The sight of Centrelink queues snaking around the block past shuttered shopfronts in cities, suburbs, and towns across Australia leaves no doubt that COVID-19 is having a big impact on Australian unemployment. But just how big? (more…)
John Menadue
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TERRY SLEVIN. The Silver lining on the coronavirus cloud.
Among the extraordinary health devastation, and social and economic disruption of COVID19, comes some benefits. Will we be able to identify and capture them and will we be able to sustain them? Will public health become a higher priority for governments? (more…)
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NICHOLAS WHITLAM. Malcolm Turnbull, A Bigger Picture (Hardy Grant Books, 2020)
When Malcolm Turnbull was dumped as Prime Minister he joined his namesake Captain William Bligh in having been twice removed by his subordinates. Turnbull spends much of this book telling us who betrayed him on both occasions, but he gets the reasons for their insubordination wrong. (more…)
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GLENN WITHERS. Virgin Australia: Voluntary Administration and Beyond
Australia is a big country. Airlines help keep our population together. But the Covid-19 crisis has decimated traffic and exposed some basic financial problems in our aviation industry. (more…)
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INGEBORG van TEESELING. When white Australians fought against the Maori for control of their land. (The Big Smoke 4.6.2018)
The ANZACS fought together first, not in 1915 but much earlier in the 1840/60s in the Maori Wars. (more…)
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SOOK JONG LEE. COVID-19 infects international organisations (East Asia Forum 21.4.20)
On 14 April 2020, US President Donald Trump announced a halt on US funding to the World Health Organization (WHO) as his administration reviews its handling of COVID-19.
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ISABELLE REINECKE & BELINDA LOWE. Strong democratic systems will see us through COVID-19
The COVID-19 crisis has rapidly hit every aspect of our lives. Governments are making life or death decisions during this emergency period that will reshape the face of our nation for decades to come. Strong democratic systems that enable transparency, scrutiny and accountability are key to success on all these fronts.
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KERRY GOULSTON, THANH NGUYEN AND OLIVER FRANKEL. Vietnam’s success in containing Covid-19
Relative to most other countries, including Australia, Vietnam seems to be faring extremely well in the shadow of the current coronavirus pandemic, and has recently earned praise from the WHO. Vietnam had only 275 confirmed cases of Covid-19, and thankfully no deaths from the virus, as at 17 April 2020. (more…)
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LIZ GRIFFIN. Why has the Republic of Korea’s campaign against coronavirus been so successful?
Korea has won plaudits globally for its response to COVID-19. Despite Korea being one of the first countries hit hard by the pandemic, its swift response is paying dividends as its population have been able to avoid large scale lockdown and high fatality rates. With a high reliance on exports, South Korea has also managed to keep its borders open, limiting the extent of economic devastation. (more…)
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ARTHUR STOCKWIN. How will COVID-19 reshape the world? (EAST ASIA FORUM 15.4.20)
The Second World War led to radical changes in national governance and the international system. Something similar may occur following the global novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The quick reversal of orthodox government policy triggered by COVID-19 in many countries around the world is astounding. (more…) -
CHRIS BREEN. Defend the right to protest – free the refugees.
On Friday April 10, in Melbourne, a safe car convoy protest organised by the Refugee Action Collective called for the urgent release of refugees in the Mantra hotel in Preston because of the threat of Covid-19. It was stopped by police and 26 refugee supporters were fined $1652 each – making $43,000 in fines. (more…)
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ED CORY. Border Security in a Pandemic
A ship docks in Sydney, some passengers are sick. Starting in the still dark morning, the passengers commence disembarking and head home. And all hell breaks loose … (more…)
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JONATHAN FORD. The battle at the heart of British science over coronavirus (FT 15.4.20)
When it came to foot-and-mouth and Sars, we used to be the ones telling China how to respond, but now the boot is on the other foot. The Asians are in the lead and they’ve responded well. We’ve done poorly. (more…)
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PERCY ALLAN. Central banks must print money for nation rebuilding (AFR 15.4.20)
An idea from 1930s Germany could now give voters hope that there is a growth plan after the virus passes. (more…)
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OWEN BARDER. Time for a “Love Actually” moment
There is a precedent. One of George W. Bush’s first acts as president in 2006 was to reinstate the “global gag rule” which withdrew US aid from organisations that counsel women about abortions or to advocate for liberalized abortion laws in their countries. In response, the UK Government offered to make up the funding to any organisation that lost out from George Bush’s political grandstanding. As a Brit, I was so proud. (more…)
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BRIAN COYNE: The Bolt-Pell interview: It was “vintage Murdoch”
Stir up the emotions of Benny-Ratz’s little people (more…)
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LEANNE SMITH. What Matters to Australia’s Young Citizens?
If we want our children to have a stake in our democracy and our society, we have to treat them as valued citizens and engage with their concerns. Not because of the leaders they might one day be, in our own projection of what that means, but recognising their legitimacy and leadership as it stands today. (more…)
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JONATHAN PAUL MARSHALL. Pandemic Action and Climate Action
The pandemic has shown that the world is quickly able to organise against crisis. Can this new-found ability be carried through into responses to climate change? Pandemic action and climate action have much in common. (more…)
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Singapore Prime Minister’s message to foreign workers
What a contrast to Australia’s treatment of foreign workers. (more…)
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GARY MOORHEAD. CSL- It Could Have Been Worse; Can It Be Better?
Back in 2010, Australia’s privatised Commonwealth Serum Laboratories (now CSL) was being tempted to move its vaccine research facilities to Switzerland, where it had been promised a better tax deal. (more…)
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NEVE GORDON. For Us in the West, the Lockdown Is Meant to Save Lives. In Gaza It Will Kill Many (07.04.2020 HAARETZ)
When people started to share the Facebook post “Dear world: How is the lockdown? – Gaza,” I felt uncomfortable. Though the posters sought to generate empathy for the 2 million Palestinians trapped in the Gaza Strip, the attempt to compare the closure that free citizens of the West are experiencing to the 13-year siege on the Strip is, at the very least, tasteless. (more…)
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WITNESS J in the Pell case. I am content. Do not be discouraged.
I respect the decision of the High Court. I accept the outcome. (more…)
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FRANCIS SULLIVAN. It is not possible to divorce George Pell’s acquittal from the history of child abuse(The Guardian 9.4.2020)
The bishops should end their obsession with Pell and take up their moral responsibility to victims.
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JASON YAT-SEN LI et al. An open letter from Chinese -Australians calling for national unity.
We are deeply concerned that the recent rise in anti-Chinese sentiment is driving a marked escalation in racial abuse towards Asian Australians. This poses a serious threat to our national unity. (more…)
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EVA COX. Treating people as customers rather than citizens.
Will the current expensive policy shifts rebuild voters’ trust of those they elect? (more…)
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ALEXANDER C L HOLDEN and CARLOS R QUIONEZ. What should our health professional associations be in the 21st Ce ntury?
Health professionals form professional associations to facilitate collective action and advocacy on relevant and pertinent issues. What should the guiding values and principles be behind these organisations and what should their role be in our society in the 21st Century? (more…)
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TESS HOGUE. Covid 19- Give Hong Kong a pat on the back with gloved hands
The response of Hong Kong to Convid-19 is a prurient tale and its moral is that if the West learn from their story, then together future governments and citizens will be able to avert further national pandemic disasters. (more…)
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ELIZABETH COOMBS and AMY MCCARTHY.-DARE WE QUESTION ‘THE BARD’?
It may be “That which we call a rose, By any other name would smell as sweet” (Romeo and Juliet, Act II, Scene I), but there is a lot in a name, particularly if you are transgender. ‘Deadnaming’ denies and repudiates the gender identity of transgender individuals. (more…)