Centrelink leaks more private data
“It was made very clear in estimates in February that the government has no hesitancy at all about going public with personal details.”
As Centrelink shares further personal data to defend criticisms of its debt recovery, the legality of its actions is in question.
News
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Calls for outreach program as veteran suicides soar
Suicides among ex-servicemen are alarmingly high and some believe the side effects of an anti-malaria drug are a contributing factor.
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Business takes lead on climate disasters
“Business has got it. Society has got it. State governments are getting it. It’s just federal government that doesn’t seem to get it at the moment.”
In the wake of cyclone Debbie, the insurance and banking industries are pushing for better mitigation measures, while the federal government lags behind.
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Filming ‘Chauka’ at Manus Island’s detention facilities
A collaboration between a journalist held on Manus Island and a filmmaker in Holland shows life in detention in all its stark monotony.
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With the huge rise in civilian casualties, the focus will quickly turn to restoring the locals’ trust in their government as the Iraqi army and US-led coalition forces drive Daesh from Mosul.
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Putin’s allies dispute Syria link to St Petersburg bomber
Bashar al-Assad denies responsibility for chemical attack; Xi Jinping visiting Mar-a-Lago; Donald Trump diplomacy.
Opinion
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Vaishali Patil
Exposing Adani’s environmental and labour abuses
“A government-commissioned committee found that Adani destroyed dozens of hectares of protected mangroves vital to local water purification. It dredged the ocean, flattened sand dunes and blocked waterways to build India’s biggest cargo port, which supplies coal to its Mundra power station, one of the largest of its kind in the world. Groundwater was left saline, a local village was flooded, and fish populations were devastated, with tragic consequences for local communities that depend on fishing and farming for their livelihoods. This was not an isolated incident.”
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Paul Bongiorno
Scott Morrison’s pre-budget bluster
“Old heads on the government backbench aren’t holding out for Morrison to provide a circuit-breaker in May. Good budgets – that is, ones the public don’t get too upset with – tend to disappear within the first sitting fortnight. Even tax cuts are taken for granted after the first payday. What they are looking for is a vision for Australia that captures the imagination.”
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This week there was a lovely afternoon tea at the Human Rights Commission HQ to welcome onboard June Oscar, the new Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social justice commissioner. Dozens were in attendance, juggling cups, saucers and delicate little edibles.
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
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It almost doesn’t matter what Andrew Robb has found. His internal review of the Liberals’ performance at last year’s federal election shows a party seemingly unprepared for modern politics – underequipped, unaided by research, outclassed on the ground. But the issue is not how close the Coalition came to losing the election. The issue is how little they have done since winning it.
Culture
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Artist Emily Floyd and her Icelandic Puffins
Whether using toy-like puffins to explore the global financial crisis or woodcut typefaces to examine feminist theory, Emily Floyd’s art is grounded in deep thinking and subtle references.
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Red Stitch Theatre’s ‘Rules for Living’
In the style of Alan Ayckbourn, Sam Holcroft’s Rules for Living for Red Stitch portrays middle-class disarray at its most engaging.
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“I’m waiting for the comedian Anne “Eddo” Edmonds in the bar above the foyer of the Victoria Hotel. The foyer is bright and sparkly, hung with a chandelier, but within the bar the wood-panelled ceiling feels too close. There’s a lone man drinking a pint of beer in front of the television. ‘I got your text,’ Edmonds says. ‘It is weird in here.’”
Food
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Sweet and sour onions and chicken livers
For years, not much had changed in the onion world. That was until last year, when the cipollini onion arrived. These sweet little onions are tender and not as astringent as their cousins. They also have a lovely squat shape.
Life
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Supporting mental health carers
A new study reveals not just the fiscal value of unpaid support by carers of loved ones suffering from mental illness, but also the need to help the helpers.
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A guide to the season's top wines, from the buyers at Cutler & Co, Supernormal, Cumulus Inc, the Builders Arms Hotel and Meatsmith.
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In the gene pool: Emma McKeon, 22, swimmer
Emma McKeon on her Rio Olympics triumph, her swimming pedigree and her plans for the future.
Books
The Quiz
1. The final line of which 2004 film is, “Go get ’em, tiger”?
2. What is the world’s largest rodent: (a) capybara; (b) chinchilla; or (c) gerbil?
3. This year’s Australian F1 grand prix winner, Sebastian Vettel, drives for which team?
4. What colour is chlorine gas?
5. What is the world’s highest capital city?
6. All seven crew members died aboard which two space shuttle missions? (Bonus points for naming the years of each disaster.)
7. Home and Away’s Summer Bay is actually filmed at which Sydney beach?
8. Who wrote the play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead?
9. The abbreviation CASA stands for which government agency…?
10. Name the only woman nominated for this year’s Gold Logie.
Quotes
ECONOMICS
“If you go down to the pub and talk to small-business people, they’re not talking about econometric models.”
The treasurer continues his relationship with voodoo economics, refusing to release modelling to support company tax cuts. He’s possibly right about people down the pub, but they also steal schooner glasses and are not, you know, running the country.
LOVE
“I thought I would be disappointing them if they knew I was gay. So I never did anything.”
The singer confirms to fans that he is married to his long-time manager, Garry Kief. Next we’ll find out he’s tinting his hair.
FOOD
“Regrettably, our attention to detail at that time wasn’t at a level it should have been.”
The chef apologises to staff for six years of miscalculated wages. The “detail” represents $2.6 million in unpaid labour.
SEX
“There are many instances of people who were homosexual who determine they are no longer gay.”
The Tasmanian senator gets the Barry Manilow news badly backwards. He also confirms he is a Kinsey Six when it comes to his political interests, which are now exclusively concerned with the persecution of gays.
HISTORY
“Thank goodness someone is speaking up at last for the bush, thank goodness someone is speaking up for Queensland. We haven’t had this since Joh.”
The elected conspiracy theorist remembers the good old days of wanton corruption, white suits, police brutality, gerrymander and bags of unexplained money, with a little racism and perjury for good measure.
TALENT
“I wish to apply to fill this vacancy if I can be of service to Sky News.”
The Christian Democrat applies for Mark Latham’s old job. Among his credentials are producing a newspaper called Family World News for 25 years and being thoroughly out of touch with reality.
