A-Infos (en) Anarchist Age Weekly Review No.530 19th January ­ 26th January, 2003

[Phil McCrory <philmcc@melbpc.org.au>]

 ________________________________________________
      A - I N F O S  N E W S  S E R V I C E
            http://www.ainfos.ca/
        http://ainfos.ca/index24.html
 ________________________________________________

NO GLOBALISATION WITHOUT DIRECT DEMOCRACY ­ ANARCHIST MEDIA INSTITUTE
"WE SWEAR BY THE SOUTHERN CROSS TO STAND TRULY BY EACH OTHER AND FIGHT TO
DEFEND OUR RIGHTS AND LIBERTIES" ­ EUREKA REBELLION OATH 1854

THE AUSTRALIAN CHARACTER?
The latest attempt by the Australia Day committee to generate interest in
celebrating Australia Day on the 26th January is doomed to fail.
Irrespective of patriotic pledges that have little or anything to do with
everyday reality, the participation of high profile Australians in the
celebrations, catchy jingles, expensive advertising campaigns and support by
the mass media, the concept is totally flawed.  National days evolve
organically, they mark defining moments in a country¹s history, which mould
the soul of a people.  They cannot be artificially created by the use of
inane soulless marketing techniques.

January the 26th marks the day that the European colonisation of the
continent began.  It marks the day a penal colony was established in New
South Wales by the British government.  It has nothing to do with defining
the character and soul of the Australian people.  Celebrating the country¹s
National Day on the 26th January, invasion day, is divisive because it
excludes indigenous Australians from the celebrations.  It marks the day
that the physical, cultural and linguistic genocide of this country¹s
indigenous inhabitants began.  How would Australians feel if the Japanese
had successfully invaded Australia during the Second World War and
Australian's were forced to celebrate Australia Day on the day the Japanese
invasion began.

Celebrating on the 26th January is totally inappropriate.  The concept is
totally flawed.  Two alternative days that could easily take the place of
the 26th January are the 3rd June and the 3rd December.  On the 3rd June
1992, the Australian High Court recognised that indigenous Australians had
rights to land in law.  This day marks the beginning of the long and
torturous journey towards reconciliation between indigenous and
non-indigenous people in this country.  Mabo Day, the 3rd June, is a
defining moment in the creation of an Australian identity that acknowledges
the past and recreates an inclusive future.

Another day that could easily replace the 26th January is the 3rd December.
On the 3rd December 1854, the miners at Ballarat took up arms against a
government that had long stopped listening to them.  Although the rebellion
was crushed in a sea of blood, the day marks a defining moment in Australian
history.  The history of the Eureka rebellion is about rights, liberty,
solidarity and resistance to authoritarian and non-representative
government.  These important concepts have helped define the Australian
character.

Instead of swearing advertising jingles to mark Australia Day, that have
been created by spin-doctors and advertising agencies, on the 26th January
we should be swearing the Eureka oath on the 3rd December to mark the day.
- "We swear by the Southern Cross to stand truly by each other and fight to
defend our rights and liberties."  - The ideas encapsulated in these few
lines are ideas that have moulded the Australian character and are well
worth celebrating.

FIRE!!
Over the past few summer's significant fires have caused extensive damage,
both in rural and metropolitan areas.  This year is no exception, fires in
North Western Victoria are burning out of control, while fires in Canberra
have caused significant property damage and loss of life.  One in two
hundred homes in Canberra have burnt to the ground.  Around two thousand
people suddenly find themselves homeless.  Last year fires around Sydney
caused extensive damage and blanketed the city in a thick haze of smoke for
weeks.

Fire has been used by indigenous Australians for over 40,000 years to manage
the land.  When the first European's, Hume and Hovell crossed the Murray
into what is now called Victoria in the 1830's, they found themselves in a
sea of grass that had evolved as a consequence of Aboriginal land management
practices.  The frequency of current fires and the extensive and unexpected
damage they have caused has now become a debating point within Australian
society.  Over the past two decades, significant numbers of people have
moved from rural and regional Australia into a half a dozen coastal strips.

The subsequent building boom that has accompanied this shift of population
has resulted in a significant number of houses being built on the periphery
of major cities in semi-wilderness areas.  The outward growth of cities has
put pressure on infrastructure, as well as fire fighting services.  Most of
these new areas depend on a volunteer fire service to fight any outbreaks.
Changing social conditions has resulted in volunteer fire services being
staffed by wage and salary earners, instead of farmers.

Many volunteer fire brigades are finding it extremely difficult negotiate
time off work to deal with emergency calls.  The changing nature of
volunteer fire brigades and the increasing number of fires is putting an
unrealistic burden on volunteer brigades.  Blaming over stretched volunteer
services for the extent of the Canberra fires is not the answer to the
problem.  The extent of the current problem encompasses planning issues as
well as issues about establishing permanent brigades to augment volunteer
brigades.

Unfortunately the lessons of last year's Sydney fires have not been learnt.
As soon as the bush fires were beaten, questions about the organisation of
fire services, planning issues and fire prevention strategies slipped into
the background.  The Canberra fires provide an excellent opportunity to
tackle these deficiencies.  If the Federal government is serious about
reducing bushfire risks, a Commonwealth Royal Commission should be called to
examine ways that the increasing risk of bushfires can be tackled and damage
to life and property can be minimised.

MORE PLEASE
The public debate surrounding Brian Gilbertson's $30 million payout has
largely failed to throw light on the reasons why such extravagant payments
to CEOs have become commonplace in Australia. Over the past two decades
national governments have allowed the corporate sector to virtually
self-regulate. The values and norms which governed the relationship between
the corporate sector, the government and the people governments represent,
have been superseded by a new set of relationships.

What may have been viewed as unethical, immoral or even illegal is now seen
as normal behaviour. Self-regulation has given corporate boards carte
blanche to put their interests before the interests of shareholders, staff,
customers and the public. What was considered unethical, immoral or illegal
behaviour when national governments regulated the corporate sector, is now
viewed as totally acceptable.

Corporations have become so large and so powerful that they set the agenda
for most national governments. Power in the 21st century is shifting from
national governments to transnational corporations. What governments are
able to achieve is determined by the needs of the corporate sector, not the
needs of the people they represent. The economic limitations that have been
set on governments by the globalisation of capital has given corporate
boards the power to regulate their own affairs without fear of government
interference.

Although there may be widespread public revulsion at Gilbertson's golden
handshake, most governments no longer have the power or the stomach to take
on the corporate sector. Those that attempt to limit their power find, like
President Chavez in Venezuela, that the consequences for both governments
and the people can be catastrophic. The solution to the current dilemma lies
in the transfer of power from the corporate sector to the people. Whether
governments are able or want to transfer their allegiance from the corporate
sector to the people is becoming one of the most pressing problems of the
21st century.

BELIEVE IT OR NOT
I've been amazed by the tone of the debate in the letters section¹ of the
Herald Sun about Muslim women in Shepparton wanting to on occasions
exclusively use the Shepparton public pool. It seems that a significant
majority of people in post Tampa¹ Australia has lost the ability to put
themselves in the shoes of people who have come to this country as refugees.

The Muslim community that has settled in Shepparton over the past decade has
made a significant contribution to the economy of the region. They have been
willing, like the Italians and Vietnamese before them, to do much of the
farm work Australian-born people are not willing to do. A significant
proportion of the Muslim community around Shepparton are Iraqi refugees who
have fled Iraq because of political persecution and the economic devastation
that 12 years of sanctions have caused.

It's ironic that at the very moment that the Australian government is
willing to spill Australian blood to forcefully oust Saddam Hussein from
power, a significant number of Australians are not even willing to allow
Muslim women (many of whom are Iraqi refugees) to exclusively use a pool for
a few hours a week to cool down during this incredibly long, hot summer.

It seems that in post Tampa¹ Australia, significant numbers of people are
only willing to extend a fair go to people who practise the same religion
and have the same cultural practices. This ugly state of affairs has
occurred because the current government has, for short-term political gain,
fostered a climate of distrust and hatred within the Australian community.
Unfortunately, this growing cancer within Australian society will poison
relationships within this country long after the Coalition loses power.

REFORM OR REVOLUTION
James Norman's article on Mike Moore (14/01/03) assumes the left is a
uniform movement. Mike Moore is the latest in a long list of permanent
protest activists who have caught the public imagination. He has been able
to successfully use the freedom that the internet has given imaginative
activists to free themselves of the dead hand of a corporate controlled mass
media that is more interested in maintaining the status quo than providing
honest, forceful analysis of the contradictions within the societies we live
and work in.

The quintessential difference between Mike Moore and Noam Chomsky represents
one of the main fracture lines within the left ­ a movement that includes
both reformers and revolutionaries. Mike Moore, like the majority on the
left, believes the system can be reformed. He believes that current
institutions can be changed by the application of pressure by a mass
movement of people whose eyes have been opened by high profile activists,
like himself, to the contradictions within society. On the other hand, Noam
Chomsky does not believe the system can be reformed. He has consistently
applied a libertarian left analysis that springs from his life-long interest
and support for anarchist ideas and movements.

Chomsky has been able to apply his left libertarian analysis to both
capitalism and communism. His work represents a significant fracture line
within the revolutionary left, between communists who believe that the
inequalities that exist in the world can be reduced by increasing the power
of the state and decreasing the power of the corporate sector, and by the
anarchist/libertarian left that wants to abolish both the state and the
corporate sector.

Imaginative, charismatic activists like Mike Moore, who provide a critique
of society but don't provide any alternatives, come and go with monotonous
regularity. Activists like Noam Chomsky who provide alternatives to as well
as a critique of the current system make a far greater and much more
sustained contribution to the growth of the movement to create a society
based on individual freedom and equitable access to wealth than those
activists who just provide a critique of society can ever hope to achieve.

ANARCHIST QUESTION AND ANSWER
Q.  Would copyright exist in an anarchist society?
A.  No.  Copyright theoretically exists in a capitalist society to prevent
people from profiting from another person¹s work.  Even if we accept the
idea of copyright, we need to ask questions about what is original and
isn¹t.  Nothing comes from a void, every new addition to knowledge comes
from previous additions to knowledge.  Every idea, every invention, every
song, every medicine is a product of the efforts of hundreds if not
thousands of people.
Copyright in its most extreme form, prevents people from benefiting from
that collective knowledge.  Although copyright would not exist in an
anarchist society, acknowledgment would exist.  People would be recognised,
in some cases even feted for what they had produced, but that would not mean
they had control over the release of that product.  If a need existed for
that product or that knowledge, it would be made freely available to whoever
needed it.  The inventor¹s reward would come in the acknowledgment they
received for their efforts.
Anarchists tend to give up copyright in an anarchist society.  By giving up
copyright, we could allow somebody else to claim copyright and profit from
our work.  To overcome this potential problem, The Anarchist World This
Week¹ has given permission to other anarchist groups and non-commercial
groups and organisations to copy the content of the magazine.  We retain
copyright as far as the commercial sector is concerned.  In a capitalist
society we should not allow the commercial sector to make a profit from our
efforts.
Copyright would not be necessary in an anarchist society because a person¹s
livelihood would be tied to the health of the community they live in.  As
wealth is held in common and a person¹s ability to survive is not
inter-linked with the type of work they do, there would be no necessity for
copyright.  The free exchange of knowledge would encourage a collective
approach to problem solving.  This would help to develop solutions to
problems far more rapidly than in a capitalist society.
Copyright inhibits the free exchange of ideas and limits the potential
benefit of a discovery whilst that copyright is in place.  The problem with
copyright laws currently is that copyright can be inherited.  This means
that people who may be related to an inventor but have nothing to do with
that invention, may benefit from that copyright and limit its distribution
for up to five decades.

ACTION BOX
 COLLECTIVE EFFORT!!
How many times have you told yourself, that there¹s no point that all that
effort you¹ve put into a particular issue has been a total waste of time?
Reactive depression is a weapon that is skilfully used by those who wield
power.  Collectively we are made to feel that there is no point fighting
City Hall¹.  Irrespective of what we do, we¹re told that nothing will
change.  Even when things change, even when our campaigns are successful, we
are told that things changed, despite our efforts.
The most powerful weapon those in authority have, is their ability to make
people believe that protest and direct action is a total waste of time.  How
many times have you heard that we should leave important decisions to those
in authority, that we don¹t know what we¹re talking about, that our demands
are unrealistic and utopian.  Their ability, of those who wield power, to
make people question the worth of collective action, reduces movements for
change to individual acts of resistance.  While we work as individuals, we
are impotent.  It¹s only when we organise and act collectively that we
become a threat to those who wield power.
Change is not only desirable, it¹s possible, every major advance that has
occurred in human history, from the abolition of slavery to the provision of
welfare benefits, has been achieved by collective action.  Don¹t let anybody
tell you that you can¹t help build a movement for radical egalitarian
change.  Irrespective of the obstacles that are put in our path by the
State, organised religion, our families, friends and the corporate sector,
we have the potential to organise and work collectively to achieve
significant change.
Whether we do or don¹t do is to a degree determined by the attitude we take
to the opposition we face.  We have a choice, we can accept their
limitations or we can work to sidestep or overcome them.  The greatest
challenge we face is overcoming the fear of fear itself.  Change is
possible, collective effort is required to achieve change.  Like minded
individuals need to seek out other like minded individuals to build
organisations that can overcome the collective inertia for radical
egalitarian change that has been created by those who wield power in our
society.    

AUSTRALIAN RADICAL HISTORY
 ARBITRATION
The introduction of arbitration across colonial Australia was supported by
big sections of the Australian community and the labour movement because
they believed that a fair arbitration system would all but eliminate
strikes.  Several unsuccessful attempts were made to set up arbitration
bodies in the 1890¹s.  It wasn¹t until Federation in 1901 that the idea of a
workplace Arbitration Court became a possibility.  Arbitration became
Federal Law in 1902 despite widespread employer opposition.  The passage of
the Federal Conciliation and Arbitration Bill was met with widespread
acclaim within the labour movement.
One section of the community that opposed the introduction of an Arbitration
Court was the Socialist Federation of Australia.  They believed that
arbitration would dampen the industrial struggle and hold back the emerging
movement.
By 1907, the Arbitration Court had lost its gloss.  Judge Haydon, when
appointed to lead the Court in 1907 state "that while the Arbitration Act
made a brave show with sails and bunting at its launching and when directed
by Judge Cohen whose captaincy spoke for itself.  But since he had taken the
helm it had been riddled, shelled and broken fore and aft, and reduced to a
sinking hulk.  No pilot could navigate such a craft".  Successive
conservative governments did not have the courage to abolish the new Court,
but did all they could to neutralise its effectiveness as an arbitrating
body.
In 1907 Justice Higgins arguably made the most important decision ever made
by an Arbitration Court.  He decided to accept the idea that all workers in
Australia were entitled to a basic wage.  In the H.V.McKay decision, he set
the basic wage at 7 shillings a day for labourers.  He made his decision on
the principle about how much a worker would need to earn to support a
household.  The McKay Harvester judgement increased the standard of living
for workers by over 27% in 1907.  Although the decision was challenged in
the High Court, the idea of a basic wage was accepted by the community and
was adopted by wage boards and tribunals across the country.  Justice
Higgins at the age of 72, submitted his practical experience and work on the
Arbitration Commission as a doctoral thesis.
The Howard government has successfully neutralised the role of the
Arbitration Commission by the passage of legislation that removes it from
the bargaining process, by the appointment of conservative judges and by
starving it of funds.  It has attacked both the concepts of arbitration and
collective bargaining in favour of individual bargaining and individual
contracts, turning the clock back a hundred years.  The Accord, the Hawke
Labor government¹s pact between business, government and unions, created the
necessary preconditions that have allowed the Howard government to destroy
the Arbitration system without barely a ripple of protest.

 BOOK REVIEW
 "A MANUAL FOR GROUP FACILITATORS"
Centre for Conflict Resolution¹ Publisher - The Fellowship For Intentional
Community 1999, ISBN 0 9602714 7 3
Activism is about meetings, countless meetings, some difficult, some boring,
some worthwhile and some sublime.  This 90 page manual first printed in
1977, examines the role of facilitators in meetings.  It "is especially
addressed to persons who are inexperienced in performing the role of
facilitators, but who are called on to act in that capacity".  The manual is
structured in such a way you only need to read the chapter that interests
you, or if you want, you can read the manual from cover to cover.
It¹s divided into 7 chapters, each focuses on a particular issue.  Chapter 1
deals with the concept of facilitation.  This manual deals with a particular
type of facilitation.  It deals with facilitation based on democracy,
responsibility, cooperation, honesty and egalitarianism.  The book¹s been
written by people who use facilitators to achieve consensus decision making
and is skewed towards achieving this goal.  Chapter 2 examines how a
facilitator plans for a meeting.  Chapter 3 focuses on getting started.
Chapter 4 on the group process used.  Chapter 5 on special techniques that
can be used in meetings.  Chapter 6 on evaluation & Chapter 7 the most
interesting chapter on what can go wrong and what you can do about it.
Maybe it was the subject matter or maybe it was the way it was presented - I
didn¹t feel the manual did the subject justice.  Many of the matters raised
and the solutions proposed seemed not to be practical.  Anyone who has been
to a number of meetings, soon learns about the issues raised in the manual.
What the manual does is prepare the ground for novices.  It examines the
A,B,C without going into why¹s and how¹s and wherefor¹s.  I don¹t believe
it¹s "the bible for every beginning consensus facilitator" as the blurb on
the back cover by Caroline Estes master facilitator¹ suggests, but it is
useful reading for somebody who is interested in the dynamics of meetings
and how to get the most out of them.
"A Manual For Group Facilitators" is available for $32.00 (AUD) from Anarres
Books ­ An anarchist mail-order bookshop based in Melbourne.  Email your
order to mailorder@anarres.org.au or write to them at P.O. BOX 150, EAST
BRUNSWICK 3057, MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA.
Ask Anarres Books to send you their latest catalogue or have a look at their
up to date website  www.anarres.org.au. Thanks to Anarres Books for
providing me with the review copy of ""A Manual For Group Facilitators".

PERSONAL OBSERVATION
A little shopping centre not far from where I currently live has for the
first time decided to jump on the festival bandwagon.  In Melbourne, summer
is festival time, some of these festivals can be very special, most are
little more than an excuse for traders to sell their wares on the footpath.
I know it sounds very cynical, but I¹ve been to enough festivals in
Melbourne to know that the main reason for most of these events is to
improve turnover for the local traders.
The day before the festival began, which naturally fell on a Saturday (about
10 days before Xmas Day), brightly coloured flowers in terracotta baskets
appeared from no where, giving the street that festive air it desperately
needed.  When you¹re a small shopping strip, not far from one of the
country¹s largest post-modern temples of consumption, you have to do
something special to preserve the bottom line, especially near Xmas time.
If you don¹t, those few regulars that keep the tills turning over, will buy
their Xmas goodies from one of those post-modern temples of consumption that
litter the landscape.
I assume the festival was a great success, for some reason I never actually
got down to the shops on the day, maybe I was trying to finish writing the
weekly, most likely I was doing something else.  Not to worry.  Returning
after an end of year break, I couldn¹t help notice that of the 40 terracotta
pots that had been placed in strategic positions on light-posts in the
street, only 2 outside the Fruit & Vegie shop were still blooming, the rest
were well and truly D-E-A-D.
If somebody had bothered to water them, they should have all been blooming.
It seems that although most of the shops had traded over the holiday break,
nobody except the local fruit shop owner had bothered to water the pots
outside their shop.  What happened highlights that old dilemma that exists
in this country between private and public property.  In Australia, there is
a profound understanding of the role of private property but little
understanding about the concept of public or community property.
The local shop owners let the flowers in the pots to die because they were
not their private property.  Although they were all happy that the local
council and the local traders association had put them up for the festival,
they preferred to let the plants die than waste a few seconds every day or
two, watering them.  When I go down to the shops, I¹m reminded about how
little interest most people in Australia have about anything outside their
immediate circle of friends and family.  Maybe this all too common attitude
within the Australian community goes some way to explaining the hatred and
hostility that has been directed at a few thousand asylum seekers who have
tried to make Australia home.

STOP PRESS
 MORE?
The ABC¹s triennial funding submission for an extra $250 million to expand
its radio coverage and lift its digital television coverage, raises serious
questions about the role of the ABC in the community.  It¹s interesting to
note that the extra 180 additional hours of Australian drama and comedy to
be produced, will be produced in partnership with the independent commercial
production sector.
Most of the extra funds that have been requested will go to repair black
spots in its radio reach and expand its digital television output.  It¹s one
thing asking for extra funds to improve access to the ABC for all
Australians, it¹s another thing asking for extra funds to increase program
content.  Over the past few years, the ABC under the direction of the Howard
government appointed ABC Board, has changed direction.  Content has tended
to reflect the content in the commercial broadcasting sector.  It is
becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish the Australian Broadcasting
Corporation from the commercial sector.
The changes that have been forced on the ABC by the priorities of the
current Board, have made it much more difficult to justify the need for
extra funds for new programs that mirror commercial programs.  The Howard
government has succeeded through its appointments to the ABC Board in
destroying the ABC¹s capacity to produce new innovative programs, whose
content is not heard and seen in the commercial sector.
There is not much point in expanding networks and keeping up with
technological changes if ABC content mirrors commercial content.  The new
Managing Director Russell Bolding and his team¹s time would be more
effectively spent if they devoted more time ensuring that current ABC staff
and new appointments produced innovative programs whose content does not
mirror commercial sector content.
At the end of the day the ABC belongs to all Australians, its content should
reflect the hopes and aspirations of the diverse Australian community.
Reproducing the commercial media¹s content and going into partnership with
the commercial sector to produce programs, is not the way to achieve this.
Joseph TOSCANO/LibertarianWorkers
for a Self-Managed Society.

                   
ANARCHIST PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED THIS WEEK
A BATALHA Vol.29 No.195 Sept/Oct ¹02, R. Marques de Ponte de Lima, 37-2-D,
1100-337, Lisboa, PORTUGAL
ARIVISTA Vol.32 ­ No286, Dec¹02/Jan¹03, C.P.17120, 20170 Milano, ITALY,
Tel:022896627, Fax:0228001271, Email:arivista@tin.it
www.anarca-bolo.ch/a-rivista
CNT No.283&4 Oct/Nov02, Organo de la Conferedacion Nacional del Trabajo,
Avda Constitucion 21,9a, Granada, SPAIN, Tel:958289009, Fax:958288992,
jlgrua@ugr.es redaccion@periodcocnt.org
FREEDOM Vol.63 No.24,14th Dec. 2002, Anarchist Fortnightly, 84b Whitechapel
High St, London E17QX, ENGLAND Email:FreedomCopy@aol.com
LE LIBERTAIRE  No.230 Dec 02, Revue de synthese anarchiste, B.P. 745, 76060
Leitavre Cedex FRANCE Tel:(0148414594), www.le-libertaire.org,
libertaire@normandnet.fr
LE MONDE LIBERTAIRE No.1300 & 1301 5th ­ 8th Dec¹02, 145 Rue Amelot, 75011
Paris, FRANCE, Tel:0148053408, Fax:0149299859
LE MONDE LIBERTAIRE No.22 19th Dec ­ 8th Jan¹03, 145 Rue Amelot, 75011
Paris, FRANCE, Tel:0148053408, Fax:0149299859
SICILIA LIBERTAIRIA Vol.26 No.214 Dec.¹02, Giornale Anarchico per la
Liberazione Sociale L¹internazionismo, Via Galileo Galilei 45, 97100 Ragusa,
SICILY, ITALY, email:si_lib@hotmail.com
TIERRA Y LIBERTAD No.169,171,172 - 02, Periodico Anarquista, Apartado 7.056
de Madrid, 28080 SPAIN, Tel:917970424, Fax:915052183,
tierraylibertad@nodo50.org
SOCIAL ANARCHISM No33 WINTER 02-03, A Journal of Theory & Practice, 2743
Mayland Ave., Baltimore MD, 21218, UNITES STATES, social@nothingness.org
UMANITA NOVA Vol 82 No.40,41,42 Dec..¹02, Settimanale Anarchico, C.50
Palermo 46, 10152, Torino ITALY. tel/fax (011) 857850 Mobile 338-6594361
email:fat@inrete.it
OTHER PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED THIS WEEK
OPERAI CONTRO Vol.21 No.104 Dec¹02, Associazione per la Libertarione degli
Operai, Via Falck 44, 20099, Sesto S.Giovanni (MI), ITALY,
http://www.asloperaicontro.org
NEW UNIONIST No.295,296 nov.¹02 ­ Jan¹03, 1821 University Ave, W.#5-116
SAINT PAUL, MN 55104, U.S. www/.minn.net/`nup
THE OTHER ISRAELI No.105/106 Dec¹02, Newsletter of the Israeli Council for
Israeli-Palestinian Peace, P.O.Bpx 2542 Holon 58125, ISRAEL Tel/Fax:03
5565804, Email;otherisx@actcom.co.il
(READERS WHO DESPAIR ABOUT THE SITUATION IN ISRAEL/PALESTINE SHOULD
SUBSCRIBE TO THIS FASCINATING MAGAZINE ­ EDITOR A.A.W.R.)

DEBT ELIMINATION APPEAL ­ Our debt stands at $921.40
We need to raise $210.00 per week in order to cover typing, printing,
postage and radio program and ongoing campaign costs. How much we are able
to do depends to a large degree on the level of our finances.  You can help
by A)-Subscribing to the Anarchist Age Weekly Review $10.00 = 10 Issues,
$50.00 = 50 Issues, B)-joining our Dollar A Day group or C)-donating money
or stamps.  Think about buying your local library or a friend a subscription
to the A.A.W.R. If sending less than $20.00 save on banking costs and send
us 50 cent stamps. Otherwise make out cheques and money orders to
LIBERTARIAN WORKERS and send to P.O. BOX 20, PARKVILLE 3052, MELBOURNE,
AUSTRALIA.
Debt 22-01-2003            $921.40
 
RECLAIM THE RADICAL SPIRIT OF THE EUREKA STOCKADE
Celebrate on the 3rd December 2003
The 3rd December 2003 marks the 149th Anniversary of the Eureka rebellion.
This year a federation of groups will be celebrating the anniversary at
Ballarat and around Australia.  If you wish to keep up with what¹s happening
or belong to a group that wants to affiliate with the organisation write to
us at P.O. Box 20, PARKVILLE 3052, MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA for details about
affiliation.
Current affiliate groups:
**  ANARCHIST MEDIA INSTITUTE
**  LIBERTARIAN WORKERS FOR A SELF MANAGED SOCIETY
Groups that are considering affiliation:
**  BAYSIDE ANARCHIST GROUP
**  IT¹S OUR ABC
**  PEOPLE AGAINST REPRESSIVE LEGISLATION
If you want to join the mailing list in 2003 and keep up to date with what¹s
happening, send us 10 ­ 50cent stamps

178 MEMBERS ­ 372 TO GO
BEFORE WE CAN APPLY TO REGISTER AS A FEDERAL POLITICAL PARTY
Politically manipulated and scorned?  Sick of being a peripheral player
every time a Federal election comes around, then join:-  VOTE INFORMAL
TODAY, DIRECT DEMOCRACY TOMORROW - a "political party" that is putting the
boot into the Australian Parliamentary Process.  Send a stamp self-addressed
envelope to
VOTE INFORMAL TODAY DIRECT DEMOCRACY TOMORROW
PO Box 20, Parkville. 3052. Melbourne. Australia Telephone (03) 9828 2856
(24 hour answering service).  We will send information about how to join
this unique 21st century Australian phenomena.  DON'T PUT IT OFF  JOIN THE
PUSH FOR CHANGE NOW.
Written and authorised by Joseph Toscano
(National Convenor 205 Nicholson St Footscray 3012  Melbourne Aust.)
Current membership 178.  We need 550 members to apply for registration as a
political party, so that members can stand at the Federal election in 2004
and show Australian¹s that Parliamentary Democracy is nothing more than two
minutes of illusory power.

IT¹S OUR ABC
PEOPLE AGAINST REPRESSIVE LEGISLATION
Will be meeting behind the
FLORAL CLOCK IN ST.KILDA ROAD, MELBOURNE
AT 11.30 AM ON WEDNESDAY
5TH OF FEBRUARY 2003
TO DISCUSS TACTICS FOR 2003.

STAMP APPEAL  - We spend over $500.00 on postage stamps per month.  If you
are writing to us or have any spare stamps floating about stuff them into
the envelope and send them to us.  JOIN our $5.00 a month group and send us
a book of 10 50 cent stamps every month.
Every little bit helps.

EMAIL MADNESS - Have access to cyberspace?  Want to help us save on printing
and postage costs?  Then why don¹t you receive the Anarchist Age Weekly
Review by email?  INTERESTED??  Then email us at anarchistage@yahoo.com and
arrange to have the weekly emailed to you.

A DOLLAR A DAY
Increasing financial problems have forced us to review how The Anarchist
Media Institute¹s finances are raised.  Currently subscriptions and
donations only account for about 40% of the income necessary to cover our
costs.  To overcome this problem we¹ve launched a:-
SAVE THE ANARCHIST MEDIA INSTITUTE ~ "A DOLLAR A DAY" CAMPAIGN
We are looking for THIRTY People, interested in our activities, to pledge to
donate
A Dollar A Day¹ for twelve months.
You can donate monthly or yearly.  Make out cheques and money orders to:-
Libertarian Workers and send to PO Box 20, Parkville. 3052. Melbourne.
Australia.
Those who pledge will receive a "I Saved The Anarchist Media Institute" A3
poster which you can frame and put up at work or home - A great talking
point if nothing else.  We¹ve got the ideas and energy but we need your
financial assistance to keep going.  Go on, become one of the Magnificent
Thirty that saved the Anarchist Media Institute.
SIX READERS HAVE JOINED THE "DOLLAR A DAY" CLUB ­ 25 TO GO JOIN TODAY!!
EMPTY YOUR POCKETS OF LOOSE CHANGE & SAVE THE ANARCHIST MEDIA INSTITUTE


ANARCHIST MEDIA INSTITUTE OBSCENITY OF THE WEEK
Has been awarded to George F. Bush, his motley crew of oil pirates and his
deputy down under - our beloved Prime Minister John Howard.


ANARCHIST WORLD THIS WEEK
NOW ON THE INTERNET - FOR ANYBODY ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD TO LISTEN IN TO.
LIKE THE PROGRAM - TELL YOUR FRIENDS AROUND THE PLANET ABOUT OUR INTERNET
ADDRESS  http://www.freespeech.org/anarchistAge
ANARCHIST WORLD THIS WEEK POSTER  AVAILABLE
FOR THE COST OF A FEW STAMPS
Want to help us find new listeners for the Anarchist World This Week? Send a
few stamps to AWTW, PO Box 20, Parkville 3052, Melbourne VIC. Australia.
We'll send you out a colour poster (A3) for your use  & a black & white
poster you can photocopy, put up & display to help us increase
the number of people who listen to the Anarchist World This Week.
 



 If You Like What You Have Read, Photocopy This Publication and Leave It In
Doctors, Dentists, 
Vets Waiting Rooms and In Railway Stations, Bus Stops, Libraries and
Restaurants Etc.

The articles in the Anarchist Age Weekly Review reflect the personal
opinions of the authors, they do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the
publishers, the Libertarian Workers for a Self-Managed Society/Anarchist
Media Institute. 

All material in the Anarchist Age Weekly Review can be used by anarchists,
anarchist collectives and non-profit organisations as long as the source of
the material is mentioned in the article.  The Anarchist Age Weekly Review
reserves all rights as far as commercial publications are concerned.
                   
ANARCHISM ­ ADVANCING IN DIVERSITY STRIKING IN UNISON ­ YAMAGUCHI KENJI
WELCOME TO THE 21ST CENTURY ­ THE ANARCHIST CENTURY

ALL THE NEWS THAT FITS

THIS WEEK'S STORIES:  Free Choice Is Fine But People Aren't Choosing
What
The Government Wants...US Government Favours Nuclear War...And Decides
They
Own the Moon...Kerry Packer Stole My Water...Papua New Guinea Still A
Colony Merry Christmas Mr Laurence...Out of the Mouths of Old
Men...Interesting Throat-Cutting Technique You've Got...If Only It'd
Been A
Bomb...Government Investigates Self, Finds Self Not Guilty Police May
Have
Murdered Suspect...Treat People Like Animals, and Funnily
Enough...Private
Schools Allowed to Persecute Students...Police and ASIO To Get New
Powers By
the Back Door?...Internet Filters Engage in Secret Censorship...37
Months'
Jail For Joking About the President...No Right of Conscience for Israeli
Soldiers...Quote of the WeekRunning People Over Legalised...No, Blood
For
Oil...US Govt Says It Doesn't Need Evidence...Most People Don't Trust
Politicians...Cost Effective & Streamlined, But At the Same Time Not
Very
Good...Nestle Tries To Get Blood From A Stone...A Terrorist Is Someone
Who's
Against Us...Quotes of the Week.

The Minister for Employment & Workplace Relations-Tony Abbott, is taking
what the Canberra Times called "new steps to crush unionism in the Aust.
Public Service". A confidential Cabinet submission obtained by The
Canberra
Times reveals Mr Abbott is planning to force public servants to sign
non-union, individual Australian Workplace Agreements (AWA's).  He also
wants to ban union-based certified agreements. The govt's rhetoric on
industrial relations is based around free choice.  AWA's & non-union
agreements have been available since 1996. However most people, when
given a
choice, have chosen collective agreements negotiated by unions.  Only 5%
of
the public service have taken up AWA's.  Below senior executive level
the
figure is less than 1%. Non-union agreements have fallen to only 35%. 
Even
staff in Mr Abbott's own dept have chosen a union-based agreement.
Individual agreements are said to give more power to management & so
lead to
lower pay & worse conditions. Mr Abbott recommended that: Individual
AWAs be
compulsory for all new public servants. All jobs be advertised on the
basis
that the successful applicant be offered an AWA. All promotions &
transfers
resulting from advertised vacancies be contingent on AWAs. Agency heads
must
offer AWAs to all employees. All certified agreements must be negotiated
directly with employees under the non-union Section 170LK of the
Workplace
Relations Act. The Community & Public Sector Union said that some of the
recommendations might contravene the Govt's own financial management
legislation & would also be an attack on the merit principle. (Canberra
Times, Dec 17).
US govt policy now favours pre-emptive nuclear strikes - that is,
launching
nuclear weapons against countries that haven¹t attacked the US. The
policy
favours strikes against countries whether or not they¹ve nuclear weapons
themselves. (Washington Post, Dec 11).
The US govt has given a private company the OK to start commercialising
the
moon. The TransOribal Corporation of California is expecting to start
making
money within 2 years.  No other country has agreed that the US has any
rights to the moon. (WSM, Dec 3).
The world's poorest nations, where 800 million are hungry & 40 million
are
infected with HIV, could solve their basic problems of food, clean water
&
health care with only 4% of the combined wealth of the 225 richest
people on
the planet. (Mainstream Media Project, Bread for the World Institute, &
the
2001 UN Development Report, reported by WSM, Dec 3).
The Aust govt secretly agreed with the World Bank & the International
Monetary Fund, that they¹d withhold aid from Papua New Guinea, unless
they
adopted spending cuts & other 'free market' policies. The Aust govt
provided
money to PNG's previous govt, which allowed them to spend large amounts
of
money before the election. The Aust govt has a history of interfering
with
PNG, which used to be under its control.  The World Bank has a history
of
interfering with poor countries in general, enforcing 'structural
adjustment' programs by threatening to withhold aid.  The poor countries
are
dependent on aid largely because of unpayable debts.  Worldwide, almost
ten
million people have been displaced by World Bank financed 'development'
projects. In PNG, generous figures show the adult illiteracy rate as 35%
(much higher for females), & life expectancy is only 59 years. Most
World
Bank loans aim at strengthening industry & govt, rather than health or
education.  In fact it¹s forced the govt to introduce higher fees for
public
education & health, abolished controls on basic foodstuffs, repealed the
minimal wages act (1992), & demanded the privatisation of State-owned
enterprises. In 1990 the 'Land Mobilisation Act' called for the
privatisation of communally owned tribal land. Aust provides about $20
million per year in military funding to PNG. Money from AusAID, the
official
Aust aid agency, has been spent training 'mobile squads' who defend
mining
operations in PNG, which are largely run by Aust-based multinationals.
According to ABC reports, the squads are also trained in burning
villages.
One mobile squad was used to shoot protestors after the police refused,
killing 2 people & injuring another 17.  Mobile squads are considered
more
'reliable' than either the police or the army, whose members largely
supported the protests. Dan Weise, former World Bank representative in
Port
Moresby, says that specific instructions from Canberra were given to
only
report favourably on the govt despite suspicions of corruption, & the
killing of protestors. When Weise stood up against the corruption of the
Morauta govt, he was removed from the country. Aust military aid helped
make
the PNG govt's unsuccessful war in Bougainville longer & more damaging.
It
peaked at $50 million Aust per year during this war.  During the war
over
2000 personnel, almost half of the entire PNG military, were trained in
Aust. The Aust govt also provided Iroquois helicopters - which were
equipped
with mounted machine guns & used as gunships - and Aust pilots. (Sydney
Morning Herald, Nov 17, and information from PNGSA).
The Dept of Immigration has issued a media release outlining what the
Xmas
season held in store for those children imprisoned in the detention camp
at
Woomera. "The festive season has also provided an opportunity for the
children in Woomera...to attend a camp" the release said, seemingly
seriously.
A search of Hansard, the service which records debates in the NSW
Parliament, shows that politicians have used the phrase "disgraceful"
813
times in the last 4 years. "Ridiculous" was used 426 times. "Stupid" was
used 331 times. "Incompetent" was used 281 times. No politicians used
any of
the following phrases: "politicians should be paid less", "we should be
more
accountable", "taxpayers deserve better" or "our superannuation package
is
too generous"? None of the 93 MPs in the Legislative Assembly has said
"I
apologise" or "I was wrong" in the past 4 years. The service also shows
that
Fred Nile is the most interested in sex, drugs and pornography of any
NSW
state politician. Mr Nile is credited with 80 of the 300 references to
sex
when it¹s been mentioned in debates since 1999.  Similarly, he¹s
dominated
discussion about drugs, with 156 of the 716 references, while
pornography
has also been a favourite subject of his, with 21 of the 65 references.
(Sydney Morning Herald, Dec 5).
The United States is arranging to sell weapons to the Algerian
government.
An American official said Washington "has much to learn from Algeria on
ways
to fight terrorism."  According to Amnesty International around 4,000
people
have "disappeared" in Algeria since 1993 after being arrested by the
security forces. (SchNews, Dec 13).
Members of the American group 'Voices in the Wilderness' have been fined
a
total of US$50,000 - for donating medicine. The group sent medical aid
to
Iraq, whose medical system is in chaos because of a blockade by Western
countries. (SchNews, Dec 13).
Aust Defence Forces violated the rights of asylum seekers on board boats
intercepted in Oct 2001. An investigation by Human Rights Watch found
that
the Aust military detained the single men under inhumane conditions,
beat
several of them with batons & used other unnecessary force against
vulnerable refugee families. The Aust Senate 'Select Committee on a
Certain
Maritime Incident' praised the humanitarian conduct of the naval
operations.
The Senate Committee didn¹t collect any testimony from refugees. (press
release by Human Rights Watch).
A policeman says that members of the Vict drug squad planted a gun after
they shot Graeme Jensen in 1988 & falsely claimed that they fired on him
in
self-defence. Detective Sgt Malcolm Rosenes was in charge of the
surveillance unit following Jensen, who was suspected of armed robbery,
when
he was shot. He¹s now been arrested on drug charges & made the claim to
a
police Ethical Standards Dept team investigating corruption in the drug
squad. (The Age, Jan 4).
Refugees caused about $8 million damage to the Baxter, Port Hedland,
Woomera
& Christmas Island detention centres over the Xmas period.  The govt has
denied that their refugee policy is in crisis. Refugees suspected of
causing
damage to the centres have been held in jails & police lockups.  Acting
Immigration Minister Daryl Williams said "they¹re in administrative
detention & they can be held indefinitely", without being charged or
facing
trial. (The Age, Jan 1 & 4).
The NSW Anti-Discrimination Board says that both Labor & Liberal state
govts
have ignored persecution of gay people by religious schools. The Board's
chairman, Chris Puplick, said "it¹s outrageous that private &
independent
schools are still able to impose terms & conditions of discrimination
against gay & lesbian students which would be unacceptable in state
schools,
despite the fact that they take public money to finance their
activities.
It¹s unacceptable & it occurs only because of the bloody-minded
gutlessness
of successive state govts". Mr Puplick said govts "rolled over whenever
the
independent schools - particularly Catholic schools - have threatened
them
politically". The Vict. Equal Opportunity Act allows discrimination by
religious organisations if it "conforms with the doctrines of the
religion".
Almost all religions condemn homosexuality.  Churches & religious
schools in
NSW are exempt from the Anti-Discrimination Act altogether. In Aug a 16
year
old gay student sued Melbourne's Hillcrest Christian College.  The
student
said that the school principal told him to lie about his sexuality &
another
staff member told him he had the devil in him but that she could "get
him
straightened out". (Melbourne Community Voice, Dec 20).
The new Australian Crime Commission will have extensive powers,
including
the power to require suspects to answer questions under threat of 5
years
jail.  The Director-General of ASIO and police commissioners will both
sit
on the Commission. The govt recently attempted to give ASIO extra powers
but
was defeated in Parliament after public pressure. The Commission was
supported by both the govt & Labor Party. (The Australian, Dec 27).
A study of 'web filters' - programs designed to stop children accessing
pornography - has found that they also block health information sites. A
study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that gay
sites in particular were blocked, even if they had nothing to do with
sex.
The words "gay" and "lesbian" were blocked more often than any other
terms.
(Melbourne Community Voice, Dec 20).
An American who made a remark about a "burning bush" was sentenced this
month to 37 months in prison for "threatening to kill or harm the
president." Richard Humphreys said he got into a bar-room discussion
with a
truck driver in which he joked about the biblical expression "burning
bush."
A bartender who overheard the conversation knew that Bush was visiting
the
area the next day & so telephoned police. "I said God might speak to the
world through a burning Bush," Humphreys testified during his trial. "I
had
said that before & I thought it was funny." (SchNews, Christmas 2002
issue).
Israel's High Court has ruled that Israeli soldiers have no right to
refuse
to serve in the occupied territories of Palestine. The soldiers said
their
duties there involved "dominating, expelling, starving & humiliating"
Palestinians. At least 1755 Palestinians & 675 Israelis have been killed
since Sept 2000 in fighting over Israel's occupation of Palestine.
Palestinians recently accused Israeli troops of beating a Palestinian
teenager to death. At least 1 soldier will be returned to a military
prison
for refusing to serve. (The Age, Jan 1).
Quote of the Week:  "We have 50% of the world's wealth, but only 6.3% of
its
population. In this situation, our real job in the coming period is to
devise a pattern of relationships, which permit us to maintain this
position
of disparity. To do so, we have to dispense with all sentimentality ...
we
should cease thinking about human rights, the raising of living
standards
and democratisation." - US state Department senior planner George
Kennan,
1948.
Police have refused to charge a driver who ran a refugee advocate over
in a
4 wheel drive. The Dept of Immigration was attempting to fly a sick
refugee
to the detention centre on Christmas Island, despite medical advice that
he
was unable to fly.  The man was attempting to stop a van that was
driving
the refugee to the airport.  The driver had stopped but then restarted
their
engine, ran over the man's leg, & then reversed back over it.
US govt officials are considering proposals to take Iraq's oil revenue
as
'spoils of war' after invading it, to finance their occupation. (The
Age,
Jan 11).
UN weapons inspectors have said that they have found no "smoking gun" -
no
evidence that Iraq is developing weapons of mass destruction.  US
Secretary
of State Colin Powell said "the lack of a smoking gun does not mean
there's
not one there...you don't really have to have a smoking gun"  White
House
spokesman Ari Fleischer said "we know for a fact that there are weapons
there", & explained the lack of evidence by saying "the problem with
guns
that are hidden is you can't see their smoke". (The Age, Jan 11).
83% of Australians believe that politicians aren't trustworthy,
according to
an online poll. (ninemsn.com.au, Nov 27).
Standards in universities are falling, according to a new study & many
lecturers say they¹re under pressure to pass students who should be
failing.
The 178 page study by the Dept of Education, Science & Training
interviewed
more than 2000 academics & found a "deep sense of concern" about
standards,
with the majority saying that standards have fallen in the last 10
years.
The study also says that universities are unable to provide evidence for
claims that they have high standards. Universities have been made to run
in
a more 'free market' fashion, relying more on full fee-paying students &
on
running their own income-generating enterprises. (The Age, Jan 12).
Food & coffee multinational Nestle is demanding $US6 million ($A10.6
million) from the govt of the world's poorest nation, Ethiopia. Ethiopia
is
struggling with its worst famine for almost 20 years. The money is
compensation for an Ethiopian business that the previous military govt
nationalised in 1975. According to Oxfam, the amount could feed a
million
people for a month.  The business wasn¹t owned by Nestle at the time,
but
Nestle bought the firm's former parent company in 1986. Last month,
Ethiopia's PM Meles Zenawi said 6 million people needed emergency food
aid.
This could increase to 15 million soon. The famine, brought on by the
failure of rains for the third successive year, has been intensified by
a
collapse in the price of coffee that supports a quarter of the country's
population. Ethiopia has the lowest income per head in the world, with
the
average person surviving on $US100 a year. More than 10% of its children
die
before their first birthday. Aid agencies believe the famine could be
worse
than 1984's in which one million people died. Nestle, the world's
largest
coffee processor, made $US5.5 billion profit last year. (The Guardian
(UK),
Dec 20).
The Immigration Minister has banned an anti-globalisation protestor from
entering Australia & refused to say why 22 year old Doyle Canning's only
conviction is for taking part in a sit-in at a US Congressman's office. 
She
has been classed as a 'dangerous alien', putting her in the same
category as
people with terrorist connections. Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock
has
refused to tell Ms Canning, the C¹wealth Ombudsman, or the press why he
or
intelligence agencies see her as a threat to Australia. (The Australian,
Jan
3,).
Quotes of the Week: "This war, should it come, is intended to mark the
official emergence of the US as a full-fledged global empire, seizing
sole
responsibility & authority as planetary policeman. It would be the
culmination of a plan 10 years or more in the making, carried out by
those
who believe that the US must seize the opportunity for global
domination,
even if it means becoming the "American imperialists" that our enemies
always claimed we were.. Rome did not stoop to containment; it
conquered.
And so should we." "The President's Real Goal in Iraq", Jay Bookman,
Atlanta-Journal Constitution, Sept 29, 2002.
"If you ask [Palestinian children] to draw some shapes, many will draw
something like a square, a circle, a tank & a triangle.  That's how
ever-present the [Isreali] Occupation is for these children".
(www.burningriver.org).
"I saw myself as part of the car; an extension of the steering wheel",
"We
preferred to work in total silence, so we didn't have to be friendly. We
never used to try & chat. They used to say Princess Margaret could
freeze a
daisy just by looking at it.", "I feel I¹ve wasted a lot of my life
under an
illusion that you do a good job & get rewarded for it. With the royal
family, loyalty is a one-way street. We were scrabbling around to live.
The
royal family used to live with this sense that working for them was a
great
privilege." David Griffin, Princess Margaret's former chauffeur.  In The
Guardian (UK), Dec 11, 2002.

write to James, PO Box 503, Newtown NSW 2042 or email
james.hutchings@ato.gov.au
contact us to get ATNTF emailed directly to you.
If you like All the News That Fits, forward it on.
www.angry.at/racists - Anarchist/anti-racist music site with free mp3s,
Real
Audio, Real Video, band interviews etc.  Now with internet radio.  NEW!
Also includes the text of 'Escape',  a new anarchist novel
-www.geocities.com/skipnewborn/novel.doc
www.dolearmy.org - information for unemployed people.
www.activate.8m.com - anarchist magazine aimed at teenagers.
All the News That Fits appears in the Anarchist Age Weekly Review
(www.vicnet.net.au/~anarchist - PO Box 20 Parkville VIC 3052) and The
Ham
(theham@cat.org.au),
as well as Melbourne Indymedia (www.melbourne.indymedia.org).

Media outlets mentioned in All the News That Fits are sources - items
aren¹t
direct quotes from news media.  Background information may have been
gathered from sources in addition to media outlets cited.  Where no
source
is cited, the information has been gathered from direct sources.
anarchist news service.

*******
                       ********
       ****** The A-Infos News Service ******
      News about and of interest to anarchists
                       ******
  COMMANDS: lists@ainfos.ca
  REPLIES: a-infos-d@ainfos.ca
  HELP: a-infos-org@ainfos.ca
  WWW: http://www.ainfos.ca/
  INFO: http://www.ainfos.ca/org

-To receive a-infos in one language only mail lists@ainfos.ca the message:
                unsubscribe a-infos
                subscribe a-infos-X
 where X = en, ca, de, fr, etc. (i.e. the language code)