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Issue No. 317 28 July 2006  
E D I T O R I A L

Independent of Facts
John Howard's mastery of the big lie was evident again this week.

F E A T U R E S

Interview: The Month Of Living Dangerously
When the mobs took over the streets of Dili it was the people of East Timor that bore the brunt. Elisabeth Lino de Araujo from Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA was there to witness what happened.

Unions: Staying Mum
Penrith mums, Linda Everingham and Jo Jacobson, are at the heart of a grassroots campaign to boot Jackie Kelly, out of federal parliament. Jim Marr caught up with one half of the sister act.

Economics: Precious Metals
There's a lot of spin around AWAs in the mining industry, but Tony Maher argues all that glitters is not gold.

Industrial: The Cold 100
The Iemma Government has come up with 100 reasons why WorkChoices is a dud, with 100 examples of ripped off workers

History: The Vinegar Hill Mob
This month's Blacktown Rally was not the first time workers had stood up for their rights in the region, writes Andrew Moore.

Legal: Free Agents
Is an independent contractor a small businessperson or a worker? The answer depends upon whether the contractor is genuinely �independent� or not, writes Even Jones.

Politics: Under The Influence
Bob Gould thinks Sonny Bill Williams is a hunk; he reveals all in a left wing view of The Bulletin�s 100 most influential Australians, questioning the relevance of some, and adding a few of his own.

International: How Swede It Was
Geoff Dow pays tribute to the passing of Rudolf Meidner, one of the architects of the Swedish model of capitalism.

Review: Keating's Men Slam Dance on Howard
These punk rockers are out to KO WorkChoices. Nathan Brown joins the fray.

N E W S

 Howard Chews Up Lollipop Men

 Ridout: WorkChoices �Revolutionary�

 Voters: WorkChoices Rotten

 Terror: WorkChoices Rule

 Bussies Go Gangbusters

 Strikers Drive Deal

 Australia Faces Jobs Meltdown

 Fat Lady Sings at Opera House

 PM's Pick Burns Fire Fighters

 Spooks Tail Early Risers

 Telstra Boss Gets Crossed Line

 Prof: Fair Pay Should Be Lower

 TNT Snub is Dynamite

 Activist's What's On!

C O L U M N S

The Soapbox
Work Choice: US Military Style
John Howard has learnt a few lessons on workers rights from his Texan buddy, writes Rowan Cahill.

Politics
Westie Wing
As Pru Goward slams into the glass ceiling of the NSW Liberal Party, Ian West considers how women are faring under the Howard-Costello Government.

The Locker Room
A World Away
Phil Doyle is pleased that a display of subtle beauty and athletic grace has been overtaken by some good old-fashioned mindless violence

L E T T E R S
 Balancing Act
 Swimming Uphill
 Help is at Hand
WHAT YOU CAN DO
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News

Terror: WorkChoices Rule


Embarrassed OWS officials won't rule out Kevin Andrews as the source of last week's hatchet job on battlers who stood up to WorkChoices.

Office of Workplace Services spin doctor, Leo D'Angelo Fisher, conceded the Minister's office had to be in the frame for a report that sought to ridicule five people who objected to being sacked.

"It's a legitimate question but I can't answer it," D'Angelo Fisher told Workers Online.

"What I can say is there is no single report as such. Not in the way it has been portrayed.

"That probably tells me there was information that was sent to ah...ah...ah - that probably takes me too far."

So embarrassed was OWS chief, Nicholas Wilson, that he took the extraordinary step of disassociating his Office from the intimidation campaign by writing letters to metropolitan newspapers across Australia.

It was the third day of an OWS push to distance itself from a pro-WorkChoices campaign in the Daily Telegraph, allegedly based on its work.

The Tele named and pictured Aussies who recounted their predicaments in ACTU adverts and told readers the OWS had found "they had nobody to blame but themselves".

OWS discomfort was understandable as "leaks" of its investigations would breach laws on which it was established by the Howard Government.

WorkChoices regulations only authorise disclosure of information to relevant colleagues or ... the Workplace Relations Minister.

ACTU secretary Greg Combet said the OWS was doing John Howard's dirty work.

"It's pretty hard to escape the conclusion that this was a politically motivated little piece of muckraking instigated by the Government," Combet said.

He said the OWS had only taken bosses' sides of the stories and had not bothered to contact some of the workers it had investigated.

"The OWS appears to have relied upon untested claims by employers as the basis for its so-called independent findings," Combet said.

Cowra abattoir worker Robert Kirkman, who features in the ads, told Workers Online he had had no contact with the OWS and was unfazed by the Telegraph's story.

"I'm not bothered that much - what I said was true," he said.

Opposition Leader Kim Beazley said the ads drew attention to what was legal under WorkChoices laws.

"We have never argued that these workers who appear in these advertisements were illegally sacked - that's the whole darn point," Beazley said.


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