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Australia Deserves Better
You only have to scan through recent issues of Workers Online to see why the leadership of the ALP is so important – not to the political insiders who judge the beauty contest that is federal politics, but to the millions of workers who are affected by its output.
Interview: Union for the Dispossessed
The Welfare Rights Centre's Michael Raper on 20 years of activism, the politics of punishment and how to make Australia egalitarian again.
Unions: Joel's Law
Building Workers have overcome powerful forces to push workplace safety back up the national agenda. But, Jim Marr writes, their "success" has come at an unacceptable cost.
National Focus: Spring Carnival
It must be spring: punting in Victoria, singing in South Australia, fighting in America. It’s all there in the national wrap from Noel Hester plus an Australian union movement rugby world cup class consciousness poll.
Bad Boss: Fina and Fiends
They sacked the job delegate, reinstated him after an IRC hearing, and sacked him again two weeks later. But that was just the beginning.
Industrial: The Price of War
Mass industrial action is brewing in Israel as the policies of the right-wing Sharon Government come home to roost, writes Andrew Casey.
Economics: Who's Got What
Frank Stilwell pours over the latest BRW Rich List to build a picture of the increasing gap between the haves and have-nots.
History: Containing Discontent
Racism against minorities has always been a stock in trade of politicans, writes Phil Griffiths
Review: An Honourable Wally
Most Australians probably look at our politicians and feel they could do a better job but when redundant meatworker Wally Norman gets the chance to find out he realises getting elected is a major hurdle, writes Tara de Boehmler.
Poetry: The Colours of Discontent
A thousand blossoms bloomed during the US President's spring-time colonial visit last month.
 Labour Hire Boosts Tech Wreck
Call Centre Throws Safety Out the Door
Miners Tackle Million Dollar Sidestep
Bouquets for Bosses
Mandarins Nail Carpenters
BHP Burrow-ed By UN
ACT Rejects Manslaughter Bullying
No Joy for Fat Exec Packages
WorkCover Walks Away From Racetrack
Contractors Scramble Foxtel Signal
Safety Derails Train Talks
Sydney Uni Strikes At Feds
Workers Up For Safety Awards
Activists Notebook
The Soapbox
Bush's Faith-Filled Life
The President's conversion, 'sense of divine calling' and struggle with sobriety are subjects of a forthcoming book, writes Bill Berkowitz Sport
The Not So Smart Money
Phil Doyle is sick of big money ruining grass roots sport, and he’s taking his bat and going home. Politics
The Westie Wing
The ongoing challenge for Labor members of parliament is to make what the Premier calls the ‘creative partnership’ between the Government and the union movement a reality, writes our favourite MP Ian West. Postcard
Behind the Junta
Saw Min Lwin, Secretary for Trade Union Rights/ Human Rights for the Federation of Trade Unions Burma (FTUB), outlines the struggle for workers in his country.
Mad Monk’s Medicare Minus
A Tale Of Three Cities
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Letters to the Editor
Mad Monk’s Medicare Minus
Workers Online # 204 said that one of the few good aims of Medicare Blast was the increase in the number of doctors and nurses. Hem, well don't you wish, but Revved Abbott knows it ain't necessarily so. He implies that the 1600 practice nurses (who will assist gps who aren't there) will increase the number of nurses in the system. Nonsense! Think about it, what GP would employ a nurse who didn't know exactly what they were doing, when it might increase the practice's legal risk. So these nurses are going to be in the health system already, and will be pulled from it to be GP assistants or adjuncts.
Of course, if a number of allied health people were able to charge with medicare, then the costs would drop astronomically, like nurses, physios, psychologists, social workers ... .
But the revved Abbott is hell-bent ignoring that we are going to be DOWN 31000 nurses by 2006. It will be interesting to speculate on what impact this will have on Australia's healthcare. Downright scary for those likely to be sick. They are sinking Medicare. We have to stop them, in the name of the people.
Rosemary Lynch
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Issue 205 contents
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