Dismayed by the Labor government鈥檚 inaction on climate change and looking for an alternative? Don鈥檛 look to the Liberals.
If the ALP has been dodgy on the issue, Tony Abbott鈥檚 party has been dodgier.
Sincere commitment on the issue is hard for Abbott. At a public meeting last September, he said global warming was 鈥渁bsolute crap鈥.
But the Liberal leader is remarkably consistent on one thing 鈥 the 鈥渘eed鈥 to funnel large amounts of public money to big business.
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The Socialist Alliance proposals for the federal election, detailed at www.socialist-alliance.org, won鈥檛 come cheap. They include lifting welfare payments above the poverty line, ending the 200,000 public housing waiting list, achieving 100% renewable energy by 2020 through a plan of public investment, boosted public transport including inter-city high-speed rail, and closing the gap in Indigenous health, education and housing.
Conservation groups from Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia, New South Wales, Canberra and Queensland took part in local actions on August 5 to highlight the threats to biodiversity that burning native forests for electricity will create.
Review: The Imperial Controversy: Challenging the Empire Apologists
By Andrew Murray, Foreword by George Galloway
Manifesto Press, 152 pages, paperback 拢12.95
In the past decade or so, politicians, journalists and academics have attempted to rehabilitate the notions of empire and imperialism. For example, in 2009 then-British PM Gordon Brown told the Daily Mail newspaper: 鈥淭he days of Britain having to apologise for its colonial history are over. We should move forward. We should celebrate much of our past rather than apologise for it.鈥
Ker-ching! Its half-year profit time and those poor, tax-oppressed, big mining companies are announcing huge profit increases.
Rio Tinto announced a half-year net profit of $6.39 billion, up 260% from the same period last year. And this huge profit came even after the company reduced its net debt by a whopping $27 billion to $12 billion.
VoteClimate.org.au has released a detailed description of the climate policies of parties contesting the August 21 federal election. It is the world鈥檚 first dedicated climate election website and is run by climate activist Adrian Whitehead, a founder of Beyond Zero Emissions and a Target300.org campaigner.
The site, which includes links to each partiy鈥檚 policies, ranked the policies as following:
At the beginning of August the Israeli government announced it would cooperate with one out of two international United Nations-sponsored investigation commissions into the May 31 Gaza Freedom Flotilla massacre. UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon claimed the move was 鈥渦nprecedented鈥.
The commission is composed of four people, one chosen by Turkey, one chosen by Israel and two chosen from a list provided by Israel. The latter two are former prime minister of New Zealand Geoffrey Palmer, who will be the chair, and outgoing Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, who will serve as vice-chair.
Jim Sharp, a well-known veteran of the left and labour movements in the city, launched his book of poetry, entitled Leftside at the Queensland Council of Unions building on July 31. About 100 people attended. Speakers included Marxist historian Humphrey McQueen and music was provided by Jumping Fences.
A growing number of unions across Australia have backed the international boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaign targeting Israel. The campaign demands that Israel ends its apartheid-like policies towards Palestinians.
The National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA) said in a July 20 statement that it would 鈥渃ontinue to add its voice to the call for an end to Israel鈥檚 occupation of Palestine and condemning all acts of terrorism鈥.
The following is an August 3 statement by the US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel.
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The US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (USACBI) endorses and supports the call for boycott of Arizona on account of its manifestly racist laws, SB 1070 and HB 2281.
SB 1070 calls for police officers to require documentation from people to establish resident status. The law essentially requires police to engage in racial profiling and discrimination on the basis of appearance.
Residents are organising to stop mining company LD Operations plans to start a new coal mine next to the town of Margaret River in Western Australia.
Margaret River is five hours south of Perth famous for its wineries, surfing spots and outstanding natural beauty.
A public meeting on August 1 with only one day鈥檚 notice drew 60 people. It is a sign of strong community opposition. There are plans to hold a demonstration as part of the national Walk Against Warming rallies on August 15.
More than 850 people packed into the Sydney Town Hall for a 鈥淪ave Sydney from Over-development鈥 public meeting organised by Friends of Barangaroo on August 3. The meetings was organised to in response to a proposed development of the harbour-side Barangaroo area.
There are serious community concerns about the plan to hand over public space to private developer Lend Lease, which plans to build a large hotel on the land.
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