Public Policy
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QUENTIN DEMPSTER. Slack electoral regulations and the arrogance of power
Senator Pauline Hanson denies any impropriety. We are told there is nothing to see in the Liberal Party siphoning cash from their MPs’ taxpayer-funded electoral allowances purportedly to fund the party’s voter analysis entity Parakeelia Pty. Ltd. ALP Senator Sam Dastyari’s failure to disclose that a party donor had paid a personal invoice was nothing but Continue reading »
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Manchester and terrorism. Part 2 of 3.
In this three-part article, Ramesh Thakur argues that the scale of the terrorist threat to Western societies must be kept in perspective, that Western actions in the Middle East may have fomented more terrorism than they have defeated, and that an attitude of denial regarding the potential for problems of large-scale Muslim immigration feeds mutual Continue reading »
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Manchester and terrorism, Part 1 of 3.
The swamp fights back In this three-part article, Ramesh Thakur argues that the scale of the terrorist threat to Western societies must be kept in perspective, that Western actions in the Middle East may have fomented more terrorism than they have defeated, and that an attitude of denial regarding the potential for problems of large-scale Continue reading »
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JOHN MENADUE. Health Reform and cooperative federalism. Part 1
In the SMH of May 29, 2017, Adam Gartrell reports that ‘The private health insurtance rebate would e abolished, consumers would be charged more for extra cover and the states would be forced to find more money for public hospitals under radical funding changes being considered by top government officials. Documents obtained by Fairfax Media Continue reading »
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PAUL BARRATT. Growing momentum for drug law reform. Part 1 of 3.
The war on drugs has failed. There was a buzz across Australia in March 2017, when former premiers, police chiefs, prison officers and lawyers stood side-by-side with drug users and their families, to throw down the gauntlet on drug law reform. They called for an end to criminal penalties for personal use and possession and a Continue reading »
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FRANK BRENNAN. Gonski in An Age of Budget Repair
School funding is a very complex issue in Australia. It’s now a poisonous political cocktail. David Gonski who had been the poster boy for Julia Gillard’s bold education reforms has now been showcased by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Education Minister Simon Birmingham announcing their new deal for school funding. Continue reading »
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JOHN MENADUE. Our White Man’s Media again on display in London (Manchester) terrorist attack.
The following article was posted on 27 March 2017. Substitute ‘Manchester’ for ‘London’ and the story is very similar. John Menadue I have often commented that a person from Mars reading or listening to our media would conclude that Australia is an island parked off London or New York. We saw that last week in Continue reading »
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EMILY FISCHER et al. Playing God: The Immigration Minister’s Unrestrained Power .
The Minister for Immigration and Border Protection holds numerous discretionary powers that allow him or her to make substantial and lifelong decisions about the lives of vulnerable people. These powers lack transparency, accountability and are not amenable to review by the courts. Continue reading »
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JOHN MENADUE. Miners, taxation and donations. (Repost 17/10/2013)
In my blog of June 3 “the Miners Lament”, I pointed out that the large foreign owned mining companies in Australia may yet regret that they rejected out of hand the Resources Super Profits Tax that the Rudd Government proposed. Politically of course the miners will never admit it but I suspect that at some Continue reading »
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LYNDSAY CONNORS. The Tangled Education Web. Part 2 of 2: The Catholic Story
‘Sector-blind’ does not mean turning a blind eye to the shortcomings of any sector in distributing public funding received from government. Continue reading »
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JIM COOMBS. Public Goods
Before the advent of the “free enterprise market economy” model’s dominance of economic thinking, there was a distinction made between private and public goods. The idea was that some things had to be provided for a healthy, well-ordered society: such basics to our notion of civilization as universal water reticulation and sewerage (the most significant Continue reading »
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LYNDSAY CONNORS. The Tangled Education Web Part 1 of 2
Gonski 2.0 appeared to be a gift horse but over the space of little more than two week it is looking more like a Trojan horse. Continue reading »
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LINDA SIMON.The future of VET remains uncertain!
The 2017 Federal Budget provided little new funding for vocational education and training, with its main focus the Skilling Australians Fund. This Fund appears to only exacerbate the uncertain future of the VET sector with its narrow student application, dependence on revenue generation and outcomes focus. Continue reading »
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IAN DUNLOP. The Leaders We Deserve?
Rarely have politicians demonstrated their ignorance of the real risks and opportunities confronting Australia than with the recent utterances of Barnaby Joyce, Matt Canavan and other ministers promoting development of Adani and Galilee Basin coal generally, along with their petulant foot-stamping over Westpac’s decision to restrict funding to new coal projects. Likewise, Bill Shorten sees Continue reading »
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ALISON BROINOWSKI. Press freedom is a minefield
Julian Assange has cleared the Swedish legal minefield between him and freedom. The two which lie ahead are British and American. Continue reading »
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SAUL ESLAKE. Housing affordability and the 2017-18 Budget: a missed opportunity
Housing affordability was to be a key focus of the Government in this year’s federal budget, according to the ‘nods and winks’ that traditionally precede the Treasurer’s budget speech. A journalist who has often been privy to the thinking of those at the highest levels of the Abbott and Turnbull Governments wrote that the budget Continue reading »
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The White Man’s Media — Part I
Ramesh Thakur highlights how a biased coverage of the war on terror and the Iraq War by the US media eroded US soft power. Continue reading »
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The White Man’s media – Part 2
In the second part, Ramesh Thakur extends his analysis of bias in the Western media to their coverage of Iran, Russia, Ukraine and India. Continue reading »
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FRANK BRENNAN. The invidious choice for refugee advocates
Robert Manne’s latest piece on the future policy options for refugees on Nauru and Manus Island is now available here. The moral-political question is about the choice confronting those of us advocating a change of policy by the major political parties. Continue reading »
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PETER Sainsbury. Crisis … what crisis? Australian government discussion paper downplays climate change
By ratifying the Paris Agreement on climate change in November 2016 the Australian government committed to a target of reducing Australian carbon emissions by 26-28% below 2005 levels by 2030. The government also agreed to review its climate change policies during 2017 to ensure that its policies ‘remain effective in achieving’ the 2030 target and Continue reading »
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RICHARD CURTAIN. Good information on outcomes is missing in the Higher Education Reform Package.
The Minister for Education and Training, Senator Simon Birmingham, in the new Higher Education Reform Package released on 1 May, states that ‘Students deserve improved information from which to make an informed choice on the most relevant course of study for them…’. There is much emphasis in the package on reforms to the information provided Continue reading »
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NICOLE GURRAN and PETER PHIBBS. Policy sentiment rather than substance in housing policy
The Federal Treasurer clearly understands the housing affordability pressures facing moderate and low income renters and Australia’s growing homeless. His budget speech set the scene for a package of measures to boost affordable housing supply and recalibrate demand settings. A record number of new and recycled measures recognise the spectrum of crisis housing to home Continue reading »
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QUENTIN DEMPSTER. Death and departure at the ABC
The death of ABC broadcaster Mark Colvin on Thursday, May 11th, came as we were preparing to farewell religious broadcaster John Cleary from the ABC after a 37 year career. Continue reading »
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ROBERT MANNE. An urgently needed compromise
In recent weeks I have been involved in an extended argument on the Monthly’s website over the fate of the refugees on Nauru and Manus Island whose lives all participants in the discussion agree are being slowly destroyed as a result of Australian policy over the past four years. Continue reading »
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MUNGO MacCALLUM. And with one bound, our hero was free
Well, perhaps not completely; it will take more than one agile budget to loose Malcolm Turnbull from his self-imposed bondage, He remains chained hand and foot to the right over climate change and same sex marriage, and he cannot remove himself from the Nationals’ pork barrel of provincial perks in the name of infrastructure. Continue reading »
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JOHN DWYER. Policy mayhem is stifling efforts to have more Australian doctors “in the bush” – part one
In this two part article, I am reviewing the basis for the serious problem we have in providing adequate health care for Australians who live in rural, and particularly, remote areas. Good intentions are, as ever, intertwined with political machinations which make policies for solutions harder to implement. Currently, yet another government review is soon Continue reading »
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JOHN DWYER. Policy mayhem is stifling efforts to have more Australian doctors “in the bush” – part two
In this two part article, I am reviewing the basis for the serious problem we have in providing adequate health care for Australians who live in rural, and particularly, remote areas. Good intentions are, as ever, intertwined with political machinations which make policies for solutions harder to implement. Currently, yet another government review is soon Continue reading »
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JOHN MENADUE. Is the seat of Wentworth to become an hereditary fiefdom?
In Malcolm Turnbull’s electorate, we have had a media blitz on behalf of his son-in-law, James Brown. Could it mean that James Brown is readying himself to take the seat of Wentworth, perhaps before or after the next election? Continue reading »
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JAMIE LINGHAM. 457 visa changes 95% political
On April 18, the Australian government made an ‘Australia First’ announcement that abolished the current 457 visa program and replaced it with the Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa. And for political effect, the move eliminated any opportunity Pauline Hanson or Tony Abbott might have to slam the government by highlighting the abuses of the 457 program Continue reading »
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IAN MCAULEY. The budget – still tough on the young
The Commonwealth’s budget has a Keynesian boost for a sluggish economy, and is based on an optimistic, or even heroic, assumption that economic growth will deliver a fiscal surplus within a few years. We have heard similar claims from treasurers, Labor and Coalition, ever since 2009. The Government’s other claim is that it is “fair” Continue reading »