The Federal government has been under pressure over the last month after the Commonwealth Remuneration Tribunal ruled on a package that could see Federal MP wages increased by up to 5 thousand dollars a year. After a small victory for minimum wage earners in the Industrial Relations Tribunal last week, which saw wages increased by 17 dollars a week, others are pointing to the large discrepencies between the 200 dollar a week rise in Federal MP wages and those on the lowest income. Charles Gregory reports.

The official reasons put forward by coalition forces for the invasion of Iraq have been looking increasingly shaky of late, due to a series of damaging leaks of official and top secret documents. The latest leak from UK government officials suggests the US administration did not have a clear exit strategy drawn up for eventually leaving Iraq. The document, Iraq: Conditions for military action, noted that while “US military planning of action against Iraq is proceeding apace…little thought” has been given to “the aftermath and how to shape it.” These claims, which have been disputed by the White house, come six weeks after the leaking of the Downing Street memo. This document outlined concerns by UK officials that the US government appeared to have fixed the evidence of weapons of mass destruction around the policy of Invading Iraq. But the question is, will the UK and US government be held accountable and will it change the public’s sentiments on the war. Rahul Mahajen is the author of the book “Full spectrum dominance in Iraq and beyond” which is critical of the US’s motives behind the war. He outlined to The Wire the importance of the latest round of leakinsg of official documents.

Between one hundred and one hundred and fifty Australians are languishing in jails around the world… and there’s an increasing trend in the number of Australians being caught for drug trafficking and facing death penalties. But - unlike Schapelle Corby and the Bali nine - most Australians facing drug trafficking charges are tried and sentenced without registering much attention in the media. Like Mai Cong Tran, an Australian sentenced last week to death by firing squad in a one day trial in Vietnam. The Government currently seeks clemency for people who have received death sentences, but what more could they do? Kevin O’Rourke, spokesperson for the New South Wales Council for Civil Liberties spoke to Christine Baker .

A US congressional panel has released a report claiming that the United Nations suffers from poor management, 'dismal' staff morale and lack of accountability and ethics. The report from a bipartisan task force is fueled by recent UN scandals like corruption allegations in the Iraq oil-for-food program. Among its many recommendations, the US report suggests new corporate-style management bodies and personnel standards. It also calls for a creation of a United Nations Office to prevent genocide, mass killing and human rights violations before they happen. Margaret Reynolds, President of the United Nations Association of Australia spoke to The Wire's Marta Ruohoniemi about the US criticisms of the UN's capabilities.

One of the most overlooked conflicts in the world over the last forty years has been the independence struggle in West Papua. Since the Indonesian government took control of the region in the 1960's, they have kept a tight grip on the resource-rich area, leading to conflicts as independence groups, such as the Free West Papua guerilla movement, have waged struggles against them. While the plight of the East Timorese has been a prominent issue in Australian foreign policy, West Papua has managed to stay off the radar, partly because of Indonesian restrictions on journalists. Earlier this year, the Australian government recognised Indonesia's territorial integrity as they worked towards a new security agreement, completely ignoring the human rights abuses that have occurred under the occupation. Joe Collins, of the Australian West Papua Association Sydney, spoke to the wire's Bill Birtles about the current state of human rights in West Papua.