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Three Independents, belittled as 'The Three Amigos' but riding into the sunset nonetheless, have won the trust of their electorates and been able to exercise a little, meaningful power about how Parliament should work. This may not last, now that the decision has been announced.
Every day, Australians face north and scan the horizon. Has another boat arrived? But if our politicians and journalists want to see asylum seekers living in poor conditions, they need to look closer to home.
I am not here to get rich, to receive charity, steal your job, or cheat the system. I am not a 'queue jumper'. I am not an 'illegal arrival'. I am not a 'political issue'. I am an asylum seeker, and this is my story.
I am struck by lurid online comment on whether Aussie troops should go or stay in Afghanistan, a miasma of old-left vs new-right trench exchanges, armchair military strategists and conspiracy theorists. As in the national game of Buzkashi, Afghanistan is a goat carcass fought over by a gaggle of teams.
Premier John Brumby's boast that Victoria has the best health system came unstuck during his address to the National Press Club. Putting patients first is about understanding the social context of those with acute health challenges, not the construction of political ego.
The complexity of superannuation products prompts many to choose easy options that attract high fees. Higher fees mount up over many years and significantly affect the quality of life workers are able to enjoy when they retire.
This Friday, proponents of clean renewable energy will gather to try to rally government support for Solar Systems, Australia's world-leading developer of solar energy technology, which went into receivership in September. They face an uphill battle.
The Rudd Government is pursuing the same unprincipled border protection strategy for which it criticised the Howard Government. It could better assist these refugees by asking the Sri Lankan Government why so many Tamils are fleeing the country, especially if the war is over.
Christopher Hitchens appeared on Q+A last week with Frank Brennan and others to debate questions of belief. Hitchens was a sharp debater, relentless in pointing out the flaws in fellow panelists' arguments. But Brennan was a worthy opponent.
The parochial Australian press reaction to last week's Samoan tsunami shows how editors play on people's sense of pride to sell newspapers. But the misuse and manipulation of information can have adverse consequences for third parties.
According to P. J. O'Rourke, today's asylum seekers are tomorrow's 'really good Australians'. Australia has established Uighur and Turkish communities and could easily accommodate the few remaining ex-Gitmo Uighurs.
It's not uncommon for celebrities to get involved in charity work. Ian Thorpe's monumental speech to the Beyond Sport Summit in London articulating his resolve to tackle Indigenous disadvantage suggests he is far ahead of the pack.