News

  • University to fight stand-downs

    Sue Bull, Ballarat At a meeting on August 5, 90 National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) members employed at Ballarat University vowed to fight any attempts by their administration to stand them down for bans imposed as part of a dispute over a new

  • Hiroshima Day rally: 'What we need is action'

    Jim McIlroy, Brisbane "What we need is action, not just commemorations. We need to stop future Hiroshimas by stopping today's Hiroshima: the war in Iraq", US peace activist Phyllis Bennis told a rally of 200 people in King George Square, held to

  • WA grants uranium exploration leases

    Farida Iqbal, Perth The Western Australian Labor government is granting exploration leases for mining tenements holding uranium. The government claims that the leases include a condition to prevent uranium mining from occurring, however the

  • Concern grows over Muslim scapegoating

    Lisa Macdonald, Sydney A July 30 emergency public meeting titled "The war on Islam intensifies" attracted 300 people to the Auburn Town Hall. Soadad Doureihi from Hizb ut-Tahrir, the meeting's organiser, described the oppression of Muslim

  • Loose cannons

    Land of the living dead "If the US Army and its Iraqi allies are killing as many insurgents as reports indicate they are per month, why is the insurgency intensifying instead of collapsing?" — United Press International, August 8. Afraid of

  • Ballarat workers protest IR legislation

    Sue Bull, Ballarat On July 30, 500 workers voiced their anger over the federal Coalition government's proposed changes to industrial relations laws at a community rally organised by the Ballarat Trades and Labour Council. BTLC secretary Graham

  • Hundreds attend Social Forum

    Jim McIlroy& Mike Byrne, Brisbane Prominent Indian anti-neoliberal globalisation campaigner Arundhati Roy's saying, "Another world is not only possible, she is on her way", was the theme for the fourth Brisbane Social Forum (BSF), held at the

  • Free speech alliance launched

    Marce Cameron, Sydney Representatives from the City Hub and the City News, the Big Issue, Green Left Weekly and progressive organisations met on August 8 to launch the Sydney Free Speech Alliance. The alliance will campaign against the City of

  • Imperial Mushrooms sack worker for refusing AWA

    Susan Price, Sydney Carmen Walacz Vel Walewska picked mushrooms for a living until she was sacked on July 27 for resisting signing an individual contract. The contract reduced her pay to $16.50 per hour, below the award rate, and removed all

  • ACTU calls October day of nationwide protests

    Following the success of the June 30-July 1 nationwide union protests against the Howard government's proposed anti-union laws, in which up to 350,000 people participated, the ACTU executive has called a national day of protest action on Tuesday,

  • 'Anti-terror' laws under the spotlight

    Chris Slee, Melbourne Seventy people met in Brunswick on August 9 to discuss ASIO's powers and how they have been used against the Muslim community. Vicki Sentis from the Federation of Community Legal Centres chaired the meeting and spoke about

  • Transport workers stop traffic

    SYDNEY — Transport Workers Union members stopped traffic in the CBD on July 28 as they dragged wooden pallets up George Street to protest against the federal government's planned anti-worker and anti-union laws (pictured). "Ultimately it will be