The picket line outside Xstrata Coal’s Tahmoor colliery is continuing. It marks a continuation of the Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union’s (CFMEU) 17-month struggle to negotiate an Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) with Xstrata.
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Resistance activist Melanie Barnes is standing as a candidate in the upcoming Tasmanian state elections for the Socialist Alliance. She isn’t running to improve her career prospects or income, but because she wants to get an important message out.
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Aboriginal singer-song writer Ruby Hunter passed away on February 17. Her music dealt with her personal history, Indigenous struggles, and social and women’s issues.
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On February 15, five men who were convicted in October under “anti-terror” laws, were each sentenced in Parramatta court to between 23 and 28 years in jail. The shortest non-parole period was set at 17 years and three months.
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The struggle for wage justice by workers at the Star City Casino in Sydney continued with strikes on February 11 and Chinese New Year (February 14).
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The government business manager (GBM) for Ampilatwatja and a representative of department of indigenous affairs were told to leave the Ampilatwatja protest camp on February 14 as they were not invited.
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On February 13, NSW Teachers Federation (NSWTF) councillors elected two new left candidates to the executive of the union at the first NSWTF Council of the year.
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Three Afghan refugees in Australia face possible charges over the explosion onboard a fishing boat off Ashmore Reef last April. Five were killed in the explosion and many more injured.
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"I think the media plays a big role in desensitising the masses to injustice and the inequality in the world. It says "that's the way it is", and makes us think, "I'm only one person, what can I do?" I get angry mostly about what I call "the war on terror incorporated" and the total waste of war. I listen to bands like Anti-Flag. Films by people like Michael Moore informed me a bit.
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A report issued by the Clean Energy Council (CEC) said up to 2000 households who took advantage of the government’s solar rebate scheme may be at risk of electrical fires due to poorly installed rooftop panels.
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Forty-five people attended a Womens Action Abortion Coalition (WAAC) forum on February 6. They discussed the need to reanimate the campaign for women’s right to control their own fertility, in the wake of the charging of a Cairns couple in April 2009 for using the abortifacient, RU486.
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More than 2500 TAFE teachers filled Sydney Town Hall on February 11 during a 24-hour strike. The action was in response to New South Wales government attacks on TAFE teachers and the delivery of quality education.