Welcome to Eureka Street

back to site

Section: Australia

  • AUSTRALIA

    Fall from grace often no more than spin

    • Michael Mullins
    • 05 September 2007

    Almost any organisation responds to criticism by rebutting it, but the rebuttal is unnecessary if the institution is not afraid of the truth. It's children who can often see the essence of matters clearly while older generations often get lost in the fog of spin around the edge.

    READ MORE
  • AUSTRALIA

    ‘Lazarus with a triple bypass’ could well become Harry Houdini

    • John Warhurst
    • 22 August 2007
    6 Comments

    While this election is still there to be won or lost, Labor is rightfully the hot favourite. But changes of government are rare in Australian politics, and there are four reasons why Labor might still lose.

    READ MORE
  • AUSTRALIA

    Family bond obsession works like racism

    • Peter Fleming
    • 22 August 2007

    Lines are always drawn first around one’s own family. When babies are new-born, the number one concern is that he or she be 'normal'; but later, parents want their kids to be seen to be 'exceptional'.

    READ MORE
  • AUSTRALIA

    Rudd strip club story a promotion of women as sex objects

    • Michael Mullins
    • 22 August 2007
    8 Comments

    For most Australians, endearing naughtiness was the beginning an end of the Kevin Rudd sex club story. What was sadly overlooked was the de facto promotion of the sex industry, and implicit toleration of the damage it does to human dignity and the long struggle to ensure that women are not looked upon as sex objects.

    READ MORE
  • AUSTRALIA

    More than enough ministerial discretion

    • Frank Quinlan
    • 22 August 2007
    1 Comment

    Flawed process and flawed substance characterise the Northern Territory emergency response legislation, which has been rushed through Parliament in the past fortnight. It raises major questions about whether our parliamentary processes ensure adequate scrutiny of poposed legislation.

    READ MORE
  • AUSTRALIA

    South Africa buys Mugabe's 'them and us' ruse

    • Peter Roebuck
    • 22 August 2007
    8 Comments

    South Africa is determined to resist calls to boycott its cricket tour of Zimbabwe. Mugabe's turning the slaughter and starvation over which he has so blithely presided into a " them and us" confrontation has paid dividends.

    READ MORE
  • AUSTRALIA

    Haneef case shaping future of Australian migration law

    • Kerry Murphy
    • 22 August 2007
    5 Comments

    Previously the Government has changed the Migration Act when Courts have held that the law was not to the liking of the Government. This week's judgment in favour of Dr Haneef — and the ourcome of the appeal — could be a very significant case in Australian jurisprudence.

    READ MORE
  • AUSTRALIA

    Iraq's Asia Cup victory hides reality of ungovernable society

    • Scott Stephens
    • 08 August 2007
    5 Comments

    The press coverage of Iraq’s surprise victory in the Asian Cup final was — as Ernst Bloch might have put it — full of utopian sentiment. The win was, admittedly, a remarkable achievement, but one that hardly accounted for the sheer exuberance of the outpoured emotion that followed.

    READ MORE
  • AUSTRALIA

    Make foolish haste while the Treasurer smiles through gritted teeth

    • Michael Mullins
    • 08 August 2007

    Opinion polls suggest the ALP's "me too" strategy is enhancing their electibility. But in the end, Australians may just stick with the devil they know. "It's time" may have worked for Gough Whitlam, but only time will tell whether "Kevin 07" will do the same for Kevin Rudd.

    READ MORE
  • AUSTRALIA

    When governments stop listening to advice

    • Jack Waterford
    • 08 August 2007
    3 Comments

    Interviewed a year ago for the biography John Winston Howard, Treasurer Peter Costello complained about the Government's binge spending. Since then, the PM has committed many billions more, and given every indication the pace of spending will increase enormously between now and the election.

    READ MORE
  • AUSTRALIA

    Iraq's overlooked political factions

    • Dan Read
    • 08 August 2007

    The Iraq situation is a lot more complex than a simple standoff between western democracy and political Islam. Until this is understood, a viable solution that takes Iraq towards genuine democracy and self government is impossible.

    READ MORE
  • AUSTRALIA

    Mersey Hospital fix sets scene for wider turmoil

    • Francis Sullivan
    • 08 August 2007

    The Prime Minister's decision to take over funding of Devonport's Mersey Hospital seems to fly in the face of rational analysis of service delivery capacity of the area. It does not set a promising precedent for the health planning prowess on the part of the Commonwealth.

    READ MORE