PERTH — PM John Howard came to Perth's working-class eastern suburbs on July 29 to campaign in the marginal Labor seat of Hasluck. He was met by a crowd of 100 protesters as he entered Midland Town Hall.
"The crowd represented a fair cross section of all those who have been badly affected by this government", Annolies Truman, Socialist Alliance candidate for Pearce, told Â鶹´«Ã½ Weekly. "There were a lot of anti-war activists, members of the local Aboriginal community and refugee supporters using street theatre to show the inhumanity of the Coalition's detention policies.
"Socialist Alliance supporters waved our 'Medicare not warfare' placards and a group of wheat farmers protested against the government's theft of their earnings."
Barry Healy
Power workers strike
PERTH — Since July 5, 120 power station workers have been on strike at the Muja power station, near Collie in south-west Western Australia.
Western Power contractor United KG is refusing to address more than 25 issues, including wages and safety conditions, in their new enterprise bargaining agreement. On July 12, the workers voted to extend their strike until mid-August.
The workers want a 15% pay rise over the next three years, and the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union says that the workers are willing to forego six weeks of their wages in order to guarantee better working conditions.
Emma Clancy
Transport conundrums in Brisbane
BRISBANE — A discussion on transport issues, conflicts and conundrums was organised by the New Farm Neighborhood Centre on July 27. Various speakers debated solutions to Brisbane's transport problems.
Michael Yeates from the Public Transport Alliance described how chaotic the present public transport is. Many bus services finish at 7pm, few buses stop outside train stations and passengers are forced to walk long distances to catch another bus or train.
Coral Wynter, Socialist Alliance candidate for Brisbane, argued for a massive injection of funds into public transport and a national plan for public transport for every city.
Robyn Marshall
Venezuelan solidarity committee formed
HOBART — On July 24, a meeting organised by the Socialist Alliance on the political situation in Venezuela heard from the Venezuelan ambassador to Australia, Leonel Vivas.
In his speech, Vivas pointed out that Chavez says "the only way of putting an end to poverty is by giving power to the poor".
The meeting established a committee to build solidarity with the Venezuelan people.
Duncan Meerding
Rally to defend nursing course
SYDNEY — Eighty people rallied at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital on July 28 to support a stop-work meeting called by the NSW Nurses Association in solidarity with Sydney University nursing students.
The rally demanded that Sydney University keep the nursing faculty open. Speakers included federal Labor health spokesperson Julia Gillard and Labor MPs Anthony Albanese and Tanya Plibersek.
"The federal government's attempt to amalgamate all Sydney nursing courses to a single campus is no solution. It is incredibly hypocritical of the government to cut nursing courses at a time of a national nursing shortage", Amber Pike, a University of Technology Sydney Kuring-gai nursing student, told Â鶹´«Ã½ Weekly.
Tim Daughney
From Â鶹´«Ã½ Weekly, August 4, 2004.
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