Newswire

Goodooga, northwest NSW, 19 March 12 – An Aboriginal leader has thrown open the possibility of Commonwealth government having “committed a major fraud against the Australian public” in connection with the 1967 referendum that included Aborigines in the national census for the first time.

On Thursday the 15th of March a massive 4 story squat in Ashfield Sydney was evicted by private security forces. For 3 inspiring and eventful months the building had been home to over 20 homeless students, workers and anarchists. The space had become a centre of anarchist organising and counter information, where many demos and actions were planned and countless zines, leaflets and posters were printed for mass distribution.

The Finkelstein media report has sent the press into a frenzy about the notion of free speech.

Some journalists say the hysteria is stifling community debate about effective complaint handling and promoting quality journalism. Ensuring independence and funding, and questions about the power of a new media council, are central issues.

Below is footage of a solidarity action that occured in Melbourne at a Chemists Wharehouse which is one of the major recipients of drugs from Sigma. There is currently a picket and lockout occuring at Sigma's Factory in Roweville where management is trying to abolish penalty rates for nightshift workers in what is seen as a test case in the abolishment of penalty rates.

Reprinted from the WSWS
By Patrick O’Connor 17 March 2012 The Australian Nursing Federation (ANF) in Victoria has announced a sell-out deal with the state Liberal government for a new enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA) covering public hospital nurses and midwives. The agreement, quickly rammed through a mass meeting of nurses yesterday, involves a substantial real wage cut and a significant “flexibility” concession that erodes existing mandatory nurse-to-patient staffing ratios.

Jenny Dowell, Mayor of Lismore shire, commiserated with Mahyan Kuri, a young mother originally from Fukushima, and reminded us of the scale of the human tragedy caused by the Japan tsunami; David Bradbury, film-maker and environmental activist just back from a visit to India, spoke of how the Indian farmers and fisherfolk saw nuclear power and uranium as a evil serpent; Robert Corrowa, Bundjalung songman and firekeeper at the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, emphasised that the Aboriginal elders did not wish for uranium to be mined in Australia and were deeply distressed that Australian uranium ha

Coalition Against Duck Shooting (CADS) rescuers today documented being shot at and physically abused by duck shooters on the wetlands of Lake Buloke, located near the central Victorian town of Donald.

Rescuers were targeted on the wetlands by angry and abusive duck shooters whilst attempting to protect and rescue Australian native waterbirds.

After the tragic incident last year where a female duck rescuer was shot in the face, the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) has failed to ensure firearms safety on the wetlands.

Click on the links for details of the events ...

Event: Sun 18 March 2012 10pm: ABC Local Radio
Interview and Discussion on the Northern Territory
* Anglican Bishop of the NT Greg Thompson
* Dr Djiniyini Gondarra OAM
* Graeme Mundine
* Jeff McMullen
Event details: http://indymedia.org.au/2012/03/16/interviews-and-discussion-on-the-nort...

Event: 21 March 2012: various locations internationally
International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
Event details: http://www.un.org/en/events/racialdiscriminationday/

by West Papua Media from West Papua Media sources in Jayapura March 16, 2012

Hundreds of security forces are on the streets around Jaypura, West Papua, in a show of force as an Indonesian court found five Congress leaders guilty of Makar (treason), and sentenced the defendants each to three years in prison.