Politics
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Marilyn Lake. fracturing the nation’s soul.
You might be interested in this repost. John Menadue. During World War 1 Australia lost its way. Its enmeshment in the imperial European war fractured the nation’s soul. Marilyn Lake World War I had consequences for individuals as well as nations. HB Higgins’s life would be deeply affected by the British decision to invade Continue reading »
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Peter Day. The Middle East: it’s important to talk.
David was a good Jewish man: faithful to his God; devoted to his family, and deeply connected to his land. Khalid was a good Palestinian man: faithful to his God; devoted to his family, and deeply connected to his land. Each year, in early spring, David and Khalid would meet for a chat at a Continue reading »
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John Menadue. Reform of our banking sector.
In my blog of May 30, 2014, ‘Are our bankers listening or caring?’ I drew attention to a conference in London on ‘Inclusive Capitalism’. At that conference the Governor of the Bank of England and the IMF Chief both said that bankers regarded themselves as different and not bound by the need for economic and Continue reading »
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John Menadue. Stuck in a closed information loop
Conservatives who read and listen to News Corp media have a problem. They are encouraged to believe that the world is really like News Corp says it is. The inevitable result is a loss of reality. Paul Krugman in the New York Times on September 23 wrote of the problems of right-wing Republicans who keep Continue reading »
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Mike Steketee. Buying favours of politicians.
You might be interested in this repost. John Menadue If the staggering evidence before the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption has taught us anything, then it must surely be to end the charade that democracy can function properly when people are buying favours of politicians, directly or indirectly. The standard argument that political fund-raising Continue reading »
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John Menadue. The dubious trade deal with Korea
In earlier blogs – See July 6, 2014 ‘Turbocharging our trade or mainly hype’ – I drew attention to the exaggerated benefits of bilateral free trade agreements. We now have 7 of them with more under negotiation, including with China and two signed but not yet in force. These FTAs are third-rate in promoting trade Continue reading »
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John Menadue. Why health reform is so hard. It’s about power.
You may be interested in this repost. John Menadue. I have been actively involved in health policy for over twenty years. Throughout that period Medicare has been the shining light that has well and truly stood the test of time. But necessary health reforms are hard. They are deferred or avoided. Without ministerial leadership Continue reading »
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John Menadue–We stopped the boats; we will now stop the jihadists
You may be interested in this repost. John Menadue By linking boat arrivals and jihadists in the one sentence, a couple of weeks ago, Tony Abbott sounded very much like a dog-whistler that we can expect to hear more from in the future. He knows there is widespread, although a mistaken perception, that most Continue reading »
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Xanthe Emery: Family violence and immigration – is the message getting across?
Family violence in Australia is at epidemic levels, with some horrific high profile cases dominating the news in 2014. Migrant women in Australia are extremely vulnerable to violence from their partners. Threats to cancel a woman’s visa are used to frighten, intimidate, and coerce her to stay in a violent relationship. More could be done Continue reading »
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John Menadue. What does Labor stand for? Part 5
Democratic Renewal At the same time as addressing overarching ‘Labor’ principles that could guide Labor policies and programs, there are two immediate issues which must be given high priority. The first is democratic renewal in our public institutions, including the ALP Our democratic systems, almost everywhere, are under great challenge. We are increasingly alienated from Continue reading »
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John Menadue. What does Labor stand for? Part 4
Ethical responsibility Those in prominent office should promote those qualities which draw on the best of our traditions and the noblest of our instincts. The duty of those with public influence is to encourage hope and redemption rather than despair and condemnation, confidence rather than fear. It is to promote the common good – to Continue reading »
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John Menadue. What does Labor stand for Part 3
Citizenship We are more than individuals linked by market transactions. Our life in the public sphere is no less necessary than our private lives. As citizens we enjoy and contribute to the public good. It is where we show and learn respect for others, particularly people who are different. It is where we abide by Continue reading »
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John Menadue. What does Labor stand for. Part 2
From values to principles The purpose and role of a Labor Government could be to give expression to the values set out below – to achieve as far as possible the ‘common good’. Values such as fairness, freedom, citizenship, stewardship and ethical responsibility would be generally accepted by most people. As the values are translated Continue reading »
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Richard Butler. ISIL. Ask the right questions.
Any assessment of what, if anything, countries outside the region should do about the seizure by ISIL of substantial portions of Syria and Iraq, should be based on the answers to three basic questions: what is the significance of this event; whose fight is it; what can be done about it, effectively. On the principle Continue reading »
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John Menadue. The Great Complacency
Professor Ross Garnaut has spoken many times about our great complacency and our unwillingness to undertake the types of economic and social reform that we saw in the Hawke/Keating periods and in the early days of the Howard Government – think, GST. Have the golden days of reform gone forever? The former head of Treasury Continue reading »
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Tessa Morris-Suzuki. The CIA and the Japanese media: a cautionary tale.
When Japan surrendered at the end of the Pacific War, the occupation authorities pledged to democratise the country. They carried out many reforms and introduced a new peace constitution, guaranteeing human rights and freedom of expression. The reforms had a profound and lasting effect, but there was also a less democratic side to US-Japan relations Continue reading »
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John Tulloh. Islamic State – The Saudi Connection.
How ironic it was that last week Saudi Arabia should host a meeting between the foreign ministers of the Arab League and U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, to discuss what to do about the growing crisis about Islamic State (IS). The fact is that IS is inspired by Salafism, a small branch of Islam Continue reading »
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Hugh Mackay. Does every moral lapse make the next one easier?
The political decline of the Abbott government has been remarkable. No other federal government in recent history has fallen from favour so soon after an election, nor languished in the polls so intractably (consistently trailling Labor 47-53 for more than six months). The question is: why? There are at least two answers. The obvious one Continue reading »
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Michael Keating. The mining tax debacle
Tony Abbott has finally achieved another “triumph” with the end of the mining tax. Of course mining royalties continue, and have even been increased recently, and oil and gas are subject to a similar sort of resource rent tax that Abbott decried when it was applied to mining. No doubt the mining industry, their largely Continue reading »
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Mike Steketee. Politics vs Science.
“THE laws of physics are non-negotiable,” observed Michel Jarraud, secretary-general of the World Meteorological Organisation, this week. https://www.wmo.int/pages/mediacentre/press_releases/pr_1002_en.html You wouldn’t think so listening to the often frenzied debate about global warming or, according to Tony Abbott’s senior business adviser Maurice Newman, what is really global cooling http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/were-illprepared-if-the-iceman-cometh/story-e6frg6zo-1227023489894 . Jarraud was commenting on the release of Continue reading »
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John Menadue The Royal Commission into the Home Insulation Program – ’a dog’s breakfast.’
In an article in Eureka Street on 8 September, Fr Frank Brennan described the Royal Commission report into the HIP as a ‘dog’s breakfast’. He described the reasoning behind Mr Hanger’s conclusion on commonwealth responsibility as ‘bizarre’. He added that the report was ‘inadequate and flawed’. See Frank Brennan’s comments at the end of this Continue reading »
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John Menadue. We ‘warn the Tsar of Russia’.
In September 1892, the headline ‘The Hobart Mercury warns the Tsar’ did not threaten Russia sufficiently to attract a response or change its belligerent behaviour. I don’t think the Tsar thought it necessary to respond to people who have an exaggerated view of their own importance The Hobart Mercury over-reached itself. Australian Prime Ministers, particularly Continue reading »
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Ian McAuley. A Year Of Tony Abbott.
The Abbott Government was elected one year and one day ago. Ian McAuley celebrates the countless successes that have slipped under the radar. A year into the Abbott Government’s term we can reflect on its impressive economic achievements. The highlight is the repeal of the carbon tax. It’s easy to stand up against tree huggers Continue reading »
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Annette Brownlie. No new war in Iraq.
Both major political parties are once again standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the US, in support of what amounts to a new military intervention in Iraq. The process began with the dropping of humanitarian aid supplies to the Yezidi. It has now moved on to the delivery of weapons and munitions to Kurdish Peshmerga forces. Meanwhile, Defence Continue reading »
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John Tulloh. Canberra’s fork in the road – the humanitarian way or the warpath?
What interesting, fraught and changing times we live in. This month marks the 75th anniversary of the start of World War Two. Britain and France with little ado told Germany to get out of Poland or else. Three days later King George VI made a radio speech to the British nation that good must prevail. Continue reading »
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John Menadue. MH17 – At last a thank-you to Malaysia may be on the cards.
In ten days’ time, Tony Abbott will be visiting Malaysia and India. The visit to Kuala Lumpur will at last be an opportunity for him to thank on our behalf the Malaysian Government’s significant contribution to ‘Operation Bring them Home’. Without fanfare the Malaysian Prime Minister secured two key outcomes that have been of great Continue reading »
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Walter Hamilton. Copy and Paste
The Japanese have coined a new word, kopipe, from the English phrase ‘copy and paste’. It featured, for instance, in recent reporting of the discredited stem-cell researcher caught out copying images and data from one research paper to another. But the word kopipe has many possible applications, such as in the ongoing debates about history Continue reading »
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John Menadue. Who owns Medibank Private (continued)
In my blog of August 14 I examined the question of who owns Medibank Private (MBP) particularly in light of the Abbott Government proposal to privatise the business. This is not an idle question or an academic issue only. MBP has 3.5 million members and the government has estimated its sale value at $4 billion. Continue reading »
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Michael Keating. Budget Choices
Faced with the rejection of a significant part of its Budget, the Government is reportedly looking around at alternative compromises. Essentially the Government wants to ensure that the Budget is balanced by 2017-18. Consequently if some of the present savings are rejected the Government wants to insist that alternative expenditure cuts are adopted or there Continue reading »
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John Menadue. Refugees and asylum seekers..a re-think on Temporary Protection Visas.
I have long argued that Temporary Protection Visas (TPVs) should be rejected on the grounds that they don’t deter asylum seekers, people are left in limbo and because TPV holders could not sponsor family which resulted in risky boat journeys by women and children. It is time to think again about TPVs. At the present Continue reading »
