Democracy

WA Labor suffered an -18% swing against it, with the swing going largely to minor party and independent candidates. Blair Vidakovich reports.

Socialist Alliance is calling for a 50% cut in military expenditure and to use the $28 billion to address the urgent housing, cost-of-living and climate crises, argues Peter Boyle.

Notwithstanding flooding rains and Cyclone Alfred delivering exceptional rains, inland and the Murray-Darling/Barka Rivers are struggling to survive a heating climate and the over-extraction of water. Tracey Carpenter reports.

Four speakers addressed a public forum organised by Australian Advocacy for Good Governance in Sri Lanka. Chris Slee reports.

More than 9000 people joined 12 protests across the country to demand governments ban logging in native old-growth forests. Kerry Smith reports.

Suzanne James and David Shoebridge discuss the Australian Greens latest initiative to progress the legalisation of recreational cannabis.

Boris Kagarlitsky Russia protest

Russian anti-war socialist and political prisoner, Boris Kagarlitsky, sent the following article from the penal colony in Torzhok, Russia, where he is serving a five-year sentence for “justification of terrorism”. It has been translated by Dmitry Pozhidaev.

More than 1000 people rallied outside Parliament House to oppose Labor’s proposed anti-protest laws. Jacob Andrewartha reports.

Vigilantes, whipped up by local right-wing politicians and the NSW premier, attacked people occupying houses in Lismore, which have been vacant since 2022. Nick Fredman reports.

prisoner's hands behind wire

More than 200 Venezuelan migrants deported from the United States to El Salvador are being held under harsh conditions in the country’s Terrorism Confinement Centre. Meanwhile, the US is threatening further economic sanctions against Venezuela, reports Chris Slee.

Musgrave Park housing action, March 16

Two councils in Queensland have gone to war on homeless people, fining them for having to live in tents in parks.  Justin Beevers reports.

protest

In the second part of our interview, Russian higher education trade unionist Pavel Kudyukin speaks to Green Left’s Federico Fuentes and Serhii Shlyapnikov about the crackdown on universities and the campaign to free leftist academics and others jailed for their political views.