Homophobic Abbott exposed by ACT same-sex marriage challenge
The ACT has become the first state or territory in Australia to recognise same-sex marriage, in a move that increases the pressure on Tony Abbott and is an important blow against homophobia. Darlene Cox, who is making plans to marry her partner in the ACT, told ABC, “It’s fantastic, it feels great. This is about enhancing my rights.”
We won! Fightback halts tutorial cuts at ANU
Australian National University (ANU) students have set an example in the fight against cuts.
Burnside’s appeals to the powerful won’t win refugee rights
Julian Burnside is a long-term supporter of refugee rights as a lawyer and is a general opponent of the demonisation of refugees. However, his recent proposal for a “Tasmanian solution” is a mistaken attempt to accommodate to government and business views on refugees and appeal to their economic interests.
Punching a hole in Operation Sovereign Borders
The grin has come off Scott Morrison’s face. Journalists openly jeered and Morrison squirmed as his lies about a pregnant Rohingyan woman on Nauru were exposed at his 8 November press briefing.
Sydney Uni anti-racism debate: We need a united fight
The formation of the autonomous Ethno-Cultural and People of Colour Collective (EPOC) at Sydney University has raised an important debate about fighting racism.
Charity man Twiggy not as generous as he makes out
Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest and his wife Nicola were all over the national media in mid-October after donating $65 million to Western Australian universities, Australia’s single largest philanthropic gift.
Teachers in NT vote for more strikes to stop cuts
More than 1800 school teachers in the NT staged a 24-hour strike on 12 November against job losses and cuts estimated to total $47 million next year.
Victorian teachers take action against performance pay
The Victorian Liberal government is set to roll out a form of performance pay for teachers and schools staff.
RMIT digs in for more strike action
University staff continue to pay the price of the cuts to higher education imposed by Labor in April and happily supported by the Liberals. Federal funding to universities will fall by 2 per cent in 2014 and 1.25 in 2015, with a total loss to the sector of $900 million.
Miley Cyrus, sexual exploitation and raunch culture
The controversy over Miley Cyrus’s performance at the MTV Video Music Awards showed all the problems with the ongoing objectification of women.
Pakistan enraged by US drone killings
The United States has again arrogantly defended drone attacks in Pakistan after killing Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud and five others in an attack in North Waziristan. The strike enraged the Pakistani government, coming just as peace talks between the Pakistani government and the group were set to start.
Strike against austerity hits education in Spain
In late October, tens of thousands of students and education workers across Spain went on strike against the latest round of savage cuts and reforms. The “Green Tide”, a growing movement in defence of public education, filled the streets two days in a row chanting “Down with the reforms!” and “More public, less private!”.
Sexism and the myth of male benefits
The resurgence of feminist organising has led to renewed debate about who benefits from sexism, and who has an interest in fighting it, writes Amy Thomas
The Marikana massacre and South Africa since apartheid
The end of Apartheid has not delivered change for South Africa’s black working class. Marikana showed the new divide in the country, writes Lucy Honan
West Papua, Australian complicity and the fight for freedom
Australian support for repression in West Papuans is driven by foreign policy, says Tom Orsag
1913 Dublin lockout: a model of fighting unionism
One hundred years on Phil Chilton argues that the Dublin lockout was a model of effective, militant unionism—but it also showed the problem of the union bureaucracy
One of 20th century’s greatest crimes: Inside Indonesia’s anti-Communist purge
The Act of Killing, Directed by Joshua Oppenheimer
Inside the system
Commission of cutsAbbott's sweeping Commission of Audit, announced in October, is a brazen farce designed to pave the way for cuts and privatisations. The five person Commission is stacked...
Millions join national strike across Indonesia
Over two million workers struck across Indonesia on Thursday and Friday last week. The workers want a 50 per cent wage rise as well as healthcare and an end to contract work and outsourcing.
