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Life of Riley: You can bet on it

You can bet on it Have you ever wondered why, if we're doing so well, the country has a gambling problem? In terms of ockerism, perhaps you could dismiss it with references to two-up or the gee-gees. What could be more Australian than having a

Feminism and socialism

By Lauren Carroll Harris Everyday, women are oppressed by capitalist society's ideal of "beauty" and are told that what we look like is more important than what we think. Meanwhile, millions of migrant women work in sweatshops, "honour" killings

South Coast Labor Council elects new president

BY MARG PERROTT WOLLONGONG — Peter Wilson, a local organiser for on the NSW Teacher's Federation, was elected unopposed as president of the South Coast Labor Council. Wilson replaced Mike Dwyer, who was forced to resign due to ill health. The

Privatised education and 'freedom of choice'

BY COLIN CLEARY The provincial industrial centre where I work as a relief teacher is not the prettiest or the most prosperous in the state. A good half of it consists of housing commission dwellings erected in a burst of Menzies-era optimism that

How can Hansonism be destroyed?

BY ALISON DELLIT The headlines on February 12 said it all: "Lazarus in a floral frock", "One Nation's king hit" and "Hanson's One Nation on the loose again". Following One Nation's 9.6% showing in the Western Australian elections on February 10,

'Sharpen your axe on the hardest stone'

The Cherry PickersWritten by Kevin GilbertSydney Theatre CompanyDirected by Wesley EnochPlaying at the Wharf 2 Theatre, Walsh Bay, SydneyUntil March 4 REVIEW BY BRENDAN DOYLE We laughed, cried, felt uplifted, some felt offended — one blackfella

Yallourn workers launch new union district

BY CHRIS SLEE MELBOURNE — Workers in the power stations and coal mines of the Latrobe Valley have launched a new division of their union, the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union, which will give them substantially more autonomy and

No to 'user pays' unionism

The Industrial Relations Commission has endorsed the ability of unions to collect a "service fee" from non-unionists who benefit from union-negotiated pay rises. "Fee for service" unionism was adopted as policy at the 2000 ACTU national congress.

Forestry Tasmania tries on its jackboots

BY TOM WILSON HOBART — Forestry Tasmania should change its name to Jackboot Tasmania, if its recent antics are anything to go by. In its latest move, the authority has resorted to unlawful threats and intimidation in a desperate attempt to cover

Don't agonise, organise!

By Anne O'Casey "What sane person could live in this world and not be crazy?" asked feminist science fiction writer Ursula LeGuin. Her literary explorations of extra-terrestrial worlds make a vivid commentary on the inhumane state of our society.

SOUTH KOREA: Daewoo Motors workers strike

BY IGGY KIM SEOUL — In an effort to get back in the black, bankrupt Daewoo Motors confirmed on February 16 that it will proceed with the sacking of 1785 workers. This follows the sacking of more than 3500 in recent months. In response, the

Loose cannons

But it does a good imitation "... the US cannot condemn corruption abroad while allowing its own banks to make a fortune off it." — A New York Times editorial, noting that most corrupt government leaders launder their loot through US banks.