Spending
With the Federal Budget adjusted this week in an attempt to drag us back into the black, it’s time to go through government spending with a fine-toothed comb and pull back wherever we can. I’d like to help with this process if I can.
Wading through the bits of the 2011-2012 Budget that actually say actual things in actual English (that is, the bits that don’t say things like “continuing benefits to the bottom-line beyond the forward estimates”, which I assume means “um”) I was struck by some comparative numbers.
One of the numbers was $222 million, which has been earmarked to extend the National School Chaplaincy Program.
Continue reading "Government brushes holey molars for holy rollers" »
In 1983, money came out of the closet. Up until then any discussion about money was taboo and considered uncouth. No-one ever talked about how much their house was worth, or what shares to buy, or whether to buy Aussie dollars now to get the best rate before they went on holidays.
Term deposits were considered financially sexy. No-one had heard about managed funds, superannuation or property syndicates unless you were among the rich and famous.
At that time treasurer Paul Keating floated the Australian dollar and deregulated the financial system.
Continue reading "Stop talking about your money, spend it!" »
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Judge says:
So sick of seeing your crap comments under every Punch, maybe you’re the one that needs to ‘go outside and play’. Read more »
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Daniel says:
Apparently it didn’t give you a grounding in reality though. 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" »
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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 »
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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 »
Last month, Woodstock Festival – the event that’s come to represent Baby Boomer youth culture in our collective consciousness – turned 40.
Given the Boomers spawned the crazy consumer consumption habits that sent us crashing towards the GFC, it was only fitting for promoters to get the talent off the couch, jab them with Botox and organise the requisite merchandising and exorbitant ticket pricing. Ka-ching!
Meanwhile, the media and marketers have been celebrating ageing while concurrently exploring ways to delay its visible signs in order to appeal to the cash-cow that is the Boomers’ retirement fund (albeit one reduced by the GFC).
Continue reading "Boomers are back in fashion but kids still rule the cash" »
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Patty Huntington says:
Apple Inc – Steve Jobs (54), Steve Wozniak (59) Microsoft – Bill Gates (53) BlackBerry – Mike Lazaridis (48) The MP3 player – Kane Kramer (53 - and acknowledged by Apple as the true inventor of the iPod) Nintendo’s Mario, Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, Star Fox, Pikmin, F-Zero,… Read more »
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NNick says:
“You might remember a band by the name of the Arctic Monkeys, the original myspace hype band. Their debut album sold like hotcakes; how did their follow-up album fare?” Extremely well: (from Wikipedia) “Favourite Worst Nightmare’s first day sales of 85,000 outsold the rest of the Top 20 combined, while… Read more »
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marley says:
I'm one of the older ones, so I've certainly seen a few changes in my time. When I started school I learned to write with a nib pen, dipped in an inkwell (no, I'm not kidding). My mother became a dab hand at getting inkstains out of my clothes. Flicking ink at one another in the classroom was an essential… [read more]From: I’d rather have a piece of toast than listen to crap lyrics
Erick says:
Led Zeppelin are responsible for my all-time favourite mixed metaphor: "There you sit, sit and stare, like a book on a shelf rusting." (Misty Mountain Hop) I laugh every time I hear it. Hmmm, I believe I've decided what to play on the way to work today. [read more]Gentle jabs to the ribs
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