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Issue No. 230 23 July 2004  
E D I T O R I A L

Kill the Lawyers
What�s left of the HR Nichols Society must be popping the champagne this week, with a NSW court ruling that sees the triumph of their 20-year battle to kill industrial relations and replace it with a �rule of law�.

F E A T U R E S

Interview: Power and the Passion
ALP's star recruit Peter Garrett shares his views on unions, forests and being the Member for Wedding Cake Island

Unions: Tackling the Heavy Hitters
Tony Butterfield became a State of Origin gladiator at the unlikely age of 33. Even that, Jim Marr reports, couldn�t prepare him for the knock-down, drag-em-out world of modern IR.

Industrial: Seeing the Forest For The Wood
Proposals to flog off NSW�s forests have raised eyebrows and temperatures amongst some of the key players reports Phil Doyle.

Housing: Home Truths
CFMEU national secretary John Sutton argues for a radical solution to the housing affordability crisis.

International: Boycott Busters
International unions have issued a new list of corporations breaching ILO sanctions to do business in Burma.

Economics: Ideology and Free Trade
The absurdities of neoclassical economic assumptions has never stood in the way of their being trotted out to justify profiteering and attacks on the rights of citizens. The AUSFTA is the latest rort we are supposed to swallow, writes Neale Towart.

History: Long Shadow of a Forgotten Man
Interest in JC Watson's short time as Labor's first Prime Minister should not detract from his more substantial role as Party leader, writes Mark Hearn

Review: Chewing the Fat
As debate rages in Australia about Fast Food advertising, Julianne Taverner takes a look at a side of the industry that Ronald McDonald won�t tell you about in Supersize Me.

Poetry: Dear John
Workers Online reader Rob Mullen shares some personal correspondence with our glorious leader.

N E W S

 Vandals Hit Sweat Shoppers

 Blow For Union Busters

 Poll Rocks Election Boat

 It�s Official: Eggs Come Second

 Tetra Packs Private Dick

 Workers Demand Act of Contrition

 Wollongong�s $4000 Hamberger

 Company Pays for Casual Affair

 Shame Ships Hide Sausage

 First Test for Death Law

 Convenience Store Detains Student

 Bashed Youth Workers Walk

 Un-Fairfax Leads Paper Chase

 Nile On The Death Law

 ACCC Lays Down Council Code

 Activists What�s On!

C O L U M N S

Politics
The Westie Wing
As the NSW Labor Government sells its first budget deficit in nine years, the real concern for the union movement is the devil in the detail, especially when it comes to procurement agreements, writes Ian West.

The Soapbox
Rubber Bullets
Labor's IR spokesman Craig Emerson launches a few characteristic salvos across the Parliamentary chamber

The Locker Room
Tears After Bedtime
Phil Doyle says that it's all fun and games until someone loses an eye

Postcard
Postcard from Vietnam
APHEDA's Hoang Thi Le Hang reports from the north of Vietnam on a project being fund by Australian unionists.,

L E T T E R S
 End Poverty
 The Agony Of The Refugee
WHAT YOU CAN DO
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News

Poll Rocks Election Boat


An explosive poll of marginal seats shows the majority of Australians believe the proposed Free Trade Agreement is biased in America's interests and should not be passed in its present form.

The research conducted by Auspoll for the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union, shows serious community concerns about the FTA in the lead-up to the federal election.

The poll of 1000 voters across 10 marginal seats over the last two weeks shows the strongest oppposition comes from Labor, Democrat and Green voters.

Polling on the Australia US Free Trade Agreement shows that:

- 48% oppose, 41% support - with 64% of Labor voters opposing

- 65% agree that Australia could have done better in negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement

- Only 9% of voters believe that Australia will benefit the most from the FTA, with 61% saying that the US will benefit most

- 61% of voters oppose Australia becoming more integrated with the US

- 52% of voters believe that the Prime Minister is putting America's interests ahead of Australia's.

On all key issues, Labor, Democrat and Green voters strongly opposed the agreement.

AMWU national secretary Doug Cameron says the AMWU is concerned the Australia US FTA might go ahead despite strong community concern, and significant economic research showing Australia would suffer under this agreement.

"This research reaffirms what our members and the union have been saying - this agreement is not in the national interest, it is unbalanced, and Australia has been dudded," Cameron says.

Mr. Cameron said that the Howard Government had been prepared to sign away Australia's future economic sovereignty and that many thousands of manufacturing jobs would be lost.

"We will lose local content policies, and open our doors to billions of dollars of American imports. Our industry will be decimated," Mr. Cameron said.


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