Policy
The fate of the Labor Government rests in significant part on the performance of one woman, and yesterday she held a press conference in Canberra with Prime Minister Julia Gillard.
She is Family and Community Services Minister Jenny Macklin, the left-winger who has developed a close working relationship with the right-wing Treasurer Wayne Swan.
One senior public servant has likened their unity ticket to the productive collaboration between former Deputy Prime Minister Brian Howe (Ms Macklin’s previous boss) and then-Treasurer Paul Keating – a meeting of left social concerns and economic conservatism.
Continue reading "The woman with her head down trying to save Labor" »
Wayne Swan’s 2012-13 blueprint was well crafted and immediately drew errors from the Opposition.
Tony Abbott’s one-speed approach to political combat apparently blinded him to the knuckle-headedness of standing between voters and a wedge of cash.
By invoking the arbitrary principle that cash hand-outs are bad policy, Mr Abbott again showed how bluntly oppositional he is prepared to be. But it was dumb politics.
Latest 2 of 105 comments
View all comments-
Divide and conquer says:
This is no different to Bob Carr’s Back to Schools Bonus; except he sent it out as a cheque with a personally signed letter sprucing his political empire. It is no different to the stories we do from a high and mighty stand point of pollies in Thailand going out… Read more »
-
Dr FOD says:
ICB on the cartoon. Due to the $5 billion cut backs on the ADF we can longer afford shoulder launched weapons. Please redraw this picture with the treasurer using a sling shot made of nothing more than tree branches and rubber bands. Read more »
Welcome to this week’s I Call Bullshit, a regular column where we take a look at codswallop and propaganda, logical failures and brain farts. The big news today is the Government’s plan to pay families to look after asylum seekers.
Last year, to ease pressure on detention centres, the Government started releasing more people into the community on bridging visas – but there’s still not enough room.
So now they’re going to use the Australian Homestay Network - a network of households who have already signed up to look after international students. The Government will cover the costs of room and board – about $140 per asylum seeker per week.
Continue reading "ICB: House the homeless before asylum seekers?" »
Latest 2 of 282 comments
View all comments-
Csw says:
@Me my mo - “those homeless Aboriginals who grew up to take alcohol and drugs” did so for a reason. Instead of having a go about it, why aren’t you more interested in why it’s happened and trying to find a solution? Everyone deserves a second chance. And you don’t… Read more »
-
Csw says:
“They had their shot at life and screwed it up” - do people not deserve second chances? What if it was you in that position? Wouldn’t you want a second chance? “Its their own fault they can’t afford rent, everyone has an opportunity in Australia to make something of themselves.”… Read more »
It was a common question over the break: “What’s going to happen in Canberra this coming year - will there be an election?’‘
Politics has always been a rough game but in recent times it’s become a virtual blood-sport with a constant sense that there’s another big event around every corner.
It matters less whether it’s an early election or perhaps a leadership contest on one or both sides. This “what’s-gonna-happen” fascination goes not merely to whether Tony Abbott can maintain the pressure on Julia Gillard he so relentlessly applied in 2011, but also to whether her own colleagues will hold fast or do the unthinkable.
Continue reading "2012: Julia Gillard’s year of living precariously" »
Latest 2 of 170 comments
View all comments-
Chris L says:
@Jackal: “1) What is the good of continued wealth if its only for the wealthy?” - So now you’re saying all of the country’s increased wealth went to the wealthy only? That’s not what the article you linked says. It talks about the increasing gap between the haves and have… Read more »
-
The Jackal says:
Chris L 1) What is the good of continued wealth if its only for the wealthy? 2) Employment has flatlined - where do you get the idea that this is happening while the economy is good? Its a symptom of an economy that is beginning to go bad. 3) Yes,… Read more »
The grace period for not politicising human tragedy is less than 24 hours. Both major parties are in full swing - misinforming the public, drumming up fear and spinning themselves out of any actual policy action.
The fact remains that Australia does not have an ‘asylum problem’ but we do have a problem with our policy response. Receiving less than 1 per cent of the world’s asylum claims in a year is not a problem. People dying at sea is most definitely a problem, unfortunately not one unique to Australia or to Indonesia.
The public debate around Labor vs. Coalition policy proposals can be likened to the saying: “When the finger points at the moon, the idiot looks at the finger.”
Continue reading "Take more asylum seekers to ensure fewer boats" »
Latest 2 of 386 comments
View all comments-
Tom says:
Ozpatriot, please reply to this message if you ever become part of our government. I am asking because if you do I will leave the country. Read more »
-
Time to get tough says:
Real Refugees would not be fat and healthy when the boat arrives, throw their papers overboard before they arrive, even have the thousands it is suppose to cost them to come over and then Riot even though they get 3 meals a day, foxtel etc. Some Australian citizens cannot even… Read more »
On May 25, 1961 United States President John F Kennedy proposed to the Congress that the nation set a goal of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely by the end of the decade.
Kennedy’s comments not only fired the gun in the space race but they also began a productivity revolution. The US would invest heavily in mathematicians and scientists, research and development that would drive innovation and change the nature of business and lifestyles forever.
In the last 50 years technology has been the game changer when it comes to productivity. The introduction of the personal computer and internet to business has revolutionised communications and interaction between businesses particularly in the global context.
Continue reading "What the Space Race can teach us about productivity" »
Latest 2 of 27 comments
View all comments-
Glenn says:
Our PUBLIC education system has been “dumbed” down so workers are ignorant and Rightwing, and thus vote for the short-sighted, self-centred, parasite plutocrat’s Liberal party, and support their own rape and pillage by the rich and corporatist minority. “Entrepreneurs” have always been lazy; have always gone for the low hanging… Read more »
-
neo says:
Not 100% on the moon landing, haven’t been there myself, but I’m pretty sure it was real, although who knows. Thing is, moon landing was was an important step for mankind, but it was the USA playing catch up because they lost the space race already. Soviets were the ones… Read more »
Life as a switched-on, concerned and indignant citizen can be confusing. There are so many options.
From screaming leftie to uptighty righty, it’s hard to know exactly which knee-jerk reaction is the best one.
To that end, I’ve compiled a handy guide for you, listing possible scenarios and offering recommendations, based on experience and observation, regarding the best way to react. You’re welcome. It’s called: SO YOU’RE THINKING ABOUT REACTING TO STUFF?
Continue reading "A handy guide to complaining about stuff" »
Latest 2 of 51 comments
View all comments-
milo of Brizvegas says:
Australia has the World’s Greatest Treasurer) The difference is; The judgement made by the money magazine Euromoney, list their reasons and comparisons for bestowing this title. You may then challenge or disagree with their methodology or assertions. The “Thats what I call bullshit” crowd merely say “Thats what I call… Read more »
-
RyaN says:
@Mike: Well I will say that you should at least have received some sort of correspondence and if as you say this is your experience then I think that is shameful. Note to all politicians, if someone bothers to write to you, have the common decency to even acknowledge receipt… Read more »
The power of the Roman Empire can be traced back to one key factor: The Romans did not fear death. This was not so much a state of mind or philosophical outlook on life. It was, simply, the law.
This was a society in which making a good speech in the Senate, winning a major victory on the battlefield or even just being Emperor, were all grounds for a swift and unexpected execution.
If the leading men of Rome had permitted themselves to have even the slightest fear of dying no one would have gotten anything done, since the consequence of doing pretty much anything was to be stabbed in the neck by an old friend.
Continue reading "The ALP should seek liberation in its annihilation" »
Latest 2 of 247 comments
View all comments-
oldtimer says:
Abbott accountable for what ? he’s NOT the PM…he can say and do whatever in Opposition. it’s the PM and her Party that need to be accountable….they are the ones in power arent they ??? or is it the Greens? (sarcasm) i dont know, im confused as to who or… Read more »
-
Gubbaboy says:
I usually like your stuff Joe. But this is a bit wet and non sensical. You forget we have certain limitations in processing the queue jumpers. Gay marriage? Why not polygamy then? Why not incest? After all we are in the age of trashing traditions that have served us well.… Read more »
As the winter fog settles over Canberra and the nation’s politicians return to their electorates, there could be no more relieved Australians than the people of Queanbeyan.
Sitting just across the border from Canberra, the city’s small businesses have become a daily stage for the Leader of the Opposition to perform his stunts.
Usually directed against the proposed price on carbon, the hyped-up vitriol is mirrored in broader attacks around the country on anyone who doesn’t support his views whether they be scientists, economists or everyday Australians who dare to believe that dealing with climate change is necessary and urgent.
Continue reading "This Opposition can’t even oppose properly" »
Latest 2 of 340 comments
View all comments-
Not Lazy says:
Dash, You and the rest of you whiners disgust me. Your quote It’s about penalising successful people driving Australia’s wealth and rewarding the wealth destroyers and lazy arsed ALP demographic. Is just total crap. I vote Labor, I work 4 jobs am a fireman by trade and do the best… Read more »
-
Bilbo says:
“...As to tax. Tax is tax. However, private companies. That is socialism…” To nationalise a private company is to take ownership and control by the state. Recent evidence of Labor Party actions (e.g. privatisation of Telstra, Qantas ,Lotto) points to the opposite. So could someone advise exactly which companies “this… Read more »
This is the fourth in a series of essays adapted from the Centre for Policy Development book, More Than Luck: Ideas Australia needs now. Australian culture is rich, deep and diverse and our new federal cultural policy should recognise this, writes Ben Eltham.
Australia has been promised a new cultural policy by the Gillard Government, due sometime in 2011. What is a cultural policy and why do we need one?
Cultural policy is not often treated as an important public affairs issue. But culture touches on many of the things that Australians do, see, hear and engage with everyday. Watching television, reading a newspaper, playing a computer game, updating your Facebook status, sending a tweet, going to a bar to see comedy, even things like gardening and cooking: all of these activities are explicitly cultural.
Continue reading "Putting Australian culture under the microscope" »
Latest 2 of 52 comments
View all comments-
John says:
Persephone One extra bit . Not that long ago the then Minister Mr garret invited public submissions on ‘cultural policy’. About 120 submissions were received, most were requests for funding for a particular activity/organisation, and/or for ‘recognition’ of that activity as ‘significant’. Only two or three of all of the… Read more »
-
John says:
persephone Government cultural policy: Australia council/ peer review attempts to direct Australian audience attention towards “advanced art” started 1968-75 and has gone around in circles ever since. Cultural policy has a logical conundrum- If an art form has popular support it doesn’t need (or deserve) much in the way of… Read more »
This is the second in a series of essays adapted from the Centre for Policy Development book, More Than Luck: Ideas Australia needs now.
A Medicare credit card could make healthcare co-payments simpler and more affordable, writes Jennifer Doggett.
If you’ve ever been sick – really sick - in this country, you know that paying your medical bills isn’t cheap.
It’s also complex. Health insurance seldom covers the full cost of a procedure, so patients often leave hospital with a big bill waiting for them. Some of it can be claimed back on Medicare; some of it can’t. As well as being expensive, medical expenses are difficult to understand and a huge waste of time and effort. And all when you’re supposed to be resting and recuperating!
Our current system of health funding is failing. We spend more on health services every year and still many Australians miss out on the care they need.
Continue reading "A Medicare credit card could solve our health headache" »
Latest 2 of 60 comments
View all comments-
Colin Fraser says:
This is another one of those “Gee what a good idea” articles that are actually meaningless. I agree that we do things very wrong but the fact is that we have never really defined what “health care” is. What do we mean by health care? Minimizing bubonic plague and malaria… Read more »
-
persephone says:
Jennifer and, as you know, many of these people are never going to get better. They’re never going to stop needing the support, and they’re never going to be able to earn an income. So you’re proposing that we put further costs on the health system by letting chronically ill… Read more »
This is the first in a series of essays adapted from The Centre for Policy Development‘s book More Than Luck: Ideas Australia needs now. Stayed tuned to The Punch this week for more Big Ideas.
What use is politics? It’s a question many Australians began to ask in the lead-up to the 2010 election as the Rudd and then the Gillard government ditched what seemed like a policy a day in a bid to lighten their electoral baggage. It was as if the government stood for nought except getting re-elected. What do we expect our governments to deliver, beyond our narrow self-interest?
Some say we get the governments we deserve. To some extent, this is true. When we stop paying attention to politics, we make it easier for politicians to stop paying attention to us.
Yet it is also true that governments get the citizens they deserve. If politicians treat elections as a marketing campaign instead of a genuine contest of ideas, then they should expect people to shop around for the best deal they can get for themselves.
Latest 2 of 110 comments
View all comments-
Colin Fraser says:
There is no doubt about it, the Right is having a field day with an inept government they can brand as Left. What a lot of nonsense. Menzies was further to the Left than this government. The authors ask about the “Politics of the Day” but they completely ignore the… Read more »
-
Harquebus says:
If you are filthy rich you shouldn’t be allowed to vote. Read more »
Summer’s not over yet but those of us lucky enough to have secured a decent break over Christmas/New Year are mostly filing back into work this week or next.
Joy!
So too our politicians where at the national level, a snap poll theoretically can be called at any time.
Latest 2 of 62 comments
View all comments-
Louise says:
persephone, you certainly reinforce what a “fake, false & forged” show pony Rudd is. Funny, I thought you were a Rudd supporter. It’s good to see genuine Labor voters are waking up to this neo-liberal tool in Peter Garrett stage gear. Read more »
-
D'oh says:
@ persephone Funny how you casually dismiss the lists I produced and then go after E’s somewhat less comprehensive list. It was a long list (achieved in a record time of 2 years mind you) and I would expect a long response. Bring on the 5 pages I say, Rudd’s… Read more »
Most people have no sympathy for hunger strikers - they think they’re crazy.
Peter Spencer is into his seventh week of a hunger strike but he isn’t crazy, he’s just had enough.
He’s so fed up with his lot in life, he’s ready to die.
Continue reading "Crazy or not this bloke needs to get out of his tree" »
Latest 2 of 147 comments
View all comments-
RobJ says:
” He cannot use it though so isn’t that “taken from him”?? “ He can use it! He can’t clear it, this is a good thing, continuous land clearance is UNSUSTAINABLE!!! (see Mulga Bill’s post above) Please just state facts, don’t make things up to defend this (according to his… Read more »
-
Steve says:
I’ve just heard on the radio (2GB) that he’s coming down today. Read more »
Christmas is an odd time of year at Parliament. It’s a ghost town populated by a few grumpy staffers who inexplicably have to work and a few merrier journos who spend a rather long time at lunch.
But with such merriment one also has to keep an eye out for the Government dumping the trash when nobody is looking.
On Tuesday night at 6:30 the Government put out a press release quietly announcing that the controversial Men’s Health Ambassadors program, of which Julia Gillard’s partner was the marquee signing, had met for the final time and was being scrapped.
Continue reading "Tis the season to bury bad Government decisions" »
Latest 2 of 7 comments
View all comments-
Leonid says:
The comments above by IT’S JUST ME about the NSW musical chairs premiers are most unfair. Every member of the Sussex Street government thinks they are entitled to their turn as premier, so they can all score a flash pension and a chauffeur driven limo for life. Lucky taxpayers. And… Read more »
-
IT'S JUST ME. says:
Ideas and manner of thinking between the NSW Ministerial individuals with a bourgeois ideology of modern politicians are all about power but choose to conduct them like power hunger Actors. Rather then getting on with the job of true representative government, a fixation of who should or should be the… Read more »
Facebook Recommendations
Read all about it
Punch live
Up to the minute Twitter chatter
How much fun is it retweeting people who can't spell?
In other Olympian news, Steph rice is advertising Sunrice Chinese style Mongolian chicken. Think about that for a tick
Recent posts
The latest and greatest
Is there a nicotine patch strong enough for this?
Ok. I am not a leading expert in world’s best practice on prisoner rehabilitation — my experience…
A great win by Webber, but it sure as hell wasn’t sport
This morning I joined millions of other Australians in accelerating, braking, swearing and spilling coffee…
Fighting Assad one strongly worded statement at a time
This weekend’s massacre in Houla, Syria, is one of those stories that invites but doesn’t…
Nosebleed Section
choice ringside rantings
From: They must pay for one’s bitter disappointments
Michael S says:
"A teacher at Geelong Grammar had criticised her for using words that were too long, which had left her confused and had made her doubt her ability to write essays. She became ''quite distressed'' when her English marks began to fall." I can sympathise. My scholastic mentors conveyed to me a causal relationship… [read more]From: Welfare for breeders is a bonus for everyone
Change Up! says:
I have no problem paying my taxes. As a single, childless person on a very decent income, I can afford it and not have my life severely altered. Plus I understand that my taxes paying for things like schools, childcare and infrastructure is ultimately a good thing. A better community is better for me… [read more]Gentle jabs to the ribs
They must pay for one’s bitter disappointments
A private school girl’s family is sueing her elite, extremely expensive private school for not… Read more
Latest 2 of 179 comments
View all commentsAdd your comment