"One could argue that in 20 years we could pay off the foreign debt if we didn't have an immigration program", said Australian Democrat leader and official immigration spokesperson, Senator John Coulter. It may not sound like
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Green parties and electoral alliances around Australia could soon face the alternative of giving up much of their autonomy to a national structure or losing the right to use the name Green in election campaigns. This
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HOBART — The February 1 Tasmanian state election, in which the Liberal Party increased its primary vote by 7.4% to 54.3%, has implications for greens and other progressives working towards an ecologically sustainable and
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Labor, Liberals and even Australian Democrats are now calling for some reduction in migrant intake. The Liberals also propose to deny migrants welfare benefits for two years after their arrival in Australia. Opposition
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Recent attacks on immigration assert that it is costing "the taxpayer" large amounts of money and jobs while living standards are falling and unemployment is above 10% and rising. It appeals at an apparently "non-ideological"
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Political journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal is facing execution in the state of Pennsylvania in what could become the most explicitly political legal slaying since the 1953 execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg for espionage. Committees for the
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Sex discrimination laws fall short Australian sex discrimination laws do not adequately protect women and in some cases even reinforce traditional sexist stereotypes, according to a federal parliamentary report. The Discussion Paper on the
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Comment by Alan A. Parker Two million new jobs needed by the year 2000? Yet, a report prepared recently for the Victorian premier predicts 10% unemployment until then unless major changes are made. The underlying problem is that Australia's
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ACT candidates The "election fever" gripping the ACT rendered comatose a large part of the 200 people gathered to hear election candidates on February 4. Most of the independents aped the Labor and Liberal candidates, showing that they, too,
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Transport curfew for AdelaideADELAIDE — Some suburban transport services are to be dropped and others savagely slashed, according to plans released recently by SA transport minister Frank Blevins. Unions and commuters
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The onset of recession has brought a surge of very dishonest, demagogic politics in the big business media. Greens, Aborigines and immigrants are the main targets of this politics of cynicism. "If today a political party is
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The tax department this week make a ruling — it's called draft ruling 72 — dealing with profits from outside the normal course of a company's business. Now, quite fairly, business has always declared these profits as capital
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More than 20,000 people will be attending the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June. While this major international conference reflects worldwide concern, there are
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Betrayed, not failed Today socialism betrayed is presented to us as a failure. From the outset it was constantly under external pressure. Yet we cannot doubt the efficiency of a great experiment, an attempt to build a fairer
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Mickelberg hopes to untie the stitch Criminal justice — how aptly named Wrongly arrested, verballed and framed Then stuck in a cell to rot there for years While the ones who arranged it pursue their careers But we won't get hysterical
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SYDNEY — "In 1984, when the British government privatised part of British Telecom, more than 2 million Britons bought shares", says one of the ads in the Greiner government's recently launched, $2.5 million privatisation
News
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More than 10,000 people of Macedonian descent rallied in Melbourne on February 1, calling on the federal government to recognise Macedonia's declaration of independence from Yugoslavia. On February 2, up to 8000 attended a
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Toxic incinerator for Newcastle?NEWCASTLE — The city council here may be considering a high-temperature incinerator (HTI) at Kooragang Island, says John Benett of Newcastle Concerned Citizens (NCC). During 1991, the
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No crap "Let's not waste time with a lot of propaganda crap about the national interest. The bottom line is he's running for president to protect his own private interests." — Gabby Villareal, lawyer for Philippines presidential candidate
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120,000 tertiary places are missingMELBOURNE — Around 120,000 students eligible for higher education will not be offered places in universities and colleges because of government funding cuts. For
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MELBOURNE — Environment groups, local councils and residents have reacted angrily to a February 3 "options paper" by the Coode Island Review Panel nominating six possible sites for relocation of the hazardous chemicals
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The south-east old growth forests of NSW in 1969 were the first large area of Australian forest to be allocated to export woodchipping. Since then, national park gains in the region have been concentrated in the unloggable
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The outcome of a case currently before the Human Rights Commission in Canberra could have a huge impact on the status and welfare of women. "For women's health and women's health centres, the consequences could be
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MELBOURNE — The vehicle builders union (VBEF) estimates that at least another 1000 jobs will be lost in related industries as well as the 2000 directly lost as a result of the closure Nissan's Australian car manufacturing operations. Other
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Residents act against sand miningResidents of Diamond Beach, a small town near Taree, have begun a petition campaign against a development application for sand mining by the Mineral Deposits company (a subsidiary of BHP
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WOLLONGONG — Members of the Liquor Trades Union (LTU) and Transport Workers Union (TWU) working in the canteens at BHP's Port Kembla steelworks have voted to remain on strike indefinitely over plans by
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There will be protests against the arrival of two French warships in Sydney on February 23 and 24 to celebrate the arrival of the explorer La Perouse in 1788. Further details are available from the Sydney Peace Squadron, phone (02) 316 5790.
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Red-faced Hewson retreatsSYDNEY — "Listen mate, I grew up from your stage. I'm going to make sure you have the chance to get a job", yelled red-faced, finger-pointing Liberal leader John Hewson outside Randwick Social
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Alternative to the 'red-back and funnel-web'CANBERRA — Democratic Socialist Party candidate Lara Pullin made an impact in her first week of campaigning for the ACT Legislative Assembly elections on February 15. The
Analysis
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Labor's economic statement The Labor Party left was on the right track with its call last week for increased public spending to create employment in the coming February 26 economic statement. A delegation consisting of Senator Bruce Childs and
World
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1992 was supposed to be the year when one huge prosperous market would emerge in western Europe — a market that would lay the basis for giant European companies to match the US and Japan as the most successful exploiters of the
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The torture of detainees in Indonesia, especially during the first days of detention, is not exceptional. In politically unstable regions like Aceh, East Timor and Irian Jaya (West Papua), torture is routine. These are the conclusions of a
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ALGIERS — Arising first among the petty bourgeoisie, intellectuals of lower class origin and small traders, with the support of the traditionalist sectors of the middle bourgeoisie, fundamentalism has become a mass phenomenon.
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MOSCOW — As Russians gasped for breath after their first weeks of price liberalisation, how did they rate their government and its policies? Opinion polls in Moscow and St Petersburg have now provided some of the answers.
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MOSCOW — With the massacre of real wages since the new year, labour unions in Russia and the other republics of the former Soviet Union are facing the toughest test in their recent history. The response by union officials
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Green information for government The Government Purchasing Project in the United States, founded by Ralph Nader, wants to hear from groups and individuals about innovative ways to make government a "green" consumer. It would like specific
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Five Australian government ministers visiting Papua New Guinea have demanded, and received, strong assurances that the government there will step up "internal security" to protect the investments of Australian big businesses.
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WELLINGTON — The newly formed Alliance of progressive third parties continues to perform extraordinarily well in opinion polls, suggesting that this new formation is likely to turn the country's two-party system into a
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ALGIERS — The Algerian establishment has responded to the victory of the fundamentalist Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) in the first round of the legislative elections by cancelling the second round and setting up a military
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Stepped-up US pressure on Cuba and the increasing desperation of the island nation's economic situation are prompting a surge in solidarity organising around the US. New groups are forming specifically to work for an end to
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MOSCOW — In the main street of Novosibirsk in western Siberia, the protest march was a kilometre in length. Thousands of members of the city's labour collectives were demanding the restoration of affordable prices for
Culture
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Debts By Stefo Nantsou Zeal Theatre, Civic Playhouse, Newcastle, February 17 & 18 Reviewed by Frank Razmovski Stefo Nantsou's play of corporate and political corruption sketches the past 30 years of Australian history as an epic cartoon
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By Miguel D'Souza The movie Boyz 'n' the Hood has brought the realities of black America to all who have seen it. Director John Singleton has created a picture of the struggle to survive in Amerikkka that is chilling in its portrayal of the
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Mythical Past, Elusive Future: History and Society in an Anxious Age By Frank Furedi Pluto Press, London and Concord, Mass, 1992 Reviewed by Ian Bolas Reason, progress, change — the words are rarely spoken today without an apologetic
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Socialism: past and future By Michael Harrington NAL/Dutton. $9.95 Reviewed by Craig Brittain It was characteristic of Michael Harrington that when he learned he was dying of cancer in 1988, he began to write what he knew would be his last
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The Melbourne International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival (at the National Theatre, St Kilda, until February 15) presents a challenging program of local and international film dealing with diverse subjects ranging from