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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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).

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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.

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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)

The Mary MacKillop East Timor Mission has called for the recognition of the unique contribution of the Timorese people to Australian soldiers during World War II. read 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.

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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.

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Source: Progressive Educator

We know we are making progress putting pressure on this government when MPs as high as the Treasurer see fit to berate you (as long as it’s in private).

At a recent Community Cabinet Meeting, where the Premier and Cabinet meet local community members and pretend to answer their questions, Kevin Foley initiated a conversation with me in the bathroom. As I was standing at the stall, he read the slogan on the back of my appleforteacher T-shirt.

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Ian Angus, the editor of Climate and Capitalism an online Ecosocialist journal in Canada will be addressing a forum in Adelaide, entitled, Climate Change: Is capitalism destroying the planet?

Time: 3pm, Sunday 5th April

Venue: Adelaide South West Community Centre

171 Sturt St, Adelaide Ph 0403679742 or 0400754559 ... read more »

The Pinnacle Education Consortium has been selected by the Government of SA as its preferred bidder for the six PPP “Super Schools”. Two other consortia have been rejected.

The Public Private Partnerships process involves a radical departure from traditional methods of Government infrastructure procurement.

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The sordid little story of Marathon Resources just gets dirtier.

The latest development is the registration at the Australian Securities Exchange of Black Pearl Global Opportunity Fund as a substantial shareholder.

Although not yet listed on the Marathon Resources website as one of its Top Twenty Shareholders, BPGOF has purchased sufficient shares between December 8 last year and February 11 this year to move into fifth place behind ANZ Nominees Ltd with close to 4.

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by Jefferson Lee (written 9/3/09 as my initial contribution to this website)

On Friday 24th April 2009 (Anzac Eve) at Leichhardt Town Hall in Sydney’s inner-West will be the “Inaugural Denis Kevans Memorial Anzac Eve Peace Concert” from 6pm-11pm as a fund-raiser for Leichhardt Council’s “Friends of Maliana” friendship city project.

The significance of this event is that it will be the first time in a decade and a half that the cultural hegemony of increasing militarism surrounding Anzac Day celebrations has faced a direct and conscious challenge from progressive forces in Sydney – outside of the marginalized sloganeering of a few predictable the ultra lefty.

Flash back to Australia and Anzac Days of yesteryear.

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Source: Serve The People

More than one thousand people rallied at the steps of Parliament House, Adelaide, on Sunday January 11 2009 to condemn Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip.

The rally was organised by the Australian Friends of Palestine Association (AFOPA) .

Speakers included AFOPA Chairperson Paul Heywood-Smith, QC; SA Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young; AFOPA public advocate Michael Shaik; and SA Independent MP Kris Hanna.

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Source: ABC News

Calls for an an Indigenous bill of rights have been supported by the Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement (ALRM).

Kaurna elders used Sunday’s Proclamation Day anniversary in South Australia to call on government to honour a promise made in 1836 to establish a treaty.

Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard says there is no need for a bill of rights because the Federal Government is committed to closing the gap in health and educational outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

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The Broken Hill Proprietary Company (BHP) was established in 1885 at the silver, lead and zinc mine at Broken Hill in western New South Wales.

It became one of Australia’s largest monopolies; indeed, it was known as “the big Australian”.
It was also known as a ruthless blood-sucking mongrel of an employer, Bloody Hungry for Profits and rabidly anti-worker.

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Source: Progressive Educators
Date: 2008-12-02

(Please note there is a website video link on Rann at the end of this article: too good to miss!)

Our beloved Premier really blew it after reading Stephen Orr’s article in the Advertiser calling on him to “intervene, find common ground, reassure all parties and stop creating an atmosphere of conflict and mistrust. He must create a vision for the future of our schools that is lacking.”

Major Marty picked up on Orr’s call to the Premier, leading to this remarkable outburst in Parliament later that day, and given front page prominence in the Advertiser the next day:

TEACHERS DISPUTE

Mr HAMILTON-SMITH (Waite—Leader of the Opposition) (14:43): Is the Premier’s media unit being used to conduct a deliberate campaign around its teachers dispute position designed to diminish the public standing and status of the teaching profession in order to create an atmosphere of conflict and public mistrust?

The Hon.

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(Port Stanvac was originally opened as an oil refinery owned and operated by Standard Oil and Vacuum Oil, two of the world’s largest oil companies. A few years ago, then owner Mobil Oil closed the site down, leaving a badly contaminated site which has yet to be remediated by Mobil. According to the SA Minister for Water Security, Karlene Maywald, the cost of puchasing the site, and its remediation, are part of the $1. read more »

While everyone’s attention yesterday was on the Industrial Commission where the Australian Education Union and the SA government were at loggerheads over a planned 24 hour strike, State Premier Mike Rann was at Aberfoyle Park High School launching a “partnership” between the school and US arms giant Raytheon.

(Nuclear “bunker busters” used by Israelis against Palestinian freedom fighters are made by Raytheon.)

Rann is 100% behind the militarization of the state’s economy, meaning, inevitably, its integration into the US military and industrial complex.

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