opinion
education
law & crime July 17, 2021
Saving Tasmania’s Tarkine rainforest
What has happened to the Bob Hawke standard of prime ministerial courage, the one that saw him safeguard Australia’s environment and Indigenous heritage? Hawke’s first act as prime minister in 1983 was to save the Franklin River in Tasmania. In 1987...
indigenous affairs May 29, 2021
The Uluru statement, four years on
This year marks the beginning of the second decade of constitutional recognition. Who could’ve known when Julia Gillard created the expert panel, at the urging of the Greens and independents Rob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor, that 10 years, seven...
environment May 22, 2021
It is two years this week since Labor’s shock federal election loss, and the consequences are increasingly serious. Falling wages for Australian workers are a conscious part of the Morrison government’s 2021 budget strategy – quite a feat given $100...
environment May 15, 2021
What is Scott Morrison’s plan?
The morning after the three-ring circus that is budget night in Canberra, Scott Morrison came close to telling the truth: that he and the treasurer are in fact flying blind. Morrison repeated in his round of dawn media interviews that he has a plan...
law & crime April 24, 2021
Teaching young people about consent
Content warning: This article includes discussion and depiction of sexual violence. Australia faces a reality where porn has become young people’s choice for sex education – not because it’s a good educator, but because it’s better than what else is...
law & crime October 26, 2019
I don’t know from where to start; how to speak the unspeakable? It is important for me to share my thoughts about the loss of my beautiful daughter, Aiia, but English is not my first language and I struggle to express my thoughts. To the people of...
education July 27, 2019
Casualisation of academic teaching
This year, seven Australian universities made it into the top 100 in the QS World University Rankings. Their vice-chancellors cheered. International students use this, as well as the Times Higher Education league table, to guide their choices, and...
religion June 22, 2019
Government services and religious freedom
It is a peculiar fact that during the same period the number of practising Christians went into sharp decline, the church grew to be larger than it has ever been. Proportionally fewer Australians now attend worship than at any other time in history...
education June 7, 2019
Flaws in Coalition’s schools funding
The Coalition won the recent federal election at least in part on its reputation as the better economic manager. It claimed it could be trusted to take care of taxpayer dollars. But does this stand up to scrutiny? Frankly, not when it comes to the...
education April 13, 2019
If you’ve lost track of the frustrating schools funding debate lately, it’s time to start paying attention. The difference between the offerings of the two major political parties at the federal election is sharp and it boils down to one number – $...
immigration November 10, 2018
Historians and political scientists have classified recent world history into two distinct periods, with the end of World War II as the dividing line. The period from 1901 to 1945 was marked by aggressive nationalism – trade wars, high tariffs,...
