A letter sent by the author to Mark Scott, vice-chancellor of the University of Sydney, after he apologised during a Senate hearing for not cracking down on alleged anti-Semitism during protests on the university campus in support of Palestinians in Gaza. Dear Mark, I do not underestimate the pressure you would have been under regarding Continue reading »
politics
The largely unrecognised risk to Australia that our powerful ally will strategically collapse through internal political stresses is greater than the much discussed threat of war with China. Allan Behm, Director, International & Security Affairs Program, The Australia Institute, in conversation with Michael Lester about his new book The Odd Couple: The Australia-America relationship (Upswell Continue reading »
New revelations have exposed the continued abuse of vulnerable Australians by privatised employment services under Workforce Australia. Documents obtained under Freedom of Information by the Australian Unemployed Workers’ Union confirm that several providers are threatening job-seekers with payment suspensions to coerce them into handing over payslips. This is a clear breach of the guidelines, but Continue reading »
Anthony Albanese is feeling the pressure. He reminds me vividly of my biographical subject Kevin Rudd (Penguin 2008) after he lost the vote at the 2009 Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen. Instead of pressing his case at home with a double dissolution election, he went to water. Thereafter, his decision-making became so erratic that his Continue reading »
The obvious question arising from big business’ onslaught against Anthony Albanese and his government is: do Australia’s voters know which sides their bread is buttered on? Sorry, boss, I think they usually do. Last week the (Big) Business Council let fly against Albanese & Co. with both barrels. According to its chief executive Bran Black, Continue reading »
Press reports this week suggest that the Albanese Government has sought advice from Treasury about possible changes to negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount, to be taken to the election due to be held before the end of May next year. If these reports are accurate – good. Scaling back negative gearing and Continue reading »
Corporate culpability under law relies on a”Where’s Wally” logic to identify a natural person within a corporation to hold responsible for corporate wrongdoing but finding the “smoking gun” has proven elusive. Professor Elise Bant, Private Law and Commercial Regulation, University of Western Australia, Professorial Fellow, Law school, University of Melbourne, and author of the book Continue reading »
Never in its history of war, and military occupation, has Israel been so incapable of developing a coherent plan for its future, and the future of its victims. Even a quick glance at headlines in international media reveals the depth of the Israeli dilemma. While Tel Aviv continues to carry out a genocidal war against Continue reading »
It is disappointing, although hardly surprising, to see the medical organisations in July of this year trotting out their opposition to anything other than GP-led primary health care in both Queensland and the ACT; and then (again in a September media release) to see that remarkably (or maybe predictably) the RACGP is restoking its outrage Continue reading »
Penny Wong responds to Australia’s questions about Israel on SBS News, a US veteran speaks to his experience in Iraq 20 years ago, Israel media displays astonishing commentary, Francesca Albanese shares a must-watch documentary. The children of Gaza suffer beyond our belief and the president of Senegal speaks about the history of Palestinian oppression at Continue reading »