If there's one thing that the recent election campaign and its outcome demonstrated, it's the depth of the divisions that exist in our Australian community.
Our politics is focused on point-scoring, personalities, and name-calling across party lines. The media, for the most part, don't help, driven by the 24-hour news cycle and the pursuit of advertising dollars into a frenzy of click-bait and shallow sensationalism.
What does it mean to be an Australian in times like these? What are the values that unite us?
Eureka Street offers an alternative. It's less a magazine than a wide ranging conversation about the issues that matter in our country and our world; a conversation marked by respect for the dignity of ALL human beings.
Importantly, it's a conversation that takes place in the open, unhindered by paywalls or excessive advertising. And it's through the support of people like you that it is able to do so.
Oh how the Catholic ire is raised when any but the militant Labor is given a voice. Perhaps Cecily McNeill ought look to the state of Labor in NSW before slamming other parties. As to claiming 'poor roots', here in ozland need we look any further than the Labor leader Rudd !!! Wake up, Cecily and take a peek at the land across the water to your west and then if you are brave enough look at the wider world. There are good people outside Labor.
Time will tell. It seems that we in education will have a few changes ourselves if the pre election policies are implemented. It will be interesting to see what form the testing takes as to how much of a hinderance it is.
Thanks to Cecily McNeill for explaining in one short phrase why the New Zealanders voted in a new government. I didn't realise before now that all NZ voters like all Aust voters rely on the success of blue-chip investments for their future. Bill Barry
Well done Cecily! A very fair summary.
Cecily applauds a very new Obama without question about his ability to correct financial problems in USA. Which have their roots in the poor policies of his Democrat predecessor --Clinton. A point is made that Key has only been in Parliament for 6 years--isn't it about the same time as Obama! There is an unhealthy bias in this commentary.
According to Cecily McNeill, the majority of New Zealanders are stupid for electing a non-left wing political party to govern New Zealand.
I have a vague awareness of the harshness that rogernomics inflicted on many Kiwis. I hope the new Prime Minister doesn't revert back to rogernomics but given his background I expect to see another wave of Kiwi migration soon.
Didn't the NZ Catholic Church hierarchy advise us to consider respect for life as the first priority in deciding how to vote? On that basis wouldn't National be the party of choice?
The Rudd Government's abolition of the Temporary Protection Visa on 9 August was a source of deep hope for refugees and their supporters. However the new rule has not yet been applied to many older cases, and there is no pressure on officials to act quickly.
Senator John McCain's gracious concession speech this month recalled an era when hate was the norm. Big bankers are now being targeted with hate the has been inflicted on gays and other marginalised Americans, but there are better ways to heal America.
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