New WA Legislative Council
PERTH — A rally of around 100 Greens and trade unionists on May 27 celebrated the end of Coalition control of the state Legislative Council. A new upper house elected in mid-December included three Greens WA and two Democrat members but did not take office until May 22, allowing the Liberal government to guillotine debate and pass its anti-worker industrial relations legislation.
Public servants rally
HOBART — As public servants in Tasmania, Queensland and WA stopped work for the afternoon of May 29, the latest in a series of rolling stoppages, 100 Community and Public Sector Union members gathered outside the Department of Social Security to protest against the government's attacks on public service conditions, jobs and accountability. CPSU branch secretary Matthew Reynolds strongly condemned the government's position and encouraged unionists to continue supporting the campaign.
WA forest campaign
PERTH — The forest camp set up near Giblett forest, near Pemberton in WA's south-west, is in full swing. The camp and accompanying actions are aiming to stop the clear-felling of one of the last fragments of WA's old-growth forest. Bunnings, a subsidiary of WA conglomerate Wesfarmers, is moving in to log with the backing of the state government, which has gazetted the site as a temporary control area, meaning that anyone other than loggers setting foot in Giblett can be charged with trespass.
One activist has already spent more than a week 30 metres above the ground, camped on a platform in one of the threatened trees. The activists were helped when timber workers struck for several days to oppose the government's "third wave" anti-union laws. In Perth, the Wilderness Society has been coordinating weekend information stalls to publicise the campaign and call on people to join the "buy-pass Bunnings" campaign — a boycott of the timber company's hardware stores.
Anti-racist picket
PERTH — Thirty people picketed the office of Liberal federal member for Swan Don Randell for two hours on May 30. The picket was called to protest against Randell's refusal to stand for one minute's silence for indigenous Australians in federal parliament on May 27.
Rage against the regime
BRISBANE — More than 150 people attended a fundraising concert for the "Free the Indonesian political prisoners" campaign on May 29, the day of the sham Indonesian elections, at the University of Queensland. The night was a great success, with an excellent line-up of bands including Isis, Relish and Ockham's Raisin, who all donated their time and talents.
The crowd also heard speakers from Resistance and Action in Solidarity with Indonesia and East Timor.