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Issue No. 283 30 September 2005  
E D I T O R I A L

Revenge of the Footy Dads
The release of the second wave of ACTU TV advertising last weekend continues to take the debate around industrial relations into the broader community � and specifically the nation�s footy grounds.

F E A T U R E S

Interview: Polar Eclipse
Academic David McKnight challenges some sacred cows in his new book "Beyond Left and Right".

Industrial: Wrong Turn
Radical labour reform is on the horizon but some workers, like Sydney bus driver Yvonne Carson, have seen it all before, writes Jim Marr.

Unions: Star Support
It wasn't just families who backed workers' rights at The Last Weekend, but a bunch of musicians who set the tone, writes Chrissy Layton.

Workplace: Checked Out
Glenda Kwek asks you to consider the plight of the retail worker, and shares some of her experiences

Economics: Sold Out
The Future Fund and industrial relations reform are favourite projects of the PM and the Treasurer. Both are speculations on the future and the only guarantee with them is that you will be worse off, writes Neale Towart.

Politics: Green Banned
The impact of new building industry laws won�t be confined to one industry, writes CFMEU national secretary John Sutton.

History: Potted History
Lithgow is a place with a proud history as a union town. The origins of broader community solidarity lie in the early industrial development of the town and the development of unions. The Lithgow Pottery dispute of 1890 was a key event.

International: Curtain Call
The curtains have opened for East Timor�s young theatre performers, thanks to a Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA project.

Review: Little Fish
At last! An Aussie film with substance, suspense and a serious dose of reality, writes Lucy Muirhead

Poetry: Slug A Worker
In a shock development, the Federal Treasurer, Peter Costello, gave a ringing endorsement to the poetry pages of Workers Online, writes resident bard David Peetz.

N E W S

 Brazilians Score at Rocky

 PM Discounts Fair Go

 Centrelink Crashes Internet

 On Yer Bikes

 Road Toll Off The Rails

 Part-Timers in Bank Heist

 It�s Eight Against Eight

 OEA Says Plaque You

 Kez and Rupe Tighten Grip

 Feds Get Blank Cheque

 Rev Kev Absolves Killers

 Turning Business Upside Down

 Stink Over CountryLink Shrink

 Nurses Brush Sick Offer

 Men Make Permanent Choice

 Activist's What's On!

C O L U M N S

The Soapbox
Families First
New Senator Stephen Fielding turned a few heads with his Maiden Speech to Parliament.

The Locker Room
The New World Order
Phil Doyle declares himself unavailable for the fifth and deciding test.

Parliament
The Westie Wing
Our favourite MP, Ian West, reports from the NSW Government's Safety Summit

Postcard
On The Bus
A bright orange bus travelling the state has become the focus of the campaign against federal IR changes. Nathan Brown was on board.

L E T T E R S
 Four Cornered Rat
 Hrowad�s Meixd Msesgaes
 Caveat Emptor
 Shop Front
 Petrol Price of War
 Unionist Slain
 Last Long Weekend
WHAT YOU CAN DO
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News

On Yer Bikes


Sydney bus drivers, fresh from raising $62,000 for kids with cancer, will lead a campaign to pedal all over federal government's workplace changes.

The RTBU members are appealing for other workers to join them on a four-day bike ride to Canberra where they will petition parliament to reject John Howard's plan to sideline collective bargaining, strip entitlements and green-light unfair dismissals.

They will overnight in Moss Vale, Goulburn and Yass, taking their message to regional communities that experiences in WA, Victoria and New Zealand suggest will be hardest-hit by individual contracts.

Willoughby-based operators, Narelle Sinclar and Peter Ellery, are organising the pedal-power protest.

The pair were among 30 drivers, from depots all round Sydney, who undertook an 11-day ride to Melbourne, earlier this year, to raise funds for Canteen.

"It was terrific," Ellery said. "The girls and guys who rode have become the tightest group of people you could imagine.

"I am 56 and I never thought I would ride a bike to Melbourne. It was great fun."

The ride leaves Sydney on Saturday, November 19, and is due at Parliament House on Tuesday, November 22. It will be supported on the road by motor cycle riders armed with water, fruit and equipment for minor repairs.

Participants are collecting petitions urging MPs to vote down the Coalition's workplace agenda.

Thirty bus operators have already confirmed they will be starters.

Sinclair urges other would-be riders to sign up with Bicycle NSW so they will be covered by injury insurance.

Anyone interested in joining the ride can contact Sinclair on 0438 119304 or the RTBU Bus and Tram Division on Sydney 9319 7277.


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