Colombian trade unionist, Parmenio Poveda Salazar, is touring Australia to denounce human rights violations in his country.
His visit is being organised by Peace and Justice For Colombia (PJFC).
Poveda is a representative of the Federation of United National Agricultural workers unions, FENSUAGRO, the largest peasant and farm workers鈥 union federation in Colombia.
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The campaign against savage cuts to public services in the recent South Australian budget is gaining momentum. More than 10,000 unionists rallied in Victoria Square on October 26 and marched through lunchtime crowds to Parliament House.
Nurses, prison officers and firefighters are among the many sectors angry at the cuts, which will cost up to 4000 jobs and affect vital services.
The following day, hundreds protested at Parliament House against cuts of $850,000 to the health budget, which threaten the viability of country hospitals at Keith, Moonta and Ardrossan.
McDonalds will soon be trialling two lanes of drive through at some outer suburban restaurants to bring down its drive through wait time.
There are a number of reasons why some people in outer suburbs are becoming increasingly dependent on drive-through takeaway food.
Longer working hours, falling living standards and greater travelling distances have cut into the time, energy and money suburban working class families can devote to grocery shopping, meal preparation, sitting down to eat and washing dishes.
An Essential Research poll released October 25, asked the question, 鈥淒o you approve or disapprove of the federal government鈥檚 decision to move children and their families out of immigration detention centres and allow them to live in the community while their cases are being processed?鈥
Alarmingly, only 33% approved while 53% disapproved and 13% said they didn't know. Furthermore, 29% strongly disapproved, while only 11% strongly approved.
How much is QR National worth? With the sell-off of the massive freight and rail infrastructure part of Queensland Rail launched on October 10, will the 鈥渋nvestment community鈥 here and overseas gobble up at least 1.46 billion of the 2.44 billion shares on offer at between $2.50 and $3?
If it does, the float will be worth between $6.1 billion and $7.32 billion for Queensland鈥檚 coffers (including at least $1.525 billion in QR National shares) and QR National鈥檚 managers, like those of Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch, will have 鈥渆arned鈥 $65 million in fees.
McDonalds bans community languages
Sue Bolton, Melbourne
Global burger chain store McDonalds has banned its employees in Australia from speaking languages other than English while on duty.
Employees in Melbourne鈥檚 outer northern suburbs were told of the order by senior management figures at special regional paid training sessions.
Hunter Valley activist Pete Gray gained notoriety on October 25 for throwing shoes at former prime minister John Howard on ABC鈥檚 political talk show, Q&A.
Gray is a long-time activist committed to non-violent direct action. He is a member of climate action group Rising Tide and has also been involved in a variety of social justice campaigns.
Gray鈥檚 decision to throw his shoes at Howard was a homage to Iraqi journalist Muntadar al-Zaidi, who threw his shoes at former US president George Bush during a press conference in December 2008.
Review by Graham Matthews
Capitalism and Workers鈥 Struggle in China
By Chris Slee
Resistance Books, Sydney, 2010, $5
www.resistancebooks.com
China enters the 21st century as something of an enigma.
The signing of the much-anticipated 鈥淔orest peace deal鈥, an agreed statement of principles between some conservation groups and the timber industry, was announced on October 19.
Most of the statement of principles had already been leaked. Still up in the air was the two last minute demands made by the Forest Industries Association of Tasmania. These concerned recognition of already existing supply contracts from publicly owned native forests and the use of forests for wood-fired power station.
Mike Smith, the CEO of the ANZ Bank has fumed about Liberal-National shadow treasurer Joe Hockey鈥檚 recent populist rhetoric against the four big banks that increasingly dominate the Australian economy.
鈥淭he Liberals鈥 economic credentials have been hijacked by out-there proposals鈥, Smith said in the October 29 Sydney Morning Herald.
鈥淢r Hockey seems to be on some kind of personal vendetta. It would appear he has been taking economics lessons from Hugo Chavez.鈥
Has Hockey been taking lessons from Venezuela鈥檚 socialist president?
Former Guantanamo Bay detainee David Hicks was under a control order that prevented him from speaking about his ordeal for a year after his release.
In an attempt to further silence him, on October 27 shadow attorney-general George Brandis called on the government to charge Hicks with profiting from crime for writing a book.
The book about his experiences, Guantanamo: My Journey hit number four in the non-fiction bestseller category.
The River: A Journey through the Murray-Darling Basin
By Chris Hammer
Melbourne University Publishing 2009, $34.99 pb
Canberra journalist Chris Hammer has spent over a decade reporting on the crisis facing the Murray-Darling river system, and the communities that rely on it for their livelihoods.
To write The River, however, Hammer actually travelled from tail to tip of the river system 鈥 from Cunnamulla to Dubbo and Echuca, from Bourke to Menindee and the Murray Mouth 鈥 and witnessed first-hand a river system in terminal decline.
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