
Issue No 113		28 September 2001

LaborNET	Ask Neale	Tool of the Week

Letters to the Editor

CHOGM Agenda

Dear Sir,

With the up coming CHOGM conference to be held in Brisbane next month, will acts of terrorism by countries within the Commonwealth be on the agenda? In particular, the unusual inclusion of Zimbabawe, and yet the exclusion Fiji, a Pacific island state, which has recently held democratic elections, and formed a legitimate government

Although Zimbabawe , like Australia , is part of the Commonwealth of Nations, one must question the appropriateness of the visit next month by Robert Mugabe to Australia

Is it possible that the agenda might include discussions on a safe asylum for the European farmers who have had their homes and crops burned their farms confiscated, and their workers terrorized?

As other western powers distance themselves from this oppressive regime, it appears that Libyan Dictator "Gadhafi" , is in the process of not only endearing himself to `Mugabe` , but has offered his female bodyguard unit the `Amazons` to mind `Mugabe` on his trip to Australia.

Is it possible that, this recently cultivated relationship is one of Libyan opportunism for investment in Zimbabwean farmland, as the Europeans are driven out the Libyan influence and money moves in? Or is this a country being prepared as a conduit for terrorist funds?

These events certainly belie and make a mockery of the recent agreements at the U.N. World Conference against Racism, where the U.K. provides financial provision for the reparation of stolen property.

One must also query why Zimbabwe was not condemned at this conference for the unpunished Racial Attacks against not only European farmers, but the dispossession of those that were employed on these farms.

Let's listen for the left wing bleeding heart, lip biting, hand wringing socialist cacophony of lamentations about this racism and for asylum status for these European refugees from Zimbabwe, and note with concern, their self explanatory silence on the exclusion of our Pacific neighbor, Fiji from the Commonwealth of Nations.

I for one will not be holding my breath in anticipation.

Tom Collins

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Issue 113 contents

Interview: The Custodian
Labor's arts spokesman Bob McMullan on the role government can play in nurturing national culture.

Media: Chucking a Wobbly
Veronica Apap meets Dan Buhagiar, the programmer of Labor Council's new online initiative, Wobbly Radio.

E-Change: 3.3 Unleashing a Networked Culture
Politics does not occur in a vacuum - it's is as much a product of its culture as it is an influence on it. In the post-Industrial Age how will this relationship change?

Unions: Are You a Terrorist?
Away from the talkback noise, Mark Hearn reports on how a Sydney workforce is taking up the cause of racial understanding and tolerance.

Organising: STAA Performers
Film industry workers are acting collectively to ensure they don't become Mexicans with Mobiles.

Workplace: Making Art Work
The Workers Cultural Action Committee is a community cultural development provider. What is this? And what does it mean for the union movement?

History: Creative Alliances
Neale Towart wanders through the archives to look at how unions' have worked with artists to promote progressive casuses.

Performance: Tales from the Shop Floor
Peter Murphy profiles Sydney's New Theatre and the role it has played in fostering working culture.

Review: Homegroan
In an extract from her new book, The Money Shot, Jane Mills argues that the local film industry needs more than patriotism to get bums on seats.

Satire: PM Pleads To Nauru: Take Our Aborigines Too
In the wake of Nauru�s acceptance of the Tampa refugees, Australian Prime Minister John Howard has struck a new deal with the small island nation to take our Aborigines as well.

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» Email Workers Saved

» Union Power Gets Tilers Paid In Full

» NSW Nurses (Pro)Claim Their Worth

» AOL Sheds Non-Union Staff

» Building Inquiry Faces First Test of Integrity

» Telstra Guilty Over Union Discrimination

» Paint Workers Finish the Job

» New Project Agreement A Template

» The Workers United, Need a New Slogan!

» Activists Notebook