E D I T O R I A L

The Sirens' Song
There is nothing for trade unionists to celebrate from Labor�s loss in the Cunningham by-election.

F E A T U R E S

Interview: The Wet One
NSW Opposition industrial relations spokesman Michael Gallacher stakes out his relationship with the union movement.

Bad Boss: Like A Bastard
Virgin Mobile is sexy and funky, right? Well, only if those terms have become synonyms for dictatorial or downright mean.

Unions: Demolition Derby
Tony Abbott likens industrial relations to warfare and, like a good general should, he is about to shift his point of attack � from building sites to car plants, reports Jim Marr.

Corporate: The Bush Doctrine
For the powerful, consumerism equals freedom, and is all the freedom we need, writes James Goodman

Politics: American Jihad
Let�s get real. The origins of modern Islamic terrorist groups are in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Langley, Virginia not Baghdad, argues Noel Hester.

Health: Secret Country
Oral history recordings are an inadequate tool in trying to find out what happened to Aboriginal stockmen and their communities on cattle stations in Northern Australia, writes Neale Towart

Review: Walking On Water
On the 20th anniversary of the first AIDS-related death, Tara de Boehmler witnesses the aftermath of losing a loved one to the illness in Walking On Water.

Culture: TCF
Novelist Anthony Macris captures life on the shop floor in this extract from his upcoming novel, Capital Volume II

Poetry: The UQ Stonewall
The University of Queensland has sought to join the ranks of union-busting companies like Rio Tinto in trying to sack the president of the local union - and made the mistake of thinking they were dealing with an array of acquiescent academics.

N E W S

Email Use Sparks Pay Claim

Melbourne Cup Strike Threat

10,000 Rally in Support of Kingham

Negligent Bosses Labelled �Serial Killers�

Ambulance Officers Win $6 Million Back-Pay

Strike Pay to Bali Appeal

Boral Bosses Bag Bulk Bucks

Bid to Block New ACCC Chief

Cuts Equals Profits for ANZ

First Takers for 36-Hour Week

IT Outsourcing Agencies Called To Account

Pay to Work Spreads to Hornsby

Howard Opens Waters to Rogue Ship

Work a Suicide Factor

Unis Drop RDO Assault

Boxes of Books for Good Causes

Activist Notebook

C O L U M N S

The Soapbox
I Walk The Line
American civil rights leader Jesse Jackson has weighed into the Hilton Hotel dispute with this special message to the workforce.

Postcard
Mekong Daze
Union Aid Abroad's Phil Hazelton fires off a missive from Laos where he is spending a year working with the community.

Month In Review
Bush Whackers
It was a month where the world teetered on the brink of peace, no thanks to the leader of the free world, writes Jim Marr

The Locker Room
The Laws Of Gravity
Phil Doyle goes looking for the fine line that separates sport from an exercise in time-wasting

Bosswatch
Snouts in the Trough
It�s AGM season in the corporate world, and deal after shady deal is being exposed as highfliers treat company accounts like the proverbial honey-pot.

Wobbly
Songs of Solidarity
There has been a proud history of pro-worker tunes dating back to the early days of the 20th century, which will be continued in a new CD, writes Dan Buhagiar.

L E T T E R S

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Certified Liar

A Senate inquiry into the Affair this week found that the workers' friend "deliberately lied" in the lead up to the November 10 Federal election. The committee found that despite repeated navy and Defence Department advice to the Prime Minister, John Howard, Reith and their offices that initial reports of asylum seekers throwing children overboard were false Reith released photographs purporting to support the claims, but the pictures of children in the water were later revealed to have been taken when the vessel sank on October 8.

The committee did not question key figures such as Reith's media adviser, Ross Hampton, who remains on the government payroll, but found serious problems in Reith's office. But it said there was a "serious accountability vacuum" in ministers' offices and it was "deeply disturbed" by the actions and omissions of Reith's staff in the handling of the children overboard affair.

After the election Reith left his Defence Minister's position to go and advise companies on how to deal with the Department of Defence - something that the committee found he was woefully inadequate of doing himself. Of course, there is no conflict of interest in showing people how to do business with the Defence Department when you are the recently retired minister.

After the inquiry's findings were released this week, Reith, who is also the chair of the Liberals fundraising outfit, the 500 Club, launched a monumental dummy-spit, denouncing the Senate Inquiry and trying to blame everyone from the chief of the Defence Forces to the media for his predicament. For a man who likes to pride himself at being on the cutting edge of human resource management he seems to show a singular disregard for accepting any management responsibility whatsoever.

"These people set out not to find the truth, but had made up their minds about what had happened before they heard a scintilla of evidence," said Reith, in a disingenuous statement that could have just as equally have been applied to the Howard Government's handling of the infamous Children Overboard Affair.

Since his retirement the former Minister for Union Bashing has taken a rather selective view of the past. This is from a biography [provided for the ACT Party of New Zealand earlier this year: 'Mr Reith was a major contributor to the Coalition's winning policy platform for the 1993 election, "Fightback".' While the Herald-Sun may have run the headline 'Hewson In Landslide' most commentators would agree that the coalitions "Fightback" platform was neither winning nor, arguably, policy.

First it was Dubai, then balaclavas and Rottweilers in the workplace, followed by mobile-phones for all the family, and now we have a Senate committee that has found this third rate bottom feeder to have all the credibility of a three dollar note. Congratulations Reithy, you area shining example of all that the Howard Government stands for, which is saving its own skin and that of its mates from the big end of town.

Show Us YOUR TOOL! The most inspiring interpretation of this week's tool get's a souvenir edition of Ship of Tools. Deface the Tool of the Week, click the button above to post your artwork, fill out the form and send your entry in and we'll post the winners next week in the Tool of the Week Gallery.

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Last Modified: 15 Nov 2005