Imprisonment is still mandatory for refugees arriving by boat — despite the ALP government’s promise to mitigate the harsh anti-refugee policies of its predecessor. In the latest incident, the navy intercepted a boat carrying 52 refugees and three crew on August 29 and took them to the Christmas Island prison camp.
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Racism is alive and well in Australia today.
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At Camps for Climate Action, climate change activists organise discussions on the politics of the climate movement and take direct action against major polluting industries.
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The “people's power speaking tour” of two Venezuelan revolutionaries began with a forum in the Geelong Trades Hall on August 31.
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In state parliament on September 2, Victoria’s shadow energy minister Robert Clark attacked climate activists planning a protest outside the Hazelwood power station. Clark called on the state government to “act urgently” to protect the Latrobe Valley’s coal-fired power generators from the September 13 “Switch Off Hazelwood” protest.
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Emergency services officers (ESOs) have returned to work at the Hazelwood power station with a clear win after an epic five months in dispute with their employer, contracting firm Diamond Protection.
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On August 21, a new group, “Forcewatch”, was launched to monitor the Queensland Police Service’s contentious “move-on power” laws.
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On August 17, the Network Working Group, formed out of the January Climate Action Summit, circulated its national network proposal to 300 climate action groups and networks that make up the grassroots climate movement. The groups have until September 18 to vote on the proposal.
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The current issue of Green Left Weekly, #808, is a two-week issue. The next edition will be dated September 9.
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Last week, Seran Sribalan and Vishna Sivaraj finished a grueling 300 kilometre walk from Sydney to Canberra in a bid to focus attention on the plight of Tamils still trapped in concentration camps in Sri Lanka's north and east.
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More than 500 people attended the launch of the Victorian chapter of the Australian Tamil Congress (ATC) on August 15.
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Fundamentalist Christian and NSW police commissioner Andrew Scipione has made possible the introduction of a specially created “Police Bible” for the state's serving police officers.