December 14 marked the 100th day since the unfair dismissal of Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) construction division delegate Barry Hemsworth from his job at Botany Cranes. The managers used the federal government聮s new anti-union laws to sack Hemsworth for the purported crime of 聯insubordination聰 聴 in fact because he was defending the occupational health and safety standards at the company.
694
Pat Robinson of Oatley won the first prize 鈥 a spectacular $350 hamper 鈥 in Sydney鈥檚 2006 麻豆传媒 Weekly end-of-year raffle. She told GLW that her win was a 鈥渢otal surprise鈥 because she didn鈥檛 even know that she鈥檇 entered the raffle. The winning ticket was purchased as a gift by GLW subscriber and Socialist Alliance member Noel Hazard.
George Browning, the Anglican Bishop of Canberra and Goulburn, said on January 11 that it would not be morally responsible to vote in the next federal election for any party that did not have a credible climate change policy. He was speaking at the 聯Australia as a Neighbour聰 conference in Melbourne, organised by Initiatives of Change, Australia, and attended by 300 people from 17 countries.
The Wilderness Society has called for more government funding and support for the Indigenous Protected Area program following the release on January 9 of an independent report that concludes that IPAs are one of the most effective initiatives in environment protection in Australia.
Nuclear power I
No nuclear plant in the World has survived without massive taxpayer subsidies. It's not an energy solution, it's corporate welfare. John Howard's more interested in pork barrelling his wealthy mates than providing Australians with
Sending shockwaves through the corporate elite, on January 8 Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez declared his government鈥檚 intention of reversing the privatisations that had been carried out by previous governments. Declaring 鈥淲e鈥檙e on our way to socialism, and nothing and no-one can prevent it鈥, Chavez insisted, 鈥淎ll that was privatised, let it be nationalised鈥, according to a January 9 Associated Press report.
While starving Australia聮s public education and health services of funding, the Coalition government is planning to spend well over $200 million on the annual talk shop dressed up as a 聯leaders聮 summit聰 of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) scheduled for Sydney this September.
Mision Vuelvan Caras, literally 聯about-face聰, is a social project 聴 or mission 聴 launched by the revolutionary government of Venezuela in 2004 to train and offer employment to thousands of people. It is changing the lives of a large number of the country聮s citizens, many of whom previously had no formal education or jobs to rely on.
As the bulk carrier, Pilion, docked in Geelong on January 9 with phosphate from Western Sahara, the Australia Western Sahara Association (AWSA) called on the fertiliser company Incitec Pivot to stop violating UN regulations by importing phosphate from Western Sahara, the last colony in Africa.
On December 5, after weeks of speculation, the commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces, Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama announced that he had overthrown the government of Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase in Fiji聮s third military coup in the past 20 years. On January 4, the military restored the powers of President Ratu Josefa Iloilo, so that he could swear in an interim government with Bainimarama as PM.
Pro-choice activists are angry that the federal government has subcontracted parts of its $51 million National Pregnancy Telephone Hotline contract to anti-abortion groups.
- Previous page
- Page 2
- Next page