Green Alliance launches campaign
By Arun Pradhan
ADELAIDE â "We need an alternative to
Liberal and Labor, an alternative that is inclusive and
based on grassroots democracy, one that puts
environmental and social justice
Issue 125
News
Victory for gay rights
By Melanie Sjoberg
ADELAIDE — David Paul Jobling was granted a $60,000 compensation payment on November 22. The Equal Opportunity Tribunal declared that Jobling was prevented from taking up an artist-teaching
ATSIC councillors face election
By Karen Fredericks
The second ATSIC (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission) Regional Council elections will be held around Australia on Saturday, December 4. The election comes at a time when
Brisbane garbos vote to end strike
By Bill Mason
BRISBANE — A dawn meeting of 300 garbage collectors in King George Square voted on November 26 to end their two-day strike and accept the city council's improved redundancy offer.
The
Unexpected
"A very disappointing result and most unexpected. We will go on, because we are fighting a battle for the civil liberties in this country." — Entrepreneur John Elliott on the Federal Court's refusal to stop the National Crime Authority
Vic Trades Hall doges campaign on holidays
By Jason Cheng
MELBOURNE — A Victorian Trades Hall Council shop stewards/job delegates meeting on November 24 voted to endorse action against the Kennett government's latest attacks on Workcover
Queensland rail lines reprieved
By Bill Mason
BRISBANE — The Goss government has agreed to retain 17 rail lines threatened with closure several months ago (some conditionally), to lease one as a private siding, to mothball five and close
By Nicole Ernst
BRISBANE — Environmental activists protested in the early hours of the morning at the Hamilton wharves on November 22. The aim of the protest was to raise awareness about destructive logging operations in Malaysia.
Greenpeace and the Ningaloo Preservation Association on Exmouth on November 26 staged a protest against an oil company which is about to start exploration drilling next to a marine park of world significance off the WA coast.
Two Greenpeace
Residents organise against council changes
By Geoff Spencer
MELBOURNE — North Carlton residents are organising against their expulsion from the City of Melbourne, of which they have been part for more than 100 years.
Following two
By Melanie Sjoberg
ADELAIDE — The Arnold ALP government launched its bid for the women's vote in the December 11 state election, a policy titled "Women-Moving Forward", on November 22.
Some of the highlights are pledges to:
create
By Steve Rogers
CANBERRA — Public Sector Union members in the ACT have delivered a stunning rebuff to the incumbent leadership in the current branch executive elections. The PSU Challenge team campaigned on a wide range of issues including
ACT nurses stop work
By Tyrion Perkins
Canberra — Nurses at Canberra's main hospital at Woden Valley are taking industrial action to stop changes to rostering.
Management is trying to pressure nurses into reducing their hours of
Youth speak out
By Lesley High
ADELAIDE — The radical youth organisation Resistance held a successful youth speak-out in Rundle Mall here on Saturday, November 27.
Armed with placards and leaflets displaying slogans like: "Resistance
Hindmarsh picket continues
ADELAIDE — Support for the Friends of Goolwa and Kumarangk — opposing the proposed Hindmarsh Island bridge and associated developments — is growing.
Unions supporting this broad coalition now include all
Surprise decision to split preferences
By Chris Spindler
ADELAIDE — In an unexpected shift, the Green Party (SA) has joined the Australian Democrats in splitting its ticket for the December 11 South Australian elections.
That is,
Campbell continues in ALP
By Stephen Robson
PERTH — The MHR for Kalgoorlie, Graeme Campbell, has always been a loose cannon for Labor. Campbell has always outspokenly supported the interests of the mining companies.
So with the
NSW South Coast unionists in court
By Bernie Brian
WOLLONGONG — The trial of two south coast unionists is to continue, despite the disappearance of one of the prosecution's key witnesses.
South Coast Labour Council (SCLC) secretary
World
Police on November 19 shot dead Raimal Punya Vasave, a 15-year-old tribal youth, during a protest against the giant Sardar Sarovar Dam on the Narmada River in Maharashtra state. Three other tribal people were seriously injured.
The villagers
By John Pilger
When the United Nations leaves Cambodia, it will dismantle the only national organisation clearing landmines. Training of Cambodians to clear mines has stopped and vital equipment has been removed, leaving people isolated in
By Freddy Alexis in Jakarta and Max Lane
On November 25 the Suharto regime finally gave in to demands of demonstrators who had been protesting for several weeks against a decision to extend the life of a state lottery system notorious for its
By Anne O'Callaghan
Professor Manuel Amador is vice-director of the Cuban Institute of Nutrition and Food Hygiene. He was in Australia recently to attend the 15th International Conference of Nutrition, held in Adelaide from September 26 to
Controversial daily launched in PNG
By David Robie
A controversial new daily newspaper, published by an associate company of the Malaysian logging corporation which dominates Papua New Guinea's timber industry, appeared on November 11 —
By Renfrey Clarke
MOSCOW — Liberal journalists and moderate political leaders have bitterly condemned the draft constitution released by President Boris Yeltsin on November 10. Major criticisms of the document include charges that it violates
By Felicity Arbuthnot
In a small Baghdad grocery store, a child of perhaps five came in, clearly proud to be doing an important errand. He was clutching a five dinar note — approximately 9 British pence at the official rate of exchange.
By Stephen Robson
HANOI — Economic reforms that began in the 1980s are changing the way Vietnam's unions organise.
The vast bulk of the 30 million-strong labour force works in agriculture. Prior to 1986, the industrial work force was
VIVIENNE PORZSOLT spoke recently to HA'IFA BARAMKI, director of continuing education at Bir Zeit University. Mrs Baramki was born in Gaza and stayed there until she went to study at the Beirut College for Women. She returned to Gaza and taught
By Norm Dixon
A last-minute concession by South African President F.W. de Klerk has allowed the multiparty negotiating forum finally to agree on an interim constitution under which South Africa will be governed until 1999. The agreement clears
A resurgent religious right in the United States is again contesting old hard-won rights. Youth are a particular target of homophobes. The insinuation of religious bigots onto school boards has led to censorship of textbooks and library books and the
Culture
Summerhaze
Cathie O'Sullivan
Jarra Hill through Larrikin Entertainment
Reviewed by Norm Dixon
Potential buyers of Cathie O'Sullivan's fascinating album should ignore the dreadful packaging. Through some strange lapse of judgment, Larrikin
Some of Robyn Archer's best
Ancient Wonders
By Robyn Archer
Larrikin Records
Reviewed by Melanie Sjoberg
It is a reflection of the high level of seriousness that Robyn Archer pays to political issues and her home town, that she sent
Lucky Dube still dazzles
By Sujatha Fernandes
SYDNEY — Dreadlocks streaming through the air, teasing the expectant audience with his wicked grin and rhythmic moves, Lucky Dube delivered every bit of what was promised by the promoters of
Nuff Vibes
Apache Indian
CD on Island Records through Polygram
Movin' On
Apache Indian
CD single on Island Records at import shops
Reviewed by Sean Malloy
Sounds of a Jamaican dance hall combined with percussion arranged by Sheila
The Wedding Banquet
Directed by Ang Lee
Brighton Bay, Kino cinemas, Melbourne
Reviewed by Wendy Robertson
The Wedding Banquet deals with a mixture of issues, including the everyday pressures of family and tradition that are faced by gay
Music as chronicle
True Believers
By John Schumann
Columbia
Reviewed by John Williams
When Phil Ochs released his 1964 album All the News Fit to Sing, he continued a folk tradition of being the chronicler of popular concerns and
By Deb Sorensen in Kakadu National Park
The tourists are slowing down now, and the clouds are building up. The weather is hot and muggy; everybody goes around with their clothes stuck to their bodies with sweat.
The gathering clouds and
The Naked and the Dead
By Norman MailerWith an Introduction by John PilgerFlamingo 1993. 717 pp., $19.95 (pb) Reviewed by Phil Shannon
In 1948, Norman Mailer published one of the best novels to come out of World War II. This 1993 reissue of
C.D.s and Other Things
By Peter Lyssiotis and Gyorgy Scrinis
Masterthief Enterprises, 1993. 52 pp., $7.50
Reviewed by Anthony O'Donnell
"Only connect." This injunction of E.M. Forster's (I think) is as good a fulcrum as any from which to
Blackout
ABC Television
Tuesdays, 9.30 p.m.
Reviewed by Sean Malloy
This is the second series of Blackout, and I'm elated to say that this new series looks as good as, if not better than, the first.
Blackout examines Aboriginal and
Editorial
Too much power
Canadian publisher Conrad Black's need to feed his enormous ego by revealing personal and political exploits (exploitations) in his self-important autobiography has lifted the lid once more on the shady dealings between leading