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Section: Australia

  • AUSTRALIA

    Getting smart, not tough, on bikies

    • Moira Rayner
    • 07 May 2009
    4 Comments

    No 'group' can be assumed to be full of criminals. Men form friendships out of common, innocuous interests. Laws introduced in NSW interfere with civil liberties and are likely to be ineffective at addressing organised crime.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    The questionable ethics of Australia's defence

    • Tony Smith
    • 05 May 2009
    6 Comments

    It is enouraging that the Government's Defence White Paper de-emphasises the US alliance in favour of self-reliance. However, we still desperately need community debate about the ways in which a military force can be used morally.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Getting a grip on swine flu hysteria

    • Michael Mullins
    • 04 May 2009
    3 Comments

    The Herald Sun's Andrew Bolt has provided a welcome critique of 'pig flu' fear-mongering by the Australian media. But he falls into a similarly myopic trap that misses the global perspective.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Confronting housing inequality

    • Ben O'Mara
    • 04 May 2009
    5 Comments

    The Australian dream of home ownership is bound up in a process of gentrification. As interest rates drop and economies weaken, we need to ensure everyone can afford a place to live, not just those looking for a bargain during tough times.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Bad business goes beyond individuals

    • Andrew Hamilton
    • 30 April 2009
    10 Comments

    Richard Pratt's death focused attention on his collusion in price fixing. Judgments against James Hardie focused on their former Chair, Meredith Hellicar. This focus on individuals risks losing sight of the social implications of the way business is conducted.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Swine flu will hit poor countries hardest

    • Margaret Rice
    • 29 April 2009
    1 Comment

    The outbreak of swine flu has crossed the species barrier and spread quickly from human to human. Amid the general gloom, medical companies' stocks have risen since Monday, particularly those which produce ant-virals.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Sex and bridge

    • Frank O'Shea
    • 29 April 2009

    If you can find a person who can execute a Reverse Squeeze or a Scissors Coup at the bridge table, chances are they will be able to carry out equivalent manoeuvres in a loving relationship.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Bringing Hamas in from the cold

    • Ashlea Scicluna
    • 28 April 2009
    13 Comments

    Leaders of Israel, Egypt and the Palestinians have been invited for peace talks in Washington. Rather than seeking to destroy Hamas, the US ought to encourage a unity government with Fatah, that would bring Hamas into the mainstream.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Death, despair and global economic fallout

    • Gillian Bouras
    • 27 April 2009
    4 Comments

    Australian Shareholders Association says the BrisConnections 'lifeline' offered by the Macquarie Group won't cover 'the bulk of desperate investors'. Sometimes bad things happen to good people at the mercy of the clever and the greedy.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Say g'day to ease Muslim-Christian tensions

    • Michael Mullins
    • 27 April 2009
    21 Comments

    Christians committed to interfaith dialogue were shocked that some Christian leaders have opposed the building of an Islamic school in Sydney. Rather than welcoming the newcomers, leaders' statements will bolster opposition based on fear and ignorance.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    The false nationalism of Anzac Day and football

    • Ruby J. Murray
    • 24 April 2009
    31 Comments

    The hype surrounding the AFL's annual Anzac Day match has reached near-sacred heights. Asking what it means to have football played on Anzac Day is as risky as wondering why the Digger is the most powerful expression of Australian identity.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Beginning of the end for US Cuban embargo

    • Antonio Castillo
    • 22 April 2009
    4 Comments

    The Fifth Summit of the Americas will be remembered for Obama's pledge to 'seek a new beginning with Cuba'. He could be the statesman to end the Cuban embargo, the foreign policy blunder that has caused much pain to Cuba and its people.

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