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No return to Tweedledee!

Revelations that Labor former prime ministers Gough Whitlam and Bob Hawke are on the payroll of billionaire businessman Richard Pratt should come as no surprise. After all, the former Labor government prided itself on its close relationship with the

Massive cuts and outsourcing planned for CES

Massive cuts and outsourcing planned for CES By Paul Oboohov CANBERRA — Massive cuts to the CES are planned by the government, according to the July 24 Canberra Times and Financial Review. They quoted an interdepartmental committee report and a

Poem: Hotel Suharto &&

Hotel Suharto Who put the durian in the air conditioning system? What is that fetid odour in Hotel Suharto? Are you sure it's a durian? It smells like decomposing flesh. Could it be the stench of death? What does it represent? The

Why is housing so expensive? &&

By Neila Seciov Whether buying or renting, the cost of housing eats up a considerable percentage of one's earnings. Housing costs have a vital effect on people's standard of living and yet receive remarkably little attention from politicians. While

SA public servants take to the streets

SA public servants take to the streets By Melanie Sjoberg ADELAIDE — Public Service Association (PSA) members across the state held a two-hour stoppage on August 5 in protest at the state government's inaction over their 15% pay claim and to

Staff 'rated' for Telstra sackings

By Leo Wellin Faced with implementing cuts of around one in three Telstra jobs, managers have begun implementing an assessment test allowing them to target individuals for redundancy. The quaintly named "resource rebalancing" process is based on

On the box

Actively Radical TV — Sydney community television's progressive current affairs producers tackle the hard issues from the activist's point of view. CTS Sydney (UHF 31), every Thursday, 7pm. Access News — Melbourne community TV, Channel 31,

Opening frontiers in the age of imperialism

Einstein: A LifeBy Denis BrianWiley, 1996. 509 pp., $49.95 (hb)Reviewed by Phil Shannon Albert Einstein is the name most associated with science, at its intellectual best (probing the deepest mysteries of the cosmic and subatomic worlds) and its

What's the DIFF? Liberals slashing aid budget

By Jill Hickson In moving to slash Australia's$1.5 billion foreign aid budget, foreign minister Alexander Downer made his first target the Development Import Finance Facility (DIFF), with its funding of $124 million. Strong complaints from

FSLN support climbs

By Stephen Marks MANAGUA — Support for FSLN presidential candidate Daniel Ortega has climbed 10 points to 30%, according to a poll released on July 30. The main right-wing candidate, Arnoldo Alemán of the Liberal Alliance, remains steady

Chemicals friendly and not so friendly

A-Z of chemicals in the homeCompiled by the Total Environment CentreChoice Books, 1996. 168pp., $15Reviewed by Dot Tumney This book aims to address the wider understanding of toxicity as a concept and to discuss the characteristics of materials in

Hunted activists need support

Hunted activists need support Activists of the PRD are being hunted down, but the dictatorship's forces have not yet been able to capture any leaders. The only PRD leaders in jail at the moment are those arrested on July 8 at a 20,000-strong