“AinÂ’t that the truth”, said the Socialist AllianceÂ’²õ lead upper house candidate in next MarchÂ’²õ NSW state election, Susan Price. “And it sums up why weÂ’re running against them.”
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People charged over their involvement in a February protest outside PM John HowardÂ’²õ state memorial service at the Sydney Opera House for media mogul Kerry Packer have called a protest demonstration on the first day of their three-day trial, which begins on October 27.
ERIC SCHLOSSER was in Australia in September for a publicity tour to launch Fast Food Nation. Â鶹´«Ã½ WeeklyÂ’²õ BELINDA SELKE interviewed him about the film.
Two cases of ruthless exploitation of Chinese guest workers have recently come to light in the printing industry, throwing the spotlight on the plight of the growing number of guest workers.
Architects for Peace, Australia, took an active part in the protests against IsraelÂ’²õ attacks on Lebanon and Palestine. Beatriz Maturana, a founder of the group, told Â鶹´«Ã½ Weekly that the group formed in February 2003, in response to the invasion of Iraq. It continues to campaign against the US-led occupation of Iraq.
IsraelÂ’²õ war on Gaza, its continued colonisation of the West Bank, and its construction of the apartheid wall represent the third wave of ethnic cleansing in Palestine since the establishment of Zionist state, Israeli academic Tanya Reinhart told 250-strong meeting in Melbourne on October 12.
Queensland Murris (Indigenous Australians) and their supporters marched on the state parliament on October 10. In a protest called to coincide with the first sitting day of the newly elected Labor government, the 600 demonstrators confronted Premier Peter Beattie with the demand that senior sergeant Chris Hurley be sacked.
In a blow to CanberraÂ’²õ campaign against the government of Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, a no-confidence motion put by pro-Australian opposition leader Fred Fono was defeated on October 11 by 28 votes to 17 in the impoverished Pacific nationÂ’²õ 50-member parliament.
In the first eight days of October, 30 coalition troops and close to 300 Iraqi civilians and security forces were killed. Iraq has become such a shameful example of Western arrogance that such figures barely warrant a mention on our television screens or in newspapers.
Technicians employed by Radio Rentals who were locked out of work for a month have returned to work after the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) and the company agreed on an enterprise agreement that was better than Radio RentalsÂ’ original offer.
“If you’re angry, you’re not mad” declared a banner at a march and rally of 120 supporters of the rights of the mentally ill on October 14. The action was part of the local Mental Health Week activities and was organised by the Association of the Relatives and Friends of the Mentally Ill.
The second Workers Charter conference, held at the Auckland Trades Hall on October 7, drew a broad cross-section of the New Zealand union movement and its supporters. The Workers Charter, launched 15 months ago, is a draft list of 10 demands aimed at guaranteeing workersÂ’ rights. Its demands cover rights such as a living wage, affordable housing and the right to strike.
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