Issue 60 : 2 to 8 September 2021
Smaller Government turns out to be penny wise, pound foolish
Ross Gittins | Nine Media
Our problems responding to the pandemic are just the latest, most acute demonstration of the failure of the decades-long pursuit of Smaller Government.
Roll out the pork barrels
Richard Denniss | The Saturday Paper
Politicians don’t fear criticism, they crave it. Vocal criticism from their enemies proves they are delivering for their friends.
Saving western civilisation: The IPA’s Aussie Crusade
A L Jones | Arena
The work of IPA’s researcher Bella d’Abrera takes us further into the IPA’s agenda, as she is the director of the IPA’s Foundations of Western Civilisation Program. Although much has been written about the IPA, d’Abrera and her program are less familiar.
Australian Greens Are Building a Movement to End Neoliberalism
Adam Bandt | Jacobin
At the beginning of the crisis, with the increase to JobSeeker and with the JobKeeper wage subsidy, the status quo was suspended — and rightly so. But it also exposed the ugly reality we had lived with before. Now, we need to say that we can’t go back to that.
Climate Change, Mr Morrison, and Theology
Paul Tyson | Arena
Mr Morrison has a problem. By now, someone in his government’s environment portfolio will have read the IPCC’s Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis, Summary for Policymakers report. The message from this United Nations scientific panel about climate change is very simple: business as usual will doom us all.
The RBA has not raised interest rates for 130 months – and history suggests low rates are here to stay
Greg Jericho | The Guardian
Since the last rate rise, Australian house prices have risen so much that levels seen in the past would wreck the economy.
Suddenly everyone is talking about JobKeeper. Why?
Georgia Wilkins | Crikey
It’s not just JobKeeper. Inequality is seeping into headlines everywhere, whether it’s travel exemptions for the prime minister or vaccines being prioritised for certain states.
The Nouveau Poor – gender pay gap, super inequality stretched in pandemic
Harry Chemay | Michael West Media
COVID-19 Mu variant: Lockdowns are just practice for coming pandemics
Guy Rundle | Crikey
To tell you the truth I would not be dismayed to learn that the Victorian experience is some sort of experiment into how much people can take of this sort of life, in preparation for something worse. At least this would make it some meaningful sort of experience.
Border closures: Scott Morrison has a fight on his hands
Bernard Keane | Crikey
Imagine going to an election on a platform of forcing West Australians to get infected. Or Tasmanians. Or South Australians. Or Queenslanders.
Family ties crucial to coping with the pandemic
Vyshnavee Wijekumar | The Saturday Paper
In Western Sydney, multigenerational families living in migrant households are finding new ways to confront the pandemic.
Transparency? And now the missing NSW modelling
Michael Pascoe | The New Daily
It is not credible that releasing only partial figures for expected infections and hospitalisations wasn’t intentional. It is inexplicable.
The Liberal Government doesn’t care if you die
Dr Jennifer Wilson | Independent Australia
Social housing residents struggling with ‘inadequate food’ and ‘overpolicing’ in hard lockdown
Eden Gillespie | SBS News
COVID-19: The mental health crisis and right’s hypocrisy
Dechlan Brennan | Green Left
Calls grow for low-risk prisoner releases as COVID-19 enters NSW prisons
Rachael Knowles | National Indigenous Times
If we have to live with COVID, why is the health system not being prepared?
A NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association Member | Red Flag
A premature victory over Covid could be ruinous
Jack Waterford | Pearls and Irritations
Coal in China: The good, the bad and the ugly
John Quiggin | Independent Australia
While moving towards net-zero emissions targets, the Chinese Government is making an effort to stamp out corruption within its energy sector.
Xi Jinping wards off China-style populism
Geoff Raby | Pearls and Irritations
Winds of change for Peru?
Max O. | Vanguard
Kabul Diaries Part 10: A city with one gender stinks
Yasmeen Afghan | Green Left
Agriculture Visas: Modern slavery continues
Abul Rivzi | Independent Australia
Maritime Qube workers mark 40 days of industrial action
Alex Salmon | Green Left
Victoria Police’s use of non-lethal weapons condemned
Joel McKay | Green Left