Government

Created
Mon, 24/04/2023 - 04:55
Last month’s New South Wales election ejected the final mainland Coalition state government from office. As the dust has settled, it isn’t just Chris Minns’ Labor Party which has emerged victorious; public ownership – particularly of Sydney Water – has been resoundingly endorsed by NSW voters. It is now safe to say: privatisation is politically Continue reading »
Created
Mon, 24/04/2023 - 04:56
The ALP seems intent on abandoning progressive policies and turning itself into a competent version of the Coalition. This is not good for them, our collective future, or democracy. It’s not hard to feel cynical about politics, especially the democratic variety. After all, expectations are rightly higher about a system that is considered uniquely capable Continue reading »
Created
Mon, 24/04/2023 - 04:54
On any measure since the mid 1980’s successive governments both Federal and State have progressively destroyed public education systems.  By adopting a neo-liberal ‘rational’ approach to providing education for all we have come to the place where we have: A two-tier education structure that is resulting in a residualised, under resourced public system Overwhelming evidence Continue reading »
Created
Fri, 21/04/2023 - 04:55
The abolition of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) is a crucial part of Attorney General Mark Dreyfus KC’s integrity platform. In the last decade of Coalition governments it had become overwhelmed by partisan appointments, creating a bedlam of incompetence and politically-motivated decisions. Many of these Coalition appointments were unqualified, with no legal training or experience: Continue reading »
Created
Fri, 21/04/2023 - 04:57
When there has been so much loose talk about what would be a catastrophic war between the world’s two major powers, it is both significant and welcome that Foreign Minister Penny Wong has authoritatively stated her position that the Asia-Pacific is a multipolar region, and that this is Australia’s national policy at this time. In Continue reading »
Created
Thu, 20/04/2023 - 04:54
It helps to apply all the lessons of the past correctly when considering learnings from a recent High Court decision about the use of personal Ministerial intervention powers under the Migration Act It saddens me to have to comment negatively on an article by one of my favourite national commentators. Jack Waterford’s article “The Home Continue reading »
Created
Wed, 19/04/2023 - 04:52
In Australia, public universities face a crisis that threatens the future of this country. It is not a crisis of funding. Nor is it yet a quality crisis, although members of the Association of Australian University Professors (AAUP) are attuned to seeing standards slip and young colleagues brutalised by the Australian Higher Education System (AHES). Continue reading »