Public Policy
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Julian Assange and the ugly reality of war crimes
Free Palestine. Free Assange. Free the world. Continue reading »
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Government’s response to Long Covid inquiry an exercise in sophistry
Preparing government responses to reports from Parliamentary inquiries often involves finding a plausible excuse to reject a perfectly sensible suggestion. The Department of Health and Aged Care failed this task in its response to the House of Representatives Long COVID inquiry. Continue reading »
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Permanent and long-term movements continue at high levels
While it is highly likely net migration is now past its peak and declining, the data to this stage suggests it may only be falling gradually. Continue reading »
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Israel’s propaganda has ceased to convince or persuade even its friends
Israel’s citizens seem either blithely unaware of the world’s horror at the terror raining down on Gaza, or do not care. Whichever, the barbarity has stripped it of the significant moral advantage given by the Hamas atrocities of October 7, and have caused fundamental reappraisal of Israel’s standing among people once disposed to be sympathetic Continue reading »
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The craft of journalism is dying: Can independent consortiums save it?
Back in the 1960s and 70s, the media was referred to as ‘The Fourth Estate’. The media played a role as a check and balance against government abuse of power, corruption, and overreach. The media was an integral part of any healthy democracy. Continue reading »
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Lies, damned lies and Israeli propaganda
The smoke and dust had only just settled from the armed incursion by Hamas in the Gaza envelope of neighbouring Israel on October 7 when the IDF began releasing “eyewitness” stories of Hamas’ beheading of babies and the rape and mutilation of women. These alleged horrific acts were immediately picked up by Israel’s enablers in Continue reading »
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The world is fighting back against a real genocide
Now we know how racial mass murders are committed by watching one live on our computer and TV screens. Continue reading »
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Leading oil and gas producers plan to keep pumping
USA plans to maintain high levels of oil and gas production until at least 2050 – so it can export freedom. Healthy ecosystems require integrity, not just biodiversity. Endangered slug runs circles around arty rivals. Continue reading »
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Why human beings prostitute themselves to corporations, billionaires and foundations
The power of money to distort humanity’s view of our situation only works because human beings prostitute themselves to corporations, billionaires and foundations. If you know anyone who works for the biggest companies of the world in media, finance, and technology, then ask them why aren’t they rebelling inside those companies, to make it less Continue reading »
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‘Hand of God’ makes votes disappear – Asian Media Report
In Asian media this week: Imran Khan the ‘winner’ in Pakistan elections. Plus: Prabowo to adopt ‘Indonesia First’ foreign policy; China’s BYD overtaking Tesla; West really thinks it’s a jungle out there; Thai activists arrested for disrupting royal convoy; PLA not able to invade Taiwan; the land where pet strollers outnumber baby buggies. Continue reading »
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Negative Gearing: bad policy, fastened by a wedge – Weekly Roundup
Fuel standards weaponised, to imagine a Dutton government look at the way he ran Home Affairs, if you’re struggling financially and have private health insurance drop it, re-imagining Australia, and the case for withdrawing negative gearing. Read on for the weekly roundup of links to articles, podcasts, reports and other media on current economic and political Continue reading »
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Weathering the storm: support for multiculturalism resists politicians’ frenzied divisiveness
Reading the latest Scanlon Foundation social cohesion report makes you aware that there are two quite distinct images of Australia. One – totally dark and doom laden – is depicted in the mass and social media and the other – clear-eyed about both serious problems and opportunities – is depicted in the 2023 Scanlon Foundation Continue reading »
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Teacher bashing: Grattan joins the chorus
The release of the latest PISA results provided another opportunity to bash schools and teachers. Amy Haywood and Jordana Hunter, from the Grattan Institute joined the chorus of denigrators. Continue reading »
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Closing the Gap: Governments must modernise their approach to Indigenous corporations
How governments approach Indigenous governance is crucial to addressing the reform task set by the Productivity Commission’s recent report. Continue reading »
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Germany and critique of Israel: My sacking from the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology
It is apparently antisemitic to engage in a comparison between Israel and Nazis. This is, in a nutshell, what has put me at odds with Max Planck Society’s lawyers. What to me is a fair, intellectual critique of Israel, for them is ‘antisemitism according to the law in Germany’. Continue reading »
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The power of play
A while ago I was – reluctantly – watching some television footage about the catastrophe in Gaza. To my amazement, a fleeting image appeared of two little girls, about 7 or 8, playing a hand-clapping game. I don’t know what nationality the girls were, or the location of their play. They could have been Israeli Continue reading »
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The Australian Parliament fails to uphold international law preventing genocide in Gaza
The Australian Parliament failed to recognise its responsibilities last week when Greens Leader Adam Bandt, responding to the International Court of Justice interim ruling to prevent genocide, initiated a vote for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Continue reading »
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Deflect, distort, deny
In what world does a dominant state claim they have a right to defend themselves against those they have unethically, immorally and illegally imprisoned for decades, killed and persecuted without trial? Continue reading »
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Charging for aged care at home – splitting hairs and shifting loads
A number of commentators have proposed that the Aged Care Funding Taskforce would, and indeed should, recommend increasing user charges. With particular reference to services delivered through Commonwealth Home Care Program (CHSP), this step would be achieved by splitting care services and ordinary daily living supports; the former would be subsidised and clients would pay Continue reading »
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E-cigarettes are not the solution to the tobacco pandemic
A landmark event in global public health is taking place in Panama City on Feb 5-10: the 10th Conference of Parties (COP10) of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). Since 2003, the FCTC has been ratified by 183 countries, and all of them, including China, have made steady progress in monitoring tobacco Continue reading »
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Environment: Humans don’t make history – we play host
How germs made history. Greenhouse gas emissions keep rising but USA and Europe are still the major causes of global warming. Continue reading »
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Dutton’s vision of a zero-government Australia: Weekly Roundup
How our cost of living can be eased with a Woolworths-AGL-Qantas merger, government promises political donation reform before 2045 election, Dutton’s vision of a zero-government Australia. Read on for the weekly roundup of links to articles, podcasts, reports and other media on current economic and political issues. Continue reading »
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Judgment Day: Final retribution for the ecocidal psychopaths
100 Fossil Fuel CEOs directly and knowingly threaten all life on Earth. Continue reading »
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How Albanese could tweak negative gearing to save money and build more new homes
There are two things the prime minister needs to get into his head about tax. One is that saying he won’t make any further changes no longer works. The other is that negative gearing doesn’t do much to get people into homes. Continue reading »
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The Western press are just printing straight up Nazi propaganda about Middle Easterners now
Mass media outlets like The Guardian, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal have been allowing the publication of some amazingly racist pieces these last few days. All are directed at middle easterners and those of middle eastern descent, just as the western empire drops more and more bombs on more and more Continue reading »
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What’s happening with covid visa holders?
The covid visa stream of sub-class 408 was introduced during the pandemic when international borders were closed. It enabled temporary entrants who were unable to leave Australia to maintain their lawful status and keep working. They could apply for a 12 month covid stream visa and then apply for another one if they wished. Continue reading »
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Western coverage of Gaza: A textbook case of coloniser’s journalism
Israel’s war on Gaza has exposed the true nature and purpose of Western media. Continue reading »
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The edge of war, our battle for truth
“It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.” George Orwell, 1984. Continue reading »
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A pro-Israel policy will become electoral poison for Labor
The Labor and Liberal parties’ blind pro-Israel policy will haunt them in the next federal election. Continue reading »
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School funding back in the news
It’s our own Groundhog Day experience: when it comes to school funding, we end up doing the same thing over. Jason Clare’s promise to fund all public schools towards their entitlement might bear fruit, but what if nothing else changes? Continue reading »