Hands off penalty rates! – Workers’ Rights Campaign

PM Tony Abbott and his union-bashing team have promised their employer mates a life without unions in deregulated workplaces where they can drive down wages and conditions to levels found in low income countries. Towards these ends Treasurer Joe Hockey has commissioned a review of the Fair Work Act by the Productivity Commission, a body notorious for its pro-corporate, neo-liberal policies. The following are some of the measures the Commission is considering:  more ...

Turn to police state

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says he wants to “re-set the relationship” between the federal government and the Muslim community. He has been taking advantage of a media honeymoon following his promotion to present his government as somehow different from that of Abbott. But in the midst of all the schmoozing to camera at a recent press conference, the old confrontational line was still there. “If you find Australian values unpalatable, then there’s a big wide world out there and people have got freedom of movement,” he said.  more ...

Editorial – Let’s talk about real threats

The federal government has gone to great lengths to appear tolerant in the midst of the social tensions it has had the major hand in creating. Over a decade of opportunistic, dog-whistling slogans of the “children overboard” and “turn back the boats” sort and the policies that flowed from them, have taken their predictable toll on Australian multiculturalism. Prime Minister Turnbull launched a National Unity Day to be seen to be doing something about the disturbing outcome of his own party’s efforts. The campaign called Living Safe Together – Building Community Resilience to Violent Extremism falls into the same damage-controlling category.  more ...

Indians not connected to power grid glad Australia is producing highly moral coal

Millions of poverty stricken Indians have been seen celebrating and dancing in the streets in the wake of Australia’s approval of the Adani coal mine this week, reports suggest.  more ...

Immigration detention

Anyone who arrived in Australia seeking asylum prior to 1992 was allowed to live in the community whilst waiting for decisions on their claims for refugee status. There was no difference in the treatment of those who arrived by plane or by boat without a visa. From 1976 to 1981, 2,059 people arrived by boat from Vietnam. The Fraser government worked with the UNHCR in camps in Thailand and Malaysia and approximately 70,000 Vietnamese refugees were brought here up to the mid 1980s. So that’s key to the whole situation, to have people’s claims assessed before they even think about getting on a boat to come here. On arrival, most lived in the various migrant hostels in Queensland, NSW, Victoria, SA and WA. On arrival here they were provided with health and welfare support, as well as English language teaching, housing and employment services.  more ...

Safe minimum rates for owner-drivers

The Transport Workers’ Union (TWU) says owner-drivers should be paid for overtime work and when taking mandatory fatigue management rest breaks.  more ...

Police aggression against pregnant refugee

The aggressive attempts by the Nauruan police to interview pregnant refugee rape victim Abyan reveal their complete lack of concern for the privacy and welfare of a sexual assault victim.  more ...

In the death throes of a racist dream

In 1845, Leutenant Colonel George Gawler submitted a report detailing the potential for Jewish colonisation of Palestine. The obstacles he foresaw had to do with resources and the feasibility of convincing Jews to immigrate to Palestine. No consideration was given to the native Palestinian population already living there for centuries.  more ...

Culture & Life – Hypocrisy riding high

During his recent American visit, Pope Francis thrilled a lot of Hispanic Americans by canonising a Hispanic American priest, one Father Junipero Serra. Serra earned his Catholic brownie points by converting lots of California’s Native Americans in the later 18th Century. But California’s Native Americans are less than ecstatic at Serra’s being elevated to Sainthood.  more ...