Disproportionate acts

Guantanamo detainees may remain indefinitely

The US government could hold foreign "enemy combatants" indefinitely at sites like Guantanamo Bay, US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales says.

But Gonzales said today the administration would propose trying enemy combatants based on military court martial procedures, with a number of key changes.

Those include admitting hearsay evidence, limiting rights against self-incrimination before a trial, and limiting defendants' access to classified information.

Evidence obtained under duress would also be allowed, unless a military judge considers it unreliable, he said.

"We can detain any combatants for the duration of the hostilities," Gonzales told the Senate Armed Services Committee today.

"If we choose to try them, that's great. If we don't choose to try them, we can continue to hold them," he said.

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ACOSS: boost the minimum wage

The Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) wants the Australian Fair Pay Commission (AFPC) to recognise that low-paid workers are struggling with rising costs and need more assistance.

"ACOSS is concerned that jobless households and low-paid households are under strain with rising living costs and relatively low wages," ACOSS executive director Andrew Johnson said in a statement.

"Taking into account inflation, the minimum wage is at the same level as it was in 1989.

"The AFPC should boost the minimum wage to benefit low paid and jobless families in Australia."

Ruddock in cash for comment scandal

No Federal Government money is going to this year's conference of National Community Legal Centres because the Attorney-General, Philip Ruddock, does not like the tone of the program.

His office told conference organisers late last week it was "inappropriate for Australian Government funds to be directed to the support of campaigns against legislation enacted by the Parliament of Australia".

The second day of the conference is the problem, with the president of the ACTU, Sharan Burrow, guest speaker and plans to focus on "campaigning areas" of "welfare to work, family law reform, IR reform, indigenous justice and security (anti-terrorism)".

Mr Ruddock sees this as a "blatant politicisation of community legal centres". He said his decision was not about curtailing freedom of speech. "The issue is subsidising people to go and listen to a political campaign."

Baffled organisers see nothing particularly new in the rhetoric in this year's brochure or choice of speakers. "There are no big changes," said the association's national convenor, Liz O'Brien.

She said campaigns for law reforms had always been on conference programs. "To act in the best interest of our clients may sometimes lead us to propose changes where government legislation impacts adversely on disadvantaged Australians."

She also rejected the Attorney-General's claim the conference would be stirring a political campaign against government policy. "The term 'campaign around law reform and legal policy' is something used throughout the profession. It is to say that one of the duties to our clients in our society is to keep decision-makers fully informed of the implications of their decisions."

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IR Laws Are Turning Off Workers And Business!

A new national survey by software company MYOB released today (Tuesday 1 August) has found that the Howard Government’s new IR laws are unfair for workers and bad for productivity.

The survey finds nearly three times as many (34%) small businesses believe that the laws will hurt productivity compared with only 12% that believe the laws will help.
Commenting on the MYOB survey today, ACTU President Sharan Burrow said:

"This latest survey shows that small businesses are worried about the impact of the Howard Government's IR laws on their own employees.

The survey finds two in five (40%) small businesses agree that the new IR laws are not fair to many employees and that 42% believe the new laws are unfair to low-skilled employees in particular.

Small businesses have traditionally been big supporters of the Howard Government, but this survey shows that many are now turning their backs on the new workplace laws.

The survey results dispel the Howard Government's mantra that the new IR laws are a boon to the economy and will create vast numbers of jobs.

The MYOB survey also comes after a recent report by leading economic forecaster BIS Shrapnel that says the new laws will do nothing to assist the growth of the Australian economy.

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