More than 15,000 Community and Public Sector Union members from almost every Australian Public Service agency have voted on the CPSU's APS-wide bargaining claim. The final outcome was 14,665 (97.5%) in favour.
The claim included an APS-wide pay rise of 4%, payable from July 1, 2011, and a further 4% payable from July 1, 2012. It also included additional measures to gradually increase pay in lower paid areas. There are currently large differences in pay between different agencies.
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Westpac was the last of the big four banks in Australia to announce its annual profit. It made the biggest 鈥 a whopping $6.3 billion, 84% higher than 2008-09.
The Commonwealth Bank made the second biggest profit this year, $6.1 billion (up 42%). It was also the first bank to announce it would raise its interest rates for home mortgages more than the latest Reserve Bank interest rate rise.
ANZ made $5 billion (up 53%) and NAB $4.6 billion (up 63%). The big four made a total profit of $23 billion.
The Cyprus Club was packed out at a special 鈥淰iva Cuba鈥 solidarity dinner on October 31. About 180 people welcomed the new Cuban ambassador to Australia Pedro Monzon Barata, the new Cuban consul general Reinaldo Garcia Perera and new Cuban consul Maribel Espinosa Begueri.
Tim Anderson, senior lecturer in political economy at the University of Sydney, gave a sneak preview of his new documentary about Cuban medical and education projects in East Timor. Cuba is training more than 900 doctors as part of the programs.
released a statement on South Australia鈥檚 budget cuts on November 3.
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The Socialist Alliance opposes the public service cuts in South Australia.
The effects of the global financial crisis have hit South Australia with this budget. But who will pay for it? The bankers and corporate heads that caused it? No, Premier Mike Rann and deputy premier Kevin Foley want the working people of South Australia to pay for the crisis they did not create.
Mining magnate Andrew 鈥淭wiggy鈥 Forrest had an opportunity on ABC鈥檚 November 1 screening of Q&A to defend his record on Aboriginal employment. He didn鈥檛 do very well.
鈥淵ou can see that through Generation One, a real challenge to fill those jobs, because we've proven for all time that corporate Australia 鈥 in fact every Australian 鈥 isn't racist鈥, Forrest said.
鈥淲e do love our first Australians. We do want to help them as much as we can but we can do it without just throwing money, and I believe I could do more.鈥
BBC services were severely disrupted after a 48-hour walkout on November 5 and 6 by thousands of media workers. MorningStarOnline.co.uk said on November 5 the workers were fighting the corporation鈥檚 鈥減ensions robbery鈥, which would result in payouts being dramatically reduced.
The corporation鈥檚 director general Mark Thompson claimed the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) strike had no impact, but viewers and listeners tuned into BBC radio and TV channels to find the flagship program off air.
搁别蝉颈蝉迟补苍肠别鈥檚 Ben Peterson spoke to Mitch Cherry, a member of the Geelong Resistance branch and the Socialist Alliance candidate for Bellarine in the November 27 Victorian state election.
Why are you running in the election? What does it mean to be a youth candidate?
Prime Minister Julia Gillard used a series of meetings with Asian leaders at the UN Regional Summit on October 30 to lobby for her government鈥檚 proposal to build a 鈥渞egional鈥 detention centre for refugees in East Timor.
She met with Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh of Laos and President Benigno Aquino of the Philippines, the October 30 Australian reported. She also met with United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-Moon, who 鈥渘oted鈥 her proposal 鈥 the only outcome reported.
More than 100 Palestine solidarity activists gathered in Melbourne over October 29-31 for Australia's first national BDS conference.
Palestinian civil society groups called for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel five years ago. The BDS campaign demands an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestine, the dismantlement of the separation wall in the West Bank, equal rights for Palestinian citizens of Israel, and the right of return for Palestinian refugees.
The annual Latin America Solidarity Fiesta was a success, raising much needed money for social projects in Latin America and maintaining 91自拍论坛 Weekly鈥檚 coverage on the progressive developments unfolding in the region.
Organised by the Latin America Social Forum (Sydney), the October 31 fiesta was held at the Great Hall in the Addison Road Community Centre. Pocho Man, Danny Sanchez, DJ Av El Cubano and Jorge Martinez provided music on the night.
Divisions about a carbon price are hardening among Australia鈥檚 big businesses. Two distinct positions seem to have emerged in the corporate boardrooms.
Some corporate groups are backing the federal government鈥檚 call for a price on carbon because they say it will allow for a more certain environment for investment.
Nine CEOs of big Australian fund managers and superannuation companies linked to the Investor Group on Climate Change have formed a new panel to lobby the government for a carbon price.
A large number of BP鈥檚 pipelines on Alaska鈥檚 North Slope are severely corroded and in danger of rupturing, an internal BP maintenance report obtained by investigative journalism group ProPublica, revealed on November 2.
The news comes less than two months after oil ceased gushing into the ocean from BP鈥檚 Deepwater Horizon rig in the Gulf of Mexico.
The report said at least 148 BP pipelines in the region have been given an 鈥淔-rank鈥 by company inspectors 鈥 a grading given when more than 80% of a pipe is corroded. The pipes transport oil, gas and other toxic substances.
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