Critical Times

Adelaide woman Andrea Madeley has called for the national adoption of industrial manslaughter laws.

This follows a $72,000 fine imposed by an Adelaide magistrate on local business Diemould Pty Ltd which had employed her teenage son Daniel until his death in their workplace on Saturday June 5, 2004.

Her call follows the state Labor government’s disgraceful attack on worker’s compensation laws last year, and the Federal Labor governments “lowest common denominator” approach to a standardised national set of worker’s compensation laws.

Two hundred and fifty Lower Lakes and Coorong residents have opened a Fresh Water Embassy at Clayton in South Australia.

The purpose of the Embassy is to provide a profile for protest against the State Government’s plans to place an earthern water flow “regulator” from Kumarangk (Hindmarsh Island) to Clayton in order to cut off fresh water flow into Lake Alexandrina from the Finniss River and Currency Creek.

Other regulators and a weir are planned to completely seal off both Lakes Albert and Alexandrina.

By Humphrey McQueen

Dare Australia’s Labor government gaol Adelaide builders’ labourer, Ark Tribe? Tribe’s crime is that he refuses to attend a secret hearing of the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC). His failure to appear renders him liable to six months in prison or a fine of $22,000. Similar penalties apply if he turns up but refuses to answer, or if he answers but then tells anyone what the questions were.

Source: Vanguard

1. Human rights in Australia are poorly defined and not well protected. There is no national Bill of Rights and international conventions and treaties on human rights to which Australia is a signatory are not enforceable under Australian law.

Hundreds of workers rallied outside the Elizabeth Magistrates Court this morning. Construction workers taking their RDOs (rostered days off) were joined by members of the Transport Workers Union, the LHMU, both education unions (public education’s Australian Education Union and private education’s Independent Education Union), the Nurses’ Federation, and the Australian Metal Workers Union.

Construction union (CFMEU) State Secretary Martin O’Malley addressed the gathering, warning that the powers of the ABCC were a danger to all working people.

By Renfrey Clarke

For governments and vehicle corporations, the charm of biofuels used to be the promise they held out of a ready-made solution to transport-related greenhouse gas emissions – a solution that might simply be dropped in, while changing almost nothing else.

Freeways, suburban sprawl, four-wheel-drive family cars – everything could remain. Only the fuel on sale at the service stations would be different.

Protest at an industry briefing about the ‘BasicsCard’ system

Wednesday June 10
1pm @ The Sebel
28 Albion st Surry Hills

On Wednesday, the government will hold a consultation meeting for
industry about the ‘BasicsCard’ system, which facilitates the
compulsory Income Management regime forced on Aboriginal people under
the NT Intervention. The government are looking for a company to
design new BasicsCard infrastructure. This process is about
entrenching income management in Aboriginal communities and spreading
it out around Australia.

Source: Rights on Site website

Ark Tribe is a construction worker from South Australia.

Like any other Australian worker, Ark just wants to rock up for work in the morning in as safe an environment as possible, do his job, and make it home at the end of the day.

Unlike other Australian workers, Ark is facing six months in jail – charged with not attending an interview with the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC).

Source: Vanguard Leaflet given out to the ACTU 2009 Congress

Unemployment, the loss of working conditions and union rights, casualisation, cuts to working hours, and general economic insecurity is hitting the working class hard. Many workers are looking for union leadership to continue the fight against WorkChoices, still enshrined in Labor’s ‘Fair Work Australia’.

The militancy and mass mobilisation of workers that characterised the struggle to defeat WorkChoices, powerfully demonstrated what can be achieved with united and strong leadership dedicated to the working class.

Source: Vanguard May Issue

In the first decade of the 21st Century, scientists of different disciplines are alerting people and governments to a second crisis of capitalism, a crisis bigger than the current economic crisis. That crisis is the destruction of the environment caused by the ‘growth at all costs’ logic of capitalism. The enormity of the crisis is summarised in the following statement by the Swedish Talberg Foundation 2008 Report, Grasping The Climate Crisis; A Provocation:
“The world at present faces a breakdown of the global financial system.

13 JUNE 2009
ADELAIDE BRISBANE CANBERRA HOBART MELBOURNE PERTH SYDNEY WOLLONGONG

ADELAIDE 11am Victoria Square

JOIN THE RALLY FOR:

GREEN COLLAR JOBS NO JOB CUTS – 100% RENEWABLE ENERGY BY 2020

GLOBAL CLIMATE JUSTICE – AUSTRALIA SHOULD TAKE THE LEAD

CLIMATE POLICIES THAT MAKE THE BIG POLLUTERS PAY

LETS RE-POWER AUSTRALIA!

The National Climate Emergency Rallies
are an initiative of Australia’s Climate Action Summit

Why we need to oppose the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS)

The CPRS locks us into inaction on climate change until 2020.

The CPRS includes the pathetic emissions targets of 5% by 2020, with the potential for up to 15% depending on international targets. These targets completely ignore the science that tells us we need to reduce emissions by a minimum of 40 -60% by 2020 to be on the road to achieving the safe climate level of 300ppm atmospheric CO2.

By Humphrey McQueen

A Review of the National Portrait Gallery – first published in the May edition of the Australian Book Review

When the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) opened in Canberra last December more thoughtfulness was evident in its bookshop than the hang. The volumes are arranged by subject and in alphabetical order: the images accord to no principle beyond decor. Here are five writers; there, four scientists.

Sunday 24 May 2009
6.00pm for 6.30pm start
CHINESE BANQUET MEAL
Cost $25 members/concession or $35 non-members

Ming’s Palace, 157 Gouger Street, ADELAIDE

Guest Speaker:
Sr Susan Connelly
of Mary MacKillop East Timor Mission

“Friends Do Not Forget”

Hear why the Mary MacKillop East Timor Mission will nominate
the nation of Timor-Leste for the award of
Companion of the Order of Australia (Honorary)

Find out what he and other unionists did in May1969, and Why it is important for us all today

May 1969 – 6 days of nation wide mass protests and industrial action by millions of workers and supporters defeat anti-worker
laws and free Union Secretary, Clarrie O’Shea, from gaol on 21st May. How did they do it? What can we learn from this struggle.

May 2009 – Fight against WorkChoices, ABCC, West Gate
Bridge dispute, and more.

May Day March & Family Picnic
Saturday 2 May
Assemble Victoria Square 10am for 10.30am start

March to Torrens Parade Grounds to the music of
Thunderbox Carbunkle & the Lonely Cosmonauts
Family picnic from 11am at Torrens Parade Grounds

• Speakers’ Corner
• Kid’s entertainment – Clowns, face painting, bouncy castle
• Sausage sizzle and other food and community stands

Speakers include Correna Haythorpe, AEU-SA President;
Dave Noonan, CFMEU - National Secretary,
Construction and General Division
Janet Giles – SA Unions – Secretary
Sun May 3
Workers Memorial Black Diamond Corner 10:00am
BBQ & Beer Semaphore Workers Club 11:30-4:00
S

appleforteacher. com.

By retired Lieutenant-Colonel Lance Collins (former head of Military Intelligence under INTERFET), who presented this speech to the “ANZAC EVE (Denis Kevans Memorial) PEACE FESTIVAL” – LEICHHARDT TOWN HALL, Sydney.

I have deployed on two overseas military operations. The first was a brief deployment to Kuwait in February 1998, a precautionary defence against Saddam Hussein during the weapons inspection crisis.

Please distribute widely in your workplaces and community – leaflet also attached

Support Sacked West Gate Bridge Workers and Their Families

Community Picnic
Sunday 26 April

12.00 pm onwards

Yarraville Gardens

Yarraville, Melway 42, C8

Speakers include sacked West Gate Bridge Workers, Fr Bob Maguire, community members

Music, bands, Chris Wilson, the Conch & more.

LEICHHARDT TOWN HALL (Sydney,Australia)
& the Evening Benefit for “Friends of Maliana” FROM 6PM-11PM

(1) MORNING FILM FESTIVAL ON PEACE THEME…

By Renfrey Clarke

“One hundred percent renewable electricity generation in Australia by 2020!” That was the bold call, endorsed by representatives of more than 100 climate action groups, that went out from the national Climate Summit held in Canberra in February.

By and large, the established media have ignored this summons – or else, dismissed it as green wish-dreaming. Renewable energy sources, the mainstream press generally has it, are incapable of replacing fossil fuels, especially coal, in providing the 24-hours-a-day “base-load” power that is the bedrock of electricity supply systems.

On Friday March 27, around 40 people met at the Migration Museum Chapel in the city to launch the “Spirit of Eureka Committee – Adelaide” and the “Eureka Charter”. The “Spirit of Eureka Committee” in Melbourne has been in existence for 5 years, since 2004, the 150th anniversary of the Eureka Stockade. Last year, November 28th, the Melbourne Committee launched its Eureka Charter this being the motivator for the “Spirit of Eureka Committee – Adelaide” (SoE) to form.