The maintenance workers responsible for safety checks on Auckland Transport passenger trains have been locked out for thirty days, from the 13 May, following industrial action. The dispute came about because of the difference in pay between the workers - contracted by spanish multinational CAF (Construcciones y Auxiliares de Ferrocarriles) - and Kiwirail workers. The technicians receive about $7000pa less than Kiwirail workers doing the same job.

2019 Australian Federal General Election Results

Majority 76 Seats required

Projected totals 19/05/19

The Liberal / National Coalition, after being behind in the polls for  years, have won the general election. At the time of writing the Federal Parliament is hung with the Coalition being three short of a majority, on 73 seats, and Labor on 65 seat, with 7 seats too close to call. There is a strong possibility of the Coalition returning to the government benches with a small majority and not having to rely on the cross benches to get through their legislation.

All religions have their fundamentalists; there are Christian fundamentalists, Hindu fundamentalists, Jewish fundamentalists, Buddhist fundamentalists and so on. They all play a reactionary role, and they are all growing in number. All of them believe they are the holders of the absolute truth, while all others are heretics or even the work of the devil himself. They are all used to sow division among toiling people around the world. The phenomenon affects all countries to one degree or another.

(Article reprinted from Socialist Appeal newspaper Autumn 2019.  To buy a copy send us an email for further details)

With the Labour Party riding high in the polls at approximately 45%, and the National Party leadership in meltdown and beginning to fall in the polls, Labour voters have (quite rightly) high expectations of the Labour Party to deliver. Jacinda Ardern has said that the second year of the Labour-led coalition government will be about delivery and made vague platitudes about this in the media.

The barbaric attack on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand by a far-right fascist terrorist – indiscriminately shooting men, women and children, killing 50 and injuring many more, live streaming his bloody actions as he carried them out – comes at a time of deepening economic crisis and heightened social and political tensions around the world. All decent human beings are rightly condemning the attack, but we have to ask ourselves: why are such acts of terrorism taking place, and what can be done to end this barbarism?

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden called it one of New Zealand's darkest days.  As Muslim worshippers gathered at the Al Noor Mosque and the Linwood Islamic Centre in Christchurch, New Zealand, for their Friday afternoon prayers on March 15th, 2019, an Australian white supramacist walked in and gunned down 50 worshippers as he live-streamed it on Facebook.  Prior to this heinous terrorist attack the terrorist posted a ranting manifesto on various hate sites and sent a copy to the Prime Minister.  This atrocity was the worst terrorist attack in New Zealand history and it has left New Zealand in a state of shock.  How could this happen in a country like New Zealand?

Both Australia and New Zealand escaped lightly from the 2008 global financial crisis and recession. Australia avoided a recession from 2008 onwards, on the one hand due to the minerals and aggregates boom (exported mainly to China) and on the other hand as a consequence of Keynesian policies pursued both in Australia and China. Additionally, due to Australian financial laws the domestic banks were not overly exposed as overseas bank (especially European and North American banks) were.

On May 11th, 2018, the Employment Relations Court dropped a major bombshell on the bosses by ordering Smiths City, a major New Zealand furniture and appliance store, to pay workers for their attendance of daily meetings held before the stores opened.  According to Chief Judge Christina Inglis: "The expectation to attend, and pressure placed on staff to do so, was direct and forceful. The practical reality for sales staff was that to satisfy this expectation, and so as not to be seen as poor performers, they had to attend."

The 2017 general election resulted in a hung parliament on 23 September election night. Under MMP this is not a surprising result. Now that the special votes have been counted the National Party, under proportionality, lost two list seats awarded to them on election night with Labour and the Greens picking up one list seat each. The final result puts National on 56 seats, Labour on 46 seats, New Zealand First on nine seats, Greens on eight seats and ACT on one seat. The formation of a fourth term National-led government or a Labour / Green government requires an agreement with New Zealand First to get past 61 seats to form a majority government. New Zealand First holds the balance of power.