
Issue No 113		28 September 2001

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News

Building Inquiry Faces First Test of Integrity

Commissioner Cole has been called upon to ensure the integrity of his Building Indusrty Royal Commission by holding it after the upcoming federal election.

Noting that witnesses will not be called until mid November, the CFMEU has urged Commissioner Terence Cole to de-politicise the Royal Commission into the building industry by commencing those hearings after the federal election.

"The politicised nature of the Royal Commission into the building industry is already widely recognised. Certainly, John Howard and Tony Abbott used the announcement of the Commission to maximise its political impact," said John Sutton, National Secretary of the CFMEU Construction Division.

"However, if the Commissioner's spokesperson is correct in setting a mid-November date for hearings, the Royal Commission could be de-politicised significantly if those first hearings were held after the federal election," Sutton says.

John Howard is expected to call the federal election in the next couple of weeks, with a poll date of November 17 or 24.

"Commissioner Cole could add to the credibility of the Royal Commission, and save it from being polluted by the politics of the election, if he ensured that no matter of substance was dealt with till after the poll was held," Sutton says.

"The CFMEU invites the Commission to confirm that it intends to hold those first hearings after, rather than before, the November poll."

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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.

» Abbott Stacks Commission on Election Eve

» Trades Hall to Be Fit for the Arts

» Olympic Builders Honoured in Oil

» Terror Shockwaves Hit Security Workers

» The Ansett Phoenix Rises

» 'The General' Makes Ansett Stand

» One Dollar Workforce Highlights Workcover Concerns

» 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