Month: April 2018

MARK LATHAM’S election as Labor leader has stirred up the national debate. The view that Latham might offer a serious fight is giving confidence to everyone who wants to see Howard thrown out at the election. In contrast to the wooden gestures of Simon Crean, and Kim Beazley’s well known support for the US military alliance, Latham captured the anger people felt around the war on Iraq. He called Howard’s ministers a bunch of suckholes and labelled George W Bush, the most dangerous man alive. Latham’s message that Howard has taken out the rungs in the ladder of opportunity resonated […]

UNITY AGAINST capitalism and war was the central theme of the Socialist Alliances second national conference, held in Melbourne on May 10-11. Some 120 delegates representing more than 900 financial members in 24 branches debated how to build on the Alliances first two years of existence. There were 160 observers. It was so fantastic to meet such a broad range of people. The respect delegates showed for one another was one of the most positive things, said Angela Budai, an organiser with the Finance Sector Union and a delegate from the Northside branch in Sydney. Two main resolutions were put […]

BRENDAN NELSON’S legislation to fundamentally restructure higher education along free market lines was passed on the final sitting day of the Senate in December. The package was passed by a single vote due to a dirty deal between Education Minister, Brendan Nelson, One Nation’s Len Harris and the three Independents Meg Lees, Brian Harradine and Shayne Murphy. HECS fees will be deregulated with universities given the power to increase HECS by 25 per cent. There will be a 40 per cent increase in cap on the number of full fee paying undergraduates. It will become much easier for private institutions […]