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Beneath politics

Global IssuesBy John SeitzBlackwell Publishers, 1995. 257 pp., $39.95Reviewed by Lisa Macdonald On first glance, this book looks like an interesting and environmentally conscious study of the major social and ecological issues confronting the world

Battered husbands: myth or fact?

By Angela Matheson Barry Williams is feeling good. As head of the 5000-strong national Lone Fathers' Association, he's sure his crusade to publicise the plight of battered husbands — who he believes, are terrorised and beaten by their wives in

CFMEU fights loss of conditions

By Chris Spindler On May 29, up to 4000 building workers rallied in Sydney against the loss of their travel allowance, which is currently tax exempt. The federal government wants to abolish this exemption retrospectively. Union action had prevented

Donations of the literary kind

Last week we received five copies of a book recently reviewed in Green Left Weekly's Cultural Dissent pages. Attached was a letter from the author explaining that the copies were to be used to raise funds for the paper, adding a note of thanks for

A hard look at the Teresa cult

The Missionary Position: Mother Teresa in Theory and PracticeBy Christopher HitchensVerso, 1995. 98pp., $22.95Reviewed by Norm Taylor Christopher Hitchens has provided many fascinating revelations about the world of Albanian nun Agnes Bojaxhiu,

Delegates protest IR laws

By Tony Green MELBOURNE — Two thousand union delegates attended a Victorian Trades Hall Council/ACTU rally against the proposed federal industrial relations legislation on May 28. The meeting was addressed by Tim Pallas of the ACTU, who explained

Greens, Democrats holding the line on Telstra

By Lisa Macdonald The government's leader in the Senate and minister for the environment, Robert Hill, announced on May 26 that the government is receiving legal advice from the Attorney General's Department about how it can bypass the Senate to

NSW gays oppose witch-hunt

By Tom Wilson SYDNEY — The gay community here is closing ranks to defend itself against a McCarthy-style witch-hunt by a royal commission which is supposed to be investigating police corruption. Former Sydney Lesbian and Gay Mardi Gras president

Parochialism in Hobart education campaign

By Sarah Stephen and Mathew Munro HOBART — On May 22, Hobart had the largest protest rally against university funding cuts for over a decade. Almost 2000 people from all political backgrounds — students, university staff and the

As CPSU leaders retreat, public servants demand action

As CPSU leaders retreat, public servants demand action By Greg Adamson CANBERRA —Anger is rising among Australian Public Service workers at the feeble and disorganised response of the Community and Public Sector Union to the Howard government's

NT Teachers face lockouts

By Tim E. Stewart DARWIN — The NT government has stepped up its campaign against educators covered by the Australian Education Union (NT) by threatening indefinite lockouts, sending an open letter to individual households in the Darwin area and

and ain't i a woman?: Politicians attack right to choose

Politicians attack right to choose On May 20, the Senate voted to ban the "abortion drug" RU486. Independent Senator Brian Harradine, an anti-abortion campaigner, introduced the Therapeutic Goods Amendment Bill to restrict the importation of