Rights, Rorts and Rants

Part 1 In this episode Fran Dyson discusses the revival of analogue media with Stephen Jones - one of the most important electronic and video artists in Australia and a pioneer of the use the video synthesizer in the infamous group Severed Heads. We'll also be joined by Nick Franklin and Peter Lammiman to talk about the early days of Double J and the explosion of art and politics in the 70's, and...

How do we know if the products we buy have been ethically produced? Alison Rahill spoke about Fair Trade supply lines and the work of the Anti Slavery taskforce which has developed the "Shop for Good", ethical purchasing guide at the " Politics in the Pub - Free Trade or Fair Trade? " at the Family Hotel in Katoomba On 10th August 2019, hosted by Blue Mountains Unions & Community . Alison Rahi...

Secrecy is the enemy of fairness. Australia's environmental, labour, and health and safety laws are threatened by a free trade agreement, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership or RCEP , currently being negotiated between Australia, New Zealand, China, India, South Korea and the ten member countries of ASEAN - about half of the world's population. How can we ensure trade is globally fair,...

On the date of broadcast student activist plans for a nationwide student strike had to be changed because of the pandemic. MESCA (Macquarie Electorate Student Climate Activists) member James Dawes talks to Nick Franklin and Fran Dyson about how activism can work despite the restrictions imposed by the pandemic. First broadcast on Radio Blue Mountains 89.1FM on 15th May 2020. Disclaimer: We seek a...

Blue Mountains Unions & Community member Monica Brooks talks to local workers in hospitality, Shane, Hannah and Adam about their COVID-19 experiences. United Voice is the union for most hospitality workers. If you're not sure which is the right union for you, you can find out by contacting Australian Unions . This episode was broadcast on Rights, Rorts and Rants on Radio Blue Mountains 89.1 on...

A brief roundup of just some of the events which affect workers and their families. In this episode: Class action by Coles workers to recover alleged underpayments The business group AIG release their agenda to exclude unions from negotiating workers pay and conditions and call for a definition of "casual" work Federal Court finds that workers with full time, predictable hours of work are not "cas...

Presenter Nick Franklin looks back at the 2019/2020 megafire with Kim de Govrik and the resources our firefighters need to do their job safely and efficiently. Kim de Govrik had a long career with National Parks, starting as a Ranger in 1980 at Kosciusko, then a Senior Ranger in Blue Mountains West by 1990. Later he became Area Manager of Kanangra based at Oberon. He is now an Organiser with the P...

Gay Hendriksen of the Friends of Parramatta Female Factory shares personal memories of Jack Mundey and his decades of environmental and union activism with members of Blue Mountains Unions & Community . Vale Jack Mundey . This episode was first broadcast on Radio Blue Mountains 89.1FM on 15th May, 2020. Disclaimer: Views expressed in our show may be but are not necessarily endorsed by the Blue...

90% of the world's cargo is carried by ships but very little is known outside the industry about the conditions of its workers or how the industry works. Rights, Rorts and Rants host Deb Smith talks to former seafarer David Butler about the maritime version of the Cayman Island tax shelters - flags of convenience - and their consequences for maritime workers, global security and more on Radio Blue...

Author of " T he Hockneys: Never Worry What the Neighbours Think ", son of a pacifist and brother of an acclaimed artist, John Hockney talks to Nick Franklin about his family and growing up during World War II in Britain.  John is well known for mentoring others in their writing. "The Hockneys: Never Worry What the Neighbours Think" is published by Legend Press and is available at Megalong Bo...