A delegation of six Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander activists visited Tahiti in October to voice their opposition to nuclear testing in the Pacific and to extend their solidarity to the Maohi people. 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly's SAM WAINWRIGHT spoke to
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The struggle for the Musgrave Park Aboriginal Cultural Centre By Anthony Brown BRISBANE — Just a stone's throw from the new convention centre is one of the city's most famous public parks — Musgrave Park. Besides being a favourite site for major
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The battle against Comalco's anti-union drive has been led by the combined-union Weipa Industrial Site Committee. 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly's JENNIFER THOMPSON spoke to committee's secretary, ANDY STRAHORN and CFMEU lodge secretary NIGEL GOULD about the
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By Gerry Adams When Niall O'Dowd, editor of the Irish Voice newspaper in New York, was on the Late Late Show recently, he said he was concerned that there was too much complacency about the peace process. His remarks were a timely reminder that the
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Write on: letters to the editorUnemployment Federal elections must be looming! The latest make-work scheme is receiving a concerted push, at least in Adelaide. New Work Opportunities (NWO) are supposed to help long-term unemployed people obtain work
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Public housing sell-off MELBOURNE — The Victorian Minister for Housing Rob Knowles announced on September 7 that the state government will sell the Emerald Hill Estate in South Melbourne. A public outcry halted a 1973 attempt to sell the estate.
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Weipa workers: fighting CRA union busting By Jennifer Thompson Unionists at CRA-owned Comalco's bauxite mine and kaolin plant at Weipa are fighting for the right to wage rises won through collective bargaining. The dispute is a result of Comalco's
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By Anthony Brown BRISBANE — Musgrave Park has long been important to the city's indigenous people. It is a part of Kurilpa or "place of the water rats" which include West End, South Brisbane and Highgate Hill which form a triangle on this bend of
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ADELAIDE — The Australian Greens have announced that they will be running in South Australia for the first time in the upcoming federal elections. 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly's EMMA WEBB spoke to STEPHEN SPENCE, state convenor of the Australian Greens (SA).
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Sinn Fein national executive member, DODIE MCGUINNESS, is currently in Australia. She spoke to 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly correspondent and Australian Aid for Ireland member, Sean Magill. This is the second part of her interview. Question: At the time of the
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By Joan Coxsedge I was intrigued by a recent story in the Age about a speech given by Treasurer Ralph Willis at Harvard University. He was discussing the federal government's compulsory superannuation scheme at a seminar co-sponsored by Harvard's
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On November 15, Victorian police called to a domestic dispute in Wodonga shot and killed a Papua New Guinean woman outside her home. This was the 26th fatal police shooting in Victoria since 1988. There were nine in NSW in the same period. This case,
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By Paul Jones BRISBANE — Queensland health minister Peter Beattie plans to continue uncontrolled mercury use in thermometers and blood-pressure recording machines (sphygmomanometers) in new buildings planned for Royal Brisbane Hospital (RBH). In
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By Jewels Starr Do women who dress sexily "ask for it"? Is a woman who is friendly and outgoing, maybe even a little flirtatious, inviting harassment? Is she responsible for it if she is raped? The issue of who is responsible for sexual assault is
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Does our economic stability require that some ... of the population be kept in poverty? — Max Frankel on "What the Poor Deserve", the New York Times. I saw a very poignant cartoon recently. It was a nine frame panel by Matt Groening. He uses the
News
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By Bill Mason BRISBANE — As the Comalco-CRA dispute with unionists at the company's Weipa bauxite mine threatened to spread to a national, general strike, Industrial Relations Commission president Deirdre O'Connor called an urgent IRC hearing on
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SYDNEY — Fifty environmentalists protested outside the annual general meeting of Boral at the Wentworth Hotel. They demanded that Boral, one of the largest woodchipping companies in Australia, cease its operations. Photo by Ken Bansgrove.
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BRISBANE — Two weeks ago women's rape and incest crisis centres had their funding cut by half. Desi Archilloes, finance coordinator for the Brisbane Rape and Incest Centre (BRIC) told 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly that centres from Cairns to the Gold Coast
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By Philippa Stanford ADELAIDE — South Australia's mental health services were under-funded, disorganised and excluded some patients, according to a report prepared for Disability Action and the Health and Social Welfare Council. The report, "Beyond
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By Shane Hopkinson NEWCASTLE — On October 9, CRA announced a merger with its parent company RTZ to form the largest mining company in the world. The $26.7 billion dollar merger plan was announced by CRA chairman, John Uhrig, who is also a director
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By Arun Pradhan PERTH — "We want to raise the issue of East Timorese self-determination and justice for our people", Francisco Soares, Fretilin representative for Western Australia told 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly. Fretilin was originally formed in May 1974
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Ben Reid reports that 2000 East Timorese and their supporters gathered in Melbourne on November 12 as part of a nationwide series of actions to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the Dili massacre. Shirley Shackleton, widow of journalist Greg
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"Half a million refugees — give them aid", "Freedom for our people", "Tamil self-determination!" were among the placards of the Tamil community who protested at Murray Street Mall in Perth on November 11. A rally spokesperson told 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly
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By Norm Dixon In the wake of the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni activists, Amnesty International fears for the fate of at least 17 other Ogonis still in detention. They too could be unfairly tried, sentenced and executed without
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By Michael Bramwell and Anthony Benbow PERTH — "Strike off as Court Buckles" was the headline on the West Australian on November 8. The Court Liberal government of WA was reported to have "gutted" its "second wave" of anti-union legislation in
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By Chris Spindler SYDNEY — NSW TAFE teachers went on strike on February 21 and held a 2000-strong march and rally to condemn proposed cuts to technical education by the Carr Labor government. The rally heard how the proposed changes to TAFE would
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By Arun Pradhan PERTH — The national waterfront strike in support of the ACTU's industrial action against CRA has led to another confrontation between unions and the Liberal state government. The Maritime Union of Australia's (MUA) strike action on
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By Rachel Evans MELBOURNE — The Kennett government's shameless handouts to big business have reached new heights with the massive City Link road project. The social and environmental costs of this new tollway will be catastrophic for Victoria. The
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By Roberto Jorquera SYDNEY — The decision by the NSW government to sell off the Sydney Showgrounds to Rupert Murdoch's Fox Studios has sparked a community outrage. About 250 people gathered outside state Parliament House on November 14 to protest
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By Graham Matthews At a meeting of the United Nations Environment Program in Washington DC on November 3, the Australian government endorsed a Global Plan of Action to address the problem of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in the marine
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By Jeremy Smith MELBOURNE — On November 14 the cronyism of the Kennett government was laid bare for all to see. The appointment of Transurban, the consortium tendered to build Melbourne's City Link, as the major sponsor of the 1996 Grand Prix at
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By Jim McIlroy BRISBANE — "The New Zealand Alliance experiment has some exciting lessons for Australia", Matt McCarten, secretary/organiser of the NZ Alliance, told a public meeting to launch a new book on the prospects for an Australian alliance
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Women's Party launches industrial policy BRISBANE — A shorter working week, paid maternity leave and wage increases indexed to the cost of living are key features of the Australian Women's Party industrial relations policy, launched here on
Analysis
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The findings of the Marks Royal Commission that federal health minister Carmen Lawrence lied to the WA parliament and the public about her role in the 1992 tabling of the Easton petition should come as no surprise. Lying is endemic to maintaining the
World
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By Norm Dixon A lucrative UN contract to clear landmines in Angola has been given to Mechem — a subsidiary of the South African state-owned weapons manufacturer Denel. Angolan authorities, unhappy with the decision, have delayed unloading
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By Shan Ali The success of Grameen Bank in poverty alleviation and slowing the rate of population growth in Bangladesh has led many to believe in the promise offered by the Bank — that poverty can be eliminated from the earth at little or no real
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By Michel Chossudovsky The World Bank, it seems, has become the defender of women's rights urging national governments to "invest more in women in order to reduce gender inequality and boost economic development". Two WB reports were presented at the
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By Renfrey Clarke MOSCOW — For anyone puzzled by the inability of the once all-powerful Russian security services to prevent crime, part of the mystery is now explained. To a significant degree, the resources of the Federal Security Service (FSB
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By Max Lane On November 12, public protest commemorations of the 1991 massacre in Dili were organised for the first time in Jakarta despite threats from General Hartono, the army chief of staff. About 90 people attended a commemoration organised by
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Shell's policy of blood for oil By Norm Dixon Ken Saro-Wiwa was executed by Nigeria's brutal military regime on November 10 because he threatened the interests of the Anglo-Dutch oil giant, Shell, and a handful of European and US oil companies.
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Crisis in French universities By Sam Stratham MONTPELLIER, France — On November 9 students in the town of Montpellier joined more than 16,000 students across France in a national day of action to protest the Chirac government's cuts to education
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MATT MCCARTEN, secretary of the New Zealand Alliance, recently visited Australia to help launch the New Left Book Club's The Alliance Alternative in Australia. He spoke to 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly's DICK NICHOLS about developments in New Zealand, in
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By Eva Cheng Some 800,000 federal workers were forced to stand down from November 15 after US President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, vetoed two related funding bills passed by the Republican-dominated Congress. The bills were structured to deprive
Culture
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Competing Gospels: Public Theology and Economic TheoryBy Robert G. SimonsE. J. Dwyer, 1995. 211pp, 24.95 (pb)Reviewed by Sean Moysey If humans could change society through the expression of "good ideas" then we would already live in utopia. In
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Coming AttractionsBy Ted TallyNew Theatre, SydneyFri & Sat at 8pm and Sun at 5.30pm until December 23. $20/$15. Bookings 519 3403Reviewed by Lisa Macdonald Coming Attractions, the latest production of Sydney's New Theatre, is good entertainment. The
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By Audrey Johnson SYDNEY — A week-long exhibition of Communist Party history was held mid-November at the Tom Nelson Hall to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the party in Australia. From a collection of CP memorabilia, the exhibition
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Through Our EyesCasula Powerhouse, November 13-26Sponsored by Liverpool Migrant Resource Centre Multicultural Arts ProjectReviewed by Sujatha Fernandes Through Our Eyes, exhibiting in Sydney's south-west, was organised by professional female
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Yevgeny Yevtushenko — Yevtushenko was born in 1933 in Siberia, the son of a geologist. His first book of poems appeared in 1952 and he has published a huge amount since. Yevtushenko has had a high political profile as a democratic socialist
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Programs of interest on Sydney Community TV (UHF 31) — Perleeka, indigenous Australians' program, nightly, 7pm. Art Experimenta, Mondays, 8pm and 11.30pm, and Tuesdays, 3am and 6.30am. Bent TV, Gay and lesbian program, Thursdays, 10.30pm and
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No Entry: Protest in the ParkA Photo EssayBy Nina LandisIntroduction by John PilgerForeword by Iain StewartPublished by Save Albert Park 1995Pre-order price $40Reviewed by Jeremy Smith No Entry is a public record of the struggle to keep Albert Park a
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By Bronwen Beechey MELBOURNE — In 1907, miners in the nitrate mines of northern Chile went on strike against their deplorable conditions. Eighteen thousand workers and their families marched to the port of Santa Maria de Iquique to seek support. On
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The Hammer and Sickle and the Washing up: Memories of an Australian Woman CommunistBy Amirah InglisHyland House, 1995, 195 pp, $24.95 (hb)Reviewed by Phil Shannon The Communist Party of Australia is no more. It has however, left behind a rich
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Craig Cormick Based on highly reliable international contacts, leaked documents and horoscopes from several TV magazines, Nostradamus' Media Watch presents a highly accurate forecast of political events across the globe. Nigeria forms new heads of
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How to Research Chemicals: A Resource GuideBy Maria B. PelleranoEnvironmental Research FoundationJune 1995US$10 + $7 postageReviewed by Dot Tumney This is produced by the same people as Rachel's Environmental and Health Weekly which is a regularly
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KRS ONEBy KRS OneJive through BMGReviewed by Sujatha Fernandes In 1988, KRS One had a powerful impact on the direction of hip hop with the release of the second album from his group, Boogie Down Productions, entitled By Any Means Necessary. In 1988,