In the wake of the disgraceful yet predictable acquittal of Zachary Rolfe, a national day of action has been called by Yuendumu Elders and the Warlpiri Nation. The day of action is to take place on the 28th of June, a date marking 15 years since the commencement of the Northern Territory Intervention.

A growing escalation in conflicts between garbage workers and local councils has perfectly captured the issue of casualisation in the workplace. In Brunswick, members of the Australian Services Union implemented a ban on street cleaning and litter pick up, which has seen rubbish build across the Moreland City Council area.

As a rural Australian and Communist I’m often irked when people, mostly politicians, claim without a hint of irony that Australia is the “Lucky Country”. Chest-thumping declarations that Australia is a technologically advanced and wealthy country are hard to swallow when I look around and see the dilapidated infrastructure the forgotten people of rural Australia put up with.

In a move that perfectly represents the commercialisation and manipulation of our history, the Australian War Memorial have revealed they are pursuing a new sponsorship deal with war profiteers and criminals, Lockheed Martin,  just in time for Anzac Day. The move was announced despite the AWM receiving over 300 letters from veterans and historians who objected to the disgraceful move, and criticised it for degrading the memories of the dead.