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Section: Australia

  • AUSTRALIA

    The Liberals' hidden intellectual arsenal

    • Sarah Burnside
    • 04 August 2009
    12 Comments

    A recent editorial in The Australian regretted that Australian conservatives have conceded the intellectual high ground to Labor. In fact, the Liberal Party and its supporters have arguably been far more astute than the ALP in nurturing academics and research fellows sympathetic to the 'liberal conservative' cause.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    In praise of slow arrests

    • Michael Mullins
    • 03 August 2009

    Tasers are regarded as a fast and easy means for police to restrain alleged offenders. But that's not what's needed for a response that respects the rights of the individuals being apprehended.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Race riots and the multiplex

    • Sarah Ayoub
    • 30 July 2009
    2 Comments

    The boys of Lebanon have found a niche in Aussie pop culture. Several recent films deal with Arab-Australians as the 'other', examining the extent of their assimilation, the codes they live by, and their functions within a 'tolerant' society.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Aggro Abbott vs Hockey the bear

    • John Warhurst
    • 29 July 2009
    7 Comments

    Hockey, a big friendly bear of a man, is popular in the electorate. Abbott suffers from his aggressive stance and his image as a conservative Catholic. Both are contenders for the Liberal leadership should Turnbull fall before the next federal election.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Thorpe moving mountain of Indigenous disadvantage

    • Michael Mullins
    • 27 July 2009
    4 Comments

    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.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Parenthood as religion

    • Sarah Kanowski
    • 24 July 2009
    7 Comments

    After my first child was born I was overwhelmed by a new appreciation for the work required to grow a single human being. History's catalogue of achievements now mean little to me. Man Walks on Moon? Big deal. Each day the headlines should shout, Woman Gives Birth!

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  • AUSTRALIA

    End of the road for Sydney cyclists

    • Margaret Rice
    • 21 July 2009
    7 Comments

    It's serious business cycling in Sydney. Cyclists tell of cycleways that suddenly finish, and recently, when one cyclist was hit by a car, instead of checking on his injuries, the driver got out and abused him. In Sydney, the car dominates.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Book copyright debate ignores the future

    • Michael Mullins
    • 20 July 2009
    3 Comments

    Accusations of author greed and cultural philistinism dominate debate surrounding Productivity Commission recommendations on territorial copyright for books. Both sides have a point, but the argument may be irrelevant to the future of book publishing.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    East Timor advances despite Australian aid failures

    • Richard Curtain
    • 17 July 2009
    3 Comments

    Life in Dili has improved greatly over the past 18 months. The government has directed large amounts of money into the economy, much of it into the hands of the poor. By contrast, Australia's substantial contribution often appears passive and reactive.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    League tables short-change students

    • Fatima Measham
    • 15 July 2009
    12 Comments

    Studies correlate teacher morale with student achievement, so ranking schools according to student performance may be counterproductive if it hurts teacher morale. Finland has the best education system in the world without resorting to league tables.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    National pride begets blind arrogance

    • Michael Mullins
    • 13 July 2009
    10 Comments

    Assumptions that detained businessman Stern Hu could not be guilty because he is Australian show how national pride can cloud perceptions. Something similar was at play in calls for Kevin Rudd to lobby the Pope for the canonisation of Mary MacKillop.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Homeless people are not toilets

    • Frank Bowden
    • 13 July 2009
    9 Comments

    What we call people can determine the way we treat them. At one hospital in the 1980s, the rank odour of urine, tobacco and grime that characterised some homeless patients led to them being referred to as 'dunnies'.

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