Bill Mason

  • Social forum to discuss war and globalisation

    BRISBANE — "In the face of a US-led war on Iraq and the looming World Trade Organisation meeting in Mexico in August, the Brisbane Social Forum wants to create an axis of hope — discussing how another world is possible", according

  • Police raid Narangba protest camp

    BRISBANE — At dawn on March 6, police raided the camp protesting against the Narangba irradiation plant in an attempt to suppress opposition to the controversial project. Up to 50 police were involved in the attack, which included

  • Building unions launch strike campaign

    BRISBANE — Contract scab labour could be used on the Suncorp Stadium project in a bid to break a strike by building unions. The federal government's building industry task force has offered "safe passage" to contract labourers in a

  • Court victory over Narangba eviction case

    BRISBANE — Protesters against the food irradiation plant being built at Narangba, 50km north of the city, have won a major victory with the dismissal of a state government move in the Supreme Court to have their protest camp

  • Qld govt attempts to suppress protest camp

    BY BILL MASON &TIM STEWART BRISBANE — In an extraordinary move against food-irradiation protesters, the Queensland Labor government, through its Department of State Development, has taken out charges in the Supreme Court against an individual

  • Narangba protest camp fights eviction threat

    BRISBANE — The Queensland Labor government's department of state development has given formal notice to protesters camped outside the site of the Narangba nuclear irradiation plant, now under construction, that they will be

  • Centrelink workers vote for industrial action

    BRISBANE — Community and Public Sector Union members at Centrelink met November 27-29 and rejected management's offered enterprise agreement. CPSU members conducted a half-day strike on December 2, with another scheduled for

  • Qld nurses win interim pay rise

    BRISBANE — Queensland's 16,000 public hospital nurses on October 25 won a 3.8% interim pay rise and the first round in their Australian Industrial Relations Commission battle with the state government. The increase will come into

  • Nurses seek interim pay rise

    BRISBANE — Queensland nurses are seeking an interim wage rise of 10%, backdated to June 1, while they wait for an Australian Industrial Relations Commission hearing on their claim for an 18% rise. The AIRC hearing is set for

  • Health workers prepare 24-hour strike

    BRISBANE &#151 Public hospitals in Queensland face another 24-hour strike within weeks unless the state government boosts its wages offer to non-nursing staff. Union delegates for Queensland Health employees on August 15 resolved to

  • Murris rally over stolen wages

    BRISBANE &#151 More than 200 people, including representatives of Indigenous groups from all over Queensland, protested in the Roma Street Forum on August 3 against the state Labor government's compensation offer on the "stolen wages"

  • Nurses head to arbitration

    BRISBANE — Queensland nurses were threatened with disciplinary action only hours after industrial bans were lifted, according to the Queensland Nurses Union (QNU). The bans were lifted following a July 24 arbitration commission