All Articles
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ROSS GITTINS. How market forces have failed the nation (SMH 19.9.2018)
How will the era of “neoliberalism” end – with a bang or a whimper? With a royal commission – or three. But don’t worry. Royal commissions always make a lot of noise. With the memory of the government’s embarrassing delay in yielding to public pressure for a royal commission into banking still fresh, Scott Morrison Continue reading »
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Wentworth, Bill Shorten and refugees
What a boost it would be for humanity and decency if Bill Shorten broke with the government’s refugees policy and told us during the Wentworth by-election that the ALP would no longer support the cruel and crippling policies that leave refugees and asylum seekers stranded and abused on Nauru and Manus. What is happening is Continue reading »
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ISABELLE LANE. Six big players dominate Australia’s scandal-hit aged care sector (The New Daily, 19.09.18)
Aged care providers are expected to rake in $1.7 billion worth of profits in 2018-19, but reports of poor living conditions in nursing homes have raised concerns that the industry is putting profit before people. Continue reading »
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JOHN MENADUE. The scourge of lobbyists is likely to continue if there is a change of government.A Repost from June 22 2018
Lobbyists are back in the news but it looks as if the scourge of lobbyists will continue in Canberra if Bill Shorten wins the next election. There is no sign that the ALP, like the Coalition is prepared to curb the way lobbyists are corrupting public policy in Australia.. The media reports that lobby firms Continue reading »
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SUSAN RYAN. Ladies in Red.
In the late 1970s, federal Labor, still in opposition after Whitlam, was struggling. New polling research enabled me to advise national conference that Labor would not regain office unless it increased its support among women voters. If women had voted Labor in the same proportion as men had, Labor would have won every election since Continue reading »
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TROY BRAMSTON. Ex-Labor leader Bill Hayden, 85, baptised into Catholic Church.
Bill Hayden, at age 85, has renounced his atheism and been baptised into the Catholic Church. Continue reading »
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JAMES FERNYHOUGH. Claim we’re on track to meet emissions targets is false.
Australia’s new energy minister Angus Taylor made a claim about carbon emissions this week that looked on the surface to be fantastic news, but on closer inspection is false. Continue reading »
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JOE ASTON AND MYRIAM ROBIN. Clean hands? How five Scott Morrison supporters voted to get rid of Turnbull. (AFR 17.9.2018)
Make no mistake, this new PM stood by the last one just like he stood by the one before. Like Brutus stood by Caesar. Continue reading »
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DAVID DODWELL. Keep Calm and carry on amid the current state of the trade war, for time is on China’s side. (South China Morning Post 16.9.2018)
Over the weekend, Donald Trump’s trade team invited Beijing to fresh trade talks. Almost simultaneously, tweets from the White House cast doubt on the talks. Is this “good cop, bad cop” tactics? Or routine erratic signalling? How is one to respond, given how much the world economy is at stake? Having mulled this conundrum carefully Continue reading »
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ROSS GITTINS. Long way to go to get banks back in their box (SMH 17.9.2018)
Have we learnt from the mistakes of the global financial crisis, now 10 years ago? Yes, but not nearly as much as we should have. Continue reading »
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ROD TIFFIN. Murdoch and Stokes
If the Liberal leadership upheaval was a Muppet show, as Scott Morrison described it, Rupert Murdoch and Kerry Stokes have been revealed as its Statler and Waldorf. Muppets fans will remember the two cantankerous old men who heckled from the sidelines. The media moguls did not publicly heckle, but their behind the scenes barracking was Continue reading »
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JENNY HOCKING. ‘Bullying, betrayal and backstabbing’: Can the Liberal party survive?
Scott Morrison is an unlikely Prime Minister. The day before the latest Liberal leadership change Morrison appeared in a memorable photo, arm casually draped around then Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s uncomfortable shoulders, and proclaimed his support; ‘This is my leader. I’m ambitious – for him!’. Two days later Morrison emerged from a rancorous party meeting, Continue reading »
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WAYNE SWAN. Ten years after the crash, tax competition threatens global economies and democracies.
Ten years ago, the global financial system was rocked by the largest crisis since the Great Depression. Continue reading »
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ANDREW PROBYN. What did Rupert Murdoch and Kerry Stokes have to do with the Liberal leadership spill? (ABC News, 18.09.18)
Malcom Turnbull’s demise as Australia’s 29th prime minister was unusual for many reasons, and truly unique for one: his was the first known prime ministership to be the subject of a billionaires’ tug of war between the nation’s most powerful media moguls. Continue reading »
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JOE ASTON. Rupert Murdoch to Kerry Stokes: “Malcolm has to go.” (AFR 18.9.2018)
Murdoch met with Seven West proprietor Kerry Stokes …… “Malcolm has got to go,” he told the Perth billionaire. (This abuse of power by media barons is appalling.There is strong case for Bill Shorten to propose a Royal Commission into this unacceptable abuse of power and the general failure of our main stream media on issues such Continue reading »
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STEPHEN LEEDER. Employing less qualified people in aged care
The Royal Commission announced this week will have a full agenda. If it can help us get aged care back on track we will all be the richer. Continue reading »
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MEREDITH DOIG. Open Letter to Scott Morrison upon becoming Prime Minister.
Dear Prime Minister, The Rationalist Society of Australia (RSA) congratulates you upon becoming the 30th Prime Minister of Australia. We have two concerns we would like to raise with you: firstly, your Government’s response to the Ruddock Report, and secondly, your urging Australians to pray for rain in drought affected areas. Continue reading »
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JAMIE LINGHAM. The changing face of Australian immigration.
Now more than ever we need to work together as a nation to address the immigration department and the mechanisms of safe passage, and put a stop to Australia’s unacceptable practices and inhumane treatment of individuals. Continue reading »
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MASSIMO FAGGIOLI. Flirting with Church schism.
The right-wing effort to delegitimize Pope Francis is continuing. Continue reading »
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WANNING SUN. Blind Spots in Australia’s Soft Power Strategies.
Blessed with an enviable healthy and relaxed lifestyle, beautiful landscape, and clean environment, Australia has rich soft power assets and resources. Yet, more than ever before, Australia faces unprecedented challenges in its soft power efforts. The China factor cannot be ignored, even when we are considering Australia’s soft power initiatives in places other than China. Continue reading »
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MAUREEN DOWD. Trump Finally Makes a Friend (New York Times, 15.09.18)
The president may be shunned nearly everywhere but at the bottom of the world he has finally found a loyal mate. Continue reading »
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ERIN O’DONNELL, AVRIL HORNE. Giving environmental water to drought-stricken farmers sounds straightforward, but it’s a bad idea (The Conversation, 18.09.18)
Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack last week suggested the government would look at changing the law to allow water to be taken from the environment and given to farmers struggling with the drought. Continue reading »
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MUNGO MACCALLUM. ScoMo, ProMo, Status QuoMo
We still don’t know just who or what the new Prime Minister is, but he is determined to tell us whether we like it or not. Our manic leader is seldom lost for words and this is just as well as he appears chronically short of ideas. Continue reading »
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DUNCAN GRAHAM. Robbing Roads To Keep Rice Cheap.
Unlike their southern neighbours, Indonesians know when they’ll go to the polls – 17 April 2019. That Wednesday will be a public holiday to encourage a big turn out. Voting is not compulsory. In the 2014 election 135 million electors punched a hole in a ballot paper to make their choice – around 70 per Continue reading »
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ROSS GITTINS. Morrison’s surplus secret: bracket creep kills the tax cuts. (SMH 15-16.9.2018)
The mystery revealed. Consider this: how does the Morrison government cut income and company taxes and avoid big cuts in government spending, but still project ever-rising budget surpluses and ever-falling net public debt over the next decade? With publication of the Parliamentary Budget Office’s report on the May budget’s medium-term projections, we now know. Short answer: by Continue reading »
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GREG BAILEY. Whereto for the LNP and the ALP. Part 2.
What about the ALP which, despite its protestation about its commitment to social justice and the social wage, has also effected neoliberal outcomes over the past three decades? Just witness its recent support to Australia becoming a member of a revised TPPT. And it has done this even in the face of objection from parts Continue reading »
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DAVID STEPHENS. The Australian War Memorial admits receiving $1,271,473 over three years in donations from military and defence firms.
During Budget Estimates hearings, then Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon (NSW) asked Dr Brendan Nelson, Director of the Australian War Memorial, how much the Memorial had received in donations from military and defence firms. The answer covered the years 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18 year to date, which would have been almost the full year, as the answer Continue reading »
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NICOLE GIBSON. A Letter to Canberra from a young Australian.
“Each Australian story I’ve heard is etched on my heart, permanently shifting my views and perspectives on leadership. I pray that you also have the humility to silence the chatter in your own minds and be inspired by the people you represent.” Continue reading »
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BIANCA BRIJNATH. Improving dementia awareness in Australia’s multicultural communities can mean better care for all.
Sheila holds 10 teaspoons in her hands and every time the cooker whistles, she puts one down. After 10 whistles, she switches the cooker off. The rice is done. She takes down two pots and prepares one of the five vegetable dishes she remembers. When dinner arrives at the table, there are two places set Continue reading »
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JIEH-YUNG LO. Reflections of a Chinese-Australian.
To ensure we remain as the world’s most successful multicultural society, it is important to get the China debate right from now on to prevent the re-emergence of sinophobia in Australia. Continue reading »