For the third time since the Victorian government sold off the Yallourn power station in 1996, Yallourn power workers have been locked out of their workplace. In 2000, the workers were locked out for seven weeks.
Yallourn power station鈥檚 owner, Energy Australia, locked out all 75 shift operators at midday on June 21 after the workers began industrial action by limiting power output.
They are not being paid and are not accruing any leave or service. Even operators who were on holidays or sick leave have had their pay stopped. The company has locked the workers out indefinitely.
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"We don't want oil or gas mining in our country,鈥 Aboriginal traditional owner Eddie Mason, based in Maningrida, a community in eastern Arnhem Land, told a rally in Sydney on July 19. 鈥淲e are protecting our land and sea rights."
About 100 people rallied with visiting Arnhem Land residents outside the offices of US-based oil exploration company Paltar Petroleum.
"We are saying no to Paltar,鈥 Mason said. 鈥淲e don't want exploration destroying our land and waters. You are welcome to visit our country, but don't destroy it.
Former senator and Labor Party ALP national president Stephen Loosely observed that in the lead-up to the 2007 federal election the Howard government鈥檚 unfair work laws 鈥 known disingenuously as Work Choices 鈥 could not have withstood unionism鈥檚 industrial response had the previous Liberal prime minister Malcolm Fraser tried to introduce them.
But by 2006, an industrial campaign was beyond their capacity, a fact that was equally recognised by the unions.
In the two years preceding the 2007 election, the ACTU ran what was effectively an election campaign for Labor.
This statement was released on July 19 by the Protect Arnhem Land community group, based in Maningrida, Northern Territory; The Wilderness Society; the Environment Centre NT; and the Australian Marine Conservation Society.
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Arnhem Land traditional owners have forced US oil and gas company Paltar to meet with them by travelling to the firm鈥檚 Australian headquarters in Sydney.
Paltar had steadfastly refused to talk to the traditional owners about its near-shore drilling plans that threaten their food, water and culture.
It is now depressingly clear for all to see that whether Liberal or Labor win the coming Australian federal election, we are going to end up with a government that is more right-wing than the last.
How did it come to this? And how can we escape the political spiral to a moral abyss?
The politicians in the ALP and in the Liberal-Nationals who have shaped this latest reactionary turn in the spiral 鈥 most notably around attacks on refugee rights and climate change 鈥 cannot be let off the hook.
Telstra has been sharing its customer鈥檚 data information with the FBI and US Department of Justice for at least a decade, the website revealed on July 12.
The National Tertiary Education Union released this statement on July 16.
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The release of Universities Australia鈥檚 report, University student finances in 2012, on July 15 clearly shows that students need much more support while they are studying at university, Jeannie Rea National President of the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) said today.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a national disgrace that almost one in five university students reports going without food and ends up graduating with an average debt of almost $38,000,鈥 Rea said.
Thousands gathered around Australia with less than 24 hours鈥 notice to protest against Prime Minister Kevin Rudd鈥檚 newly announced policy of denying asylum in Australia to all refugees arriving by boat.
Musical artist Stevie Wonder vowed to 鈥渘ever perform鈥 in the state of Florida while the National Rifle Association-backed 鈥渟tand your ground鈥 law is in effect.
As if we needed proof that the acquittal of George Zimmerman was -- in the words of Jay Smooth -- going to create more George Zimmermans. A mere hour before that shameful verdict came down, the great Lester Chambers was assaulted, on stage, by a crazed attendee at the Hayward Russell City Blues Festival. What did she assault him for? Dedicating a song to Trayvon Martin.
Kevin Rudd's that all boat arrivals "from now on" would never be resettled in Australia, and subject to a jerry-rigged offshore dumping deal with the Papua New Guinea government has shocked many. Every asylum seeker that arrives by boat for at least the next 12 months would be sent to Papua New Guinea, with no cap on the number. In exchange, Australia would pump money into PNG's government for apparent health and education reforms.
When the 鈥渘ot guilty鈥 verdict in the trial of George Zimmerman for murdering Trayvon Martin was announced late July 13, spontaneous demonstrations of protest were held in cities and towns across the country. Protests have continued in the days since.
The day after the verdict, thousands marched in New York. Here are some of the voices on that march:
Marlene Duperley said: 鈥淚 have a son. It鈥檚 difficult because he sees it, and he鈥檚 already had dreams about it. And he鈥檚 already had dreams about the man following Trayvon.
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