Issue 944

News

  • Put community health ahead of coal & CSG mining, says Gloucester conference

    Organisers released the statement below on October 29. * * * More than 100 delegates from coal and coal seam gas (CSG) affected communities across NSW have called 鈥淕roundswell Gloucester鈥, the inaugural NSW Coal and CSG Community Conference, a resounding success. Delegates represented groups from as far afield as the Northern Rivers, the Liverpool Plains, the Hunter Valley, metropolitan Sydney and the NSW Southern Highlands.

  • Letter from Refugees: 300 Nauru asylum seekers speak out for justice

    Asylum seekers imprisoned on Nauru . The asylum seekers are currently on hunger strike, demanding that the Australian government process their claims for refugee status. * * * Today, dated 5/11/2012, we all asylum seekers in Nauru Hell are on hunger strikes. Today is our 5th day of hunger strike, and this is very clear from our hunger strike that in which conditions we are.

  • Tamworth protest says O鈥橣arrell broke promises to protect farmland, water

    The statement below was released on November 5 by community groups that took part in a protest outside the NSW government鈥檚 Community Cabinet meeting in Tamworth. * * * Residents of north-west NSW have united in numbers outside the NSW Community Cabinet being held in Tamworth to expose the Barry O'Farrell government鈥檚 broken promises on protecting farmland, water catchments and sensitive environments from coal and gas mining.

  • Justice for Kwementyaye Briscoe 鈥 lay charges against police

    The petition below was released by Trisha Morton Thomas, a family member of Kwementyaye Briscoe, on November 5. . * * * Mr Briscoe was taken into Police custody against his will, purportedly for his own protection, yet died directly as a result of a shocking indifference on the part of NT Police officers to his wellbeing.

  • Media ignores strong result for socialists in local gov. polls

    The Melbourne media have ignored the raised vote for socialists in the October 27 local government elections. The Socialist Party鈥檚 sitting councillor Steve Jolly increased his vote from 29.2% in 2008 to 34.24% in the inner-city City of Yarra council. In other wards of Yarra Council, the Socialist Party increased its vote but did not retain its other sitting councilor, Anthony Main. Since Jolly was elected, his vote has continued to rise. This is because he and the Socialist Party have used the council position to build campaigns in the local area.

  • Geelong local election results more than meets eye

    If a casual observer glanced at the results for the mayoral elections in Geelong, they could be forgiven for thinking that they were a victory for apolitical and conservative politics. The winner, Keith Fagg, comes from a local business family whose name is as close as you could get to landed gentry in Geelong. The next highest pollster鈥檚 claim to fame was that she, Stephanie Asher, had worked for BHP Billiton. All of this in a working class town.

  • Students show concern over University of Tas cuts

    More than 100 students from the University of Tasmania attended a forum on October 16 to question university administrators over plans to restructure the Faculty of Arts. It was organised by students of the university in response to disquiet over potential changes to degree structures and curricula. This came just a week after the faculty dean, Professor Susan Dodds, announced that the existing 10 departments would be amalgamated into three bigger entities.

  • Hundreds on hunger strike on Nauru

    The refugees now holding an indefinite hunger strike in the Nauru detention camp released the statement below on November 2, updating the situation and explaining that several have been taken to the medical room and some have lost conciousness. The first refugees began refusing food on the morning of November 1, and others quickly joined. *** Date:02/11/2012 Time:11:00 pm Fifteen Asylum seekers became unconscious on second day of Hunger Strike in Nauru Hell. Till 7 asylum seekers have been become unconscious and taken to the medical rooms.

  • Bosswatch: Vodafone slashes jobs to be 'leaner'

    Vodafone Australia said on October 29 鈥 10% of its workforce 鈥 by the end of November. Vodafone Australia CEO Bill Morrow said in an attempt to turn around its performance. Vodafone had a $131 million loss during the first half of this year.

  • Campaign spurred on to stop Maccas in the Hills

    The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal last month approved a deeply unpopular McDonald's restaurant in Tecoma in Melbourne's Dandenong ranges.  Since the approval the local community has organised to reclaim space and created a garden, maintained an around-the-clock protest vigil at the proposed site and gathered thousands of signatures on petitions against the proposal. Below is a statement from Murrundindi, Headman of Melbourne鈥檚 Wurundjeri nation against the development. ***

  • Sydney university Aboriginal students rally to defend Koori Centre

    Aboriginal students and their supporters rallied at the University of Sydney on October 31 to demand university management commit to maintaining the Koori Centre. The Koori Centre provides a supportive place for Aboriginal students to work and study together. Students organised the protest in response to information that the centre was slated for closure. The protesters marched from the Fischer library to the university administration building, where they handed over petitions calling for management to stop attacking the centre.

  • Wharfies demand national safety code for maritime industry

    About 60 stevedores and supporters gathered outside the headquarters of Shipping Australia in South Bank, Melbourne, on October 30 to demand that employers agree to introduce a national safety code in the industry. Last month, 56-year-old Newcastle stevedore Greg Fitzgibbon was killed at work when he was crushed by a 20-tonne pallet. The day after this tragic death, the big stevedoring companies, led by employer organisation Shipping Australia, moved to block the introduction of a national code of safety on the waterfront.

  • Protesters say no to Campbell 鈥楴uke-man鈥

    More than 50 people came out to Brisbane鈥檚 Executive Building on the morning of October 29 in a fiery protest against Premier Campbell Newman鈥檚 recent decision to allow uranium mining in Queensland. Under the banner of Queensland Nuclear Free Alliance, the protest called for a complete ban on uranium mining in the state.

  • Reclaim the Night protest returns to Adelaide

    About 350 women took to the streets of Adelaide on October 26 as part of a Reclaim the Night protest. No march was held last year, so it was inspiring to see women of all ages marching through the central business and nightclub districts of Adelaide chanting, 鈥渨hatever we wear, wherever we go 鈥 yes means yes, no means no鈥, and 鈥渨omen united will never be defeated鈥. The event was a women鈥檚 only space. Male supporters were encouraged to show support from the footpath along the march route.

  • Aboriginal students to protest to 鈥楽ave the Koori Centre at Sydney University鈥

    released the statement below on October 29. * * * Join us in saving the Koori Centre. The Koori Centre puts their collective view. The Koori Centre is a space in the University of Sydney on the ground floor of the Old Teachers' College that allows Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to gather in a community environment to study together.

  • Despairing refugees protest, self-harm on Nauru

    An Iranian man became the fourth asylum seeker to attempt suicide in Australia鈥檚 detention camp on Nauru on October 24. He was cut down from hanging himself by guards and other refugees. Other acts of self-harm have also broken out on the island. On October 25, one detainee told 91自拍论坛 Weekly that another man who injured himself with a razor did not get any medical care. The wave of self-harm and hunger strikes has hit the detention camp after only a month of the Labor government鈥檚 return to a 鈥淧acific solution鈥 for refugees.

Analysis

  • Tasmanian forest peace deal collapses

    The two-year negotiations between loggers and environmentalists, which many hoped would end the conflict over Tasmania鈥檚 forests, collapsed on October 27. The Wilderness Society, a key negotiator in the talks, blamed the collapse on the Forest Industries Association of Tasmania (FIAT), which represents logging companies such as Malaysian logging firm Ta Ann and, previously, Gunns Ltd.

  • 91自拍论坛 fights for voice of Nauru refugees

    Last week, 91自拍论坛鈥檚 fledgling video project, 91自拍论坛 TV, was forced to take down a video about protests by asylum seekers jailed on Nauru by the Australian government, because it was threatened with imminent legal action. But we have persisted in getting out the desperate messages from these victims of a brutal and ultimately racist policy, as you can see in this week's issue and in a 91自拍论坛 TV interview with a refugee from Nauru:

  • Alex Greenwich keeps Sydney for Clover

    鈥淣ow there鈥檚 two of us,鈥 declared Alex Greenwich, after he won the NSW seat of Sydney in the October 27 by-election. Greenwich received just under 65% of the two-party preferred vote: a 12% swing to Clover Moore's independents. The by-election was held because of the NSW government鈥檚 鈥淕et Clover Bill,鈥 which banned MPs from sitting on local council. Sydney mayor Clover Moore then had to resign from her seat in state parliament. In his victory speech, Greenwich stood with Moore and spoke of how the attempt to rob Sydney of its independent voice had backfired on the government.

  • How a socialist councillor can make a difference

    Since being elected to the Moreland council in Melbourne, I have been asked by several people whether I can make a difference since I will have only one vote on council. My reply is that socialists on local council or in federal or state parliaments can achieve change only if they use the position to build and support local community and broader campaigns for people鈥檚 rights. At the end of the day, an elected socialist won鈥檛 achieve much if they just rely on negotiations with other councillors or politicians.

  • Vicious cuts threaten vital community services and centres

    Feminists from various organisations and groups gathered outside NSW Parliament House on October 23 to protest the severe cuts the Barry O鈥橣arrell government has proposed for several community organisations. Some of the centres and services that face an uncertain future include the Liverpool Women鈥檚 Resource Centre, which provides information and support to disadvantaged and abused women, and the Margaret Jurd Learning Centre, a non-government school that caters for children with disabilities.

  • PM鈥檚 report on Afghanistan read to an empty parliament

    The Sydney Stop the War Coalition released the statement below on November 2. *** Prime Minister Julia Gillard made her to an almost empty Parliament House on October 31. After 11 years, she insists that the International Security Assistance Force counter-insurgency strategy against the Taliban is 鈥渨orking鈥 and the Afghan National Army is on track to take over security in 2014 鈥 when the Western forces 鈥渓eave鈥.

  • Socialist elected to Moreland council

    Socialist Alliance candidate Sue Bolton was elected to Moreland City Council in Melbourne鈥檚 northern suburbs in the October 27 elections. The election provided a shake-up with the ALP losing three councillors and its outright majority on council. The Greens retained two councillors although their vote dropped in all three wards. The Socialist Alliance gained its first councillor position in Victoria and a Liberal Party member was elected to Moreland Council for the first time. The Democratic Labor Party retained its councillor.

  • Carlo's Corner: Soon, we'll all be unAustralian

    So if the government's bill excising the entire Australian mainland from the migration zone is passed in parliament, I guess we will all be unAustralian. That is one insult used by politicians to describe anything they don't like will now lose its force. Forget Aboriginal people protesting on Australia Day, logically there can surely be no more unAustralian act than legally declaring Australia unAustralia.

  • Refugees say Salvos are wrong about Nauru

    Refugees on Nauru have staged several peaceful but desperate protests in recent weeks to call attention to their worsening conditions. Several refugees have attempted suicide. But allegations have surfaced that staff inside the centre have made attempts to obstruct and interrupt their bid to be heard by the Australian public. One asylum seeker held on Nauru told 91自拍论坛 Weekly that Salvation Army staff stationed in the centre had torn down protest signs assembled by the detainees.

World

  • Papua New Guina: Public opposition delays deep-sea mine project

    The Papua New Guinean government has been forced to reconsider a deep-sea mining project off the PNG coast due to community concerns over environmental destruction. About 24,000 people signed a petition against the Solwara 1 project in the Bismark Sea. The petition was handed to mining minister Byron Chan on October 23, said AAP. The project is run by Canadian company Nautilus Minerals and will mine for mostly copper and gold 1.6 kilometres under the seabed.

  • WikiLeaks leaks secret US detainee policies

    This statement was released by on October 25. * * * Starting on October 25, WikiLeaks begins releasing the 鈥橠etainee Policies鈥: more than 100 classified or otherwise restricted files from the United States Department of Defense covering the rules and procedures for detainees in U.S. military custody.

  • In wake of Sandy, Venezuela sends aid to Haiti, Cuba

    The Venezuelan government has begun to send shipments of over 646 tons of much needed humanitarian aid to Cuba and Haiti after both countries were hit by Hurricane Sandy. The aid includes mostly non-perishable food items and water, as well as machinery to help remove debris. The hurricane first struck the Caribbean last week before heading north to the US. So far, Haiti has been the worst hit by the disaster, counting a death toll of 54 people, followed by 11 in Cuba. (By November 4, the US death toll was well over 100 and growing.)

  • Venezuela: New Chavez term to 'bring big clashes'

    Michael Lebowitz is a professor emeritus of economics at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver and an award-winning author. His most recent book is The Contradictions of 鈥淩eal鈥 Socialism. He was director of the Program in Transformative Practice and Human Development, Centro Internacional Miranda, in Caracas from 2006-2011.

  • Greece: 'Left must unite against austerity, fascism'

    Working people in Greece are facing increasingly attacks on their living standards and civil liberties. The radical left coalition SYRIZA came close to winning government in June elections on an anti-austerity program, but fascist forces are also growing out of the despair. Afrodity Giannakis, a member of the International Workers' Left (DEA), which is part of SYRIZA, spoke to 91自拍论坛 Weekly's Stuart Munckton about the situation. * * *

  • Paraguay: Big march to resist coup-makers

    In a show of force, about 10,000 supporters of the Frente Guasu attended a rally addressed by the party鈥檚 leader, ex-president of Paraguay Fernando Lugo, in the regional city of Coronel Ovideo on October 25. Lugo was deposed in June in a parliamentary coup. Lugo's removal was organised by right-wing forces opposed to progressive changes that threatening to challenge the interests of the traditional oligarchy and US imperialism.

  • Corporate land grabs worsen global hunger

    The people of the west African nation of Guinea suffer high rates of poverty and malnutrition. In some of Guinea鈥檚 regions, more than 40% of people are food insecure. Yet to grow soy and corn for export and biofuel production. A further 1.5 million hectares of .

  • Spain: The inspiring rise of the 'Galician SYRIZA'

    On the morning of October 22, the day after parliamentary elections in the Basque and Galician autonomous communities of the Spanish state, the TV and radio political pundits were struggling to be wise. Their powers of analysis were not tested so much by the rise of EH Bildu, the Basque left-nationalist coalition 鈥 the polls had predicted its 25% vote. The disorienting new phenomenon was result for the Galician Left Alternative (AGE). Not predicted

  • Letter from the US: Global warming hits home with a vengeance

    Hurricane Sandy was the largest tropical storm to ever hit mainland United States. Its extent, power and the fact that it formed so late in the hurricane season so far north in the Atlantic ocean can only be understood in light of global warming caused by the burning of fossil fuels. For many years, scientists have been warning that the rise in water temperature in the oceans would create more powerful storms, and that is what happened in the case of Hurricane Sandy.

  • Frankenstorms and climate change: How the 1% created a monster

    鈥淚f the study to which you apply yourself has a tendency to weaken your affections, and to destroy your taste for those simple pleasures in which no alloy can possibly mix, then that study is certainly unlawful, that is to say, not befitting the human mind. If this rule were always observed; if no man allowed any pursuit whatsoever to interfere with the tranquility of his domestic affections, Greece had not been enslaved; Caesar would have spared his country; America would have been discovered more gradually; and the empires of Mexico and Peru had not been destroyed.鈥 -- Dr.

  • Sandy kills dozens in Haiti, leaves trail of Caribbean devastation

    The devastating impact of Hurricane Sandy on impoverished Haiti has received far less attention than the havoc wrecked by the superstorm on the United States' east coast. This lack of coverage extend as far as US site WFSB.com reporting on October 30 on the "first Sandy-related death", days after as many of 65 people in the Caribbean (51 in Haiti) had been killed by the freak storm. Below, progressive alternative news outlet based in the US, Democracy Now!, looked at Sandy's impact on Haiti and the Caribbean in this October 29 report.

Culture

  • Native Ryme bring heritage to hip-hop

    When you're representing a culture that has lasted 60,000 years, it doesn't matter that your debut album has taken a mere 18. "We've always prided ourselves on coming from a culture that's been a song and dance culture for millennia, you know," says C-Roc, whose rap group, Native Ryme, are only just releasing an album a generation after he formed the band in 1994.

  • Boots Riley's rhyme and reason

    I spoke with the Coup鈥檚 Boots Riley at an auspicious time. Right before calling him, I鈥檇 returned from a downtown rally of thousands of striking Chicago teachers and their supporters.

  • Full-blooded art, antiseptic gallery

    Warhol to Picasso: Fourteen Modern Artists Art Gallery of Western Australia Until December 3 This exhibition brings together 120 of some of the 20th century鈥檚 most important art works that catalogue some critical attempts to break through the bourgeois encirclement of human existence and point towards liberation. Using Spanish artist Pablo Picasso and American Andy Warhol as the convenient gateposts, it allows us to read the rise and fall of the century鈥檚 revolutionary sentiment.