Politics
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JOHN TONS. Nature Bats Last
Australia’s summer of discontent has morphed into an autumn of fear as we bunker down to protect ourselves from coronavirus. Nature is reminding us that she is not to be trifled with, that she cannot be ignored. Continue reading »
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GAVIN A O’BRIEN.-Why I remain a Catholic.
I am being challenged to consider and discern why I remain a Catholic in a Church whose membership is declining and ageing;whose clergy are decreasing in numbers and ageing,where many Catholics, particularly our children, are no longer attending Mass and accessing the Sacraments.Where do we go from here? Continue reading »
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ABUL RIZVI: The Ruby Princess – how could this have happened?
The Ruby Princess, along with a number of other cruise ships that arrived in Australia around the same time, will go down in Australian history as a super spreader of disease and death. Continue reading »
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CHRIS SIDOTI.- Archbishop Anthony saves the day.
I laughed so hard I could hard stop myself from crying. There’s no limit to the wonderful capacity of human beings to produce clowns to make us laugh our way through every crisis. Continue reading »
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MIKE SCRAFTON. COVID-19: ‘Dirty hands’ and political leadership in a crisis
Normally, bringing ethics and crisis politics together in a crisis is like putting Siamese fighting fish in the same tank; only one is likely to survive. Continue reading »
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RICHARD WHITINGTON. Berejiklian ticking off the milestones on way to creating NSW history.
Next Monday marks the first anniversary of Gladys Berejiklian becoming the first female to be elected Premier of NSW, and the Liberals’ third straight victory. Continue reading »
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ALLAN PATIENCE. The coronavirus pandemic and the crisis of Australian federalism.
Despite the Prime Minister’s daily press conferences in which he fatuously tries (as is his wont) to reassure “all Australians” that they are “on the bridge to the other side” of the coronavirus pandemic, confusion and fear continue to stalk the land. Continue reading »
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WANNING SUN.-Response to ‘Red Flag: Waking Up to China’s Challenge’ by Peter Hartcher
Following the logic of his own argument, can we assume that Hartcher now wants to recant the position he has advanced in the Quarterly Essay? Continue reading »
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MICHAEL KEATING.- The latest economic response to the coronavirus
These are very uncertain times, but the Government seems to be playing catch-up, both with our health and the economy. In addition, there are continuing questions about the structure of the Government’s economic response and the effectiveness of some of the measures. Continue reading »
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MUNGO MACCALLUM.-The personal and social problems of isolation.
Communities encourage and enhance the general well-being and co-operation needed to keep society going, the idea of a common wealth. Continue reading »
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JACK WATERFORD.-COVID-19 mapping must go beyond the sick to the well
Only mass screenings will tell us about the dynamics of the disease Continue reading »
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TONY SMITH. Government in perpetual crisis.
Dealing with the corona virus epidemic requires extraordinary measures by governments. Unfortunately, the Australian government’s response has been piecemeal and does not inspire confidence. Continue reading »
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ROGER SCOTT. Queensland by-elections: Tale of Two Cities
There is so much else happening, Queenslanders and the media can be excused for being uninterested in two by-elections which are scheduled to be held alongside state-wide local government elections on March 28. But the future of both major party groupings could be dramatically affected if there is a viral-like surge of opinion away from Continue reading »
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JONATHAN PAUL MARSHALL: The Rhetoric Climate Action is too Costly
Bjorn Lomborg presents an ambiguous type of anti-climate action rhetoric. He argues that the recent bushfires were insignificant, and that we should not research renewable energies because of cost, while also recommending costly research. Continue reading »
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JAMES Gruber. A 14th Century Glimpse Into The Future.
Since the end of World War Two, the process of globalisation has provided a tremendous tailwind for businesses and societies at large. Continue reading »
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MUNGO MACCALLUM.-Confusing and often self-contradictory messages on Covid-19
As so often with Morrison, there is no overall strategy – simply a series of reactive measures which, he hopes, will do the job unless a next one is needed. and then another one, and another one … Continue reading »
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GREG BAILEY. Predictability, Society and the COVID 19 Virus
The economic stimulus must adopt a whole of society approach, focusing on those of lower income, of a kind that it has consistently refused to do. If it does this and, above all, can be seen to be doing it, then Australia may emerge out of this crisis as a better country than it was Continue reading »
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MARCUS REUBENSTEIN: This is NOT an economic crisis!
The global reaction to the consequences of COVID-19 is absolutely warranted BUT its low mortality rate has lulled some in Australia into ignoring the fight against a highly contagious virus. Continue reading »
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ROBERT REICH.-America has no real public health system – coronavirus has a clear run( The Guardian 15.3.2020)
Trump’s response has been inadequate but the system is rigged anyway. As always, the poor will be hit hardest. Almost 30% of American workers have no paid sick leave from their employers, including 70% of low-income workers earning less than $10.49 an hour. Continue reading »
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PETER SAINSBURY. Sunday environmental round up, 22 March 2020
Marine and coastal environments are the focus this week: how ‘The Blue Acceleration’ poses threats to natural environments, economies, lives and homes through ocean warming, melting ice caps, changes in ocean currents, sea level rise and even bushfires. And some early attempts to protect flood-prone areas in the USA. 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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KERRY BREEN and KERRY GOULSTON.-An improved response to COVID-19 will not be achieved with the current approach.
One of the puzzling and troubling aspects of the Australian response to the Covid 19 public health crisis is that the actions taken or advised by government have often lagged behind what many in the community, including people with expert knowledge, are agitating for. Continue reading »
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SEAN INNIS. Economic thinking has driven policy making in the past, but will it in the future? Part 2
As discussed yesterday, the changing policy environment affects the role of economic thinking in policy determination. Against that background, Part 2 today discusses the key challenges that economic thinking needs to resolve to retain its policy relevance. Continue reading »
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ALEX MITCHELL: Defending TAFE is a winner for NSW Labor
Created by the Whitlam Government, TAFE tuition was free, offered trade and technical training to a generation of young men and women and upgraded education and career opportunity to all those who wanted it. Continue reading »
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WANNING SUN.-China’s journey through Covid-19: A tale of one city and one family. (ABC Religion and Ethics 18.3.2020)
A difficult question is whether we can achieve similar results(as China) without the heavy-handed top-down control and significant incursions into individual liberty and freedom as we have seen in the City Y. Continue reading »
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JAMES O’NEILL.-Four Corners Program on Australian Alleged War Crimes in Afghanistan Raises Wider Questions
Australia is still waiting for an honest appraisal of its involvement in other countries wars of choice, almost invariably carried out for other than the officially professed reasons. Continue reading »
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JOHN DWYER. There is still a lot more that needs to be done to minimise harm in Australia from COVID-19.
Australian governments are taking a “measured approach” to minimising the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic adding new tactics/restrictions as the numbers grow. Far better to use all available measures now to minimise that growth. Continue reading »
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SEAN INNIS. Economic thinking has driven policy making in the past, but will it in the future? Part 1
This article – the first in a two-part series – discusses the changing dynamics of the Australian policy environment, and how that affects the role of economics in the determination of policies. The second part tomorrow, will discuss the nature of the future challenges to which economic thinking will need to adjust. Continue reading »
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CHRIS BONNOR. Two very wicked problems in school funding
Australia certainly isn’t short of policy headaches, but one promises to be of migraine proportions: our school funding regime has reached new heights of absurdity and needs urgent review. Continue reading »
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PATRICK COCKBURN.-Covid-19 and the battle for the Saudi Royal Crown(CounterPunch 16.3.2020)
Trump is visibly self-isolating the US and undermining the hegemonic role it has played since the Second World War. Even if Biden is elected as the next president, the US will have lost its undisputed primacy in a post-pandemic world. Continue reading »