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Howard government threatens academic freedom

Gavin Mooney As Peter McGregor noted in GLW #639, I recently resigned in protest from a committee of the federal government's National Health and Medical Research Committee (NHMRC) and called for a boycott by academics of government committees

BRITAIN: Gate Gourmet workers' struggle continues

Alex Miller The bitter Gate Gourmet airline catering firm dispute, which led to the temporary shutting down of London's Heathrow Airport last month, shows no sign of being quickly resolved. On September 2, Tony Woodley, general secretary of the

CANADA: Ottawa steps up support for US-led war efforts

Roger Annis, Vancouver The commander of Canada's armed forces, General Rick Hillier, is speaking out boldly in support of the US-led imperialist war effort in the Middle East and Asia. He is spending the summer months on a lecture circuit as the

Ralphs Bay victory

Alex Bainbridge, Hobart The Save Ralphs Bay campaign won a major victory on September 2 when the Walker Corporation announced that it would not proceed with the development. Walker proposed to develop a luxury housing estate with canals at Ralphs

Sydney Social Forum discusses campaigns

Graham Matthews, Sydney More than 300 people attended the Sydney Social Forum (SSF), held over the weekend of August 27-28 at Petersham West TAFE. A "super session" at the old mint building in Macquarie Street was held on the evening of August 29.

Thanks!

Friends of 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly in Sydney expresses its sincere thanks to Jamie Parker, Rochelle Porteous, Michele McKenzie and Kate Hamilton, the four Greens councillors on Leichhardt Municipal Council. These councillors argued for and won a waiver

ALP sells students out on VSU

ALP sells students out on VSU James Crafti ABC News Online on August 24 reported that Labor leader Kim Beazley had "challenged" the federal government to accept a compromise plan on voluntary student unionism (VSU). Beazley's plan involves a

'Swear and you're nicked'

Kerry Smith SYDNEY — National Union of Workers members taking industrial action at the National Parts warehouse at Smithfield have been warned by police not to swear on the picket line or they will face police action. NUW NSW secretary Derrick

Socialists, Greens call on Iemma to defend workers' rights

Graham Matthews, Sydney Pip Hinman, the Socialist Alliance candidate in the September 17 Marrickville by-election, has issued an open letter to NSW Premier Morris Iemma calling on his Labor government to refuse to cooperate with the federal

Our Common Cause: The truth about David Hicks

David Hicks was captured in Kandahar in the closing days of the war between the Taliban government of Afghanistan and the Northern Alliance insurgency supported by the US. The Taliban government, for which David Hicks was fighting, fell. At the

JAPAN: Koizumi goes postal

John Mage On August 8, Japan's upper house of parliament unexpectedly joined the French and Dutch electorates to give a sharp slap to neoliberal inevitability. Much to the totally delicious distress of all the usual suspects, from the London

ACEH: Concerns remain about peace deal

James Balowski, Jakarta On August 15, the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) signed a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) as a first step in seeking a peaceful and lasting solution to the decades-long conflict in Aceh.