A study undertaken by the Griffith Business School has found that the Howard government’s WorkChoices laws have led to lower wages, the stripping of overtime penalty rates and the removal of award protections for working Australians.

“The findings of the study simply confirm that the Howard government’s WorkChoices laws undermine wages and conditions for working Australians across all industries” Ms Vamvakinou said.

News today that the $11 billion sale of Qantas has been approved by the Howard government will be deeply disappointing for Qantas staff.

Workers at Qantas are opposed to the airline being sold to the private equity consortium Airline Partners Australia (APA).

A community survey conducted prior to Christmas 2006 has found that residents of Calwell see Health, Water and High Petrol Costs as the three issues that matter to them most.

The survey was included in a newsletter distributed by Maria Vamvakinou in December 2006.

Federal Labor will develop a national curriculum for all Australian schools to improve the education for our children in the basic learning areas of maths, the sciences, English and history.

At present, there is no standard curriculum in Australia - meaning students in each state are pursuing different syllabuses and materials.

In his report released today called Dropping off the Edge, Professor Tony Vinson has ranked both Broadmeadows and Campbellfield among Victoria’s top 40 most disadvantaged suburbs.

Dropping off the Edge was commissioned by the Jesuit Social Services and Catholic Social Services Australia.

In March, International Women’s Day is celebrated in Australia and many other parts of the world (8 March).

In essence, it celebrates the many achievements of women over the years, and remembers the countless women who have fought for the right to participate in society on an equal footing with men.

"The passing of Australian rock musician Billy Thorpe yesterday comes as a great shock" Ms vamvakinou said.

"He was still relatively young, and the news of his death is very sad."

“Calwell is an electorate that is heavily reliant on Australia’s automotive industry for local jobs, and on the health of Australia’s manufacturing sector in general” Ms Vamvakinou said.

“Over the last decade, Australia’s car industry has largely been left to fend for itself against an increasingly competitive global market.”