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Chinese workers jailed for attempting to organise

By Eva Cheng The Prison Activist Resource Centre and the Institute of Global Communication on July 4 released information concerning the plight of 25 activists in six Chinese provinces or cities. Three workers — Chen Gang, Peng Shi and Liu

Bill Gaffey's work

By Peter Montague Bill Gaffey's work is finished. He died suddenly of a heart attack at age 71 on October 6, 1995, in St Louis. As a result, his libel lawsuit against Rachel's Environment & Health Weekly, and its editor, Peter Montague, has been

The Queensland Greens: suckers or sinners?

By Dave Riley BRISBANE — When the ALP lost office in Queensland in the aftermath of the Mundingburra by-election, many local activists were stunned. The Queensland Greens copped the blame. An early accuser was the West End Neighbourhood News,

Undemocratic changes at Wollongong University

By Peter Norford Johnston WOLLONGONG — In the latest sequence of undemocratic moves initiated by the vice-chancellor, the last meeting of the university council decided to decrease student representation on the Board of Management by half. The

SA campaign to keep Telstra public

A key plank of the Howard government's attacks on the public sector is its proposed partial privatisation of Telstra. In preparation, the job cuts are rumoured to be around 24,000 within 18 months. In South Australia the Keep Telstra Public Alliance,

Action updates

Tree planting memorial SYDNEY — The next tree planting in the HIV/AIDS Memorial Groves in Sydney Park, St Peters, will take place on Sunday, August 18, from 10.30am to 4pm. Friends, lovers and families are invited to plant native seedlings in

Russia's 'party of war' is reborn

By Renfrey Clarke MOSCOW — On July 9 Russian forces launched a huge new offensive in the republic of Chechnya, putting an end to a shaky six-week cease-fire. With lulls due to bad flying weather, the Russian military has continued pouring bombs

New report warns of greenhouse health disaster

By Pip Hinman Heatwaves and the spread of infectious diseases are likely to result from a business-as-usual approach to greenhouse gas emissions, a report by the world's leading health and climate experts has warned. "Climate Change and Human

Loose cannons

Democratic process "I didn't think that people should be disqualified from appointment to important boards or commissions just because they'd supported [me]. That seemed to me to be just the reverse of how the democratic process ought to work."

Young workers form campaign group

By Jodie Combeer ADELAIDE — On July 16, a meeting of young people concerned about Howard's attacks on apprentices and trainees decided to form a new campaign group, Industrial Relations Action Team (IRATe). The meeting heard reports from Young

The folklore of the Sydney Push

Sex and Anarchy: The Life and Death of the Sydney PushBy Anne CoombsViking, 1996, 340 pp., $29.95 (pb)Reviewed by Phil Shannon The Sydney Push is a conspicuous, if ill-defined, part of Australian social folklore. From the late 1940s to the early

Railway workers under threat

By Dennis White Australian National workers face serious doubts about their future following moves by the federal government to investigate the performance of the government-owned enterprise. A letter from AN's chairperson, Jack Smorgen, to federal