Politics
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Reputation laundering: weapons companies infiltrating schools to promote education
A Lockheed missile blows up a bus full of Yemeni children; in Australia Lockheed Martin gains kudos by sponsoring the National Youth Science Forum. BAE Systems sponsors underprivileged kids in Australia while being complicit in the killing of thousands of needy children in Yemen. All you see in industry marketing pitches is euphemism, with nary a mention of Continue reading »
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Is Morrison finally nearing the tipping point on climate?
He would rather forego his parliamentary pension than admit it, but our prime minister is unobtrusively softening his hardline stance on climate change. Continue reading »
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Sunday environmental round up, 29 November 2020
Despite COVID, atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations continue to rise. Does increasing complexity in societies explain the collapse of civilisations? Western Australia is failing to adequately protect sharks and Australia is taking risks with imported flowers. China has an each-way bet on energy: big on renewables; big on coal. Continue reading »
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Election 2020: a Democratic Mandate or a Vote Against Trump? (CounterPunch Nov 24, 2020)
Every election year is accompanied by countless analyses of why Americans voted the way they did. The 2020 election is no different. Continue reading »
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Saturday’s good reading and listening for the weekend
What people in other forums are saying about public policy Continue reading »
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You’ll need a vaccine whether you like it or not
Sixty-plus years ago when, as a student, I was making my first overseas trip, there was more hassle involved in getting the required ‘international certificates of vaccination’ certificate (issued by the Department of Health on behalf of the World Health Organisation) than there was in obtaining a passport. The little yellow booklet also received more Continue reading »
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Latest Findings on how well our Governments make Policy
For the third year running, independent research undertaken by two philosophically opposed Right and Left think tanks finds that basic standards of evidence and consultation-based policy making are only loosely followed by Australian federal and state governments. Nevertheless, there was an improvement on last year’s results. Continue reading »
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Journalists need medals for reporting on such dull politicians
The late, great comedian John Clarke always said that the best actors he had ever heard were sports commentators. The reason, he explained, was that they were able to convey the impression, with the utmost conviction, that the outcome of a football match was crucial, almost a matter of life or death. And then, suddenly, Continue reading »
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Thug culture, not a warrior culture, to blame
“Losers” commit war crimes and are punished and pilloried in news articles, books, documentaries and movies while cover-ups by the victors of their atrocities ensure the winners evade justice. Continue reading »
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The Australian Army’s inauspicious birth. From the Boer War to the Afghanistan War.
With such intense focus on the army’s record in Afghanistan we might look more closely at its history. It had an inauspicious birth on the first of March 1902 in South Africa, three months before the end of the Boer War. Continue reading »
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The Brereton Report: what the military can learn from the health system
The Brereton Report makes for uncomfortable reading. Its findings and recommendations principally focus on individuals and their conduct, including unlawful acts, wilful misreporting, falsifying records, failing to exercise proper control over subordinates, giving false evidence and suborning colleagues to give false evidence. Continue reading »
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West Australian Liberals gamble on youth
Like a football club hoping to climb up from the bottom of the ladder, the West Australian Liberals have gone for youth in their latest leadership selection. Continue reading »
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Don’t tar all our soldiers with the same brush
War in all its forms is awful, so let’s support those who conduct it on our behalf and, when they come back, go easy on them. They were only doing our bidding. Continue reading »
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Agents of foreign influence. What about the Australian Strategic Policy Institute?
The Australia-China relationship has hit new lows, with China’s ban on a range of imports threatening $20 billion of Australian exports. However, just in the past few days Scott Morrison has said Australia’s position has been wrongly interpreted as siding with the United States over China, and that his government would not make a “binary Continue reading »
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Australia has made itself an outlier in its dealing with China
The Prime Minister’s dash to Japan to meet the new Japanese Prime Minister – the first foreign leader to do so – should be welcomed. It is unusual in terms of diplomatic protocol for an established leader to visit a newly appointed leader, not the other way around, unless it is the US for which Continue reading »
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Robodebt was a Morrison fiasco at every stage (Peter Van Onselen, The Australian, 21.11.20)
The buck should stop with the PM, but he won’t be held to account. With summer just around the corner, this week’s $1.2 billion settlement of the Robodebt class action has shone a light on government failings. Continue reading »
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Investigating ADF murder is not an AFP core competency
The path to court for SAS murder suspects won’t be smooth, quick, certain or inevitable. Justice Brereton had a power federal police investigators will not have: he could compel soldiers to give answers, promising them that nothing they said could be used in cases against them. [Though they could be required to give evidence against Continue reading »
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Hong Kong is part of China. Our media fails to grasp this basic point.
Hong Kong was seized by Britain to facilitate its opium trade. After a century of humiliation for China, Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997 under a complex arrangement. Foreign countries should keep out of what is a domestic issue for China. CIA, take note. Continue reading »
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The national anthem is back on the playlist
Our national anthem is back on the playlist, and as always for the wrong reasons. Continue reading »
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Robodebt is far from dead, buried and cremated
Those who closely follow the news will believe that the dreaded Robodebt has been slain, “dead, buried and cremated”, with the Federal Government agreeing at the door of the court on 16 November to settle the Robodebt class action. But it’s not as simple as that. Continue reading »
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We were warned about the Brererton report – it is still shocking
Scott Morrison warned us that we would be shocked by the Brereton report on alleged war crimes and this is one promise he has kept. Continue reading »
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Responsible Lending? Coalition’s left hand not sure what its right hand is doing
The Coalition government is pushing hard to get rid of responsible lending obligations, but it doesn’t seem to realise that removing these obligations will pull the rug out from one of its signature pieces of legislation that Scott Morrison championed when he was treasurer – mandatory comprehensive credit reporting. Continue reading »
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A Warrior Culture
The Prime Minister warned us that we would be in for some shocking reading as the report into Australian war crimes in Afghanistan was released. That there were 39 alleged murders, and 19 Australian soldiers involved, is indeed shocking. Continue reading »
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Sunday environmental round up, 22 November 2020
Wealthy people and wealthy nations cause it but it’s the poor and vulnerable who suffer the most from climate change. Adani is behaving badly in Australia but moving into renewables in India. Recycling plastic recycling. Spotted and striated, pardalotes charmalot. Continue reading »
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Ministerial war crimes
Those who will not be put on trial as a result of investigations into Australian operations in Afghanistan will be those most responsible – the ministers who committed Australian troops to a protracted war where our forces could not readily distinguish friend from foe. Continue reading »
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Soldiers vs warriors: a distinction between Australian and US troops and Kerry Stokes!
What’s the difference between a soldier and a warrior? And in what environment is the distinction in danger of being lost? If Kerry Stokes wants to get involved he is entitled to – but, if he does, he should also step aside from his role at the Australian War Memorial. Continue reading »
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Bird’s eye view: the markers of government-sanctioned corruption
I joined the Australian Public Service (APS) with a typical expectation of working to serve the public. The brochure looked inviting; people working happily together, and a chance to progress in an organisation that valued such common-sense ideals as working in a supportive, accountable, a-political organisation with high ethical standards. Evidently, I was wrong. Continue reading »
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Saturday’s good reading and listening for the weekend
What people in other forums are saying about public policy Continue reading »
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It is a gross injustice to Mr Moselmane. Beyond gross.
The attacks on Mr Moselmane began months before the raids, with journalists and shock jocks being backgrounded to demonise him. Sky News’ Peta Credlin broadcast “If we really have foreign agent laws, why isn’t Moselmane being looked at?” She knew very well that he was being lined up. Another leak by his opponents. Another crime Continue reading »
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Where the bloody hell is it? Did Scott Morrison lie about the report that saved his bacon at Tourism Australia?
Scott Morrison was sacked as managing director of Tourism Australia in 2006 with a year left to run on his contract. For 14 years the reason for the sacking has remained one of the best kept secrets in Parliament. Now, FoI documents accessed by Jommy Tee reveal the PM either lied about a critical probity report, or Continue reading »