Volume 17 No.14

26 July 2007

AUSTRALIA

The disappearing distinction between Labor and Coalition welfare policy
- Philip Mendes
- 25 July 2007
The ALP has historically been committed to government intervention in the free market to promote a fairer distribution of income. However, since Hawke and Keating, the ALP moved towards a free market agenda focusing on the alleviation of poverty rather than structural change.
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ARTS AND CULTURE

Why Clive the bay gelding was out of sorts
- John Honner
- 25 July 2007
Trevor was having trouble getting his big bay gelding called Clive, aka ‘The Flyer’, into his float. Clive was meant to be at the races in a couple of hours, but he was snorting and stamping and being distinctly uncooperative. Clive was trying to tell him something.
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ARTS AND CULTURE

Wilberforce film points to task of modern abolitionists
- Tim Kroenert
- 25 July 2007
2 Comments
This year marks the 200th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in Britain. Social justice organisations around the world are using the film Amazing Grace to put a spotlight on the modern trade in human trafficking.
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AUSTRALIA

Political opinion polls matter
- John Warhurst
- 25 July 2007
1 Comment
Much of the flesh of an election year grows on a skeleton made up of public opinion polls. But they are only as good as the interpretation that accompanies them. Sometimes commentators see only what they want to see.
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AUSTRALIA

Great leaders love their teams
- Chris Lowney
- 25 July 2007
1 Comment
Eric Shinseki was the highest ranking US military officer in the United States until he ran afoul of his boss, former US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsel. He had told a Congressional hearing that the US Army would more soldiers to Iraq than planned, to keep the peace Saddam Hussein's removal.
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AUSTRALIA

Trust comes at a price, but it's money well spent
- Michael Mullins
- 25 July 2007
2 Comments
Federal Water Resources Minister Malcolm Turnbull must expect to spend big in winning the trust of the recalcitrant Victorian irrigators. WIthout their hearts and minds, the Federal Government's $10.5 billion Murray-Darling rescue strategy is doomed to failure.
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ARTS AND CULTURE

Joycepoem
- Peter Steele
- 25 July 2007
A poem recollecting visits to the Jesuit-run Belvedere College, in the north of Dublin, where James Joyce had most of his secondary schooling.
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AUSTRALIA

Let's share the burden of overcoming Muslim extremism
- Saeed Saeed
- 25 July 2007
3 Comments
Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer said recently: "Muslim extremists are a Muslim issue - not ours." The fault with this view is that it transfers ownership of this challenge from the elected leaders to a minority group who simply don’t have the resources to deal with such a global crisis.
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ARTS AND CULTURE

Innocent happiness and heavily curtained windows
- Michael Mullins
- 25 July 2007
The Australian character is set against that of the European nations from which the 'new Australians' arrived after World War II. For them, Australia offered "considerably safety and little menace", but heavily curtained windows rather than dancing in the streets they were accustomed to.
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RELIGION

Ecumenical roads no longer lead to Rome
- Andrew Hamilton
- 25 July 2007
24 Comments
Contrary to what Catholics would once have said, ecumenism does not seek the return of other churches to Rome. The priority for each church is to reflect seriously on what Christ demands of it and its members.
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ARTS AND CULTURE

A mystery of olive groves and aloof neighbours
- Brian Matthews
- 25 July 2007
Country people are welcoming. They smile at you, however vaguely, passing in the street, and shopkeepers and tradespeople are invariably polite and helpful. But there is the odd exception, sometimes the very odd exception.
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AUSTRALIA

Aboriginal child abuse: whom do you trust?
- Brian McCoy
- 25 July 2007
10 Comments
We have learned that the damage caused by sexual abuse often continues for decades and into future generations. We can hope that Government interventions will make a long-term difference, but such complex issues cannot be reduced to a simple absolute: ‘the child must come first’.
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INTERNATIONAL

Law overboard in pythonesque Section 501 application
- Kerry Murphy
- 25 July 2007
5 Comments
Under Section 501 of the Migration Act, you can be told: 'you fail the character test, please respond, but we cannot tell you what are the accusations against you'. Dr Mohammed Haneef has experienced the worst case scenario.
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AUSTRALIA

Politicians should not put people in jail
- Brian Toohey
- 25 July 2007
8 Comments
Terrorism involves the ancient crime of murder. Dr Mohamed Haneef is not charged with murdering anyone, nor involvement in any murder. The ministerial prerogative exercised by Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews should not exist.
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