It is now two years since spontaneous mass uprisings against political and economic injustice started to sweep through the Arab countries. This began a period of heightened class struggle known in the West (but not the Arab countries) as the Arab Spring.
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A packed-out meeting of tenants from Fitzroy's Atherton Gardens public housing estate established a resident鈥檚 committee聽to lead a campaign against the government鈥檚 plans to sell off open space and playgrounds to developers.
The meeting was initiated by Socialist Party Yarra councillor Steve Jolly, and was also attended by nearby private residents, including members of the local African, Chinese and Vietnamese communities, construction union members, Greens MP Adam Bandt and an ALP councillor.
This statement was released by the Huon Valley Environment Centre on January 23. Click for more information.
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The Wilderness Society today announced it would be travelling to Japan accompanied by staff of the controversial [Malaysian] timber company Ta Ann, to lobby customers and secure its international markets.
Veteran political commentator Michelle Grattan has dubbed PM Julia Gillard's early announcement of a September 14 federal election as the opening of the 鈥渓ongest election campaign in history鈥. She says it's 鈥渃lever tactics鈥 on Gillard's part. Another prominent political commentator, Lenore Taylor, says that this is an attempt by an embattled ALP government to 鈥渞eboot the political debate鈥.
Protect Arnhem Land is a campaign to fight offshore exploration, mining and drilling around the entire coastline of the Northern Territory Arnhem Land region.
Last August, it came to light that there are more than 40 potential petroleum exploration sites off the coast of Arnhem Land.
The people living on this country had not been informed of the submission of such exploration permits nor were they aware of what mining exploration entails.
The latest weekly "Our Common Cause" column of the argues the time is well-over due to phase out fossil fuels and embrace renewable energy.
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It's been another summer of record-breaking extreme weather in Australia.
released this statement on January 30.
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Trade union activist Sulthoni Farras, a leader of the Indonesian union federation Progresip, union alliance Sekber Buruh, and member of Indonesian political organisation KPO-PRP, is in danger of arrest for leading a strike last year. Another activist, Bona Ventura, may also face charges.
The Indonesian government and bosses are using these kinds of tactics against a growing workers鈥 movement in Indonesia.
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Dear Comrade/Friend,
The recent floods in Queensland, as well as bushfires in three states, have dramatically shown that climate change is a serious threat and is getting worse. Climate change is not an abstract issue that will be a problem at some point down the track; it is having real impacts now.
Extreme fires and floods are becoming the norm in Australia, rather than infrequent disasters. It is expected that there will be more frequent and more damaging extreme weather events if action to stop climate change soon does not happen soon.
A possible malaria scare in the Manus Island refugee detention camp has sparked new calls to label the offshore detention regime a violation of human rights.
The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre said on January 27 that a 10-year-old girl had been in the camp's medical centre with malaria-like symptoms 鈥 high fever, shivering and bodily pain.
A new report by the Australian National Audit Office has found the federal government spends more than $100 million a year to administer income management in the Northern Territory.
Over 17,000 people were on income management at the end of June last year, while welfare quarantining remains a key component of the controversial NT Intervention,
The scheme costs the Commonwealth Government between $6600 and $7900 per person, per year.
Stop the Intervention Collective Sydney's Paddy Gibson says he condemns the government's decision to maintain compulsory income management.
This statement was released by the Melbourne branch of Socialist Alliance on February 1.
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Labor and Coalition governments are both to blame
Hospital administrators and staff are reeling. The Ted Baillieu state government axed $616 million from its last two health budgets and the Julia Gillard federal government has recently cut $107 million from Victorian hospitals.
Sam Wainwright has been a Socialist Alliance councillor on the City of Fremantle council since 2009, when he was elected in the Hilton ward with 33% of the vote. He spoke to 麻豆传媒 Weekly's Mel Barnes about what he has been able to achieve while on council.
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