Days after Glencore, the largest mining company in the world, announced an annual聽cap on thermal coal, details of its well-funded pro-coal campaign emerged.
Anti-coal campaigners have demanded reforms to limit the abuse of money politics.
Issue 1215
News
Newtown Residents Against WestConnex held a snap action outside a WestConnex information session in Newtown on March 27.
Vigils and protests continue to be held across Australia after the Christchurch far-right terrorist attack on March 15.
Sudanese youth led a rally in Perth on March 23 in solidarity with the continuing protests in Sudan.
Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) members rallied outside the Pakistani Consulate on March 26 to demand the dropping of all charges against the Karachi Dockworkers Union president and another unionist who were arrested following a dispute at Hutchison Ports' Karachi International Container Terminal (KICT).
Hours before polling booths opened for the state elections, the NSW Land and Environment Court announced late on March 22 that it was dismissing an appeal by community group Australian Coal Alliance (ACA) against the re-elected Coalition government鈥檚 approval of the controversial Wallarah 2 coalmine on the Central Coast.
Solidarity activists who recently returned from a fact-finding missions to Venezuela reported to a meeting organised by the Venezuela Solidarity Campaign (Melbourne) and the Latin American Solidarity Network (LASNET) on March 27.
Wahluu/Mount Panorama in Bathurst is sacred Aboriginal land, with areas still used for initiation, healing and community organising. But Bathurst Council wants to build a huge go-kart race track and a second circuit to accompany the Bathurst 1000 motor racing track.
The National Union of Workers (NUW), which represents Chemist Warehouse workers that had been on indefinite strike since March 12, announced on March 28 that workers had voted that morning to accept a new agreement covering those employed in the company's distribution centres across Victoria and Queensland.
Hundreds of people turned out to the kickstart event on March 25. This was the major event organisers encouraged participants in the March 15 School Strike to attend.
The most inspiring part was the announcement of the students' next big action on May 3.
Analysis
Adani has launched another public relations鈥 offensive in a bid to secure its last approvals before it can start work on its Carmichael coalmine in central Queensland.
The Christchurch massacre has prompted many to reflect on the times we live in.
Racists and bigots believe that diverse societies don鈥檛 work. Frustrated that their howling at the moon wasn鈥檛 enough, they鈥檙e now picking up weapons in an attempt to prove themselves right.
NSW Labor lost the March 23 state election with its small-target strategy, its refusal to challenge the privatisation agenda and its sly accommodation to racism.
World
Islamophobia is a weapon to serve the needs of a war-mongering profit-seeking system and a way of keeping the oppressed and exploited people of the world fighting among ourselves instead of against our common enemy.
The Australian Tamil Congress has expressed its 鈥渄isappointment鈥 with a March 21 United Nations Human Rights Council resolution because 鈥渧ery little justice has reached victims and survivors鈥 it said.
March 26 marked four years of devastating war in Yemen. An estimated 50,000 people have been killed as a direct result of the war and 85,000 children may have died of hunger and preventable diseases.
After 43 years of military occupation of Western Sahara, Morocco has failed to legalise its status, and has not convinced the occupied Saharawi people to accept this colonial fait accompli.
A week after the Christchurch mosque attacks, thousands of people mobilised in Auckland for the 鈥淟ove Aotearoa, hate racism鈥 rally on March 24.
Palestinians will gather to commemorate Land Day on March 30. Last year, Land Day marked the beginning of the Great March of Return weekly protests in Gaza.
Land Day has its origins in 1976 when Israeli authorities conducted a brazen, on behalf of settlers. Palestinians responded with a general strike and protests.
Forget about the right-wing opposition and its self-proclaimed 鈥渋nterim president鈥 Juan Guaid贸 鈥 the fate of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro will be decided by the political movement forged under his predecessor, writes Federico Fuentes.
Culture
Think the world is going to hell? You're right, but this music might make you feel a bit better about it. Here are the best new albums that related to this month's politics. (There are actually far more than 10 - count them). What albums would you suggest? Comment on聽,听, or聽.听
A long time ago Martin Luther King
Sought justice for his minority,
But his white friends demurred, 鈥淭hat鈥檚 not a thing
By Mary Robinson
Bloomsbury Publishing, 2018
Mary Robinson, the former president of Ireland, is undoubtedly sincere in her determination to fight climate change and 鈥減utting people at the heart of the solution鈥. Unfortunately, her new book shows that sincerity is not enough.
Mutiny on The Western Front: 1918
Greg Raffin
Big Sky Publishing, 2018
216 pages
For those who may have been living in a cave without electricity for a while, it may need pointing out that the Australian establishment likes to conduct extravagant khaki-and-slouch-hat festivals to annually celebrate the gore-filled Australian invasion of Gallipoli on April 25 in 1915.
The first ever feminist tango festival took place in聽鈥檚 Villa Crespo district of Buenos Aires on March 9 and 10 as part of the聽International Working Women鈥檚 Day celebrations to聽challenge the male-dominated聽art form.