Friday, May 9, 2008
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The vilification of Islam, particularly in the West, has developed into something of a pseudo-intellectual industry. Political Philosophy - Mustafa Qadri - 64 comments
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We should be able to present arguments in defence of our faith and also our point of view, even if this is unpopular. Religion & Spirituality - Keysar Trad - 45 comments
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There are times, in war or during emergencies, when individual rights have to suffer for the good of the whole. Law & Liberties - John Spender - 19 comments
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Australia is one of the most successful multilingual and multicultural countries in the world: we should be tapping in to this valuable resource. Feature - Joe Lo Bianco - 7 comments
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In this US election cycle, the shadows of three past presidents - Reagan, Clinton and Bush - loom large. International - Ciaran Ryan - 13 comments
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Understanding an intimate relationship: the adult man exists in a relationship with his mother that can’t be resolved. Society - Peter West - 11 comments
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Thursday, May 8, 2008
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Even the more extreme model projections only depict tropical oceanic warming still well within the limits that thriving reefs tolerate. Environment - Walter Starck - 8 comments
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Scientists must work harder at making the public aware of the stark difference between good science and denialist spin. Science & Technology - Barry Brook - 47 comments
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A new virtual fashion game gives young girls the message that their ultimate aim in life is to be a bimbo. Media - Melinda Tankard Reist - 39 comments
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If Peter Garrett went into politics to make a difference (and one assumes that he did) the Traveston Dam will be a crucial test of his determination. Environment - Jenny Stewart - 10 comments
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They want to put a gas pipeline through your property? So much for ownership, or at least the little person's ownership, and the right of refusal. Law & Liberties - Kellie Tranter - 1 comment
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A universal language is a tool for international communication, which respects and ensures the continuity of all national tongues, dialects, and idioms. Feature - Henriette Vanechop - 14 comments
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Wednesday, May 7, 2008
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By 2050 the Great Barrier Reef will be unrecognisable. Bacterial slime, largely devoid of life, will be everywhere. Environment - Charlie Veron - 10 comments
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The Haneef inquiry may be a wasted exercise. When reputations, careers and organisational interests are at stake, voluntary co-operation quickly declines. Law & Liberties - Scott Prasser - 17 comments
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There is no need to tighten monetary policy after the March quarter's inflation figures - and no need to abandon or modify the inflation target either. Economics - Saul Eslake - 4 comments
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Learning a second language gives us an improved understanding the world, as much as it helps us to be understood. Feature - Claudia Mainard - 27 comments
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Despite its flaws, the Summit was a great success. It was an experiment in a new way of doing politics in Australia. Domestic Politics - George Williams - 3 comments
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Kevin Rudd has made a commitment to report annually on his government's efforts in closing the gap of Indigenous disadvantage. Indigenous Affairs - Stephen Hagan - 2 comments
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Tuesday, May 6, 2008
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With an over-heated economy and powerful demand for labour, a wages surge would in times past be under way by now. Economics - Henry Thornton - 8 comments
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The more information we place online and the less discriminating we are, the greater the risk of exposure to ID theft and more. Media - Andrew Barkla - 1 comment
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A contraceptive quick fix does nothing to address sexual abuse in Indigenous communities. Indigenous Affairs - Melinda Tankard Reist - 18 comments
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Implanon may be the new 'cool' contraceptive but it has some side effects that are worth noting. Health - Renate Klein - 4 comments
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Visions for Australian society and economy: what makes a 'Good Society' and should such a thing be measured in purely material terms? Society - Tristan Ewins - 29 comments
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Esperanto is the best choice for a general primary school strategy for LOTE in Australia. Feature - Penny Vos - 16 comments
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Monday, May 5, 2008
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An ice age is definitely not going to occur in the 21st century! Instead global average temperatures will continue to increase. Environment - David Karoly - 35 comments
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It seems that Kevin Rudd's Government has given China a broad degree of latitude outside normal diplomatic behaviour. International - Peter Coates - 36 comments
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We need to reshape the way humanity produces food, feeds itself and manages Earth's natural resources. Environment - Julian Cribb - 23 comments
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In Jane Austen's novels God is displaced by aesthetics and manners and fine sentiment. Religion & Spirituality - Peter Sellick - 25 comments
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The tax hike on pre-mixed drinks will yield $500 million for the next four years. That's a lot of money for a government with election promises to keep. Society - Jeremy Sammut - 7 comments
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Providing the appropriate legal underpinning to future relations would be a significant step for Indigenous Australians. Indigenous Affairs - Megan Davis and Sarah Maddison - 8 comments
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Friday, May 2, 2008
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Academic freedom, religious freedom and gay rights: why 'questioning the secular' is a reactionary discourse. Religion & Spirituality - Bronwyn Winter - 60 comments
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The reason for China's intransigence on Tibet is simple - it intends to divert the Brahmaputra River, devastating flows to India and Bangladesh. International - Arthur Thomas - 22 comments
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Domestic violence policy is overwhelmingly dominated by the idea that it is something that men do to women. Society - Roger Smith - 65 comments
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The Indian 20-20 cricket scene is surely unprecedented in the annals of this rather stuffy sport. We might as well be in Yankee stadium! Sport - Binoy Kampmark - 5 comments
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During the next few weeks expect a speech from Obama where he defends his patriotism and his connections with the common folk. International - Brendon O'Connor - 2 comments
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It is unfortunate that public school teachers get continual sniping from certain educational commentators. Education - Ian Keese - 15 comments
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Thursday, May 1, 2008
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May Day is a day to celebrate international working class solidarity. It stands for better wages, working and living conditions. Society - John Passant - 15 comments
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To negative gear and minimise stamp duty, buy the home you want to invest in and rent the one you live in. Economics - Gavin Putland
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The ideas for education coming out of the Summit were a bit underwhelming. Education - Chris Bonnor - 12 comments
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I wish I could be a more enthusiastic summiteer, but putting 1,000 'brainy' people into workshops produced very little. Domestic Politics - Lyn Allison - 11 comments
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It is an indictment on successive governments that Australia remains one of only two OECD countries without paid maternity leave. Society - Natasha Stott Despoja - 39 comments
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'You'll regret it if you don't wear white.' Weddings aren’t really about the people getting married as much as what they mean to the people around them. Society - Louisa Davin - 10 comments
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Wednesday, April 30, 2008
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It is the right of all citizens to have access to a life sustaining supply of potable water so how will trading in water and water licences achieve this? Political Philosophy - Bruce Haigh - 10 comments
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Are we adopting American spelling because it is somehow superior? Are we happy with this? Do we care? Society - Louise Schaper - 18 comments
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It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that the Rudd Government's proposals far from constitute an education 'revolution'. Education - Des Moore - 6 comments
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The prices of food, oil, petrol and money are all going up. What is going on? Economics - Peter Jonson - 2 comments
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It is possible for householders to work out how to dispose of their rubbish without using so many plastic bags. Environment - Valerie Yule - 12 comments
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Australian public policy, and our economy, could benefit from the use of randomised trials to evaluate them first. April Feature - Andrew Leigh - 1 comment
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Enhancing the Australian mortgage-backed securities market to lower mortgage costs. Economics - Greg Medcraft - 3 comments
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Tuesday, April 29, 2008
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The odds are at least 50-50 that we will see significant cooling rather than warming in coming decades. Environment - Phil Chapman - 17 comments
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Britain - the Falkland Isles - and Argentina are both likely to bid for an expansion to their country's territory - and it's all about oil. International - John Lea
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The ultimate consumer is consumerism itself, and the things it consumes are us. Society - Malcolm King - 5 comments
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More die each year in workplaces than in the conflicts that plague their nations. They die quietly and with no fanfare. International - Melody Kemp - 9 comments
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Spirituality is a burgeoning industry, but is it good for mental health? Religion & Spirituality - Rosemary Aird - 16 comments
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It seems important to ask whether our forbearers fought for a just cause, or at least, a well justified cause. Society - Brendon O'Connor - 50 comments
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Monday, April 28, 2008
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The great historical issues of our day are being decided not by historical argument, but by parliamentary vote, with judges enforcing these decisions. Law & Liberties - Paul Doolan - 31 comments
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Producers toy with scarcity, allowing fuel prices to soar, while the earth edges closer to catastrophe. Environment - James Hansen - 24 comments
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To fight climate change environmental necessity must trump political convenience. Environment - Bo Ekman - 7 comments
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Is it possible that coal corporations know that carbon capture and storage is not viable, but continue to promote it to maintain share prices? Environment - Tony Troughton-Smith - 18 comments
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Many Australians erroneously assume the Constitution protects fundamental rights and freedoms. Law & Liberties - Graeme Innes - 14 comments
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In the short term, it’s unlikely that the US will be able to challenge China’s status as the official Olympic champion of executions. Law & Liberties - Jeff Sparrow - 5 comments
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Thursday, April 24, 2008
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Anzac day is a day of delusion: we have created a day of celebration of nationhood when we need a day of recognition that war is nothing but the ultimate human failure. Science & Technology - Brian Holden - 135 comments
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A HREOC Background Paper provides an international context to examine the Federal Racial Discrimination Act Law & Liberties - Tom Calma - 8 comments
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A new world is emerging that will require the recycling of waste that has not previously been recycled. And it is happening in China. Environment - David DuByne - 3 comments
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The central reason the republic referendum went down in 1999 is that the people could not accept the model being foisted upon them. The people wanted the power to appoint the head of state. Political Philosophy - Nick Ferrett - 25 comments
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For historians, Anzac Day, is 'a martial affair with military music and ritual', while for churches and their army chaplains, it’s a 'faith event'. Society - Alan Matheson - 10 comments
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Climate change: focusing on economics alone is to suggest that the market can sort it all out. But clearly it hasn't, can't and won't. Environment - Simon Roz - 8 comments
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Wednesday, April 23, 2008
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How can we now get the public to take seriously peak oil concerns when these have not been rubber-stamped as 'valid' by Rudd’s Summit? Environment - Michael Lardelli - 24 comments
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At Kevin Rudd's 2020 Summit many nuggety little ideas emerged; not just in the official documents, but in conversations between participants. Domestic Politics - Andrew Leigh - 10 comments
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The 2020 Summit has lifted a cloud, providing 'permission' for Australians to reassess their own lives and where we are heading as a nation. Society - Ken Boundy - 5 comments
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If ever there was a measure as to how far above its weight Australia punches on the world stage, it’s our vast, diverse, talented community of expats. Society - Bryan Gaensler - 6 comments
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Kevin Rudd returned from overseas to be faced with the circus of the 2020 Summit and a raft of under performing Ministers. Domestic Politics - Bruce Haigh - 6 comments
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The first Anzac Day was an attempt to divert anger away from the capitalist class using the false idea of nationhood. Political Philosophy - John Passant - 32 comments
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Tuesday, April 22, 2008
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Alan Trounson's 'Frodo moment': embryonic stem cell research looks like becoming obsolete and women decline to donate their eggs. Health - Michael Cook - 8 comments
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Comparing the US sub-prime crisis to the great depression, or the 1970's oil crisis, is simply overblown. Economics - Sinclair Davidson - 12 comments
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If the Doha round stalls again we will see if Rudd’s free trade ideals are just rhetoric or reality. Economics - Clarissa Keil
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Due to the Bush administration's policy blunders, Iraq has now become an Iranian issue as well. International - Dilip Hiro - 5 comments
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If a republican model is to be put to the Australian people, as the 2020 Summit proposes, then it must be one that emerges from a community process. Political Philosophy - Greg Barns and Anna Krawec-Wheaton - 15 comments
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Geography is an essential tool in determining the future direction of the Australian economy. April Feature - Brad Ruting - 6 comments
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Monday, April 21, 2008
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Schools today treat students as clients, to be taught the same material, at the same pace, at the same age, in the same manner. Education - John Daicopoulos - 17 comments
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Rewarding farmers for more sustainable practices will allow our children to enjoy their desserts without expanding our deserts. Environment - Jim Scott - 8 comments
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Many studies demonstrate the savings to society from investment in those who are disadvantaged. Society - Rob Salter - 5 comments
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Senator Clinton needs to win the Pennsylvania primary not just by a little, but by a wide margin, to re-establish her credibility and to re-energise her supporters. International - Walt Brasch - 1 comment
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Australia is now a nation of dual-breadwinner households, although women continue to be the second or marginal income earner. April Feature - Angela Barns and Alison Preston - 26 comments
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To achieve better educational outcomes for Indigenous Australians we need to give tangible evidence that we value their cultures as much as we value our own. Indigenous Affairs - Jan Ferguson - 19 comments
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Friday, April 18, 2008
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In China when the Games are over, industry will ratchet up production, pollution will worsen, the media will be muzzled and 11 new cities will be built around Beijing ... International - Arthur Thomas - 36 comments
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Rather than waging history wars about the honour of the victors, perhaps we ought to try to understand the experience of those who were conquered and suffered. Society - Dirk Moses - 19 comments
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Do Muslim women wear the veil out of their own free will or are they forced to wear it? Political Philosophy - Kees Bakhuyzen - 107 comments
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As the countdown to the 2020 Summit continues, participants have been getting in early with their favourite ideas. Domestic Politics - Henry Thornton - 9 comments
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Those opposed to a republic are using tired arguments against the renewed debate. Their arguments are at odds with the spirit of 2020. Law & Liberties - John Warhurst - 18 comments
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As anyone who has tried to call an electrician or plumber knows, we have an overheated economy, bumping up against supply constraints. April Feature - Ian McAuley - 6 comments
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Thursday, April 17, 2008
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The argument is if human activity has added to the current, natural warming cycle: and if it hasn't then why spend up big on carbon trading? Environment - Mark S. Lawson - 66 comments
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Friedrich Hayek theorised, quite rightly, that central planning is a dysfunctional way to run an economy. April Feature - Nicholas Gruen - 6 comments
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Big house, big car, big TV, big mortgage? And you can't make ends meet? Society - Steven French - 26 comments
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Achieving an Indigenous treaty in Australia would be a long, hard process but it could help bridge the gulf between Indigenous people and the rest of Australia. Indigenous Affairs - George Williams - 6 comments
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Indigenous parents should not have to wait to experience tangible improvements in their children’s education. Indigenous Affairs - Brendan Darcy
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Persistent questions in our media about the US's readiness for a black or female president ignore some interesting facts. International - Ben-Peter Terpstra - 3 comments
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Wednesday, April 16, 2008
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Freedom of opinion and expression. How important are they as values to those of us in western, democratic societies? Law & Liberties - Alamgir Hussain - 40 comments
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The 2020 Summit is a chance to switch the focus of public debate from complaints about our system of government to ideas on how to improve it. Law & Liberties - Anne Twomey - 6 comments
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Our GPs are vanishing from inner cities and rural areas placing an undue burden on hospital emergency departments. Health - Barbara Reynolds-Hutchinson - 7 comments
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Book review: 'Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA', by Tim Weiner, reveals a failing and deficient CIA. International - Reg Little - 1 comment
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Nation's future health goes on life support. Think prevention - not just cure: this is how Australia must fight emerging epidemics. Health - Todd Harper - 7 comments
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The 2020 Summit could well present that critical podium Indigenous people have been seeking for so long. Indigenous Affairs - Stephen Hagan - 7 comments
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Tuesday, April 15, 2008
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How can Pakistani politicians, who have not earned a single day’s bread in their lifetime, fathom and solve the real issues for ordinary Pakistanis? International - Aslam Naru - 3 comments
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The Olympics is invariably tainted. Far from being an occasion for uplift, the games invariably provide a time for mourning. Sport - Binoy Kampmark - 13 comments
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Kevin Rudd needs to know that Australia has a big repair job to do at the UN. Domestic Politics - Tony Kevin - 25 comments
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The Jewish establishment fails to understand the shifting sands of the debate. International - Antony Loewenstein - 97 comments
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A wonderful life - a tribute to Lionel Hogg who passed away in February 2008. He was the inspiration for his son, Lionel Hogg, co-founder with Graham Young of 'On Line Opinion'. Society - Lionel Hogg - 4 comments
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Many in society do not value the disabled and equally do not value the disability support workers who help them achieve. Health - Peter Gibilisco and Debbie Mackenzie - 3 comments
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Monday, April 14, 2008
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When partial compliance is as bad as none: the Paradise Dam in Queensland has a fishway for the Australian Lungfish that is all but useless. Environment - Roger Currie - 3 comments
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Why, as a shrewd politician, did John Howard not ratify the Kyoto Protocol? Domestic Politics - Jenny Stewart - 14 comments
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The question is how many of those attending Kevin Rudd's 2020 Summit will be able to afford to disagree with the Government? Domestic Politics - John Roskam - 17 comments
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There is a political-corporate-union-business alliance in Tasmania that has given Gunns the green light for its pulp mill. Political Philosophy - Peter Henning - 9 comments
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Technology has resulted in teenagers and young adults having a very different conception of privacy. Society - Peter Black - 2 comments
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The federal government is looking at filtering content at the Internet Service Provider (ISP) level, but it doesn't work. Science & Technology - Chris Abood - 1 comment
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