ADELAIDE — Help End Marijuana Prohibition (HEMP) will hold a rally on August 8 at 1pm on the steps of Parliament House at which it will hand over a submission to the state government calling for a reform of SA's marijuana laws. The rally marked the culmination of "Hemp Week Activities" which included a screening of Reefer Madness and Marijuana, Assassin of Youth. A public forum on the history of drug prohibition, a "Legalisation across the Nation" conference and a smoke-in were also held at Flinders University.
- Three thousand production workers at Mitsubishi Motors plants held a 24-hour strike on July 26 following a breakdown in enterprise bargaining talks. Day-shift workers at Tonsley Park and Lonsdale voted to strike in protest over the pace of workplace reforms. The workers are covered by the Automotive Food Metals Engineering Union which have been negotiating workplace restructuring with Mitsubishi since 1989.
- A July 29 Secondary Students Against Cuts (SSAC) meeting decided that the "Education Cuts Don't Heal" demonstration outside the Education Department on August 18 will focus on the following demands: more finance for state education, equal access to education, more teachers and a recognition of students rights. SSAC meets fortnightly on Friday evenings. Interested students can call Tully on 231 6982 to get involved. The next meeting is on August 12.
HOBART — The Wilderness Society held two actions last week to protest against the state government's efforts to devalue World Heritage areas and the federal government's inaction over the woodchipping of old growth forests. On July 25, trees outside Forestry Tasmania's office became a "logging catchment" and were symbolically roped off. The office of the federal minister for justice was picketed on July 28. Protesters asked passers-by to sign a petition; behind them a large banner read: "Woodchipping Headquarters". Both actions were attended by 25 people.
MELBOURNE — On July 25, 30 people gathered outside the Stock Exchange to protest against the World Bank. Speakers criticised the Bank's contribution to environmental destruction and social injustice in the Third World. Shripad Dharmadihikary spoke of the Bank's involvement in the Sardar Sarovar Dam in India, a project which will displace an estimated 22,523 people and have enormous adverse environmental repercussions. The picket, organised by Friends of the Earth and the Environmental Youth Alliance, was the first of many protests in the "50 years of the World Bank is Enough" campaign.
PERTH — One hundred people attended a Latin American dance party on July 23 at the Fremantle Education Centre to celebrate the triumph of the Sandinistas on July 19, 1979 and the attack led by Fidel Castro against the Moncada Barracks, July 26, 1953. Messages of solidarity were sent from the Democratic Socialist Party and the Violeta Parra Cultural Society. The event was organised by the newly-formed Australia Cuba Friendship Society (WA) and the Committees in Solidarity with Latin America and the Caribbean (CISLAC). The event raised $600 to aid the people of Cuba and Nicaragua. A statement opposing the US blockade of Cuba was presented to the US Consul General on July 26.