Malcolm Turnbull has made it clear that his mantra of ‘Jobs-and-Growth’ will be at the forefront of his campaign in the next election. This week he will be talking about the growth of a million jobs in 5 years, but there is nothing really remarkable in that on average over the last 15 years about 200,000 new jobs have been created each year. Further, it is less impressive because our population is growing by about two million every five years. (more…)
John Menadue
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DAVID BLOWERS. Australia’s slow march towards a National Energy Guarantee is gathering pace.
The finer policy details of the of the proposed National Energy Guarantee (NEG) have begun to leak onto newspaper front pages and websites, ahead of Friday’s crucial meeting of federal and state energy ministers.
The good news is that the leaked information suggests solid progress has been made over the past couple of months on both the emissions and reliability components of the policy. (more…)
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SCOTT BURCHILL. What The West Really Thinks About Chemical Weapons Attacks.
How genuine is the West’s concern about the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria last week? Did they constitute a “line in the sand”, a crime so egregious that military strikes by Washington, London and Paris were necessary and morally justified? The historical record would suggest exactly the opposite. (more…)
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ROBERT FISK. The search for truth in the rubble of Douma – and one doctor’s doubts over the chemical attack
This is the story of a town called Douma, a ravaged, stinking place of smashed apartment blocks – and of an underground clinic whose images of suffering allowed three of the Western world’s most powerful nations to bomb Syria last week. There’s even a friendly doctor in a green coat who, when I track him down in the very same clinic, cheerfully tells me that the “gas” videotape which horrified the world – despite all the doubters – is perfectly genuine. (more…)
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SAMUEL LIEVEN. Why Syria’s patriarchs back Assad
Three patriarchs — two of them Orthodox and the other Catholic — have co-signed a statement strongly condemning the Western air strikes against Syrian government positions while reasserting their support for the Assad regime and its Russian and Iranian allies. (more…)
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MICHAEL LAMBERT. We know about the Grants Commission but what is this thing called HFE?
You may have noticed recent press reports of some angry Premiers or Treasurers bemoaning the loss of revenue in the triannual carve up of the GST pie among the States and Territories while the winners kept their pleasure to themselves. Welcome to the wonderful world of HFE, horizontal fiscal equalisation as practised in Australia. (more…)
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JAMES FERNYHOUGH. Cheap mortgages for everyone! Greens’ call for ‘People’s Bank’ unpicked
The Greens have unveiled a radical plan to give Australians access to much cheaper home loans than are currently on offer, in an unabashed attack on the big four banks’ stranglehold on the mortgage market. (more…)
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ROSS BURNS. In Syria, the fog of war
Chemical weapons have been a feature of the Syrian conflict since 2011. Are we any closer to a strategy to deal with their use — and with the forces fuelling the wider conflict? (more…)
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JOHN MENADUE. The Coalition and media myth about stopping the boats.
With the appointment of Angus Campbell as the new Chief of the General Staff we have witnessed again the repetition of the nonsense that the Coalition and Operation Sovereign Borders stopped the boats. As if the media farce over a Chinese military base in Vanuatu was not enough the media has climbed aboard again to continue the myth about the stopping of the boats. Perhaps being careless in the first place the media finds it embarrassing to admit error. (more…)
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MORTON HALPERIN, PETER HAYES, LEON SIGAL. Options for denuclearising the Korean peninsular
A critically important part of assembling the Korean peninsula-wide denuclearization jigsaw puzzle is the institutional and legal form of North Korean commitments on the one hand, and the nuclear negative security assurances by the NPT-Nuclear Weapons States (NWSs), especially the United States, on the other.
In Nautilus Institute there is a special report ‘A Korean nuclear weapons-free zone treaty and nuclear extended deterrence: options for denuclearising the Korean Peninsula’. (Nautilus Institute Report). A summary of this special report follows. (more…)
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DAN MCGARRY. Want to lead in the Pacific? Try listening first
The average Australian’s conception of Pacific island nations is so limited it makes some of us wonder if they even want to understand. Our voices—and our reality—have been pointedly and repeatedly ignored in the media, and in the corridors of power. (more…)
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PETER MARTIN. It’s time for sweetest tax of them all.
Never before has a tax been such an instant success. I am talking about what happened in Britain last Friday. That’s when new so-called sugar tax sprung into life, with much of its work already done.
The whole idea was to cut the consumption of sugar, something we have just as much need to do here, given that our rates of obesity are on a par with those in Britain – an outrage that will prevent many of us living long lives. (more…)
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SCOTT BURCHILL. The attack on Syria
There are seven points to consider after the US, UK and French attacks on Syria last week. (more…)
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PETER RODGERS. Israel and Gaza: another bout of what?
Given Gaza’s appalling living conditions, the outburst of violence on the Israeli-Gaza border should come as no surprise. The question is whether its signals a shift in Palestinian tactics, aimed at using Israel’s disproportionate violence to revive jaded regional and international interest in the Palestinian cause. (more…)
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VIC ROWLANDS. Reclaiming democracy
Democracy across the world is under siege and facing its biggest challenge. Despite different interpretations of democracy in terms of process, – voting age, optional or compulsory, the new world is creating fundamental strains which threaten at least its current status, if not viability. (more…)
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Pope Francis admits mistakes in Chile
Pope Francis has apologized for underestimating the seriousness of the sexual abuse crisis in Chile, acknowledging that he has made “serious mistakes” in handling the issue. (more…)
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GOOD READING AND LISTENING FOR THE WEEKEND …
Josh Frydenberg and Malcolm Turnbull would like us to believe that if only recalcitrant states could sign on to the Commonwealth’s “National Energy Guarantee”, energy policy will be set on a stable path. A more realistic view is provided by the World Economic Forum, which, in a short and hard-hitting “while paper”, warns that “tsunamic forces could swiftly upend businesses and also profoundly alter the outlook for how energy systems affect emissions and sustainable development” in all countries.
“Never let good policy or consistency get in the way of a donor’s dollar or some leadership undermining” writes Crispin Hull on the misnamed Monash Forum. He compares the demise of coal-fired electricity with the demise of the film camera.
What’s keeping the lid on wages growth in Australia? Writing in the Fairfax press Jessica Irvine has a short article on the confounding situation of low unemployment and low wages. A decline in union membership stands out as a compelling explanation.
In the New York Times Michelle Goldberg has a short review of Madeleine Albright’s book Fascism: A Warning. Goldberg supports her review with reference to surveys by Freedom House, which “reported that 71 countries suffered declines in political rights and civil liberties last year, while only 35 saw improvements. Rather than standing against this trend, America under Trump has become part of it.”
James Comey has a story to tell and it is very persuasive – New York Times
Donald Trump has spent his whole career in the company of grifters, cons and crooks. Now that he’s president, that strategy isn’t working — for him or for the country – New York Times editorial.
US taking the world to the brink – Rick Sterling, Consortiumnews.
Winning slowly(on climate change) is the same as losing – Bill McKibben, Rolling Stone.
Malcolm Turnbull didn’t walk away from his believes because he never had any – Peter Lewis, the Guardian.
Frydenberg takes the low road: It’s a weak NEG or nothing – Giles Parkinson, RenewEconomy
Anne Aly and Jacqui Lambie tell compelling stories about life before politics – Brett Evans, Inside.
Murray-Darling – when the river runs dry – the Guardian.
Beating the khaki drum: how Australian identity was militarised – Paul Daley, the Guardian.
How Alinta turned into Australia’s most aggressive energy business- the Canberra Times.
The Tesla big battery is changing the way people think about the grid – RenewEconomy
On Saturday Extra with Geraldine Doogue this April 14th, marine heatwaves and what they mean to our ecosystem; a MSF doctor returns from Yemen where even before the war the healthcare system was lacking; what can leaders learn from Dwight Eisenhower with Louis Galambos, Professor of History at John Hopkins University; what does the Trump and Bezos stoush tell us about progressive liberals in the US with Thomas Frank , US political analyst and how the 1918 Spanish Flu changed the world with science journalist Laura Spinney. http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/saturdayextra/
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MICHAEL O’KEEFE. Response to rumours of a Chinese military base in Vanuatu speak volumes about Australian foreign policy
Rumour has it that Vanuatu has agreed to a Chinese request to establish a military base. The substance of this rumour is highly speculative at the least and disingenuous at most. Regardless of the truth, the fact that it raises alarm about the threat of Chinese military expansionism speaks volumes about Australian foreign policy, particularly toward the Pacific.It looks like another beat up in the anti China phobia (more…)
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JOHN MENADUE. Media catch-up on Newcastle Port.
Drawing on a report from Deloitte yesterday, Matt Wade in several Fairfax newspapers breathlessly told us that restrictions on privatised ports was adding to Sydney’s gridlock. He added that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is now investigating the secret restrictions on Newcastle Port which were introduced when Port Botany and the port of Newcastle were being privatised.
( This old news was at least not as bad as the media beat up on Vanuatu!)
John Austen, in P & I, on 5 September 2016, broke all the details about this port restriction and “how port privatisation will hobble Newcastle”. A month later, on 14 October 2016, I wrote a follow up piece “Privatisation and the hobbling of Newcastle Port”.
John Austen’s article of 5 September 2016 follows. (more…)
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TIM SOUTPHOMMASANE. Australian business and other organisations persistently fall short on cultural diversity.
Australia is widely celebrated as a multicultural triumph, but any such success remains incomplete. There remains significant under-representation of cultural diversity in the senior leadership of Australian organisations. Our society does not yet appear to be making the most of its diverse talents. (more…)
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LEANNE WELLS. Private health care in Australia: health policy’s wicked problem.
The anguish expressed by many of the 1,200 respondents to the Consumers Health Forum’s Out of Pocket Pain survey highlights the widening gulf between the cost of modern medical care and the struggle of many Australians to pay for that care. (more…)
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ANDREW HAMILTON. Clerical culture produces poor fruit.
In a recent ‘Eureka Street’ article, I remarked that in the Catholic Church clericalism is a pejorative term. I tried also to identify some of the attitudes and behaviour associated with people regarded as clericalist. The article sparked a lively conversation.
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SOPHIE VORRATH. Why Turnbull will “never” back renewables.
A federal government led by Malcolm Turnbull will “never” back policies that accelerate the shift to renewables, effectively tackle climate change, or help to phase out coal plants. (more…)
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PETER DAY. “Tweet others as you would like to be tweeted,” Mr Folau.
It is problematic when someone is described as a “devout Christian” because the term implies a person’s bona fides; it implies that a person is a ‘true’ follower of Christ and the Bible.
Think Wallaby fullback, Israel Folau, who has attracted notoriety thanks to this recent twitter exchange with one of his followers:
“What was God’s plan for gay people?” tweeted Mike Sephton.
“HELL… unless they repent of their sins and turn to God,” responded the “devout Christian”. (more…)
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JOHN MENADUE. Reforming the governance of Cricket Australia.
Yesterday, I wrote about giving Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft a second chance. The focus has rightly been on them, but deliberately hidden from sight until forced out into the open has been Cricket Australia and its Board . (more…)
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NICOLE GURRAN and CATHERINE GILBERT. England expects 40% of new housing developments will be affordable, why can’t Australia?
Australia has record levels of supply of new properties but despite various government interventions, housing still remains unaffordable for many. (more…)
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MEDIA ALERT: APPEAL LODGED AGAINST FEDERAL COURT DECISION IN ‘PALACE LETTERS’ CASE
Professor Jenny Hocking has lodged an appeal against the decision of the Federal Court last month in ‘Jennifer Hocking v. Director-General, National Archives of Australia’. The Court ruled that the Palace letters’, between the Governor-General, Sir John Kerr, and the Queen relating to Kerr’s dismissal of the Whitlam government, are ‘personal’ not Commonwealth records, continuing the Queen’s embargo of them. (more…)
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GIOVANNI DI LIETO. Move over Canada and EU, Australia is best placed to benefit in the US-China trade tug-of-war
Australian firms are in a sweet spot between the bickering United States and China, where they can sell more and buy more cheaply because of weaker competition in both markets. Essentially, the mutual tariffs are a double blessing for Australia. (more…)
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JOHN MENADUE. Are we still the land of the second chance?
This is a slightly amended repost from Australia Day this year which I recalled when thinking about the cheating of Australian cricketers.
We all make mistakes. We all need a chance to put things right and happily Smith ,Warner and Bancroft have decided to cop their suspensions.
The Macquarie legacy is still with us. It underpins our best instincts to give all residents in this country, whether Australian born, migrants or refugees, an equal opportunity in life, a second chance. That ethos of redemption is a core part of our history. (more…)
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CAROLYN PETTIGREW. Tourism and NSW National Parks – looking to the future. Part 2 of 2
The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is facing a future crisis that perhaps is not fully recognised by supporters of nature conservation. Visitation is skyrocketing http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/research/NSWparkspopularity.htm which on the face of it is wonderful. More and more people are beginning, potentially at least, to value our national parks and enjoy the experience of visiting them. On the other hand, successive governments have cut funding to NPWS. Staff numbers and financial resources have dwindled relative to the areas to be managed. The solution on both sides of government seems to be to increase tourism opportunities with the help of commercial interests. https://publish.pearlsandirritations.com/john-menadue-the-new-squatters-in-our-national-parks/ That may be a reasonable response, but it shouldn’t come without some serious caveats. Do we really want the Starbucks solution as in USA National Parks? https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/mar/26/yosemites-secretive-starbucks-cafe-opens-in-park-to-delight-and-dismay (more…)