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Issue No. 126 01 March 2002  
E D I T O R I A L

I Don�t Like Sprouts
I've always thought brussel sprouts tasted like reconstituted vomit, so the latest smart-arse advertising campaign for the Clearview pension fund doesn�t really wash with me.

F E A T U R E S

Interview: Clean Hands
Susan Ryan was Labor's first female Minister, today she represents the trustees responsible for our super funds, where the move to socially responsible investment is happening, albeit slowly.

Corporate: Out of Asia
The decision by America�s biggest employee pension fund to pull out of a number of Asian countries because of their poor labour rights and civil liberties standards has sent shock waves through the region.

Unions: Tears, Real And Crocodile, At The Ansett Wake
It�s ended in heartbreak but the campaign to keep Ansett flying should really be remembered for the courage, determination and decency of the airline�s devoted staff writes Noel Hester.

Economics: Labour�s Capital: Individual Or Collective?
More Australians own shares than ever before, asks Frank Stilwell, but is it the best way to share the wealth?

History: Mardi Gras: The Biggest Labour Festival?
The struggle for the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender workers has been part of the wider struggle for workers rights, in Australia and internationally.

International: Driving A Hard Bargain
Public sector workers in Korea are using the last twelve months before local and national elections � and the up-coming soccer World Cup � as bargaining chips in their campaign against privatisation of public utilities.

Review: In Bed With a Sub-Machine Gun
In this extract from his new book, Night Train to Granada, GB Harrision travels from Drepression era Newcastle to Spain under Franco's heel.

Satire: Whitlam Forgives Kerr: "At Least He Didn't Dismiss A Rape Victim"
Gough Whitlam claimed today that the man who dismissed him is no longer Australia�s worst Governor-General. �Sure he dismissed me, but at least he never dismissed a child rape victim like Governor-General Hollingworth,� said Whitlam.

Poetry: Dear Mother
Thanks to the generosity of the Defence Signals Directorate, Workers Online has obtained intercepts of recent communications between Australia and London. A transcript is below:

N E W S

 Unions Stats Snow Job

 BHP Strike Over Super Control

 Some Light Reflects Off Ansett

 Net Porn Highlights Privacy Lag

 Mad Monk To Float Down Oxford Street

 Burma the Next Chernobyl

 Govt Breaches Its Own Guidelines

 Sartor Policies Irk Council Workers

 Service Fee Push Hots Up in Qld

 Casino Workers Show Their Hands

 Hotel Bosses Have Full House But Cry Poor

 Airport Screeners Win Training Rights

 CFMEU Korean Activist Honoured

 Support For Fijian Union Battle

 Beer Cold and Prawns Peeled

 Activists Notebook

C O L U M N S

The Soapbox
Grumpy Old Men (And Bettina)
Scratch the surface of most conservative commentators and you'll find a lapsed Leftie, Paul Norton argues.

The Locker Room
Black and White
The Australian way of playing rugby union, cricket and the development of our own game, Australian Rules, were profoundly influenced by a forgotten man.

Week in Review
Gridlocked
Jim Marr loooks at a week when trains, planes and ships of shame all threatened to come to a grinding halt.

L E T T E R S
 More on Harry Bridges
 Well Done, Splitter
 Repeating History
WHAT YOU CAN DO
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News

Net Porn Highlights Privacy Lag


Unions are condemning NSW Government moves to stand down without pay public servants accused of downloading net porn, while failing to act on the broader issue of online privacy in the workplace.

Premier Bob Carr made the announcement after being embarrassed by a report that three employees had been suspended for 18 months and their cases had still not been dealt with.

While condemning the transmission of pornography over the Net, Labor Council secretary John Robertson says the issue is broader and needs to be dealt with in that way.

"We have a report from the NSW Law Reform Commission on the issue that has been gathering dust for nearly 12 months," Robertson says.

"If the government is serious about wiping out these practices it needs to address them through a broader privacy policy that makes it clear pornography is not acceptable."

The Law reform Commission report called for a ban on covert surveillance of workplace emails and web usage.

Knee-Jerk Announcement

Public Service Association general secretary Maurie O'Sullivan says the Premier's stand-down announcement is a knee-jerk denial of natural justice.

O'Sullivan says there are "many and divided opinions as to what constitutes pornography".

"Recently some public sector employees who had been dismissed for allegedly transmitting pornography were reinstated to their jobs because of the failure of their Department to quickly investigate and resolve the issue.

"The present situation in DOCS commenced in May, 2000, and investigations began in September, 2000. It is ridiculous, absolutely infuriatingly ridiculous, for investigations to take so long and for people to be kept in abeyance for such a cruel and protracted period."


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