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Paul Keating says he changed superannuation from an elite system to one which would include 'the bloke running behind the garbage truck'. But a new elite has left the garbo in the dust. Labor's core constituency and the economy would be much better off with the age pension rather than super.
The Government has crafted a historic package of reforms: driving long-run reductions in carbon pollution, simplifying personal tax and making it fairer, and reducing poverty traps and barriers to work. It's exactly the kind of smart and gutsy approach we want to see from this Government.
Actors specialise in image making, an imitation of life rather than life itself. While the carbon tax being spruiked by Cate Blanchett and other celebrities is ostensibly designed to target polluters, in truth the Gillard Government is simply finding another avenue for raising revenue.
There was a liberal use of corporal punishment in my school. We were seen as a loutish bunch of lads who needed a firm hand. It did nothing to help my education. You don't create a smart and confident Australia by taking to people with a stick.
The Professor of Work and Organisational Studies at Sydney University says Abbott's plan would 'catapult Australia from having no scheme at all to probably being the best scheme in the world'. So why am I, a passionate believer in paid parental leave, not rejoicing?
Rudd Labor's first Budget last year seemed to indicate a turn towards a fairer Australia. After the scripted theatre of pre-budget leaks, secure lock-ups and dazzling announcements are stripped away, the 2009–10 Budget indicates we may be waiting for a long time yet.
Professor Martha Nussbaum's recent book Liberty of Conscience provides a rich textured treatment of the place of religion in the public square. If God is taken out of the picture, it may be difficult to maintain a human rights commitment to the weakest and most despised in society.
Parenting deserves more than a bonus, it deserves to be exulted and supported in its many and varied forms. With so many women in the workforce a paid maternity leave scheme is the linchpin upon which other 'family-friendly' policies depend.
Labor has followed the former Howard Government by not nominating a figure in its submissions to the Fair Pay Commission's review of minimum wages. If the commission discounts wage increases to balance tax cuts it will tip the scales against disadvantaged working families.
The text is from Professor Frank Brennan's 2008 Institute of Justice Studies Oration from 22 May 2008.
The Rudd Government's first budget may mark a shift towards a more inclusive Australia. If we are to ensure that all Australians can live a fairer, more dignified life there is still much to be done. Time will tell whether the momentum can be sustained.
John Howard seems to have pulled off the three-card trick, on both the National Party and the public, with changes to the media laws. His spin was that the small concessions were worth it in its efforts to "free up'' Australia's media.
37-48 out of 51 results.