$1.7 billion childcare spend but is it as good as it seems?
Researchers at the Grattan Institute say this will help some families but not improve affordability for most and, as always, it’s complicated. The $1.7 billion is over three years – a 6% …
Farewell National Covid Commission but what did it do?
The PM announced yesterday that the NCC Advisory Board Commissioners had answered “the call for their country’ and would be disbanded. However, other than to drive a large and publicly-funded …
Flight ban from India irrational and let’s help Africa
Preventing Australian citizens coming home from India on the basis of Covid cases makes no sense. The penalties applied – jail terms of up to five years and fines of …
Supporting the Indigenous Voice
Our submission: The Australian Democrats strongly support a First Nations Voice proposed by the Uluru Statement from the Heart. As Professor Marcia Langton says, the only way to overcome the …
Fossil-fuelled divisiveness
The PM reached a new low this week, pitting rural people against city-dwellers over action on global warming. He said: We will not achieve net zero in the cafes, dinner …
Holgate: A gender issue? Absolutely.
Bullied out of her job, humiliated and unlawfully stood down, Christine Holdgate deserves justice. As everyone knows, Scott Morrison directed that she stand down – one of the most public, …
Biden: you’re invited
President Joe Biden has invited 40 world leaders to his virtual Whitehouse Summit on Climate in 2 week’s time. It remains to be seen who turns up and it will …
Feminist Foreign Affairs
Why we need a feminist foreign policy Australia is still a long way from having equal representation in the Parliament and this matters because the evidence shows that increased female …
More listening, less lecturing to young people
The new National Children’s Commissioner, Anne Hollonds, says children and young people are speaking up about their experiences of abuse and now we must act on what they say. They …
Risks to Australia of a 3 deg. warmer world
The Australian Academy of Science has just released its latest report saying the world is well on the way to devastating climate change and global commitments made in the Paris …