Around Australia, proponents of neoliberalism have led attacks on tertiary education an ideological onslaught against the idea of well-funded public education.
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In July, Fred Hilmer, vice-chancellor of UNSW and chair of the Group of 8 Universities, a coalition of university managements, called for total fee deregulation and 鈥渃utting red tape鈥.
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Federal independent MPs, Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott, have put pressure on the Julia Gillard's government to raise the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and to slash so called 鈥渕iddle class welfare鈥 entitlements.
It is a common refrain, repeated in Facebook memes and exploited in any number of corporate ads: 鈥淏e yourself! Celebrate who you are!鈥 Which is all well and good, but what if you are a bastard?
For instance, I don't actually think Alan Joyce should keep on 鈥渂eing himself鈥. The union-bashing Qantas CEO, who last year locked out his entire workforce, just can't seem to control his anti-worker impulses 鈥 announcing in recent weeks that would be slashed.
Two spectacular banner drops on Sydney's Darling Harbour Convention Centre exposed some of the "dirty deeds" of the world's biggest mining company, BHP Billiton.
Environmentalists and Aboriginal rights supporters rallied outside the company鈥檚 annual general meeting on November 29 to highlight the billions of dollars profit BHP makes annually from the dirty energy sector, inclduing uranium, coal, oil and coal seam gas.
Some environmentalists have justified their support for the forest peace deal 鈥 passed by Tasmania鈥檚 Legislative Assembly on November 23 鈥 on the grounds of not letting 鈥減erfect鈥 become the 鈥渆nemy of good鈥.
But a closer look at the details of the deal, which will allow the logging of native forests for another generation, makes clear it cannot even be called 鈥済ood鈥.
The Wilderness Society Newcastle released the statement below on November 28.
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Concerned residents packed Newcastle City Chambers [on November 27] and faced a heavy police presence at a meeting where coal seam gas drillers Dart Energy presented their case to Newcastle City Council.
"Tonight鈥檚 Newcastle Council meeting saw a shaky performance by coal seam gas drillers Dart Energy, under the pressure of local community members who filled the council chambers to show their concern," said Naomi Hogan of the Wilderness Society Newcastle.
The mining industry in Australia has boomed from about 4% of GDP in 2004 to about 9% today. Mining exports in the year to March last year were worth $155 billion, or 53% of Australia's total exports. Mining profits in 2009-10 amounted to $51 billion, and the estimated pre-tax profits over the next 10 years will be about $600 billion.聽
But who is the wealth benefiting and what are the costs of mining? And who makes the decisions about if, where and under what conditions mining takes place, and how the wealth is distributed?
Over 200 people attended a memorial for Rex Munn, the 鈥渟inging socialist鈥 and Labour movement legend, at the Waterside Workers' Hall in Port Adelaide on November 28.
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Rex, who died a week earlier aged 84, worked as a wharfie in Port Adelaide for 36 years before retiring in 1987. He described the work as 鈥渄irty, dusty and dangerous鈥.
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The rank and file 鈥淐lean Sweep鈥 ticket won all contested positions of the Victorian Health Services Union (HSU) No 3 branch in elections held on November 26.
The HSU's No 3 branch covers 36 professions; from physiotherapists, radiographers, anesthetic technicians to occupational therapists, social workers, and medical illustrators. The No 3 branch is the smallest of the three HSU branches with a membership of about 3500.
Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon spoke in parliament on November 27 to mark the the Tamil day, 鈥淢aaveerar Naal鈥, and detail the ongoing struggles of Tamil people to achieve justice and equality.
Her full speech is published.
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November 27 marks a very important and hauntingly sad day for Tamils all around the world including in Sri Lanka.
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In Tamil the day is known as 鈥淢aaveerar Naal鈥.聽 Veerar means "warrior" or "hero". Maa means "great". Naal means "day".
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Campaign group Illawarra Residents for Responsible Mining (IRRM) have been told to pay $40,000 before its case challenging the expansion of a coalmine can be heard in the Land and Environment Court.
Coalmining company Gujarat is seeking approval to expand its coal mine in the residential area of Russell Vale, a suburb of Wollongong. The expansion will mean the company will mine seven times more coal a year compared to current levels, increasing the output to 3 million tonnes a year.
For Walmart, this Black Friday -- which actually started with store openings at 8 pm on Thanksgiving, disrupting family celebrations -- meant not just the kickoff of its lucrative Christmas buying season, but the first truly national challenge to shake its once rock-solid control over its 1.3 million 鈥渁ssociates.聽
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