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Issue No. 215 02 April 2004  
E D I T O R I A L

Something Smells
There is something just a little too cute about the NSW government�s discovery of a budget crisis on the eve of public sector wage talks.

F E A T U R E S

Interview: Terror Australis
The Howard Government has just discovered the nation's ports are a terrorist target. The International Transport Federation's Dean Summers has been warning them for years.

Unions: Graeme Beard's Second Dig
Hidden in the Australian Workers Union Sydney office is a mild-mannered industrial officer who once strutted the international cricket stage, writes Jim Marr.

Industrial: The Hell of Troy
On the basis of a couple of hours in the witness box, Building Industry Royal Commissioner Terence Cole described Troy Stratti as "credible". Six men who, together, have known the company director for the best part of 50 years beg to differ.

Organising: Miners Strike Gold
Traditional unions are rediscovering the power of grassroots organising. Paddy Gorman reports from the coal face.

Economics: The Accepted Wisdom
Evan Jones argues that economic policy making has been narrowed and rendered mechanistic and antiseptic.

History: Vicious Old Lady
Despite its Liberal leanings, the Sydney Morning Herald has never been shy of bashing unions, writes Neale Towart.

International: Out of Sight, Out of Mind
Thailand must end its crackdown on Burmese fleeing rights abuses in their military-ruled homeland, according to a Human Rights Watch report.

Review: War Unfogged
Want to go to war but not sure where to start? Look no further than Errol Morris' latest doco-drama for the definitive 11-step lesson plan, writes Tara de Boehmler.

Poetry: TAFE
A TAFE student struggling under the weight of fees shares his wordly wisdom

N E W S

 Gong Points Death Bone at Iemma

 Strip � Howard�s Order to Shoppies

 Workers Victory - We�re Legal!

 Compo Family Exiled to Peru

 Patrick Faces Million Dollar Fines

 Water Quality in Budget Back-Wash

 Feds Dodge Death

 Hard Men Melt Away

 Three Cheers for 36-Hour Week

 Dili Death "Down to Dollars"

 Builder Pleads Guilty

 Maternity Plan: Hard Labor?

 Life � Cambodia�s Grand Raffle

 Thumbs Up for Union Code

 Activists What�s On!

C O L U M N S

Postcard
A Voice for Peace
Palestinian trade union leader calls on militants to lay down their arms while the ICFTU protests harassment of Palestinian union leader.

The Soapbox
The Double Standard Bearers
Nicholas Way argues that when it comes to collective action, the Howard Government has different views depending on whether you are a unionist or a small business.

The Locker Room
The Fine Print
While the result mightn�t be everything, it does make the back of the newspaper more interesting, as Phil Doyle reports.

Politics
The Westie Wing
Ian West crunches the numbers in Macquarie Street and finds virtue in deficit.

L E T T E R S
 War And Peace
 Getting Away With Murder
 Terrorism
WHAT YOU CAN DO
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News

Water Quality in Budget Back-Wash


Workers in Sydney Water fear they will lose the resources to keep Sydney�s water safe and beaches clean, with dozens of workers fearing they will be casualties of Tuesday�s mini-budget.

The Australian Services Union says workers have been told to turn their attention away from monitoring the quality of water around sewage outfalls because environmental protection was �no longer core business�.

ASU state secretary Kristyn Thompson says pre-budget leaks suggest that Sydney Water could be one agency where the Treasurer would break a long-standing government commitment and order forced redundancies.

Thompson says the public had reason to be concerned about any reduction in staff levels at Sydney Water, with seriuous doubts on existing staff's capacity to:

- ensure that drinking water is kept at safe levels, particularly after the 2000 crisis was linked to poor staff levels

- monitor sewage systems are working safely and do not pose risks to the coastline and major waterways

- and deal quickly with faults to the system so that the water crisis is not exacerbated by burst mains and leaking pipes.

"As a Premier who has always cared for our environment, Sydney Water members are calling on him to instruct Treasurer Egan to keep Sydney Water off-limit to cuts to staff and resources," she says.

"We have seen what happens when Sydney Water does not have the staff and resources to do its job properly - let's not make the same mistake again."

NSW Labor Council secretary John Robertson says the "so-called budgetary crisis" is a way for Treasury to break its commitment on No Forced redundancies.

Some 12 months ago, Treasurer Michael Egan signed a letter with Council guaranteeing no forced redundancies.


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