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A Beautiful Set of Numbers?
In the coming week the NSW Government will hand down the first budget of its third term. Few things are certain in politics, but rest assured the budget will be characterised as ‘tough and responsible’.
History: Nest of Traitors
Rowan Cahill uncovers a ripping yarn that could redefine the way we look at Australian involvement in World War II.
Interview: A Nation of Hope
Former PM Bob Hawke bemoans the demise of industrial relations but takes heart from the prospect of peace in the Middle East
Unions: National Focus
Noel Hester reports on a soap star rebellion, Howard’s plans to renuclearise South Australia, more historical atrocities in the north, the redundancy test case plus more in the monthly national wrap.
Safety: The Shocking Truth
It’s every power worker’s worst nightmare – and it happened to Adrian Ware. In a flash of voltage, his life changed forever, as Jim Marr reports.
Tribute: A Comrade Departed
From Prime Ministers to wharfies, the labour movement paid tribute to Tas Bull this week. Jim Marr was among them.
History: Working Bees
Neale Towart looks at a group of workers who got sacked so their boss could keep making the Bomb.
Education: The Big Picture
The NTEU’s Dr Mike Donaldson and Tony Brown join all the dots in the current debate around higher eduction.
International: Static Labour
Ray Marcelo argues there’s another side to the recent furore over Telstra’s use of cheap Indian IT contractors.
Economics: Budget And Fudge It
Frank Stilwell argues that Peter Costello’s latest budget plumbs fiscal policy to new depths.
Technology: Google and Campaigning
Labourstart’s Eric Lee argues the latest weapon for campaigning could be the humble search engine.
Review: Secretary With A Difference
Looking for a new job can be hard enough, without having to worry about sadomasochistic bosses and the threat of being spanked for forgetting to cross your ‘t’s, says Tara de Boehmler.
Poetry: The Minimale
The Labor Party leadership is in the news again, inspiring our resident bard David Peetz to song
Satire: Howard Calls for Senate to be Replaced by Clap-O-Meter
John Howard released a controversial policy statement today, arguing that the Senate be abolished in favour of a device measuring noise from the gallery of the House of Representatives.
 Task Force Sleeps Through Killing
Go To Gaol – Do Not Collect $500,000
Green Pollie in Picket Blue
D-Day for Media Diversity
Putting Steel into Government’s Spine
Fortnight in Killing Fields Anyone?
Underpaid Worker Fights Deportation
Truckies Deliver Death Watch
Job Cuts Caught in Spill Cycle
Mum Wins Family Friendly Hours
Allianz Plans Bite the Dust
Aussies Back Zimbabwe’s Gaoled Strikers
Boral Faces Stadium Stoush
Drought Claims More Jobs
Bridge Chaos Looms
Activist Notebook
Politics
It’s Our Party
Long time union watcher Nicholas Way looks at the changing dynamics between the industrial and political wings of the labour movement. The Soapbox
Grass Roots
In his Maiden Speech, new MP Tony Burke argues that the ALP’s union links are nothing to be ashamed of.
Media
Opinion Forming Down Under
Evan Jones condemns the mainstream’s media coverage of the War on Iraq and the damage it is doing to our national psyche.
The Locker Room
Location, Re-Location!
It’s all fun and games until someone loses a club, writes Phil Doyle
Questions for Cuba
Is Beazley's Popularity a Winner?
Rank Marchers
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News
Putting Steel into Government’s Spine
Cheap reinforcing steel from Malaysia has reignited calls for the NSW Government to establish a local content policy that protects Australian jobs.
Leightons, the construction giant contracted to build Sydney’s multi-billion dollar western oribital motorway, has been rumbled using cheap reinforcing by vigilant AMWU delegates on the Hilton Hotel redevelopment.
The material would normally be sourced from major NSW employers such as Smorgons, BHP or One Steel.
In light of the discovery, AMWU delegates will audit employers throughout Sydney to uncover other state government operations, or contractors, using cut-price, foreign materials.
"Our delegates will do that in a thorough manner," AMWU spokesman Tim Ayres promised. "They know what is happening on their sites."
Ayres said the information would be used to "embarrass" NSW into following the footsteps of states that have established purchasing protocols giving preference to Australian suppliers.
He said State Rail was an "obvious offender", sourcing tickets from overseas, and rail wagons made in Mongolia. Millions of tickets to the city's showpiece 2000 Olympics, he revealed, had also been imported.
Printers in NSW, meanwhile, are undergoing a major downturn, costing thousands of jobs.
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Issue 183 contents
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