Writer
John Menadue
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Arja Keski-Nummi. Offshore Processing in Cambodia – Really?
The idea of Cambodia as a so-called offshore processing centre is not new. For a nanosecond I recalled the former government contemplated Cambodia as a likely candidate for an offshore processing centre. Thankfully saner heads prevailed, although to their discredit they did also contemplate East Timor. The scramble to avoid doing the decent thing and Continue reading »
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Andrew Babkoff. The human side of refugees.
(*names have been changed to maintain privacy) There is a significant amount of misinformation and misunderstanding surrounding asylum seekers (in particular ‘boat people’) and refugees in Australia. In response, a number of people outside of the mainstream media have highlighted the need for refugees’ stories to be presented through mainstream outlets. My personal experience as Continue reading »
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Mark Gregory. NBN – ageing copper network and structural separation.
The Australian telecommunication industry is in crisis and centre stage is an ageing copper network that some would have you believe is good for another hundred years and others argue it is time to move to an all fibre access network. But the problems extend far beyond copper versus fibre and go to the heart Continue reading »
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Walter Hamilton. The ABC and its Japanese Cousin.
If the board and management of the ABC need to firm up their ideas about the proper relationship between a public broadcaster and the government of the day they might consider what is happening in Japan. NHK, that nation’s public broadcaster, is a $7bn enterprise largely funded from television licence fees, with a board of Continue reading »
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Walter Hamilton. A Strategy Less Than Grand: Where the ‘New Japan’ Goes Wrong.
In a commentary published by the Lowy Institute entitled “Japan is Back: Unbundling Abe’s Grand Strategy*, Dr. Michael Green (Japan Chair at the Center for Strategic International Studies in Washington, DC) analyses the political and economic policies of Japan’s conservative government under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and concludes that “the overall strategy could be quite Continue reading »
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Pope Francis – Message on Migrants and Refugees. January 2014
‘Migrants and refugees are not pawns on the chessboard of humanity. They are children, women and men who leave or who are forced to leave their homes for various reasons, who share a legitimate desire for knowing and having, but above all for being more. Contemporary movements of migration represent the largest movement of Individuals, Continue reading »
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Arja Keski-Nummi. They are us … and the language of war!
Why are we using the language and methods of war against civilians fleeing war and persecution? Asylum seekers are not our enemies. Our real enemies are our complacency and a willingness to turn a blind eye to the spin we are getting. This reflects the Abbott government’s ability to drill deep into our collective psyche Continue reading »
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Pearls and Irritations – one year on. John Menadue
I launched this blog in January last year. To date there have been 285 posts, just over 5 a week. I hope you have found some ‘pearls’ and been ‘irritated’ from time to time. Thank you for your support. I have enjoyed putting together stories that I believe are important for Australia’s future. I now Continue reading »
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Could we do more to offend the Indonesians? John Menadue
Could we do more to offend the Indonesians? Yes, I think we could by appointing, as has been suggested, Peter Cosgrove as our next Governor General. He was the military Commander who led the INTERFET forces against the Indonesian military in East Timor in 1999. This was much more than just a military defeat for Continue reading »
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The power of vested interests and why drugs cost so much in Australia. John Menadue
Why does the widely used cholesterol reducing drug Atorvastatin cost $A19 in Australia and $A2 for the same package in NZ? Why does the widely used cancer drug Anastrozole cost $A92 in Australia when the equivalent drug in the UK costs $A3.30. The answer is the political power of Medicines Australia and how it twists Continue reading »
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Violence is on the decline. John Menadue
If you watch the tabloid television and the Murdoch press, you would certainly believe that violence is increasing. It seems counter-intuitive to suggest that we are moving away from violence. Over the holidays I have been reading ‘The Better Angels of our Nature – the Decline of Violence in History and its Causes’. It focuses Continue reading »
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Mission accomplished? Be careful which war you wish for. Travers McLeod
“We are going to hold the line, we are going to protect the borders”, Scott Morrison, Federal Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, told the 44th Federal Parliament in its first sitting week. “This battle is being fought using the full arsenal of measures”, he wrote elsewhere. Last week, the Prime Minister defended the secrecy of Continue reading »
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Health workforce reform. Prof Peter Brooks
As we draw to the end of the holiday period and contemplate the challenges for us in 2014 we might take a moment to think about the big questions in health. We are continually reminded by politicians, media and other (self) interested groups about the cost of health care, the need for more doctors and Continue reading »
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Repost. Refugee advocates and offshore processing. John Menadue
This is a repost from 23 September, 2013. The insistence on onshore processing for all asylum seekers is damaging the case for humane and sensible refugee policies. The blanket opposition to any offshore processing is understandable but it is just not working. Just look at the election result on September 7. The important issue is Continue reading »
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Asylum seekers – Tony Abbott and I share a Jesuit education. John O’Mara
Like many Australians, I look on the way the Abbott government is handling the matter of asylum seekers with ever increasing dismay. Tony Abbott’s mantra “stop the boats”, is unprincipled, contrary to signed UN agreements and impractical. It is hard to erase the pre-election memory of the Western Sydney interviewee..”I’m going to vote for Abbott, Continue reading »
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Journalists are not welcome in Nauru. Elaine Pearson
Dramatically increasing the cost of visas to enter Nauru places severe restrictions from the ability of journalists and others to let us know the truth about asylum seekers being held there. John Menadue Here’s an innovative way to discourage foreign media scrutiny of a touchy human rights issue: jack-up the cost of a journalist visa Continue reading »
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Repost: Don’t tamper with the Refugee Convention. John Menadue
It would be dangerous to open up the pandora’s box of the Refugee Convention. It has served us well. Who would seriously suggest that persons facing persecution should not be protected. Given the world wide agitation against refugees and ‘outsiders’, a review of the Convention would be a great opportunity for extremists to run their Continue reading »
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A place of refuge: responses to international population movements. Arja Keski-Nummi
For over 60 years Australia has played a vital role in the development and strengthening of a system of international protection for refugees. It was one of the earliest signatories to the 1951 Refugee Convention. It has been an active member of the Executive Committee of the UNHCR and has held the Chair on several Continue reading »
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Is Pope Francis a Marxist?
On 16 December last year, Eureka Street carried an article by Neil Ormerod about Pope Francis and his economic, social and political message. That article can be found on the link below. John Menadue http://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=38645#.Us8a9j0XBt8.email Continue reading »
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A 100 billion dollar tale of piracy in the Timor Sea. Michael Sainsbury
Although it sits on a vast undersea gas reserve, Timor-Leste remains deeply impoverished. Deep under the Timor Sea, there is a huge reserve of gas. Geologists now believe it is worth upwards of US$100 billion; a figure more than twice the amount estimated by Australia as recently as 2006. It is perhaps ironic that the Continue reading »
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People like us: personal reflections. Guest blogger Trevor Boucher
One of my great-great grandfathers on my mother’s side was transported to Australia in the early 1840’s for stealing lead from a chapel roof. The lash and Van Dieman’s Land didn’t reform him, although marriage in Geelong to an Irish orphan helped- even though a couple of manslaughter convictions followed. Not that I knew about Continue reading »
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Repost: The scourge of special interests. John Menadue
A REPOST FOR HOLIDAY READING. Lobbying has grown dramatically in recent years, particularly in Canberra. It now represents a growing and serious corruption of good governance and the development of sound public policy. In referring to the so called “public debate” on climate change Professor Ross Garnaut, highlighted the ‘diabolical problem’ that special interests brought Continue reading »
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Cricket – junk food and alcohol. John Menadue
Over the holidays I have very much enjoyed watching on television Australia winning at last. The visual TV coverage is outstanding. The camera crews do a great job. I enhance my enjoyment by minimising the audio content. Except for the opening and closing of each session, and at the fall of each wicket, I keep Continue reading »
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Repost: Pink Batts – facts and fiction. John Menadue
The following is a repost from July 11, 2013. I wonder if it is necessary for the Abbott Government to rake over the past rather than concentrate on the future! The fiction is continuing in the uncritical media that only the Commonwealth Government should bear responsibility for the problems of the Home Insulation Scheme. We Continue reading »
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People smugglers – villains and heroes. John Menadue
In 2009 Kevin Rudd called people smugglers ‘the absolute scum of the earth … who should rot in hell’. Tony Abbott and Scott Morrison echo and expanded this view. Others will point to people smugglers like Oskar Schindler who saved hundreds of lives. Life is anything but simple for people facing persecution. There will be Continue reading »
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Repost: We all see our doctor too much; and it’s not just the aged. John Menadue
The media have been discussing a proposal to impose a $5 or $6 levy for GP visits. There has been a dramatic increase in the number of times we each see our GP. It needs addressing, but not with a simplistic GP levy. See also piece below by Ian McAuley. Following the Grattan Institute’s recent Continue reading »
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Repost: Are most asylum seekers and refugees Muslims? John Menadue
Repost for holiday reading. Well, as a matter of fact, they are not. But I am sure that many commentators and a lot of the community believe that most are Muslim. The dog-whistlers like Scott Morrison feed on this assumption .According to Jane Cadzow in the Sun Herald he urged the Coalition parties “to ramp Continue reading »
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Remarks by Sir William Deane AC on “Refugees and Asylum Seekers: Finding a Better Way”.
On 17 December, Sir William Deane, former Governor-General launched Australia21 – essays on refugees and asylum seekers. Sir William Deane’s remarks follow. Paul Barratt’s acknowledgement of the traditional custodians in which I respectfully join, serves to remind us that apart from indigenous Australians we are all migrants or descended from migrants and that many of Continue reading »
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Repost: The Asian Century and the Australian Smoko. John Menadue and Greg Dodds
The Asian Century and the Australian Smoko was first published in April 2012. This repost might be interesting holiday reading. The Gillard Government has commissioned Ken Henry to report on Australia and the Asian Century. Our trade with China, Japan, India and other Asian countries is booming. Our luck is still holding. But our key Continue reading »
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A letter to Pope Francis
The Australian Catholic Coalition for Church Renewal has called for structural amd cultural change in the governance of the Catholic Church The letter can be found on my web site.Go to top left hand of the home page and click on John Menadue web site. John Menadue Continue reading »
