Keywords: Productivity Commission
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AUSTRALIA
- Brian Toohey
- 02 April 2012
8 Comments
Paul Keating says he changed superannuation from an elite system to one which would include 'the bloke running behind the garbage truck'. But a new elite has left the garbo in the dust. Labor's core constituency and the economy would be much better off with the age pension rather than super.
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AUSTRALIA
- Tony Kevin
- 24 January 2012
20 Comments
Catholics in Australia have tended to be more tolerant of alcohol and gambling than 'wowser' Protestants. But too many Catholics turn a blind eye to how today's poker machine technology and operating environment is designed to nurture dangerous (but profitable) addiction.
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RELIGION
- Frank Brennan
- 22 November 2011
1 Comment
Text from the 4th Annual Gerald Ward Lecture 'How do we design a dignified welfare safety net without becoming a Nanny State? — Lessons from Catholic Social Teaching', presented by Fr Frank Brennan SJ at the National Library of Australia, 18 November 2011.
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AUSTRALIA
- Moira Byrne Garton
- 12 August 2011
11 Comments
Julia Gillard this week described access to disability services as a 'cruel lottery', and declared support for proposed reforms. Her response demonstrates compassion and goodwill during a time when many citizens have expressed disgust at Labor's treatment of asylum seekers.
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AUSTRALIA
- Michael Mullins
- 08 August 2011
10 Comments
We could be facing a new GFC because many decisions on the financial markets are made by financial traders in their 20s who are uninterested in learning from past experiences. Youth may be the future, but there will be no future without the wisdom of our elders.
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AUSTRALIA
- Jennifer Borrell
- 25 July 2011
12 Comments
Nearly a third of regular poker machine users are problem and at risk gamblers, who spend more than $7 billion a year at pokies, amounting to 60 per cent of total losses. No wonder the gaming industry is threatened by proposed measures aimed at making the machines safer.
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EDUCATION
- Chris Middleton
- 08 February 2011
48 Comments
A recent poll shows 70 per cent of people think the Federal Government gives too much money to private schools. Catholic schools have contributed enormously to the Australian community, and thus make a claim for some funding on the basis of the common good.
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AUSTRALIA
- Martin Laverty
- 07 February 2011
8 Comments
One of our most daunting challenges is how to look after the baby boomers, who are fast approaching old age. The cost of aged care, and the number needing it, is skyrocketing. Funding has not been committed, and there's a train wreck in sight. Doing nothing is not an option.
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AUSTRALIA
- Moira Byrne Garton
- 02 September 2010
9 Comments
Many of us value our participation in the election and have been excited by the resulting hung parliament. But some adult citizens cannot be placed on the roll at all, with a significant number of
Australians with intellectual disabilities or mental illness disenfranchised.
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AUSTRALIA
- Michael Mullins
- 28 June 2010
13 Comments
Everybody knows that problem gambling, just like binge drinking and
illicit drugs, destroys lives. But should governments be aiming to eliminate gambling altogether?
The Australian Jesuit Michael Kelly thinks not.
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AUSTRALIA
- Michael Mullins
- 17 May 2010
6 Comments
Dedicated aged care workers are leaving because they can't afford to
exist on such low pay. Employers have their hands tied by the Federal
Government, which last week passed over the opportunity to provide for aged care
workers in the Budget.
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AUSTRALIA
- Frank Quinlan
- 12 May 2010
23 Comments
If a 'fiscally responsible Budget' can increase spending on Australia's representatives in elite sports by $237 million, it is hard to imagine that there is not room somewhere for our unemployed to eat a little better.
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