Manus, Nauru detention: this is not our Australia
As PNG rules detention on Manus Island illegal, the situation on Nauru worsens daily, with self-harm and child suicide attempts rife.
News
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The strange politics of negative gearing
“As recently as February, Scott Morrison said there were ‘excesses’ in the system. The same week, the now trade minister Steve Ciobo said there was ‘possibly scope to make some reform’.”
By picking a battle over investment incentives, the Coalition and the opposition are looking to fight the election at opposing ends of the “Australian dream”.
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Mismanagement of Tasmania’s once-abundant hydroelectric resources combined with the driest year on record see the state on the brink of wintertime power cuts.
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ABS unemployment figures overlook the hidden jobless
The ABS unemployment figure, used to direct government policy, ignores hundreds of thousands of jobless Australians.
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“It is a failed state, and has been for some years. Within government the struggle between good and evil is over. It is now a kleptocratic government. The only struggle is over who gets how much.”
In exchange for its part in Australia’s offshore detention regime, Papua New Guinea’s corrupt governance has been ignored, leaving the country on the brink of collapse.
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French subs builder’s record of corruption
Offshore troops still in the shadows; Trump swaps gimmicks for cynic
Opinion
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James Wheeldon
Heads must roll at corporate regulator ASIC
“ASIC’s Chairman, Greg Medcraft, is a lobbyist and deal-maker at heart, a member of the CEO club. He does not have a law enforcement mindset.”
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Paul Bongiorno
Coalition attempts to win votes with submarine politics
“Turnbull’s big effort to refloat the Liberal vote in South Australia may work. Much will depend on how forgiving the threatened car industry workers and their families are.”
An insider’s outside view
A new podcast from Schwartz Media
Join Richard Denniss, The Australia Institute’s chief economist, as he tackles Australia’s most important political and economic issues in a new weekly podcast.
Find The Lucky Country on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts.
Letters & Editorial
Culture
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Playwright Young Jean Lee on Straight White Men
Korean-American playwright Young Jean Lee has the world’s most privileged social class firmly in her sights.
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PJ Harvey’s ‘The Hope Six Demolition Project’ and Anohni’s ‘Hopelessness’
New albums from PJ Harvey and Anohni address personal anguish over global political failures with unusual directness.
Food
Life
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UK doctors heading to Australia
Rural Australia could be the beneficiary of an influx of young British doctors looking abroad to escape swingeing cuts to junior contracts in their homeland.
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Ermenegildo Zegna and Achill farm
The New South Wales sheep farm that has entered an innovative partnership with Italian luxury brand Ermenegildo Zegna.
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Double vision: Shelley Chaplin, 31, kayaker and wheelchair basketballer
Why Shelley Chaplin won’t let her disability stop her doing anything.
Books
The Quiz
1. Who is the evil villain in the animated film Aladdin?
2. What colour is the dot at the centre of the Google Chrome logo?
3. Who led the German offensive in North Africa in 1942?
4. Which common herb is known in the United States as cilantro?
5. The ITV detective drama Grantchester is set in the 1950s in which English county?
6. Is Milford Sound on New Zealand’s North or South Island?
7. Name the current Australian men’s 50-metre, 100-metre and 200-metre freestyle champion?
8. Which paper measure is smaller: (a) A3, (b) A4, or (c) A5?
9. Where in the body are the metatarsals?
10. Dan Morgan, Ben Hall and Martin Cash were all famous what?
Quotes
TYPOGRAPHY
“A true sense of inclusiveness that celebrates diversity and multiculturalism. And finally that special larrikin mentality that does not take itself too seriously.”
The designer on what inspired the ABC’s new font. The font will also have “a coastal and outback feel” reflecting “the open spaces of a wide brown land”. Every letter is cut from a lamington.
LEGO
“It was an internal mistake.’’
The Lego vice-chairman expresses regret at refusing artist Ai Weiwei’s request for bulk Lego blocks for a work in Melbourne. The real mistake, though, was the earnest, excessively didactic work Weiwei ultimately produced.
TERRORISM
“He’s a little moron ... He has the intelligence of an empty ashtray. He is the perfect example of the Grand Theft Auto generation who thinks he lives in a video game.”
The lawyer for Paris attack suspect Salah Abdeslam gives his client a character reference in the French newspaper Liberation.
REFUGEES
“We have caused them enough suffering already. This is a sick game and it needs to end.”
The Labor MP finds conscience where her party has none. It might be a sick game, but Richard Marles is very proud of the straight-to-jail rules.
POLITICS
“If Hillary Clinton were a man, I don’t think she’d get 5 per cent of the vote. The only thing she’s got going is the woman’s card.”
The Republican frontrunner reminds us of how all the other female US presidents cruised to power. In line with traditional payment models, it is hoped she gets 80 per cent of the vote.
INQUEST
“Millions of pounds of public money were spent retelling discredited lies.”
The British shadow home secretary criticises police for their defence of conduct during the Hillsborough disaster. An inquest this week found police culpable and the 96 dead to have been unlawfully killed. The Sun kept the truth off its front page.
