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Labour shortage or lack of well-paid jobs?

On August 6, Victoria University of Technology (VUT) hosted a seminar, “Pacific Islands Migration and Labour Mobility: Issues and Responses”, which discussed the potential for an unskilled guest worker scheme for Pacific Island workers. Some Pacific nations have called for such program to help alleviate high rates of unemployment.

Protesters call on PM to abolish ABCC

“Abolish the ABCC! Support rights of building workers!” was the message on protesters’ placards outside PM Kevin Rudd’s electorate office in Morningside on August 8.

Monster Saturday against power sell-off

On “Super Saturday” August 16, hundreds of activists across NSW will staff “Stop the Sell-Off” stalls in 50 NSW electorates. Part of the campaign to stop the state ALP government from privatising electricity, the stalls are expected to gather thousands of signatures on petitions, and promote the mass anti-privatisation rally planned for September 20, at Sydney Town Hall.

Venezuela: Bank takeover, decrees signal 'new offensive'

Announcing the nationalisation of Banco de Venezuela, which will now be “put at the service of the people”, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez stated during a live televised broadcast on July 31 that it would be transformed into a “socialist bank”.

Write On: Letter to the editor

Work Choices @letter =What rock was Nick Everett hiding under during last year's federal election? (Write On, GLW #761) You couldn't move without a Labor political hopeful promising to "tear-up" Work Choices through the campaign. Rudd promised it

West Papua: Thousands rally for justice

“At least 3,000 people mobilized by the Papuan Christian Communication Forum staged a rally in Jayapura” on August 4, a Jakarta Post article reported the following day.

Climate justice seminar calls for action

With the impact of global warming already being felt, it can be hard to feel positive about the future. However, an August 2 “climate justice” seminar at Melbourne University provided some positive directions for the 140 people who attended.

鶹ý Weekly $250,000 Fighting Fund: We're more than half-way there!

Having raised a total of $129,040 for the 2008 鶹ý Weekly Fighting Fund, we are now more than half-way to our $250,000 target. Our supporters raised $5440 over the last week through donations and several successful fundraising events around the country.

Call for national emergency climate protests

The following call for a national week of protest action, beginning September 21, was issued by the July 5 Climate Emergency Rally organising committee in Melbourne, and endorsed by the August 2 Climate Justice seminar.

Keep Australia nuclear free!

“If only 0.3% of the world’s current nuclear armaments were used, it would create a nuclear winter, and the end of humanity on this planet”, Dr Marianne Hanson, senior lecturer in international relations at the University of Queensland, told the Brisbane Hiroshima Day rally on August 3. The rally attracted 100 people.

Our Common Cause: Dealing with the global warming challenge

How do we act on the need for urgent action to solve the climate change challenge?

Fanning the flames of climate change

“As near as we can tell looking at the historical record, there’s been ice in the Arctic in the summer for at least 16 million years”, Don Perovich, a geophysicist with the US army’s Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, told the August 4 Four Corners program. Arctic ice melt over this year’s northern summer has been at record levels, leaving the amount of ice remaining alarmingly low.