign, commercial/domestic refrigerator for use in Australia and developing countries. The ACF's newsletter reports that the quest will

SYDNEY — When the Jabiluka uranium mine site was sold to North Broken Hill Peko Ltd on July 3, the Northern Territory government and what the Australian calls "industry observers" started talking up the possibility that mining

SYDNEY — A Chilean naval training ship, used as an interrogation and torture centre during the military dictatorship, will be arriving in Sydney this week. During the Pinochet regime, the Esmerelda was "non grata" in most

Hot air at smog summitSYDNEY — An election promise by Liberal Premier Nick Greiner in the run-up to the NSW elections on May 25 has been fulfilled. A "smog summit" was held July 4-5 to talk about the Sydney region's worsening

Controversy over women's danceMELBOURNE — Months after the event, Northcote City Council has refused to return a bond for the hire of Northcote Town Hall for the International Women's Day dance. The bond was provided by