Gunns loses ANZ backing

Sydney Morning Herald
May 28, 2008

THE $2 billion Tasmanian pulp mill has lost its key financial backer, the ANZ bank, finance industry sources confirmed yesterday, but the Environment Minister, Peter Garrett, has not been briefed by the developer, Gunns.

"He hasn't been formally advised nor would he need to be," a spokesman for Mr Garrett said yesterday. "The financing of the mill is a matter for Gunns, and the minister's role is to ensure Gunns complies with national environmental legislation."

Environmental groups have lobbied ANZ intensely to pull out of the mill, which became a focus of protests during the federal election when both Labor and the Coalition backed the Tasmanian Government's support for the project.

On Monday, the Tasmanian Premier, Paul Lennon, a passionate backer of the mill, resigned but his successor, David Bartlett, has in the past backed the mill.

Yesterday Mr Bartlett told ABC radio: "I believe this project, largely now, will stand or fall on the basis of whether the company can get finance for it. That the Government, in fact the Parliament, through its approvals process, has done pretty much all that it can, some would argue more than it should have, and really it is down to the company and their financiers now."

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ACTU: Time to deliver

Lifelong Liberals, swinging voters, Labor supporters, Greens - this time six months ago we all united around the need to get rid of WorkChoices.

Today the ACTU is launching a new ad to remind politicians from all parties what the nation said loud and clear at the ballot box: our rights at work are worth fighting for.



Just because the Howard Government was defeated at the last election doesn't mean WorkChoices is dead. While the Rudd Government came good on its promise to scrap new AWAs as soon as it was elected, most of the new laws getting rid of Work Choices will not be introduced into Parliament until later this year.

That's only if the Liberals and other parties don't try and hold them up - and big business doesn't try and water them down.

This ad is the first of a new series that supports our ongoing campaign rights at work: the right to bargain collectively, protection from unfair dismissal, the right to be represented by a union, better pay and conditions, and the right for all workers to have a say in the workplace.

Cluster Bomb Petition

From GetUp:

As one of the very last acts of the Howard Government, Brendan Nelson bought $14 million worth of cluster bombs - weapons that contain mini-bombs, some of which remain unexploded on the ground for years awaiting innocent civilians. It's the first time Australia has bought such a weapon, and one we would hope the new Government would categorically reject.

But right now, as the international community meets in Dublin to ban them, the new Australian Government is going out of its way to frustrate the process. They're calling for their 'SMART 155' bomb to be excluded, and for rogue nations who persist in using cluster bombs to be permitted to do so. We've got just a few scarce days left before the fragile international agreement is drafted.

Sign the petition today telling Kevin Rudd to ban the bomb: no loopholes, no exceptions.

www.getup.org.au/campaign/BanTheBombs

NSW Teachers strike: 22 May

Teachers across NSW will take 24 hours of industrial action as a result of major changes by the state government to the school staffing system and the qualification requirements for TAFE teachers.

Teachers will be holding rallies and meetings across the state. The Sydney rally will be held at:

11am at Farrer Place outside the Department of Education and Training building and Governor Macquarie Tower.

Information about regional rallies can be found on the Federation website.

The State Government has broken a clear election promise made two weeks before the state election by the then Minister, Carmel Tebbutt. Speaking on behalf of the Iemma Government, she said that the changes, if introduced, would allow some schools to "take their pick of applicants" while others would "in many cases not have sufficient staff".

The Iemma Government has now introduced those very changes and they will hurt many schools and communities. The changes will:

• phase out teacher transfers in practice
• offload the government's responsibility for finding teachers onto schools
• lead to larger class sizes or unqualified teachers in some schools because they will find it hard to attract and retain teachers.

The Government has also removed the requirement for TAFE teachers to have teacher education qualifications. This move will lower the standard of educational provision in TAFE.

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Combined YR@W Groups 21 May

Unions NSW is holding a combined YR@W Groups Meeting:

Date: Wednesday 21st May at
Time: 6:30pm
Where: Unions NSW,
Trades Hall Auditorium
377-383 Sussex Street, Sydney.

The purpose of this meeting is to discuss:

1. The next phase of the Stop the sell off
2. Paid Maternity Leave Campaign.

For further information please contact Mary Yaager on 0408 931 899