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Threat to split WA anti-war movement

BY RUSSELL PICKERING PERTH — Not everyone has been pleased by the success of the NOWaR Alliance (Network Opposing War and Racism) in organising some of the biggest anti-war protests ever in Perth. Jan "JJ" Jermalinski, who claims to represent

Telstra paves the way for final sale

BY MIKE BYRNE It was no surprise when Telstra revealed plans to further reduce its workforce by at least 3000 workers to the Senate estimates committee on May 26. A week of fudging by Telstra's senior management had followed the Australian

Budget petition presented to MP

MELBOURNE — On May 29, a group of activists from the Footscray Socialist Alliance presented a petition to the electorate office of Nicola Roxon, ALP federal MP for Gellibrand. The petition, signed by 300 residents of her electorate, called for the

INDONESIA: Aceh war overshadows Jakarta peace conference

BY NICK EVERETT JAKARTA — On May 19-21, more than 60 peace activists from 26 countries met at Hotel Wisata to assess the challenges faced by the global peace movement and to develop a plan of action. The conference coincided with the Indonesian

Action updates

Sorry Day Melbourne — On May 26, 400 people gathered at Federation Square to mark National Sorry Day and to remind people about the tragedy of the "stolen generations" — the many Indigenous children taken away from their parents by the

1975 and the 'end of reform'

REVIEW BY NANCY ATKIN 1975Melbourne Workers Theatre and the Canto Coro choirNorth Melbourne Town Hall Arts House, cnr Errol and Queensberry streetsWednesdays to Saturdays, 7.30pm, until June 7Tickets:$25 ($20 for union members, $15

UNITED STATES: Right to remain silent undermined

BY DALE MILLS "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law" — this advice, known as the Miranda warning, may no longer have to be given in all situations, the US Supreme Court ruled on

ZIMBABWE: Mass protests planned for June

BY TAMARA PEARSON Zimbabwe's main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), and major civic organisations are organising an indefinite mass "stay away" (general strike), beginning on June 2, aimed at forcing the government of

IRAQ: Resistance forces US about-face

BY ROHAN PEARCE On May 14, the US Army's Lieutenant-General David McKiernan announced that the almost daily attacks on the US-led occupation forces in Iraq were not being carried out by mere criminals after all, but by "regime elements". McKiernan

Loose cannons

Down the toilet (and into Swiss bank accounts)? "The [US] Department of Defense, already infamous for spending $640 for a toilet seat, once again finds itself under intense scrutiny, only this time because it couldn't account for more than a

A return to bipartisan bad policy?

BY PIP HINMAN Since Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri declared martial law in Aceh on May 19, defence minister Robert Hill and foreign affairs minister Alexander Downer have been repeating ad nauseum that it is in Australia's "national

Marathon dispute for ETU at Smorgon Steel

BY SIMON MILLAR & LINDA WALDRON MELBOURNE — June 4 will be the 100th day on the picket line for Electrical Trades Union (ETU) members at Smorgon Steel in Laverton. The dispute began on February 25, when 25 full-time electricians downed tools