#151; A report in the August 2 Herald Sun has Rail, Tram and Bus Union state secretary Trevor Dobbyn calling for ticket inspectors to be issued with handcuffs, because he says, 聯Our officers get publicly vilified for what looks like an assault on someone, but in fact they are trying to restrain them after they聮ve been arrested聰.
720
On August 2, the federal government announced it would legislate to stop same-sex couples adopting a child from overseas. The move follows the landmark adoption of a boy by two gay men in Western Australia in June.
The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting will be held in Sydney in September. Twenty-one nations are represented, from both the First and Third Worlds. It describes itself as the 鈥減remier forum for facilitating economic growth, cooperation, trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific region鈥. In reality, it works to ensure that the Third World nations attending further open their markets. This makes it easier for multinational corporations, along with First World nations, to strip the poorer countries鈥 natural resources with no regard for the environment and to further exploit their work forces.
#151; The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) is on the verge of formal affiliation to the ALP despite many members expressing their opposition. The proposed affiliation was endorsed in March by the union聮s governing council, reversing a decision two years ago not to affiliate to the ALP.
聯How many more innocent lives is Howard prepared to destroy in the name of fighting a war on terror?聰, asks Socialist Alliance candidate for the Victorian federal seat of Gellibrand, Ben Courtice, following Dr Mohamed Haneef聮s release from three weeks of hell in police custody.
Imagine a world where international trade was fair. Where, instead of sending troops and police overseas, the Australian government sent thousands of doctors and teachers to poor countries to provide free medical care and education to help the people there improve their lives. The Australian government is not doing this. It has sent hundreds of troops to help steal Iraq聮s oil and sends police to the Solomon Islands and other places in the Pacific to guard the theft of these countries聮 natural resources.
On July 29, Queensland University of Technology staged a protest on QUT聮s 聯open day聰 to symbolically 聯lay to rest聰 the school of humanities and human services, and mark 聯the death of critical thinking and freedom of speech聰 at QUT.
When Rafael Correa was elected president of Ecuador in 2006, campaigning on a strong anti-neoliberal platform to bring about a 鈥渃itizen鈥檚 revolution鈥, one key social force seemed notably absent from his campaign 鈥 the country鈥檚 powerful indigenous movement.
When US President George Bush comes to Sydney this year, it will be vital that we use his visit to draw attention to the ongoing struggle for same-sex marriage rights and an end to all homophobic policies. PM John Howard and Bush top the list of threats to civil liberties, including some of the most basic rights queers are still fighting for.
Hundreds of people packed out the State Cinema in Hobart to watch the premiere of The Wilderness Society鈥檚 (TWS) pulp mill film Tasmania鈥檚 Clean Green Future: Too Precious to Pulp. The short film was made by award-winning film-maker Heidi Douglas, who is one of the 鈥淕unns 20鈥欌 defendants being sued by Gunns for previous films. It aims to counter the Tasmanian government鈥檚 latest propaganda campaign supporting the proposed pulp mill in the Tamar Valley, which consists of television and newspaper ads and large glossy brochures.
For the last week, I聮ve woken up each morning at five to join ordinary Hanoi residents exercising in Lenin Park, which surrounds one of several huge lakes in the centre of the city. The first time I went out of curiosity, but it was such a buzz I聮ve returned every morning.
US President George Bush and PM John Howard are the world聮s biggest climate criminals. The United States emits 25% of the world聮s carbon emissions, and Australia is the largest carbon polluter per person in the world. Both countries are the only two developed nations that haven聮t signed on to the Kyoto Protocol. For their entire political lives Bush and Howard denied climate change was even happening, but when people all around the world started to see the climate chaos taking place and put pressure on them, they grudgingly acknowledged that it is a reality.
- Page 1
- Next page