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Forty years after the first equal pay test case, the gap between male and female wages continues to widen. Australian Bureau of Statistics figures, released on May 20, 2010, put the pay gap (as of February 2010) at 18%. Women on average now earn $239.30 a week less than men. The pay gap increased 0.5% over the past quarter (from 17.5%) and 1.5% over the past year (from 16.5%). The gap is now at its highest level since August 1994. This pay gap means, on average, Australian women have to work an extra 66 days to earn the same as men.
Corporate media outlets claim Peru鈥檚 mining boom is doing wonders for the country鈥檚 economy, creating opportunities and making everybody richer. Quite a few Peruvians, mostly situated in the bubble-world of Lima鈥檚 wealthy areas, have been drinking the neoliberal kool-aid. Someone must have forgotten to tell those troublesome recalcitrants out in the provinces that the despoliation of their lands is good for them.
The Stop the War coalition Sydney released the statement below on June 2. * * * 鈥淲e will be there seeing the mission through鈥 鈥 Australian troops will stay in Afghanistan until the 鈥渏ob鈥 is done. This was the response of Prime Minister Julia Gillard to the May 23 death of Sergeant Brett Wood, aged 32. It is the standard response of Australian governments to casualties in the Afghanistan war. The same response was given following the deaths seven days later of Lieutenant Marcus Case, 27, and Lance Corporal Andrew Jones, 25.
Three hundred teachers from across NSW rallied outside NSW Parliament House in Macquarie St on June 4. They were joined by members of the Public Service Association, the Fire Brigade Employees Union, the NSW Nurses Federation and other unionists. The teachers left a session of the New South Wales Teachers Federation (NSWTF) council to protest the Liberal government鈥檚 plan to strip away conditions and limit wage rises of public sector workers. At the rally, the NSWTF councillors declared their support for other public sector workers and the unions NSW campaign against the changes.

More than 40 people attended a meeting on May 22 in the Wollongong suburb of Corrimal titled, 鈥淭he future of local government in Wollongong; can it be community driven and democratic鈥?

麻豆传媒 Weekly鈥檚 Timothy Lawson spoke to Jim Richardson, a member of Sydney Solidarity for Bradley Manning, about the group鈥檚 campaign work. * * * Can you tell me about the Sydney Solidarity for Bradley Manning group?
A big ad campaign 鈥 鈥 began this month to support the federal government鈥檚 proposed carbon tax. The campaign has been organised by a coalition of peak environment and social justice organisations including GetUp!, the Australian Conservation Foundation and the Australian Council of Trade Unions. One of the people featured in the advertisements is actor Cate Blanchett. Her presence attracted the ire of conservative politicians and commentators as soon as the commercials aired.
A Darwin-based asylum seeker support group today called on the Minister for Immigration, Chris Bowen, to honour his promise to remove children from detention by the end of June. In excess of 100 children remain in immigration detention in Darwin. Darwin Asylum Seeker Support and Advocacy Network (DASSAN) spokesperson Kevin Kadirgamar described the situation as "very concerning". "The fact that in excess of 100 children remain in detention in Darwin only weeks out from the Minister's deadline suggests that the government is not serious about its undertaking," he said on June 1.
We chose Professor Noam Chomsky for the 2011 Sydney Peace Prize for inspiring the convictions of millions about ways to achieve those universal human rights, which bolster peace with justice. For more than 50 years he has been a world champion of freedom of speech, of the value of transparency in government and the need to challenge secrecy and censorship. In his study of the political economy of human rights, he exposed state crimes, induced by US foreign policy, across South America, the Middle East and South East Asia.

On June 1, formal Israeli festivities were held around the country to commemorate 鈥淛erusalem Day鈥. One of the main events of the 鈥淛erusalem Day" celebrations is the 鈥淒ance of Flags鈥. Tens of thousands of people, waving Israeli flags, march through Palestinian parts of the city. This year, the marchers chanted slogans such as 鈥渂utcher the Arabs鈥, 鈥渂urn their villages鈥, and 鈥渄eath to the leftists鈥. The marchers also surrounded a mosque, frantically chanting 鈥淢uhammad is dead鈥 and 鈥淭hey are only Arabs, they are only fleas鈥.

Outside Maribyrnong detention centre

Two men were taken to hospital and a third treated at the scene after being injured during a confrontation with police at a refugee rights protest at the Maribyrnong detention centre on May 29.