Historic vote against major parties in by-election for Newcastle mayor A huge vote against the Labor and Liberal candidates in the by-election for Newcastle Lord Mayor largely went to independent Gavin Morris. Steve O’Brien reports.

A huge vote against the Labor and Liberal candidates in the April 18 by-election for Newcastle Lord Mayor largely went to independent Gavin Morris. www.greenleft.org.au/2026/1452/ne...

Palestinian Prisoners’ Day was marked at protests and rallies across Australia over April 17-19. www.greenleft.org.au/2026/1452/ne...

Rallies say more needs to be done to stop domestic, family violence Sarah Williams said that the national “No More” rallies were designed to “amplify survivors’ voices and push for policy changes”. Portia May reports.

Multiple cities took part in this annual protest to support the fight against domestic and family violence. www.greenleft.org.au/2026/1452/ne...

Venezuela’s communes after January 3 Santiago Mayor speaks to Venezuelan sociologist Reinaldo Iturriza about the political significance of Venezuela’s communes and where they stand today.

The question of the relative autonomy of the communes is now presented in a radically different context after January 3. www.greenleft.org.au/2026/1451/wo...

Remembering Marouf, the bee-keeper

Marouf Rammal, who sat on the board of the Beekeepers’ Union in South Lebanon and sourced bee strains across the south of the country, was killed by the Israeli occupation in a drone strike on April 7. www.greenleft.org.au/2026/1452/an...

Bent cops, sly grog and Sydney’s wartime queer scene Jamil Stone attended the launch of multidisciplinary writer Fiona McGregor’s latest book, The Trap, which is set on 1942 and based on historical events.

Multidisciplinary writer, artist and critic Fiona Kelly McGregor’s latest book, The Trap, is set in 1942 and based on historical events in Gadigal Country/Sydney during World War II, at the time of the submarine attacks by Japanese forces. www.greenleft.org.au/2026/1451/cu...

Labor’s gambling reforms more about optics than impact Australia loses $31 billion each year to gambling and children continue to be stalked in ever-inventive ways by sports betting vultures. But, as Suzanne James writes, Labor has squibbed on bringing in...

The lack of tough action on gambling reform suggests the Labor government intends to continue to roll over for a tummy tickle from the gaming lobby, no matter the views of the vast majority or the recommendations of its inquiries. www.greenleft.org.au/2026/1451/an...

Iran: US blockades Strait of Hormuz, amid shaky ceasefire talks United States President Donald Trump has announced a military blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, while in response, Iran warned that it would block all exports and imports across the region should the ...

About 20% of the world’s oil passed through the Strait of Hormuz before Israel and the US began their illegal attacks on Iran. A significant proportion of the world’s fertiliser supply also passes through, with disruptions impacting global food production. www.greenleft.org.au/2026/1451/wo...

Firefighter union: Viva refinery fire ‘not unexpected’ The gas leak at Viva refinery, the result of machinery failures, is no surprise for locals, who say the company is not spending on safety and maintenance. Sue Bull reports.

United Firefighters Union Victoria secretary Peter Marshall said the fire at the Viva Energy Australia refinery, which started on April 15 after 11pm, was not unexpected and “could have gone horribly wrong”. www.greenleft.org.au/2026/1452/ne...

Stop Israel's war crimes
Green Left 1451 out now
Read it online 👉 www.greenleft.org.au/issue/1451

NSW Supreme Court strikes down Minns’ undemocratic anti-protest laws The NSW Supreme Court ruled that Labor’s rushed-through laws, which gave NSW Police unprecedented authority to unilaterally block authorised assemblies, are unconstitutional. Pip Hinman reports.

The NSW Supreme Court ruled on April 16 that laws, which gave NSW Police unprecedented authority to unilaterally block authorised assemblies, are unconstitutional. www.greenleft.org.au/2026/1451/ne...

Venezuela’s communes after January 3 Santiago Mayor speaks to Venezuelan sociologist Reinaldo Iturriza about the political significance of Venezuela’s communes and where they stand today.

Reinaldo Iturriza looks at the political significance of the communes, why they emerged and where they stand today. www.greenleft.org.au/2026/1451/wo...

Blame investors, not immigrants, for housing crisis It is investors, not migrants, that are driving the housing affordability crisis in their never-ending pursuit of profits, reports Isaac Nellist.

Removing tax loopholes for property investors and redirecting hundreds of billions away from the AUKUS military pact to an expansion of public homes would go a long way to addressing the crisis. It would also take the wind out of the sails of the racists. www.greenleft.org.au/2026/1451/an...

Mexico: As the green space gap grows, parks are becoming a Global North luxury Despite the serious environmental and health consequences of low green space, in cities like Puebla, Mexico, city and state governments prioritise corporate-led projects that reduce green space furthe...

Global South cities, overall, have just one third of the green space of Global North cities, due to lower state income and budgets for street infrastructure and high levels of exploitation by the Global North. www.greenleft.org.au/2026/1451/wo...

Dropkick Murphys roar out punk rock solidarity across the US Bill Nevins reviews punk-rock band Dropkick Murphys recent show in Denver, Colorado, where the band reprised the classic Irish resistance ballad, “Men Behind the Wire", referencing the ICE raids in Mi...

Ken Casey’s new lyrics referenced Minneapolis and the ravages of United States President Donald Trump’s masked paramilitary Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol goons who have murdered US citizens this year. www.greenleft.org.au/2026/1451/cu...

Protest demands transition to renewables, not weapons Hundreds joined a protest against the federal Labor government-supported transition from coal to becoming a weapons industry hub in the Hunter region. Peter Boyle reports.

Rising Tide and Demilitarise Newcastle, the protest organisers, said it is not a transition plan for jobs or the local economy but a “business plan for weapons dealers”. www.greenleft.org.au/2026/1451/ne...

This episode, we discuss protests against Israel's bombardment of Lebanon and the ongoing United States-Israel war on Iran. We also discuss upcoming protests against violence against women and for Palestine Prisoners' Day. www.greenleft.org.au/2026/1451/ne...

Rockhampton army veteran sails for Gaza with aid flotilla Machinist Rob Volker, who has joined the Global Sumud Flotilla to sail to Gaza, told Ivana Daskalovic that he feels privileged to be able to join it as “human rights are everyone’s rights”.

Machinist Rob Volker left Rockhampton to join the Global Sumud Flotilla to sail to Gaza. He will join about 1000 people from around the globe trying to deliver 500 tonnes of aid to Palestinians living under occupation. www.greenleft.org.au/2026/1451/an...

Ten steps Labor could take to address the war on Iran, Lebanon and Palestine Most people were hoping for big petrol tax cuts or cost-of-living adjustments from the PM’s rare address to the nation. He claims to support a ceasefire but he didn't even criticise Trump and Netanyah...

If Albanese was serious about a ceasefire and longer-term peace in the Middle East, he would do the following: www.greenleft.org.au/2026/1451/an...

Israel pummels Lebanon with ‘apocalyptic’ strikes despite ceasefire Hours after the ceasefire between Iran and the United States, Israel launched coordinated attacks against Lebanon, killing at least 87 people and wounding more than 700. Stephen Prager reports.

Israel said much of what was hit was located “within the heart of the civilian population”. www.greenleft.org.au/2026/1451/wo...

Ali Keshtkar joined Green Left Radio to discuss the impacts of the illegal United States war on Iran and how socialists can best oppose a war being waged against a regime they are also struggling against. www.greenleft.org.au/2026/1451/an...

Sarah Williams from What Were you Wearing Australia joined Green Left Radio to discuss the nationwide rallies against domestic and family violence on April 18-19. WWYW is an Indigenous, youth-led charity fighting to end sexual violence in Australia. www.greenleft.org.au/2026/1451/an...

USyd appoints pro-Israel professor as ‘antisemitism advisor’ Staff at the University of Sydney have spoken out against Vice-Chancellor Mark Scott’s decision to appoint Dr Michael Abrahams-Sprod as a special advisor on antisemitism. Isaac Nellist reports.

USyd Staff for Palestine said the creation of this advisory role would allow the “fight against antisemitism to be hijacked by supporters of Israel”. www.greenleft.org.au/2026/1451/ne...

Young people need more than the scrapping of junior rates The Fair Work Commission’s landmark decision to abolish some junior rates is a positive step but, Isaac Nellist argues, the deck is still stacked against young people.

The Fair Work Commission’s landmark decision to abolish junior rates for workers aged 18–20 in retail, fast food and pharmacies is a positive step, but the deck is still stacked against young people. www.greenleft.org.au/2026/1451/an...

Speakers called out Australia’s complicity in the ongoing bombing of Lebanon by Israel. www.greenleft.org.au/2026/1451/ne...

Argentina’s glaciers are under threat Local communities are resisting the far-right Argentinian government’s attempts to modify glacier protection laws to allow mega-mining. Olivia Ferrari reports.

Activists say gutting the Glaciers Law would put water security for millions in peril, risk the health of communities in the mountain range, and attack the majestic glacial bodies core to the country’s identity, all for the benefit of mining companies. www.greenleft.org.au/2026/1451/wo...

‘Cuba shows an alternative to US neoliberalism’ Political economy professor Helen Yaffe spoke to Green Left’s Alex Bainbridge about international solidarity efforts with Cuba and how the country represents an alternative to United States neoliberal...

When the US represents neoliberalism and says we can’t provide healthcare, housing and education for free — that it must be governed by the market — Cuba shows that there is an alternative. www.greenleft.org.au/2026/1451/wo...

New book exposes AUKUS for deepening militarism, ties with US imperialism Jim McIlroy reviews Search for Security: AUKUS and the new militarism, which provides a comprehensive account, from a variety of perspectives, of the vital debate over the AUKUS disaster looming for A...

'Search for Security: AUKUS and the new militarism' is a penetrating critique of the AUKUS military alliance — a defence con-trick currently being imposed on the public by the Anthony Albanese Labor government, with dangerous long-term consequences. www.greenleft.org.au/2026/1451/cu...

The minimum wage should be lifted by at least 10% Corporate CEOs are paid, on average, 55 times what they pay their workers, yet give themselves double-digit pay rises. Peter Boyle argues the ACTU should be demanding a 10% rise in the minimum wage.

The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) is asking for a 5% rise in the minimum wage this year. While this has been met with the predictable howls of protest from the bosses, a 5% rise will still not make up for the fall in real award wages. www.greenleft.org.au/2026/1451/an...

Indonesian military massacres West Papuans in latest round of violence Indonesian security forces have killed at least six people, including two children, in Dogiyai regency in West Papua, allegedly in retaliation for the killing of a police officer. Ben Radford reports.

Indonesian security forces have killed at least six people, including two children, in Dogiyai regency in West Papua, allegedly in retaliation for the killing of a police officer by an unknown assailant. www.greenleft.org.au/2026/1451/wo...