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On February 21, around 2000 rallied in Melbourne against the government's inhumane treatment of asylum seekers follows the death of one asylum seeker and several injuries in violence in an Australian offshore immigration detention camp on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea. Speakers included Greens MP Adam Brandt; Mohammad Baqiri, a refugee detained on Nauru under John Howard; State Secretary of the Textile Clothing and Footwear Union, Michele O鈥橬eil and Pamela Curr of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre.

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Abbott drought tour.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott recently toured drought stricken areas of north-west New South Wales and southern Queensland, promising that his government was close to finalising subsidies to farmers affected by the drought.

Lock The Gate campaigner with placard.

The Wilderness Society released this statement on February 20.

Solar panels and wind turbines.

The federal Coalition government is conducting a review of Australia's Renewable Energy Target (RET), which aims to have 20% of Australia鈥檚 energy produced from renewables by 2020.

About 700 people attended a public forum called 鈥淲e are one, but we are many: Working towards a humane refugee policy鈥 hosted by the Combined Refugee Action Group (CRAG) in Geelong on February 18.

Murdoch Universiity administration has acted to close down student club stalls in the academic orientation week prior to classes beginning and the clubs and societies "O-day". Resistance: Young Socialist Alliance was one club that set up a small stall on February 17. Campus security were called to remove the stall from campus. Resistance members complied with the request and packed up the stall, settling to hand out leaflets promoting events on campus. Murdoch University then demanded the leafleting stop.
Oil workers march in support of the government

鈥淲HERE IS MURDEROUS DICTATOR #NICOLASMADURO HOLDING #LEOPOLDOLOPEZ ?IS LOPEZ TORTURED,DEAD?INSANE MONSTERS CAN鈥橳 BEAR PPL KNOWING THE TRUTH?鈥 So tweeted singer, actress and renowned Venezuelan political analyst Cher on February 19. Cher was far from the only celebrity to express support for the right-wing protests in Venezuela, and such tweets symbolise how much the source of disinformation and attacks on Venezuela and its democracy has shifted from mainstream to social media.

Socialist Alliance candidates Chris Jenkins (left) and Alex Bainbridge.

The High Court declared last year's senate election in Western Australia void on February 20. Western Australians will head to the polls as early as March 29 to re-elect six senators, because after 1300 ballots went missing during the count, it was impossible to determine the last two senate spots from the election.

Anti-government protesters chant slogans during a rally in Sarajevo February 9.

Three years ago, the Museum of Broken Relationships was set up in Zagreb by former lovers Olinka Vistica and Drazen Grubisi to display items symbolising the end of various personal relationships.

The Socialist Alliance released this statement February 19. *** Over the weekend of February 15-16, the socialist youth organisation Resistance merged into the Socialist Alliance of which it was previously an affiliate. Members of the Socialist Alliance aged 26 and under are now part of a new youth wing called 鈥淩esistance: Young Socialist Alliance鈥.
Moreland Socialist Alliance councillor Sue Bolton.

Sue Bolton was elected to Moreland City Council in north Melbourne in November 2012 on the platform of 鈥渃ommunity need not developer greed鈥. As a member of the Socialist Alliance, Bolton sees it as important to take up the 鈥渂read and butter鈥 issues as well as broader social justice issues.