641

Ralphs Bay victory

Alex Bainbridge, Hobart The Save Ralphs Bay campaign won a major victory on September 2 when the Walker Corporation announced that it would not proceed with the development. Walker proposed to develop a luxury housing estate with canals at Ralphs

JAPAN: Koizumi goes postal

John Mage On August 8, Japan's upper house of parliament unexpectedly joined the French and Dutch electorates to give a sharp slap to neoliberal inevitability. Much to the totally delicious distress of all the usual suspects, from the London

Socialists, Greens call on Iemma to defend workers' rights

Graham Matthews, Sydney Pip Hinman, the Socialist Alliance candidate in the September 17 Marrickville by-election, has issued an open letter to NSW Premier Morris Iemma calling on his Labor government to refuse to cooperate with the federal

Our Common Cause: The truth about David Hicks

David Hicks was captured in Kandahar in the closing days of the war between the Taliban government of Afghanistan and the Northern Alliance insurgency supported by the US. The Taliban government, for which David Hicks was fighting, fell. At the

'Swear and you're nicked'

Kerry Smith SYDNEY — National Union of Workers members taking industrial action at the National Parts warehouse at Smithfield have been warned by police not to swear on the picket line or they will face police action. NUW NSW secretary Derrick

Lobbying Family First not the answer

Alison Thorne The Melbourne group of Members First — a caucus of activists seeking to rebuild the Community and Public Sector Union as a fighting union — has criticised the national leadership of the union for calling on members to lobby Steve

The struggles of maritime workers on the big screen

Betrayed: The Story of Canadian Merchant Seamen Directed by Elaine Briere 55 minutes REVIEW BY CLINTON FERNANDES Betrayed is the latest documentary by renowned film-maker and photographer Elaine Briere. The film deals with the Canadian Seamen's

PALESTINE: Israel steps up colonisation in East Jerusalem

Kim Bullimore While the world has been distracted by the Gaza "disengagement", Israel has continued to approve plans for, and to build and expand, illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. In July, Israeli planners approved

ACEH: Concerns remain about peace deal

James Balowski, Jakarta On August 15, the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) signed a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) as a first step in seeking a peaceful and lasting solution to the decades-long conflict in Aceh.

NEW ZEALAND: Solidarity grows for Tongan strikers

As the Tongan civil service strike entered its sixth week, New Zealand trade unionists, the expatriate Tongan community, social justice activists and church groups are organising support and solidarity.

ITALY: Washington blocks Iraqis from speaking

John Catalinotto, New York A group of right-wing members of the US Congress close to the Bush administration has pressured the Italian government into interfering with an October conference in Rome aimed at building solidarity with Iraqis fighting

Tampa Day rallies

Chris Kerr & Jim McIlroy, Brisbane On August 27, 300 people rallied in Roma Street Forum for Tampa Day and marched across the Brisbane River to the Queensland College of Art. The protest, sponsored by the Refugee Action Collective and Amnesty