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  Issue No 104 Official Organ of LaborNet 27 July 2001  

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Activists Notebook


A protest to mark the World Bank leader's visit, Hiroshima Day and Refugee Rights - it's another big week on the streets!

Soup Kitchen Outside World Bank President's Feast

On the 1st August, the President of the World Bank, James Wolfensohn, will be at a speaking engagement in Sydney. Mr Wolfensohn will be greeted by a group of protesters, who will be hosting a free 'Soup Kitchen' and alternative forum in a peaceful show of support for those adversely affected by World Bank projects around the world. From Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Genoa and Africa, the number of victims of globalisation continue to grow. The Soup Kitchen is to highlight the costs paid by nations around the world who are subjected to World Bank development projects and policies.

When: Wednesday, 1st August 2001 Where: Outside the ANA Hotel 176 Cumberland St, Sydney.

Timetable of events:

3.30 pm Crowd gathers for beginning of soup kitchen

4.00 pm Press conference held at the front of the ANA Hotel - Speakers:

� Rev. Ann Wansborough, Uniting Church

� Paul Bastion, Australian Manufacturing Workers Union

� Yoga Sofyar, Mineral Policy Institute and Indonesian activist

� Andrew Stanton, student activist (also representing PNG students)

� Moses Havini, Bougainville Provisional Government (TBC)

� James Arvanitakis and Melanie Gillbank, AID/WATCH

5.00 pm Official start of the rally and Soup Kitchen free organic pumpkin soup

6.00 pm Alternative Forum held at the front of the ANA Hotel Speakers:

� Anthony Albanese MP, Australian Labour Party

� Rev. Ann Wansborough, Uniting Church,

� Paul Bastion, Australian Manufacturing Workers Union

� Kerry Nettle, Australian Greens

� Sen. Vicki Bourne, Australian Democrats

� Yoga Sofyar, Mineral Policy Institute and Indonesian activist

� Moses Havini, Bougainville Provisional Government (TBC)

The speakers will be demanding that the World Bank:

� write off 100% of the debts owed by the HIPC countries.

� Provide reparations for the millions of people who have been displaced and adversely affected by Bank-funded projects.

� include labour clauses in World Bank guidelines to ensure that all direct borrowers of funds, plus all firms contracted and sub-contracted under Bank project funding, enforce ILO labour standards.

AID/WATCH is a community-based organisation that campaigns on Australian involvement in overseas aid and development projects, programs and policies. As we 'Monitor the Development Dollar', we work to ensure that aid money reaches the right people, communities and their environments. AID/WATCH was established in 1992, and its Advisory Board includes intellectual Noam Chosmky and journalist John Pilger.

For more information phone AID/WATCH's World Bank Campaigner Melanie Gillbank on 02-3987-5210 or AID/WATCH's Campaign Director, James Arvanitakis 0421-068-167

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Hiroshima Day 2001 March & Rally Sat August 4

At 8.15am on August 6, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, incinerating 140,000 men, women and children.

Three days later at 11.02am, at least 74,000 men, women and children were killed in Nagasaki by a second atomic blast.

For many years, the Hiroshima Day Committee in Sydney has organised a commemoration of these events, under the slogan of 'Hiroshima Never Again'.

Over the years, the march has focussed on different issues. But the central theme has always been: the only answer to nuclear threat is to abolish all nuclear weapons.

Protest against the US National Missile Defence plan

The 2001 Hiroshima Day commemoration takes place against the background of the US National Missile Defence plan. Australia is involved in this plan through the US military facility at Pine Gap, near Alice Springs.

The US National Missile Defence will destroy the existing international arms control and disarmament regime, provoke a new nuclear arms race and trigger a wave of destabilising events around the world.

NMD is, in fact, an offensive program which would allow the US to attack other countries without fear of retaliation.

With NMD, the US Government is using its economic and technological strengths to launch a new arms race. The aim is to reinforce US dominance in the Asia Pacific region - as Asian countries, especially China, are provoked into exhausting economic and social resources in their attempt to match the US military might.

NMD is the armed wing of globalisation.

Australia's involvement

The use of the US base at Pine Gap near Alice Springs for NMD will involve Australia and make us a nuclear target. The Australian Government's support for NMD makes us complicit in a program that will significantly destabilise global security.

92% of Australians called on the government to take a leading role in the elimination of nuclear weapons, according to a Morgan poll. The Federal Government has chosen to ignore those views and the Senate resolution calling on the US not to deploy NMD.

Hiroshima Day 2001 provides an opportunity for all thinking Australians, trade union members and the wide community, to demonstrate your opposition to the US Government's missile plans.

Commemorations will also refer to local issues, such as the threats from the planned new nuclear reactor at Lucas Heights and plans for a nuclear waste repository in Australia.

Hiroshima Never Again:

Hiroshima Day Committee: PO Box K257 Haymarket NSW 1240: Chairpersons: Bronwyn Marks, Brian Miller, CFMEU Construction, NSW Branch.

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RALLY FOR THE RIGHTS OF REFUGEES

(on the 50th anniversary of the United Nations Refugee Rights Convention).

Sunday 29th July is the 50th anniversary of the United Nations Rufugee Rights Convention. Meet at 11:30am at McDonald's Circular Quay to march across the Harbour Bridge to be at Milson's Point at 1pm. Then march to Kirribilli House (Howard's house).

For more information contact the Refugee Action Collective on 9660 5222.

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ADVANCE NOTICE

EVATT FOUNDATION SEMINAR Privatising Democracy? Government and the Crisis of Consent.

When August 30th 9am to 1pm

Where State Parliament House Theatrette, Macquarie Steet, Sydney.

The Evatt Foundation in conjunction with Pluto Press will host a half day seminar examining the changing nature of political representation in our new century.

The direction of recent government reforms both in Australia and elsewhere, especially the new enthusiasm for mutual obligation "compacts" as part of the mechanism of government suggest that the practice of democracy is undergoing a far-reaching transformation. The relatively benign rhetoric of mutual obligation now masks the heavy and unequal burden of "good" behaviour being imposed on welfare recipients, while the complementary responsibilities og government bodies, political representatives, the business sector and the "community", are barely articulated, let alone policed and imposed.

What are these reforms doing to the idea of "the public", or the "public good"? How much of these reforms have the people consented to? Are we imposing a language of contractualism on relationships that are far too intricate to be encompassed by it? Are we in the process of privatising democracy itself?

For more information contact the Evatt Foundation on telephone 02 9385 2966 or email [email protected]

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Community Economic Conference 2001:

Strategies for defusing the debt time-bomb

Date: Saturday 18 August, 2001

Time: 9.00am - 5.00pm

University of South Australia (City West Campus)

61-73 North Terrace, Adelaide

Barbara Hanrahan lecture Theatre,

Room No BH2-09 (Ground Floor)

A Rare Opportunity !

From the UK, a speaker much sought after on the international stage, Michael Rowbotham, is an outspoken critic of corporate globalisation and the debt of the developing world. Not to be missed. From New Zealand, Stephnie de Ruyter will talk about possibilities for reversing the disastrous neoliberal experiment inflicted on one of Australia's nearest neighbours.

PROGRAM

9.00 Introduction

9.10 Breaking the chains of debt

Michael Rowbotham

(Gen Secretary, UK Christian Council for Monetary Justice, author of The Grip of Death, and

Goodbye America! Globalisation, Debt and the Dollar Empire)

10.00 The community loan proposal -- a democratic solution

Stephnie de Ruyter

(Deputy Leader, New Zealand Democrats)

10.30 Self-financing development : buy-back of World Bank debt

Dr Shann Turnbull

(Author of Democratising the Wealth of Nations, etc.)

11.00 Morning Tea break

11.30 Controlling international financial flows

Gerald McBride

(Economist, University of South Australia)

12.00 Social justice alternatives to neo-liberalism

Chris White

(Secretary, SA United Trades & Labour Council)

12.30 Lunch break

2.00 Debt traps facing low-income people

Mark Henley

(Senior Policy Officer, Adelaide Central Mission)

2.30 Debt, globalisation and the environment

Lou de Leeuw

(CEO, Ecobusiness Corporate Research)

3.00 Afternoon Tea Break

3.20 Interactive Panel Session

Written questions and comments from conference participants relating to the

speakers' presentations will be put to a panel consisting of all the speakers.

4.40 Action Agenda

(a) Resolutions.

(b) Formation of a working committee to formulate and monitor ongoing activities.

Note: Conference participants might wish to avail themselves of the opportunity to have a collective

evening meal at one of the many excellent local restaurants and cafes.

SCOPE OF THE CONFERENCE:

This conference will consider the role and impact of debt upon the interlocking global crises of economic under-development, the foreign control of local industries, downsizing and employment insecurity, the rapid depletion of the earth's natural resources, and ecological ruination.

Strategies devised for tackling these problems will take into consideration the common threads of

(a) an escalating drive for economic growth and consumption, (b) the huge growth of debt on a global scale, (c) the speculative excesses of the financial system, and (d) the demonstrable failure of many multinational corporations to operate in an accountable manner which recognises their social and environmental obligations.

Specific issues: reform of the process of credit and money creation; strategies for cancelling the debt of the developing world; viable alternatives to borrowing from the financial system for funding infrastructure, capital works and environmental projects; the creative use of progressive tax methods; and reform of the IMF, World Bank and WTO.

During the 1990s a number of People's Summits and TOES conferences were successfully held within different Australian cities. This conference aims to follow in their tradition. An interactive panel session in the afternoon will invite the participation of attendees, and this activity will culminate in the formation of a working committee to coordinate an ongoing action agenda.

Registration cost:

$25.00 / $20.00 concession

Please forward the registration fee to the conference coordinator as soon as possible. Cheques should be made payable to Adelaide Community Economic Conference 2001 (or CECADL), and mailed to PO Box 505, Modbury, SA 5092. A receipt will be issued by return post.

Tea, coffee, biscuits, fruit juice and spring water will be provided. There will be facilities for ordering lunch. Signs directing attendees will be provided at the conference venue.

Conference Venue:

University of South Australia

City West Campus

61-73 North Terrace, Adelaide

Barbara Hanrahan Lecture Theatre

Room No BH2-09 (Ground Floor)

Sponsors:

Economic Reform Australia

Jubilee Australia

Caritas

Reworking Tomorrow

University of South Australia

Organising Committee:

John Hermann

Barbara Sheppard

Tony Roach

Andrew Buchanan

Carole Grubisa

Michael Pilling

June Ayres

Gerald McBride

Michael Plowright

Hugh Wigg

Further Information:

John Hermann, Tel (08) 8264 4282

Email: [email protected]


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*   View entire issue - print all of the articles!

*   Issue 104 contents

In this issue
Features
*  Interview: A Super Agenda
Labor's federal spokesman on superannuation Kelvin Thompson outlines the challenges a Beazley Government will face in managing the nation's savings.
*
*  E-Change: 1.4 The Shifting Sands of Ideology
Peter Lewis and Michael Gadiel conclude the first part of their study of new politics by looking for core Labor values in a post-Cold War environment.
*
*  Corporate: Locking Horns
The same names keep cropping up in the business pages as the web of corporate control stays tied to a few big players. Georgina Murray has been looking at the extent and depth of the connections.
*
*  Unions: The Workers Bank
With banks on the nose, David Whiteley looks at how unions and super funds have got together to create the real deal � the workers bank.
*
*  International: Phil Davey's Amazon Postcard
The CFMEU's Boy Wonder has downed the megaphone for three months in South America. Here's what he's been up to.
*
*  History: Faded Vision of The American Bounder
King O'Malley was an American ex-pat who dreamed of a people's bank. Neale Towart looks at what happened to his vision.
*
*  Activists: The Big Gee-Up
With the big guns of the anti-corporate movement in town, Mark Hebblewhite goes looking for a definition of globalisation.
*
*  Indonesia: Where to the Workers After Gus Dur?
At the end of a turbulent week, Jasper Goss looks at the impact of the overthrow of Wahid on Indonesian workers.
*
*  Review: Mixing Pop and Politics
'The Bank' is a new Australian film that takes a contemporary political issue and transforms it into a piece of compelling popular culture.
*
*  Satire: Milosevic's Defence: "I Was Just Issuing Orders"
Disgraced former Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic has brushed off against charges for war crimes against humanity and mass genocide.
*

News
»  Community Banks Are No Collectivists
*
»  Labor Vows to Widen Royal Commission
*
»  WorkCover Finally Fesses Up � Premiums the Problem
*
»  Unions Launch 56 Hour Watch
*
»  Call Centre Campaign Bares First Fruit
*
»  Justice at Last for One.Tel Workers
*
»  Entitlements Push Gathers Momentum
*
»  Employer Dirty on Leave Win
*
»  Rights Put In Too Hard Basket
*
»  AMA Move on Doctors� Hours Welcome
*
»  Aussie Post Workers Rally
*
»  Strike by Airport Guards Lawful
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»  Workers Rejects Brough Deal
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»  Unions Will March at CHOGM
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»  Average Response to Robberies
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»  Coca-Cola Sued for Using Paramilitary Force
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»  Activists Notebook
*

Columns
»  The Soapbox
*
»  The Locker Room
*
»  Trades Hall
*
»  Tool Shed
*

Letters to the editor
»  Botsman Bites Back
*
»  How to Bash the Bank
*
»  Dreams Do Come True
*
»  Howard's Job Creation Policy
*

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