keywords: Civil Liberties
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RELIGION
- Frank Brennan
- 25 October 2007
There are times when we Australians get the balance between national interest and individual liberty wrong, especially when the individual is a member of a powerless minority. One way of improving the balance is including the judiciary in the calculus, as has now happened in the United Kingdom and New Zealand.
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AUSTRALIA
- Tony Kevin
- 19 September 2007
3 Comments
Australia has ceased to believe in a rules-based international order. Our increasing cynicism about the UN, and participation in coalitions with powerful world players, effectively denies our sovereignty. Rudd Government foreign policy would would need to involve more than fine-tuning.
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ECONOMICS
- Anne Lanyon
- 05 September 2007
5 Comments
The APEC theme 'Strengthening our community: Building a sustainable future' is an honourable one. But look further, and you’ll get a glimpse of the priority the Australian Government has for things economic, and an acknowledgement of the role of business in shaping the agenda.
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ENVIRONMENT
- James Massola
- 05 September 2007
5 Comments
Channel 7's purchase of AFL players' medical records has highlighted privacy concerns. Most users of Google are not aware of the extent to which it compromises their privacy.
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ARTS AND CULTURE
A new book shows how the history of a technology can be used for exploring some of the key forces and events of an age. The future could have us all living in red zones, and subject to surveillance, police checks and suspended civil liberties.
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RELIGION
- James Massola
- 02 April 2007
2 Comments
Jesuit peace activist John Dear is continuing the tradition of civil disobedience pioneererd by the Berrigan brothers in the 1960s. A month in Australia has convinced him that we want to give up our freedoms in order to become part of the new American Empire.
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RELIGION
- Peter Fleming
- 02 April 2007
9 Comments
Eight minutes past three, on this very good Friday. Call us on the open line and tell us what you think.... Well, we got him. It's been a long time coming, but, finally: he's confessed. Egg on the face of all his supporters this afternoon, as self-confessed terrorist Jesus Christ gets exactly what he deserved.
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INTERNATIONAL
- Angelica Hannan
- 27 February 2007
1 Comment
To address the problem of Third World debt, citizens of developed countries need to place the satisfaction of human needs at the heart of government policy. A history of poor governance, greed, and cultural imperialism are at the core of the Global North’s exploitation of the South.
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RELIGION
- Frank Brennan
- 27 February 2007
7 Comments
The last state authorised execution in Australia—that of Ronald Ryan—occurred 40 years ago last week. 12 year old Frank Brennan felt it was wrong. His adolescent moral sensibilities found resonance in public debate, law reform and policy change.
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AUSTRALIA
- Tony Smith
- 07 August 2006
1 Comment
Former Labor minister John Button anticipated the current low point in political discourse, with defenders and critics of government policy having lost the capacity to engage in dialogue, particularly in the field of public morality.
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ARTS AND CULTURE
- James Massola
- 24 July 2006
Former ALP heavyweight Carmen Lawrence asserts that the developed world is safer today than it's ever been. Her argument flies in the face of the reality that there has never been greater rewards for politicians willing to peddle fear.
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ARTS AND CULTURE
- Rebecca Marsh
- 10 July 2006
Rebecca Marsh considers Naomi Klein’s challenge to the multinationals in No Logo.
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