News

  • 'US hands off Venezuela!'

    Supporters of the Australia-Venezuela Solidarity Network (AVSN) gathered in Brisbane Square on November 16 to provide information to passers-by about December’s constitutional referendum in Venezuela, and to demand, “US hands of Venezuela!”

  • Taking on the fight against climate change.

    There is no time to waste in the fight against climate change. The national Walk Against Warming (WAW) protests on November 10-11 mobilised thousands of people. In most major cities they were joined by sizeable “youth blocs”.

  • Census excludes same-sex marriage

    Stuart Baanstra, a Community Action Against Homophobia (CAAH) activist, is going to court over refusing to sign the 2006 Census. His first hearing on November 6 resulted in a rescheduling of the hearing until November 27.

  • Tristar workers finally secure redundancy pay

    After an 18-month ordeal, workers at Tristar — a Marrickville-based car parts manufacturer — claimed victory on November 15 after the company agreed to pay redundancy packages to all its remaining Sydney workers. The last of 32 manufacturing workers will leave the company on November 30.

  • 'Anti-terror' laws slammed

    Speakers at a meeting of 100 people at the Fitzroy Town Hall on November 15 slammed the “anti-terror” laws.

  • Youth speak out against climate catastrophe

    History is in our hands Climate change isn't going to go away — not after this election, and certainly not before I get the chance to vote! It is an issue of the future. We have forced our government to acknowledge that climate change is a

  • Queer activist in northern NSW targeted with death threats

    Twenty-year-old Lismore resident Ben Cooper was awarded a “Kids in Community” award in June, for his work as a queer activist in the community. Cooper organised two equality rallies in Lismore for the same-sex marriage National Days of Action and is the founder of Lismore Activists for Same Sex Equality (LASSE). LASSE has recently been involved in a campaign against Regeneration, a Lismore Baptist church group that aims to “convert” young gays to heterosexuality.

  • Musharraf and democracy are like fire and water

    “These are the worst days in Pakistan’s history”, Ali Khan, a student from Pakistan, told a rally in Burke Street Mall on November 15. The rally was called by Australia Asia Worker Links and the Socialist Alliance to protest the state of emergency imposed by Pakistan’s Army Chief of Staff and president, Pervez Musharraf.

  • Foster's workers continue campaign for union rights

    Brewery workers at the Foster’s Yatala plant, near Beenleigh south of Brisbane, are continuing their campaign for a union collective agreement. The workers — members of the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers Union, the Electrical Trades Union (ETU) and the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union — are holding pickets outside the brewery gates from 1-5pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, as well as some night-time pickets.

  • Socialists support Greens vote

    At a 100-strong October 26 Your Rights at Work election forum, Sue Cory, Greens candidate for the federal seat of Leichhardt, spelt out her party’s policies supporting the rights of workers to organise and take industrial action, in contrast to those of the ALP, which would maintain the existing anti-worker laws introduced by the Howard government.

  • Rethinking public housing

    The housing affordability crisis is serious enough for both Labor and the Coalition to promise home-buyers financial support in the present election. According to official statistics it has never been harder for first home buyers to acquire a home.

  • Howard's fairness test 'a shambles'

    Figures released by the Howard government’s Workplace Authority on November 9 showed that almost half of the industrial agreements so far vetted by the authority since the government introduced its “fairness test” in May have been rejected by the authority.