2016

For two days at the end of November, pro-refugee protests disrupted the final parliamentary sitting.

Tamil asylum seekers targeted under ‘fast track’ laws

In early November activists rallied in Brisbane to highlight the plight of Tamil asylum seekers and the threat to return them to danger in Sri Lanka.

Labor’s attack on 457 workers is racist scapegoating

Bill Shorten has stepped up his attack on 457 visas in the wake of Trump’s election in the US.

Anti-union ABCC is back, but where was the fight?

The Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) is set to return, with the aim of breaking the power of the construction unions.

Aboriginal child removals feeding profits and prisons

A Royal Commission into the “juvenile justice” and “child protection” systems in the Northern Territory, sparked by revelations of torture in the Don Dale detention centre, continues to reveal stories of horrendous abuse. Meanwhile, a further Four Corners investigation has shone the spotlight on violence kids are suffering in residential care.

Trump’s win shows the danger of racist right

Trump’s victory has sent shock and disbelief across the world. His election has emboldened Pauline Hanson and far right parties everywhere.

Report from the US: Wave of protests show hope for resisting Trump

Trump’s election is being met with a wave of resistance all over the US. Angry marches blocked downtown LA every evening the week after the election.

Trump’s protectionism no way to save jobs

One of Trump’s key pledges was to tear up trade deals, condemning them for sending American jobs offshore.

Duterte pivots from US to China to play off both powers

After months of growing tension between the Philippines and the US, Filipino president Rodrigo Duterte announced in late October he was cutting ties with the US, one of the Philippine’s closest allies, and leading a pivot towards China.

Fidel Castro: 1926-2016

History must judge him both as the freedom fighter whose defiance humiliated US imperialism and as the ruler of a repressive, unequal society.

NDIS: market policies no answer to crisis in disability

The introduction of the NDIS is being used to privatise services and drive down workers’ wages and conditions.

75 years since Pearl Harbour: How the US pushed Japan towards war

The war in the Pacific began 75 years ago with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour. But it was fundamentally a war between two powers for dominance of Asia, writes Tom Orsag

We have to talk about Gonski: Let’s have a real fight for public education

The Gonski funding model allows the divide in education to continue, and does not challenge the flawed testing regime, argues Lucy Honan

Ford exposes a sexist society, but how do we fight it?

Feminist and media personality Clementine Ford’s first book Fight Like a Girl has gained enormous attention since its publication in October.

Instrument of power: How Mitchell’s Australian shaped a ruling class agenda

It’s often said that journalism is the first rough draft of history. But when a book is by a very senior Murdoch journalist, you have to wonder whose history...

Take up the fight to Turnbull’s cuts and anti-union ABCC

Turnbull is sinking further in the polls, with just 30 per cent of voters now satisfied with his performance. On top of this, Tony Abbott has stepped up his efforts to undermine Turnbull and destabilise the government.

Inside the system

Minister uses government car to chauffeur pets; Cover-ups and police aggression under investigation; Hockey bills taxpayers for childcare; Last Tiananmen prisoner released; Milk destroyed due to ‘oversupply’; Children in poverty growing; Things they say

One Nation backs big business wish list

One Nation market themselves as being against the elites and supposedly representing “the people... ignored by the two party system”. But the Liberals’ push for industrial relations “reform” is rapidly exposing their true colors.

Strikes not arbitration needed in public service

Workers in Immigration and Border Protection are headed to compulsory arbitration, after three years of bargaining across the federal public sector where there government has refused to even negotiate.

Bring them all here—Kill Turnbull’s refugee ban bill

Just when you thought that the Coalition could not be any more grubby, Malcolm Turnbull has announced that he intends to ban any refugee or asylum seeker sent to an offshore processing centre after 19 July 2013 from ever coming to Australia.

Word games won’t work to shift opinion on refugees

In 2015, the Melbourne-based Asylum Seeker Resource Centre commissioned a major research project, “To find a better way to talk about people seeking asylum". However, we cannot duck the difficult questions like deaths at sea or the talk of people smuggling networks.

SCA occupiers out after 65 days of disruption

Police have ended the student occupation of the Dean’s Office and Admin building at Sydney College of the Arts after 65 days. But the fight to save the art school is not over.

Right’s crusade to let hate speech off the leash resumes

The Australian newspaper has reopened the campaign to scrap section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act following a complaint against its cartoonist Bill Leak.

Turnbull takes up Abbott’s attack on renewable energy

Malcolm Turnbull has not just adopted Abbott’s policies on climate change, he is taking them further, as his government wages war on renewable energy in the wake of the September state-wide blackout in South Australia.

Trump’s foul sexism mirrors the sexism of the system

The outrage against Donald Trump’s revolting sexism has dealt a possibly fatal blow to his presidential campaign.

Imperialist powers feed Syria’s war

Russia and the Assad regime are continuing their horrific campaign of carpet bombing against Aleppo.

Mass protests defeat anti-abortion law in Poland

Mass protests and a “women’s strike” forced Poland’s right-wing government to back down on anti-abortion legislation in October.

Who were the Black Panthers?

The Black Panther Party inspired millions of black Americans to stand up to racism, argues Matt Meagher, but their strategy for revolution wasn’t up to the task

Nationalism and the end of White Australia

Although Australian nationalism has changed to try to incorporate a multiracial nation, the culture of White Australia remains dominant, argues James Supple

NT Royal Commission—Fund Aboriginal services to stop abuse of kids

More shocking evidence of abuse of Aboriginal children at the hands of both the “juvenile justice” and “child protection” systems has emerged through Royal Commission hearings in the Northern Territory.

‘Poofter bashing’ was a sport, and police were in the game

A swathe of murders rocked the LGBT community in Sydney in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. So it was encouraging when SBS announced a series, Deep Water, focusing on the killings. The drama, however, is extremely disappointing.

Turnbull flounders—but Labor won’t fight his cuts

Malcolm Turnbull is floundering. Divisions within the Coalition, his own diminished authority and an unpopular political agenda have seen his standing in the polls drop further.

Inside the system

Richest schools among most over-funded; Trump profits from presidential tilt; PR firm paid millions for covert propaganda; One in five bosses a psychopath; The $15 million ‘Toorak downsizer’; Anti-union staff join unionists to reject pay deal; Australia steals more kids than anywhere in world

Liberals’ embrace legitimises Hanson’s racism

The Essential poll showing 49 per cent support for Pauline Hanson’s call to ban Muslim immigration caused widespread shock. Even if it slightly exaggerates the figure, it’s clear there is a pressing need to combat Islamophobia. Hanson is far from solely responsible for this.

Plebiscite failure puts heat on Turnbull over equal marriage

Malcolm Turnbull’s release of the details of his planned plebiscite on same-sex marriage has only hardened opposition to it.

Shut down production to win CUB 55 jobs

Workers are in their fourth month of picketing outside the brewery for reinstatement at their original wages and conditions.

Grassroots campaign wins Mojgan’s freedom

A two-year long “Free Mojgan” campaign won the release of 22-year-old Iranian asylum seeker, Mojgan Shamsalipoor, from immigration detention on 21 September.

Manus detention in turmoil—again

The Manus Island detention centre has been thrown into turmoil yet again, as PNG and Australian immigration reshuffle and tighten detention arrangements inside the centre. Immigration is trying to force all so-called “double negatives” to be separated and kept in Mike Compound.

Courts and international law won’t end offshore detention

The scale of the abuse revealed in the Nauru files has led many to ask whether there is some way to use the courts, or international law, to end offshore detention.

ACTU insider blasts union focus on electoral campaigns

Having left the ACTU, Tim Lyons, its former assistant secretary for six years, has served up a critique of the union leadership’s inability to do the basic organising necessary to re-build unions, in an article in the September issue of Meanjin.

Kirra Voller speaks out: Dylan needed help, not prison

Images of Dylan Voller hooded and strapped to a chair in Don Dale juvenile detention centre stand as a symbol of the terrible abuse inflicted on Aboriginal children and youth in Australian prisons. Kirra Voller, Dylan’s sister, spoke to Solidarity about her family’s experiences and the need to continue the fight.

More bombing won’t end the war in Syria

Hundreds have died in recent weeks as Russia and Syria have unleashed a horrific wave of bombing on rebel held areas of Aleppo.

Anti-refugee backlash fuels German far right

The far right Alternative for Deutschland (AfD) won 14.2 per cent of the vote in September’s elections to enter Berlin’s state parliament for the first time.

Students strike to save SCA

Students at SCA have staged a two-day student strike against plans to close their campus at Callan Park. As part of the “day of disruption”, a gigantic banner was dropped from the Quadrangle building and piles of clay turned into a sculpture at the entrance. A tent city, complete with a DJ, was set up on the front lawns.

Stalemate with right-wing as Corbyn re-elected leader

British left-winger Jeremy Corbyn has won a landslide victory to be re-elected as Labour Party leader. He actually increased his share of the vote to 62 per cent despite a campaign by the right-wing that blocked 130,000 members from voting, most of whom were pro-Corbyn.

Bernie Sanders—What happened to the revolution?

Bernie Sanders’ loss in the Democratic primaries exposes the true nature of the party—and why efforts to change it from within are a dead end, argues Solidarity

Women, work and militancy in World War II

The role of women in war production challenged entrenched gender divisions and gave women workers newfound confidence to demand equal wages, argues Lucy Honan

Don’t dismiss science behind drugs and treatment of mental illness

Heather Baldwin responds to our article on mental illness from last issue

Response: Answers on mental health not in our genes

Chris Breen responds to comments on his article in our last issue

Step up the fightback—Turnbull can be beaten

As parliament resumed, Malcolm Turnbull faced headaches at every turn. His near election defeat has crippled his political authority.

Bring them here: No third countries, no turnbacks

In September, Independent Tasmanian MP Andrew Wilkie became the latest politician to be denied a visa to visit Nauru. Wilkie says it shows that the government has something to hide. That’s certainly true.

Inside the system

Unionists banned from using the word ‘scab’; Apple says $19 billion in unpaid tax is “crap”; Nine Vice Chancellors rake in over $1 million; Turnbull to unleash more Middle East bombing; Comatose Aboriginal man handcuffed to hospital bed; Top CEOs make $5.5 million each

Wake up call for the left in NSW Greens

The right-wing of the NSW Greens has declared war on the left. It is clear that the right of the party now thinks it can use Justin Field’s election to go the offensive.

Support floods in as students occupy to save SCA

Sydney College of the Arts (SCA) students are entering their third week occupying administration offices. The campaign is pushing more and more people to publicly condemn the university.

Kalgoorlie rages against racism after 14-year-old run down

The murder of 14-year-old Elijah Doughty in Kalgoorlie has shone another spotlight on the brutal racism inflicted on Aboriginal children in Australia.

Pile pressure on Turnbull as plebsicite plan falters

The Liberals’ plans for a plebiscite on equal marriage are now in serious doubt, with both The Greens and Nick Xenophon’s party deciding to vote against it.

Public servants strike for 24 hours

Thousands of federal public servants were set to strike as Solidarity went to press, continuing the campaign against plans to cut working conditions in exchange for a miserable 2 per cent a year pay rise.

Striking back against the new economy at Deliveroo

Around 200 workers at Deliveroo in London stopped the imposition of a new unfair work contract in August after six days of strikes. Their victory showed that even workers in the new so-called “gig economy” can still organise collectively to fight back.

Burkini ban deepens Islamophobia in France

Several beach towns in France have banned the burkini, a full-body swimsuit worn by some Muslim women. This comes after years of restrictions on what Muslim women can wear in France.

Imperialist carve up as Turkish tanks enter Syria

Turkish tanks, backed by US air strikes, have swept into northern Syria and attacked Kurdish YPG forces.

Fifty years since the Gurindji strike: Unions and the fight for land rights

The Gurindji walk off, which launched the Land Rights movement, showed the potential for fusing trade union and anti-racist struggles, argues Paddy Gibson

Captured by parliament: Why MPs betray the cause

The nature of parliament exerts conservative pressures on left-wing MPs, as the history of sending them into parliament shows, writes James Supple Most people who want change look to parliament...

Mental illness and the sickness of capitalism

Mental illness has become incredibly widespread because capitalism is a fundamentally alienating and sick system, argues Chris Breen Over the next two years the Turnbull government will cut over $140...

The Boer War—Australian atrocities for empire

The hellholes on Manus Island and Nauru can trace their lineage from Australia’s participation in the world’s first concentration camps—more than 100 years ago on the South African veldt.

Editorial: Turnbull’s weakness our chance to force change

Malcolm Turnbull has been left weak and humiliated by the election result. Turnbull will be constantly looking over his shoulder, worried about whether any of his MPs will break ranks and about his electoral popularity. The government will be vulnerable to public pressure.

SCA students defeat merger but fight not over

The campaign to save Sydney College of the Arts (SCA) has dealt a serious blow to the University of Sydney’s plan to shut the art school, but the fight is not over.

Fight over Greens’ direction breaks out over NSW pre-selection

The NSW Greens are in serious turmoil over the pre-selection for a vacant NSW upper house seat, created by the tragic death of left-wing MP John Kaye from cancer in May.

Inside the system

The “exclusion games” begin in Rio de Janeiro; Young Libs in Vocational Education Scam; Cops draw guns on black Pokemon Go player; NSW prison population at record levels; Police could ban people from mosques on a whim

Keep up the pressure to shut Manus and Nauru

A joint report from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch has damned Australia’s treatment of refugees and asylum seekers on Nauru. More than 20 of the 58 people interviewed had been attacked by locals. Refugees are preyed upon, attacked and robbed with impunity.

Polar Fresh pickets win gains in strike against Coles

After a decisive three day strike, workers at a cold storage warehouse for Coles in Melbourne have won wage rises and more secure jobs.

CUB workers offered jobs back with 65 per cent pay cut

Maintenance workers have been picketing the Carlton & United Breweries plant in Melbourne for the past seven weeks after they were sacked and offered their jobs back with a 65 per cent pay cut.

Pull out all stops as CPSU starts new round of strike action

CPSU members in the Immigration and Border Protection will kick off a new wave of industrial action starting Friday 12 August. Other public servants will join in, with members meetings in Tax and other agencies at end of August, culminating in a major APS-wide strike on 9 September, including rallies.

WA government confirms plans to close communities

The WA government has confirmed plans to halt services to hundreds of remote Aboriginal communities and to force residents to move to larger towns.

Black Lives Matter protests rage against racist police

Thousands have taken to the streets of US cities in a new wave of Black Lives Matter protests, enraged by the police murder of two more black men.

People beat back Turkish coup attempt but danger still ahead

A battle is taking place in Turkey to decide who will gain in the wake of an attempted military coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last month.

Refugees not to blame for attacks in Europe

Politicians and the media are fanning a backlash against refugees and demanding more security measures after a horrific series of killings in Germany and France.

Strikes against O’Neill over corruption and cuts in PNG

The political crisis in PNG over Prime Minister Peter O’Neill’s alleged corruption continues to escalate. Workers staged strikes in July and O’Neill faced down a no confidence motion in parliament.

Fighting racism and Islamophobia: How can we stop Pauline Hanson?

Mass protests and campaigning to debunk and expose her racism is key to driving back Pauline Hanson, and the mainstream Islamophobia that feeds her, argues James Supple

Don Dale Kids—Victims of the NT Intervention

Skyrocketing rates of Aboriginal imprisonment, child removal and social catastrophe have been produced by resurgent assimilationist policies argues Paddy Gibson

Lessons from women’s liberation in the US

She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry, originally released in 2014, has played to dozens of sold out screenings in Australia, and is now streaming on Netflix.

Only traces on show of Rivera and Kahlo’s revolutionary art

Anyone who has heard of Diego Rivera’s stunning and controversial murals, or of Frida Kahlo’s intense explorations of oppression and sexuality will want to see the Art Gallery of NSW exhibition featuring the two Mexican artists.

Editorial: Weak and divided—the Liberals can be beaten

The election has delivered a savage blow to Malcolm Turnbull and the Coalition government.

Inside the system

Sunrise paid Hanson for election comment; Billionaire responds to election result by calling for dictatorship; New MP Linda Burney oversaw record child removals; Schools run by Christian cult get more funding than public schools; Hillary proposes debt relief for ‘start-up’ founders; 7-11 bosses spend $3 million on property while robbing workers; US proposes social media check at the border

Labor promised to fund services, but also backed cuts

“Labor is back”, claimed a triumphant Bill Shorten in his election night speech. But in truth, the result was Labor’s second lowest primary vote in history. Of an overall 3.71 swing against the Coalition, only 2.27 per cent went to Greens and Labor.

Greens’ moderate electoralism a road to nowhere

“It’s only a matter of time” before more seats go Green, leader Richard Di Natale said, after missing out on any new seats in the election. Given other independents and minor parties picked up record votes, this result was a disappointment.

Hanson fed off Turnbull’s racism and rage at political elite

There has been widespread shock at the news that Pauline Hanson has won a Senate seat in Queensland. Her racist One Nation party could take up to three seats in the upper house, including in NSW.

Pressure back on for parliamentary vote on equal marriage

The close election result has thrown the issue of equal marriage back into uncertain territory.

Kingmaker Xenophon’s sympathies are with the Right

Nick Xenophon will be a kingmaker in the new parliament after winning around 29 per cent of the vote in South Australia.

Turnbull hanging by a thread—where now for the refugee campaign?

In the last weeks of the federal election, Turnbull, increasingly desperate for votes, played the refugee card. But it didn’t work. Rather than secure the election, the Liberals lost seats by the bucketload.

Hundreds of thousands died in Iraq: Blair lied—and so did Howard

The Chilcot report into Britain’s involvement in Iraq has overwhelmingly condemned the decision to go to war. And everything the report says about Tony Blair also applies to then Australian Prime Minister John Howard.

Building the fight to ‘Let SCA stay’

Four hundred students marched on the University Senate meeting on 4 July against plans to close Sydney College of the Arts (SCA). University of Sydney management has released plans to move SCA and close its current site in Callan Park, Rozelle.

Time to reignite CPSU campaign

The severely weakened Coalition government should give confidence to unionists in the federal public service.

Brexit vote a revolt against the elite

Britain’s vote to leave the European Union has caused a political earthquake. The far right has tried to claim credit for the vote. Cory Bernardi was quick to tweet his support for the racist right-wing UKIP leader, Nigel Farage.

Corbyn stares down Labour plotters after Brexit vote

Britain’s vote to leave the EU has opened up a profound political crisis. But just when the Tories were weak and divided, the right wing of the parliamentary Labour Party instead chose to turn on left-wing leader Jeremy Corbyn.

US corporate giant humbled after 45 day strike

US unions scored a significant victory when 39,000 workers from the Communications Workers of America and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers humbled the telecommunications giant Verizon after a solid 45 day strike.

Fallujah assault deepens Iraq’s sectarian divide

Civilians fleeing Fallujah have been tortured and abused by Shiite militias, inflaming further the country’s sectarian divide. Iraqi government troops recaptured the city in June, driving Islamic State fighters from the city.

Why Islam is not to blame for homophobia

Singling out Islam or religion in general misunderstands where homophobia comes from and why it persists, argues Amy Thomas.

Hillary Clinton—the best President US capitalism could ask for

Hillary Clinton reflects the true values of the Democratic party, argues Lachlan Marshall.

Australian neo-colonialism and corruption in PNG

The legacy of Australian colonial control has left PNG underdeveloped and prone to political corruption, writes James Supple.

Exposing a racist history but conflicted on solutions for today

Stan Grant’s book is a memoir, a conflicted memoir that sometimes reads like he is talking to himself, as much as he is talking to his country.

Who are The Greens? What the numbers tell us

Stewart Jackson has set out to examine The Greens’ transformation from a small party linked to social movements to a professional electoral party. He studies the changes in internal party structures and in attitudes and activities of members.

All out to make sure it’s time up for Turnbull

There’s now a real chance the Liberals will lose the election on 2 July. As the election campaign has dragged on, it’s become clearer and clearer that Malcolm Turnbull stands for handouts to big business and the top end of town.

Inside the system

Cops buy up sound ray anti-protest cannons; WA communities given poison water; Sent home for not wearing heels; Economic crisis caused 500,000 cancer deaths; Phillip Ruddock bust in kids’ playground; Chicken workers forced to wear diapers

Changes target negative gearing rort, but housing still unaffordable

Negative gearing saves the rich billions in tax each year. It allows those who can afford investment properties to reduce their tax.

Construction union’s pay victory what Turnbull wants to stop

Construction workers in Victoria have secured a 5 per cent pay rise each year for three years in a new Enterprise Bargaining Agreement signed with major builders.

Victory as Safe Schools founder reinstated

Just days after her suspension, a combination of a legal challenge, staunch union support, and a wave of anger on social media, forced La Trobe management to back down and drop the allegations against Roz Ward.

Dutton’s racism backfires, but refugees are an election issue

In true Liberal fashion, as the election gets closer and Turnbull sags in the opinion polls, they have reached for the refugee card.

New protests on Manus as Australia stalls on closing the centre

Hundreds of asylum seekers and refugees have joined together for the biggest protest inside the Manus detention centre since the mass hunger strike of 2015, following the PNG Supreme Court ruling that it was unlawful and must close.

The Big McRipOff—retail workers stripped of penalty rates

Australia’s biggest companies are raking in profits while keeping their workers some of the lowest paid in the country, signing agreements with the shoppies union, the SDA, that undermine penalty rates for weekends and shifts.

New nuclear waste dump fight begins in South Australia

South Australia is being targeted as the potential site for two new nuclear waste dumps.

Watch out, democracy: Casino Mike on the warpath

Thousands took to the streets in Sydney in May to vent their rage at “Casino Mike”—NSW Premier’s Mike Baird, so dubbed thanks to his kickbacks for Sydney’s casinos and developers amidst his repressive lockout laws, Westconnex motorway plan, boosts to police powers and tree clearing in Sydney’s east.

European Union: Britain should leave this bosses’ club

Divisions in Britain’s governing Conservative Party have forced a referendum on 23 June over whether to continue membership of the European Union (EU). The EU is a capitalist institution with neo-liberalism hard-wired into it that the left should not support.

The French resistance that could take down a government

A wave of strikes and protests to defend workers’ rights is causing a crisis for France’s Labour-type government. President Francois Hollande’s proposed Work Law increases working hours and gives bosses more power to sack workers.

Authoritarian thug the Philippines’ new president

The Philippines has a new president-elect. Brash and controversial, Rodrigo Duterte claims to represent the interests of regional areas against the dynasties of “Imperial Manila” and has described himself as a “socialist”.

A Greens-Labor coalition? Parliament, elections and running the system

The Greens are right to side with Labor above the Liberals, but taking part in coalition governments is no way to win meaningful change, argues James Supple

1936 and the occupation of the factories: How workers’ unity set France on fire

Workers’ unity was able to defeat fascism and take control of the factories, but a Left government made sure France’s 1936 movement was derailed, writes Feiyi Zhang

Robots, universal income and the future of work

The way to deal with the threat to jobs from new technology is to build union power in the workplaces, argues Miro Sandev

Muhammad Ali—the life of a people’s champion

Muhammad Ali captivated the world when he became world heavyweight boxing champion in 1964. He mixed extraordinary grace and speed in the ring with a larger than life personality outside it.

Must see insight into the reality of offshore detention

Chasing Asylum provides a powerful and emotional look at the human impact of Australia’s cruelty to refugees.

Turf the toff Turnbull and build a fightback

Turnbull has called an election on the back of a budget tailor-made for the rich. While there is less open savagery than in Tony Abbott’s hated 2014 budget, the priorities are clear.

Turnbull’s budget delivers for business and the rich

The centrepiece of Turnbull’s budget is handouts to business and high income earners. But for workers and the poor there are only cuts.

Sackings and slave labour: Morrison’s ‘jobs budget’

Scott Morrison said his budget was all about jobs. But his internships scheme has been widely ridiculed as turning young people into slave labour.

Billions in tax rorts for the rich still untouched

The 2016 Budget robs the poor to pay the rich. Its cuts to social welfare and other government payments and programs all had one target in mind—to fund tax cuts for big business. The handouts to business will cost $48 billion over ten years.

Inside the system

Centrelink stuff up hits thousands of students; NSW cops abandon 8-year-old in wagon; 16-year-old terror suspect egged on by cops; Student study exposes racist cops; Rich to skip airport queues under new plan; Major Liberal donor caught in Panama papers

Manus will close: Offshore detention in tatters

The decision by the PNG Supreme Court means that one half of the government’s offshore processing regime is finished, writes Ian Rintoul.

Alternatives to detention and deterrence of refugees

Both major parties remain firmly committed to the offshore detention and deterrence of refugees coming here. So what is the alternative?

Turnbull backs big corporates over safety and truckies’ pay

In April the Liberals abolished the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal (RSRT), in another gift to big business.

Sacked for being Australian? No sacked for being union

Since February, the maritime union’s ad “Sacked for Being Australian” has been playing on TV and radio, and is part of a marginal seat campaign saying the union is fighting for “Australians and Australian jobs’”. But the ad, and the nationalist ideas behind it, are counter-productive to building a real fight for jobs.

Patrick threatens wharfies with nationwide lockout

Patrick has threatened wharfies at its container terminals with an indefinite lockout in response to any further industrial action, as a bitter dispute over a new agreement drags on.

Borroloola youth step up the fight for climate justice

Padraic Gibson spoke to three young leaders from Borroloola in the NT, Scott McDinny, Nathan Fitzpatrick and Conrad Rory, about the community's fight against the mining and gas fracking that is destroying their land

Obituary: John Kaye 1955-2016, Greens MP

John Kaye’s death has robbed the left of one of our most effective campaigners writes Greens member Bruce Knobloch.

Nuit Debout—France’s new movement challenging politics as usual

A promising new protest movement has emerged in France. Triggered by new labour laws which drastically favour employers, the “Nuit Debout”—“up all night”—movement started on 31 March with the occupation of a central Paris square after a union-called demonstration

Protests in Egypt met with brutal repression

Protests took to the streets of Egypt in April despite a ban on demonstrations. The coordination and determination of the mobilisations marks a shift in the confidence of the opposition to the regime.

Workers’ protests grow as Chinese economy falters

Social conflict and working class mobilisation in China are set to intensify as its once impressive economy decelerates and company profits decline.

Can planning replace the market

Solidarity looks at how a socialist planned economy that puts the needs of people and planet first could work

No matter who wins the election: It’s the rich who rule

The rich run society in the interest of profit—and we can’t vote them out come July, explains James Supple

Unions and the 1926 British general strike

Ninety years on, Vivian Honan discusses the 1926 general strike, and how faith in left-wing union officials produced a devastating setback

The horrible history of the Assad regime

Lachlan Marshall explains the Syrian regime’s history of deals with imperialism and attacks on its own working class in order to boost its own wealth and power

Liberals’ budget means more fees and cuts ahead for universities

Treasurer Scott Morrison didn’t mention higher education in his budget speech. But major reforms have simply been delayed one more year, until the beginning of 2018. The Liberals are hoping to keep their plans quiet until after the election.

Editorial: Throw out millionaire Malcolm

The wheels have come off Malcolm Turnbull, as he fumbles, stumbles, and slides in the polls. Newspoll has the Liberals behind Labor at 51-49 for the first time since Turnbull became PM. Turnbull’s personal approval rating is in freefall, with just 38 per cent approving of his performance.

Inside the system

Hockey makes $1 million on tax-payer funded house;Sydney and Melbourne millionaire magnets; Aboriginal people starving in Utopia; DHS social media witch-hunt fails; Liberia outsources entire education system: Things they say

Left union leader on ABCC: ‘The Greens’ actions are helping the government’

Peter Simpson, Queensland ETU State Secretary spoke to Solidarity about The Greens’ decision to pass Senate voting reform, ignoring the risk that this gives Malcolm Turnbull his best chance yet of passing the ABCC legislation.

Unions, the working class and the future of The Greens

The Greens have hit another fork in the road, and taken the wrong turn. Their decision to prioritise Senate reform, despite the risk of bringing back the anti-union Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) has done serious damage to their credibility with unionists.

How unions fought back the ABCC last time

The ABCC has only ever set out to criminalise basic union organising on building sites.

Safe Schools outrage: Turnbull lets homophobes off the leash

In March, Tony Abbott proudly proclaimed that it’s his agenda that Malcolm Turnbull is taking to the election. But there’s at least one exception—when it comes to attacking LGBTI youth, Turnbull has gone further than Abbott dared.

Panama Papers: capitalism working well for obscenely rich

The Panama Papers show us, once again, that capitalism is a system where governments help their mates to hide their income and wealth while all the time businesses pretend they are paying their “fair share” of tax.

Defiance and protest can close Nauru

Every afternoon since 20 March, asylum seekers at the family camp on Nauru, women, men, teenagers, and children, have staged a protest at the main gate to the camp.

Public service: we need more industrial action to win

Federal public servants staged their first 24-hour strike on 21 March, after nearly two years of insulting non-negotiable pay offers and attempts to strip conditions.

Nationalise to save steel jobs at Arrium

The jobs of 1100 workers at the Whyalla steelworks in South Australia are at risk after their employer, Arrium, went into administration in early April. Altogether 7000 jobs across the country are threatened if the company collapses.

Can the state be on our side?

Solidarity looks at the role of the state under capitalism

Nightly mass meetings in Paris organise resistance to new work law

A new movement is blooming in France out of the Place de la Republique square in Paris. It has been occupied by nightly general assemblies since a demonstration against the Labour-type government’s attack on workers’ rights last month.

10,000 in Dili say hands off Timor’s Oil

Thousands rallied in Timor-Leste in March to demand the establishment of a permanent and fair maritime boundary. Australia’s ongoing theft of Timor-Leste’s oil and gas exposes Australia as the imperialist bully that it is.

Obama brings US business back to Cuba

Barack Obama became the first US President to visit Cuba for 88 years in March. After decades of opposition to US imperialism, the Cuban regime is welcoming back US investment and influence.

Turnbull turns to racism and scapegoating after Brussels bombing

When he took over as Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull distanced himself from efforts to encourage Islamophobia. But his response to the terror attack in Brussels in March, that left 32 dead, had him sounding just like Tony Abbott.

Race, class and the Republican Party: Behind the rise of Donald Trump

Donald Trump has tapped into the rage and insecurity of white workers in the US with his own brand of racism and populism, writes Hannah McCann

Racism, fascism and the French Front National

The Front National in France, which seeks to build a mass fascist movement, has built a sizeable electoral following through racist populism writes Miro Sandev

Workers and the Second World War: Trotskyism and the 1945 Balmain docks dispute

As workers tired of wartime sacrifices, imposed with the aid of Communist Party union officials, Trotskyists in Balmain led a fight for democratic unionism, writes Tom Orsag

PI—a fighter for justice for his people

Solidarity was shocked to hear of the death of Gurindji man P. Inverway (PI) in Darwin in March. PI died of a heart attack at just 46 years of age.

Spotlight: powerful expose of elite’s collusion in Church abuse

The film Spotlight is a true story about the Boston Globe newspaper’s investigative reporting team and its campaign in 2001 to uncover widespread, systemic child abuse by Catholic priests in Massachusetts.

Editorial: Senate recriminations get in the way of fighting Turnbull

Malcolm Turnbull is floundering. His lead in the polls has disappeared as he hesitates about tax changes, the budget, and when best to call the election.

NSW cracks down on mining protests

The Baird Government in NSW is working overtime to clear the way for unfettered expansion of fossil fuel mining, introducing serious new penalties, including a potential of seven years in prison, for protestors disrupting mining or fracking operations and new police powers that could be used to crack down on demonstrations across NSW.

Inside the system

Qantas to make $1 billion after axing 5000 jobs ; Mushroom farm migrant workers underpaid $92,000; Education Department corruption exposed in Victoria; Wages growth hits 18 year low; School says gay author visit ‘not appropriate’; Poker champ advises stockmarket traders

Refugee politics at work—how did teachers say ‘Let them Stay?’

When hundreds of photos of “Teachers say Let them Stay” actions at schools poured through social media in February, everyone fighting for justice for refugees stood taller and felt bolder.

Let Them Stay, Bring Them Here: people power vs the government

Almost two months ago, the High Court ruled that offshore detention on Nauru and Manus Island was lawful. The 267 people who had been brought to the mainland, and who had been part of that case, were liable to be sent back.

No pride in detention: gays face prison and danger on Nauru

More than 100 people marched with the “No Pride in Detention” float at the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. The float highlighted the plight of Nima and Ashkan (not their real names), two gay Iranian refugees on Nauru.

Turnbull spends billions on war despite budget austerity

Massive investment in new weaponry aimed at containing China, a commitment to more war, and more intervention in the South Pacific—that’s the Turnbull government’s vision for a “capable, agile and potent” defence force in the 2016 Defence White Paper.

Senate reform snared in fight over anti-union ABCC

Malcolm Turnbull’s plan to change the way people vote in Senate elections has triggered a complex political fight.

What’s the point of Malcolm Turnbull?

So ran a recent headline in the Financial Review. The ruling elite is getting worried.

How Pell put Church and career above action on child abuse

George Pell didn’t know, and he wasn’t interested. That was the essence of his testimony to the Child Abuse Royal Commission about rampant sexual abuse by priests in the Ballarat Diocese, while he was based there in the 1970s and 1980s.

Blackmail charges latest front in war on CFMEU

Two leading officials of the Victorian branch of the CFMEU Construction Division faced court in March on ludicrous charges of blackmail, for industrial action against Boral, a building supplies company.

Federal public servants strike again

Federal public sector workers will strike on 21 March and across Easter as the government continues to push attacks on conditions and pay offers below inflation.

Students in India resist nationalist crackdown

The biggest wave of student unrest for 25 years has hit India following the arrest in Delhi of Kanhaiya Kumar, a student union president at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).

Pensions battle sees general strike in Greece—against Syriza

An enormous general strike in February saw tens of thousands of people march in Greek cities against an attack on pensions—now coming from the Syriza government.

Protests rise from ashes amid Syria truce

Syrians in opposition-held territories marked the fifth anniversary of the revolution with protests in over 100 locations, declaring “the revolution continues.”

Fortress Europe: open the borders

Governments across Europe are shutting the door to refugees. James Supple argues they can welcome the boats and open the borders

The rebellion that shook Britain: Ireland’s 1916 Easter rising

100 years ago, a rebellion in Ireland fought for freedom and justice in British-controlled Ireland. Phil Chilton tells the hidden revolutionary history of the rebellion

A red in the white house? Bernie sanders, socialism and the Democrats

Bernie Sanders has shown radical ideas can find a serious audience in the US. Peter Jones looks at what he stands for and where his campaign for president is headed

Editorial: ‘Let them stay’ defiance can stop Nauru removals

The wave of action demanding the government let the 267 asylum seekers from Nauru and Manus Island stay has put Turnbull on the back foot. We need to keep him there.

Fight to let them all stay—fight to close the camps

The High Court decision that offshore processing is lawful has triggered a massive wave of defiance and protest, from the churches to the Labor Party.

Lady Cilento Hospital workers show the way to win

“If you move on baby Asha, you move on 15,000 Maritime Union members.” That’s what Bob Carnegie, Queensland State Secretary of the MUA, told a wildly enthusiastic crowd outside Lady Cilento Hospital on Monday 15 February.

Teacher solidarity with refugees spreads through schools

Teachers, educators, aides, translators and administrative staff in over 70 schools across Australia have come together to say refugees should be studying in our schools and educational institutions instead of languishing in offshore camps.

No cuts, no privatisation: Stop Turnbull’s war on Medicare

Not content with cuts to pathology and diagnostic bulk-billing, the Turnbull government has resuscitated Tony Abbott’s plan to privatise Medicare payment systems. But these twin attacks on Medicare could prove to be Turnbull’s major mistake.

Inside the System

Keating tells Libs to cut ten times harder; Immigration bosses hire ‘life coach’; Australia more corrupt says international body; NT Intervention brings Close the Gap failure; Another charge against a CFMEU official collapses; 73 per cent say ban Trump from Australia; Things they say

Public servants set to strike again

Federal public sector workers are again ramping up their campaign to win better enterprise agreements. In February the largest agency, DHS, rejected a government-approved offer a second time, with an overwhelming 79.5 per cent voting “no”.

Turnbull stalls on equal marriage to please homophobic MPs

Part of the deal Malcolm Turnbull struck to take Tony Abbott’s job was promising to stick with his plan for a plebiscite on same-sex marriage after the next election.

Death in custody at police hands in NSW

The family of Aboriginal man David Dungay Hill, who died in custody in NSW’s Long Bay jail on 29 December, are demanding answers over the role of corrective services officers in his death.

Sydney Uni’s sweeping restructure: cutback and fightback ahead

On the last day of work for 2015, the University of Sydney’s Chancellor, Belinda Hutchinson, announced a drastic restructure of the University.

Can socialism end oppression?

Solidarity restarts our series on common questions about socialism

Flint: How austerity poisoned a US city

The US city of Flint is in the midst of a man-made public health emergency. For almost two years, the predominantly low-income residents of the city of 100,000 people have been exposed to extreme levels of lead contamination in the city’s water supply.

US primaries shake the candidates of the corporations

As the US presidential race gets under way, both major parties are being shaken by a revolt against the preferred candidates of the party establishment and the corporate elite.

What would socialism be like?

Erima Dall explains what we mean by socialism, and how a world run on the basis of human and environmental need, not competition and profit, would work.

20 years since his election: John Howard—class warrior for the rich

The Howard government had a ruthless class agenda, writes David Glanz, but it was Labor’s timid opposition that kept it in power

The original egalitarian societies: What human history tells us about human nature

For the bulk of our existence, humans have lived in egalitarian societies, argues Caitlin Doyle-Markwick, showing that a society based on competition and greed is not inevitable.

Inside the banking scam that produced a global crash

The Big Short blows the whistle on the catastrophe and madness of a system run by bankers and profiteers.

There’s no Cowspiracy—fossil fuels are the main climate threat

Al Gore has gone vegan and actor Leonardo Di Caprio has thrown his name behind a new film, Cowspiracy, which suggests that all we have to do to stop climate change is stop eating meat. Is that really all there is to it?

Editorial: Rule-for-the-rich Turnbull targets penalty rates, unions, Medicare

Malcolm Turnbull tried to use the dying days of 2015 to dump two tainted Ministers, and quietly slip through some nasty pathology cuts to Medicare.

Turnbull’s pathology cuts: the new war on Medicare

The Coalition is wielding the scalpel on Medicare—again. As part of their December mini-budget, the government announced cuts of $650 million over four years to an incentive for pathologists to bulk bill patients.

Inside the system

Mothers could lose $12,000 in Turnbull’s parental leave cuts; Millers Point relocation team wins Award; CEOs rake in multi-million dollar perks; Julie Bishop spends $1700 on three beanbags; 62 people own same wealth as half of humanity; Turnbull to spend $28m to advertise innovation; Things they say

Saying sorry means you won’t do it again—fighting the ongoing Stolen Generations

Australia-wide, there are currently more than 15,000 Aboriginal children in out of home care. This is more than one third of children in the child protection system, despite Aboriginal people making up less than 3 per cent of the population.

Bashed in custody: Justice now for 11-year-old Denzel

On 22 December three prison guards at Wacol Youth Detention Centre in Brisbane brutally bashed 11-year-old Aboriginal boy Denzel, leaving him hospitalised.

The Trade Union Royal Commission—a right royal union bashing

After 18 months and almost $46 million, the Trade Union Royal Commission, delivered its final report in December. The Liberals' loyal servant, Commissioner John Dyson Heydon, delivered volumes of excuses for the Coalition to continue its union bashing.