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Independent of Facts
John Howard's mastery of the big lie was evident again this week.
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.
 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!
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
Balancing Act
Swimming Uphill
Help is at Hand
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News
Prof: Fair Pay Should Be Lower
A Fair Pay Commission boffin says a $125 cut to the minimum wage would create more than half a million new jobs.
A Fair Pay Commission boffin says a $125 cut to the minimum wage would create more than half a million new jobs.
Phil Lewis, an economist at the University of Canberra, says the minimum wage should have been frozen at the 1996 rate..
In 1997, the minimum wage , currently $484.40, was $359.40 per week.
"That's less than $400 a week to pay the rent or mortgage, meet utility bills, and cover food, clothing and transport when they're working a 38-hour week," says ACTU president Sharan Burrow. "I don't think any Australian would think that would be fair or possible."
Labor has dismissed as nonsense suggestions a lower minimum wage would have made room for an extra half a million Australian jobs over the past decade.
"There is no link between increasing employment and increasing the minimum wage," Labor's industrial relations spokesman Stephen Smith said in Perth. "This is an economic and a social nonsense.
"It belies the experience in the United Kingdom and the United States, and it is also counter to the OECD employment outlook report of 2006 of a month or so ago," he said.
The new Fair Pay Commission, which now has responsibility for setting the wages of the nation's lowest paid workers, has released his own modelling of the impact of minimum wage rises.
The Fair Pay Commission is expected to hand down its first decision on the minimum wage - affecting 2.5 million Australians - before the end of November.
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Issue 317 contents
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