The NSW Independent Casino Commission handed Star Casino a reduced wrist-slap fine and yet another extension on its still-suspended licence, claiming its latest reprieve is 鈥渋n the public interest鈥. Suzanne James reports.
Sydney
About 130 people attended the Socialist Alliance election launch in Sydney on April 15. The night launched the campaign to elect Peter Boyle in the seat of Sydney and the Senate team of Ken Canning, Susan Price, Sharlene Leroy-Dyer and Howard Byrnes. It was a very positive night with Aboriginal activists, unionists and activists signing on to the People's Movement.
Thousands of people took to the streets of Melbourne and Sydney on April 10 to protest against the forced closure of remote Aboriginal communities.
When Glen Anderson was playing sport with his schoolfriends, he was suddenly surrounded by police who ordered him to lay flat on the ground.
The proposed fate of Istanbul鈥檚 Gezi Park has much in common with the current re-development plans for Barangaroo in Sydney鈥檚 East Darling Harbour. Sydneysiders concerned about the Crown/Lend Lease takeover bid can draw inspiration from the Gezi Park occupiers and send a clear message of defiance to James Packer鈥檚 fawning peons in the Barry O鈥橣arrell government.
All over the world, the privatisation of public space is growing. As Anna Minton, leading policy analyst and author of Ground Control, has pointed out in connection with the situation in Britain.
All the stereotypes about western Sydney were covered last week when Prime Minister Julia Gillard鈥檚 visited dozens of electorates in the area to try to stop them switching their vote to the Liberals in September鈥檚 federal election.
She spoke about being tough on foreign workers, promising 鈥淎ussie鈥 jobs for 鈥淎ussie鈥 workers, using rhetoric about 鈥渜ueue jumpers鈥 borrowed from the asylum seeker debate. She also promised to build a new WestConnex motorway that would connect western Sydney to the CBD.