Issue 79 - June

ACTU opposes turnbacks, detention on Manus and Nauru

A high point of the recent ACTU Congress was the adoption of a strong asylum seeker and refugee policy.

Doing the maths: Hockey’s ‘fair budget’ hurts the poor

Joe Hockey’s claim that the budget is “fair” has unraveled, with detailed analysis showing that the poorest will suffer the most from the changes.

Greens’ support for pension cuts is a mistake

New Greens leader Richard Di Natale has failed one of his first tests as leader by supporting cuts to the aged pension. The cuts will take $2.5 billion from pensioners over the next four years.

Will they or won’t they? Labor and asylum boat turnbacks

Labor had been vigorously pursuing Abbott and Immigration Minister Peter Dutton over paying the crew of asylum boats to return to Indonesia. But they suddenly went quiet when the spotlight turned on secret payments made when they were in government.

People smuggler payment scandal: Turnbacks are the real crime

The reports that the Coalition government paid six asylum boat crew over $6000 each to return asylum seekers to Indonesia has made dramatic news headlines around Australia and the world.

Abbott stokes anti-Muslim fear with plans to strip citizenship

Abbott has escalated his campaign to sow fear of terror with his extreme plan to strip the citizenship of “terrorists”. It is the latest episode in the government’s attempts to revive their fortunes by spreading the idea that Muslims are a threat.

Monis—not your usual extremist

The inquest into the Martin Place siege has shown a man who was mentally ill with a history of bizarre, attention-seeking acts.

WA community closures: ‘Keep marching, keep up the pressure’

Solidarity spoke with Mitch Torres, one of the main organisers of a campaign group based in the Kimberley, known on social media as SOS Blak Australia, about the demonstrations against WA community closures and the current state of play.

Parnngurr community in WA says no to uranium mine

Martu people from the community of Parnngurr in the Pilbara region of WA are travelling to Sydney on a speaking tour in late June, building support for their fight against a uranium mine proposed on their traditional lands at Kintyre in WA.

Newtown bashing exposes transgender oppression

The bashing of a transgender woman, Stephanie McCarthy, at Sydney’s Town Hall (Townie) pub in Newtown has exposed the discrimination and harrassment faced by transgender people.

World Cup of fraud—FIFA corrupt to the core

What many suspected for years has now been conclusively proven: the world football governing body FIFA is run by an elite implicated in a web of bribery, fraud, money laundering and even gun-running. The competition to win World Cup rights and broadcasting deals has turned FIFA into a lucrative business for corrupt officials.

Irish referendum: Equality, not austerity, the winner

In a historic referendum win, Ireland has become the first country in the world to recognise marriage equality by popular vote. The 62 per cent Yes vote on 22 May represents a resounding rejection of decades of institutional homophobia.

Imperialist tensions on show over South China Sea

China’s land reclamation in the South China Sea has led to an escalating stand off with the US.

How governments treat Muslims as the enemy within

The obsession with radicalisation and the programs to supposedly combat extremism treat wide swathes of the Muslim community as suspect, writes James Supple

Magna Carta: 800 years of rebellion for our rights

The Magna Carta has been a symbol of basic rights for 800 years—but those rights were won through struggle and rebellion writes Tom Orsag

Is the working class still a force for change?

Mark Gillespie looks at the changing nature of the economy and whether this means the working class is disappearing

More than a Score—Lessons from a teacher rebellion

Lucy Honan looks at a new book on the growing rebellion against standardised testing and the cuts to public education in the US

Public sector workers unite to strike against Abbott

Workers have staged federal public sector-wide strike action for the first time in a generation, with the first of a series of national half-day strikes on Thursday.

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