Oceania
Australian High Court citizenship ruling disqualifies five more MPs
By Mike Head, 10 May 2018
The ruling takes to a new level a purge of parliament to clear out anyone lacking “unqualified allegiance” to Australia.
Australian government promotes racist diversion over so-called “African gangs”
By Patrick Kelly, 5 January 2018
Turnbull has sent a clear message that his government’s agenda for 2018 will consist of draconian new “law and order” measures, along with nationalist and racist hysteria.
Australia continues punitive treatment of refugees on Manus Island
By Max Newman, 5 January 2018
Despite protests and UN condemnations of Australia, the detainees confront worsening conditions.
New Zealand pseudo-lefts embrace new right-wing government
By John Braddock, 4 November 2017
The line-up of pro-Labour commentators, trade unions and pseudo-left groups is fraudulently portraying the Labour-led coalition government as “progressive” and “left wing.”
Australian rail union suspends industrial action in Pacific National dispute
By Terry Cook, 2 November 2017
The Rail, Tram and Bus Union called off all industrial action as it moved to broker another sell-out agreement.
High Court disqualifies five MPs, demanding “single-minded loyalty” to Australia
By Mike Head, 28 October 2017
The entire political establishment has immediately lined up behind the anti-democratic and deeply reactionary ruling.
Australian university union blocks debate at WSU stopwork rally
By our correspondents, 21 October 2017
Trade union enterprise agreements have been the vehicle for facilitating all the government-employer attacks on university staff and students.
Western Sydney University workers denounce cuts to jobs and conditions
By our correspondents, 21 October 2017
Academics and other campus workers condemn the worsening conditions for university staff and students.
South Korean media workers continue strike
Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific
21 October 2017
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Australian economy “going into a hole”
By Nick Beams, 7 October 2017
The record run of the Australian economy, 26 years without a recession, has “flattered to deceive,” as major economic problems come to the surface.
New Zealand First Party attacks Pacific Island immigrants
By Matthew Carrington and Tom Peters, 11 July 2015
Emboldened by the support it receives from Labour, the Greens and Mana, New Zealand First’s denunciations of foreigners are increasingly vicious.
Melbourne public meeting examines role of Australian imperialism in East Timor
By our reporters, 8 May 2014
The “Justice at Sea” meeting discussed Canberra’s latest moves to retain its grip over the vast oil and gas reserves in the Timor Sea.
New Zealand: Mana Party seeks alliance with pro-business Internet Party
By Tom Peters, 10 April 2014
The talks again expose the reactionary politics of Mana and its pseudo-left affiliates: the International Socialist Organisation (ISO), Fightback and Socialist Aotearoa.
More evidence about atrocity at Australian-run refugee camp
By Mike Head, 27 February 2014
The government is intending to whitewash the assault on refugees, while exploiting the death and injuries to deter asylum seekers from trying to reach Australia.
Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific
6 July 2013
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Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific
29 June 2013
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Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific
22 June 2013
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Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific
15 June 2013
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Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific
8 June 2013
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Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific
1 June 2013
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Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific
18 May 2013
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Australian Education Union convenes delegates’ meeting to ram through sell-out agreement
By our reporters, 8 May 2013
Union officials attempt to impose a new enterprise deal on Victorian public school teachers.
Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific
4 May 2013
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Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific
27 April 2013
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Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific
20 April 2013
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Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific
13 April 2013
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Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific
16 February 2013
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Australian state government prepares to privatise railways
By Terry Cook, 15 December 2012
The privatisation of rail and other assets by state governments is being driven by the federal Labor government’s restructuring agenda.
Australian foreign minister visits Sri Lanka to tighten anti-refugee measures
By Mike Head, 14 December 2012
Gillard’s government is stepping up its partnership with the autocratic Sri Lankan regime to prevent refugee boats sailing from the island.
Australian pseudo-left backs imperialist intervention in Syria
By Patrick O’Connor and Nick Beams, 14 December 2012
The overt shift by Socialist Alternative into the imperialist camp is bound up with the new political requirements of the Labor government.
SEP (Australia)
Film showing of Tsar to Lenin in Sydney this Sunday
14 December 2012
Nick Beams, the national secretary of the Socialist Equality Party, will introduce the showing of the great historical documentary Tsar to Lenin with a lecture on “The Historical and Contemporary Political Significance of the 1917 Russian Revolution”.
Australia: Fire safety problems in new student accommodation
By Mark Church, 14 December 2012
Scores of new student apartments are not fire proof because of an unclear definition in Australian building codes.
Australian national income falls as global downturn deepens
By Mike Head, 8 December 2012
For all the Labor government’s claims that the economy is sheltered from the international turmoil, the latest data reflects the renewed worldwide slump.
Protests continue in Australian refugee detention camps
By Mark Church, 8 December 2012
Detainees are protesting against the barbaric conditions in the Pacific island camps, as well as the uncertainty surrounding their asylum claims.
Survey shows Australian teachers oppose NAPLAN testing
By Oliver Campbell, 7 December 2012
Ranking schools by NAPLAN literacy and numeracy test results is part of the Labor government’s regressive education agenda.
Papua New Guinea PM pledges fealty to Australian government, mining investors
By Patrick O’Connor, 6 December 2012
As well as emphasising the centrality of PNG’s relations with Canberra and Washington, O’Neill used his Australian trip to curry favour with the mining giants.
Australian central bank cuts interest rates amid signs of economic slump
By Mike Head, 5 December 2012
The new rate matches what Treasurer Wayne Swan called the “emergency” setting in April 2009 amid the global financial crisis.
Australian opposition leader under pressure after accusing PM of criminality
By Patrick O’Connor, 30 November 2012
Abbott failed in his attempt to use a union scandal to force the prime minister to resign and hold an early election.
Australian prime minister defeated on UN vote
By Nick Beams, 28 November 2012
Gillard was forced to back down on the UN Palestine vote after opposition in the cabinet and on the Labor Party backbench.
Union corruption scandal plagues Australian PM
By Patrick O’Connor, 28 November 2012
The issue has been promoted by the Murdoch press as a means of placing pressure on Gillard to implement further austerity measures.
Gough Whitlam: A Moment in History by Jenny Hocking
An exercise in myth-making
By Nick Beams, 24 November 2012
Whitlam’s demise is presented as the downfall of a social reformer, almost totally ignoring the global context in which the 1975 Canberra Coup took place.
Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific
17 November 2012
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Australian government asks High Court to curb free speech rights
By Mike Head, 14 November 2012
The Labor government has asked the judges to wind back a so-called implied protection of political communication.
Unemployment surges in New Zealand
By John Braddock, 14 November 2012
The official jobless rate rose from 6.8 to 7.3 percent in the September quarter, its highest level since 1999.
Australian government prepares “transition” for Solomon Islands intervention
By Patrick O’Connor, 13 November 2012
Nearly 10 years after dispatching hundreds of troops, federal police and government officials, Canberra is winding down RAMSI’s military component.
Australia’s worsening housing affordability crisis
By Mark Church, 10 November 2012
Over the past two decades, the cost of buying a home has almost trebled, compared to average incomes.
New Zealand mine disaster inquiry whitewashes government
By Tom Peters, 10 November 2012
The disaster was the outcome of the decades-long assault on the jobs, conditions and rights of workers aimed at boosting “international competitiveness.”
Hunger strike continues in Australian refugee detention centre on Nauru
By Mark Church, 10 November 2012
On the government’s instructions, Australian officials have refused to negotiate with the detainees over their asylum visa applications.
Qantas Australia sacks another 500 maintenance engineers
By Patrick O’Connor, 9 November 2012
With the support of the federal Labor government, and the collaboration of the trade unions, Qantas is imposing layoffs on a near-monthly basis.
Australian government critics express fears of an Asian war
By Peter Symonds, 7 November 2012
The government’s White Paper on “Australia in the Asian Century” dismissed the prospect of conflict between the US and China.
Drilling company fined negligible sum for safety breaches in New Zealand mine disaster
By Tom Peters, 3 November 2012
Family members of the Pike River miners reacted with anger to the $46,800 fine given to VLI Drilling for its role in the 2010 disaster, which killed 29 men.
Labor steps up Australian commitment to Afghan war
By James Cogan, 2 November 2012
Prime Minister Gillard said additional Australian forces were likely to be deployed over the next year.
Australia: Job cuts mount amid signs of stalling growth
By Max Newman and Terry Cook, 2 November 2012
Official labour force figures for September show a rising unemployment rate and job destruction in all industry sectors.
Australian government’s new mining tax raises zero revenue
By Patrick O’Connor, 29 October 2012
The loss of revenue will trigger further regressive spending cuts as the government seeks to deliver the budget surplus demanded by the financial markets.
No decision on coronial inquiry into Bankstown fire for months
By Richard Phillips, 27 October 2012
The response by all levels of government to the plight of Euro Terraces fire victims has been one of callous indifference.
Australian opposition under fire over budget update response
By Patrick O’Connor, 26 October 2012
Opposition leader Tony Abbott faces sharp criticism within ruling circles over his perceived failure to press for more savage austerity measures.
Australian PM visit to India bolsters new “strategic partnership”
By Patrick O’Connor, 20 October 2012
Washington has encouraged closer relations between India and Australia as part of its aggressive drive to undermine the influence of China in Asia.
Building workers raise questions about Bankstown fire
By our reporters, 20 October 2012
The WSWS spoke to construction workers about poor building standards, the de-regulation of building codes and the housing affordability crisis.
BHP chief demands assault on Australian miners’ conditions
By James Cogan, 19 October 2012
Marius Kloppers, the CEO of BHP-Billiton, has joined the list of figures who have declared that Australia’s “mining boom” is over.
Australian government slashes benefits to single parent families
By Terry Cook, 17 October 2012
The Gillard government's move will produce increasing levels of hardship for some of society's most disadvantaged families.
The Australian Labor government and the “sexism” debate
By Patrick O’Connor, 13 October 2012
Gillard’s cynical campaign against sexism and misogyny is aimed at galvanising the support of a privileged layer of the middle classes for her government’s re-election.
Bankstown tragedy highlights fire service cuts
By Mike Head, 13 October 2012
For decades, one government after another has been responsible for running down the fire service.
Australia: Speaker’s resignation deepens Gillard government crisis
By Nick Beams, 10 October 2012
The parliamentary turmoil takes place amid the collapse of the so-called mining boom and demands by the financial establishment for deeper austerity measures.
Australian Treasury secretary outlines austerity offensive for Labor government
By Patrick O’Connor, 10 October 2012
Parkinson is effectively demanding the elimination of every social concession won by the working class over the past century.
SEP (Australia) meetings discuss how to fight austerity and war
By our correspondents, 10 October 2012
There were lively discussions at each meeting on the challenges facing workers and youth.
Bankstown fire building residents still given no date to return
By our reporters, 10 October 2012
Apartment owners and tenants of the fire-damaged building face further delays and mounting expenses.
Workers and youth speak on the issues raised at SEP meetings
By our correspondents, 10 October 2012
People who attended the Socialist Equality Party’s public meetings spoke to WSWS correspondents.
Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific
6 October 2012
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Government subsidies funded Bankstown fire complex
By Mike Head, 6 October 2012
Under the guise of providing “affordable housing”, the federal and state governments helped finance the construction of the buildings in 2009.
Top-level Chinese delegation visits Fiji
By Frank Gaglioti, 4 October 2012
The small Pacific state is being drawn into the vortex of the US-China rivalry that is reaching into every corner of the region.
“The apartment block was like a bomb ready to go off”
Australia: Terry Li, boyfriend of Connie Zhang, speaks about Bankstown fire
By Richard Phillips, 1 October 2012
The fire victim’s partner comments on the unsafe conditions that led to the tragedy.
Witchhunt intensifies against anti-US protesters in Australia
By Mike Head, 29 September 2012
The “war on terrorism” is being revived as a mechanism for building up the state apparatus to be used against mounting discontent.
Australian budget figures mean major attacks on spending
By Nick Beams, 25 September 2012
To deliver a budget surplus, the Labor government must withdraw spending from the economy equivalent to 3 percent of gross domestic product.
New Zealand: Social crisis deepens following Christchurch earthquake
By Tom Peters, 22 September 2012
More than two years after the first earthquake, thousands of Christchurch residents are still living in damaged houses.
Demand Bankstown council provides accommodation and answers for Euro Terraces residents
By Socialist Equality Party (Australia), 22 September 2012
More than 300 students and workers have no idea when they will be able to return to Euro Terraces Building B or whether the serious faults in the construction of the building will have been rectified when they do.
Australia: Official wall of silence over Bankstown fire
By Richard Phillips, 15 September 2012
Government authorities are refusing to provide any detailed information about the conditions that produced the apartment fire.
Australia: The issues behind the clash between Grocon and the construction unions
By Patrick O’Connor, 15 September 2012
The real priority of the CFMEU officials was to maintain their role as quasi-labour relations managers on Melbourne’s major construction sites.
Mining cuts deepen job losses across Australia
By Terry Cook and Mike Head, 11 September 2012
The collapse of the mining boom is worsening the recessionary conditions already gripping most other industries.
WSWS speaks to wife of New Zealand mine disaster victim
By Tom Peters, 11 September 2012
Milton Osborne was one of 29 men who died when the Pike River Coal mine exploded in November 2010.
Signs of economic reversal in Australia
By Mike Head, 8 September 2012
Export commodity prices are falling precipitously under the impact of the sharp slowdown in China.
Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific
1 September 2012
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Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific
25 August 2012
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Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific
18 August 2012
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Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific
11 August 2012
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Divisions sharpen in Australian ruling elite over US-China rivalry
By Patrick O’Connor, 10 August 2012
Former PM Paul Keating launched a book by strategic analyst Hugh White, The China Choice: Why America Should Share Power.
Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific
4 August 2012
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Australia normalises relations with Fijian regime
By Patrick O’Connor, 4 August 2012
The move is aimed at countering China’s growing diplomatic influence in Fiji and the South Pacific region.
Papua New Guinea: Rival ex-prime ministers unite in bid to form new government
By Patrick O’Connor, 30 July 2012
Michael Somare and Peter O’Neil spent the previous 12 months locked in a bitter power struggle that split the military, police force and state apparatus.
Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific
28 July 2012
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Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific
21 July 2012
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SEP candidate outlines socialist perspective at residents’ forum
By our reporters, 13 July 2012
O’Connor exposed the posturing of both the Labor and Greens’ candidates as opponents of Premier Ted Baillieu’s spending cuts.
Coles warehouse strikers speak with Patrick O’Connor
By our reporters, 11 July 2012
At a Coles national distribution centre in Melbourne, 600 striking workers are enforcing a 24-hour picket, blocking trucks entering the facility.
Voting period extended in Papua New Guinea election
By Mike Head, 10 July 2012
The disruptions have cast doubt on the hopes of the de facto prime minister, and his backers in Canberra and Washington, that the elections would end months of political instability.
Video: SEP candidate opposes Ford Australia stand-downs
By our reporters, 10 July 2012
Patrick O’Connor discussed the devastating impact of the current stand-downs with Ford workers and local residents in Broadmeadows.
Further US demands for espionage charges against Assange
By Richard Phillips, 9 July 2012
The US Senate intelligence committee head has repeated calls for the WikiLeaks editor to be put on trial.
Final SEP Melbourne election meeting on July 15
9 July 2012
The Socialist Equality Party will hold its final public meeting for the Melbourne state by-election on Sunday, July 15 at 2:30 p.m.
New Zealand: New evidence about US operation to shut down Megaupload
By John Braddock, 7 July 2012
White House logs demonstrate that meetings took place between Hollywood studio executives and US Vice President Joe Biden six months before the raids on Megaupload.
The Labor-Greens carbon tax hoax
By Patrick O’Connor and SEP candidate for Melbourne, 6 July 2012
What has been billed as a major environmental and social reform is in fact a regressive pro-business measure that does nothing to address the climate change crisis.
Indonesia to join US-Australia military exercises
By Mike Head, 4 July 2012
Following President Yudhoyono’s visit to Darwin this week, Australia will boost its US-backed military arrangements with Indonesia.
SEP holds election campaign meeting
By our reporters, 2 July 2012
SEP candidate Patrick O’Connor explained the party’s socialist policies to an audience of workers and young people, including a number of international students.
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