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Stop playing political games with the Child Care Subsidy Reform
Samantha Page | February 16, 2017The Government has stalled the Child Care Package by tying it to other welfare reforms in the Omnibus Bill. Samantha Page, CEO of Early Childhood Australia (ECA), calls on all Federal politicians to stop using the Child Care Subsidy Reform as a pawn in political gamesmanship.
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Democracy and populism
John Keane | February 13, 2017We’re witnessing the rise of populist leaders around the globe. John Keane, Professor of Politics and co-founder and director of the Sydney Democracy Network (SDN), explains why we need something more radically democratic to turn this around.
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Manufacturing in Australia – a political topic
Veronica Sheen | February 10, 2017The structure of manufacturing in industrialised countries like Australia and the USA is very different now from what it was in the 1950s and 1960s. Veronica Sheen wonders if those demanding a revival of local manufacturing really know what they wish for.
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Working and retiring under the new NSW Ageing Strategy
Helen Rogers | January 25, 2017When developing their Ageing Strategy, the NSW Government consulted with more than 4,000 older people. Helen Rogers explains what they learnt and what this means for the future of working and retiring.
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The birth of Trumpland: Notes on an inauguration
Binoy Kampmark | January 22, 2017With the country ridden by woe and revulsion; with the discontent so profound and vicious, the Trump presidency began. It did so by way of comparison – of the chalk-cheese variety. In 2008, when the shining armour of Knight Obama took centre stage, there were sighs, ecstatic releases, heavy exhalations of hope. The theme, then, to start this presidency: numbers of attendees.
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Baird’s early exit means NSW loses a leader whose best years were yet to come
Gregory Melleuish | January 19, 2017On Thursday NSW Premier Mike Baird has announced his resignation from politics. Gregory Melleuish, Professor at the University of Wollongong, has the details.
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Australian post-school education in the age of Trump
Don Perlgut | January 17, 2017There are very few guideposts for what the Trump Administration will do in higher education. Don Perlgut, CEO of Community Colleges Australia, looks at the Australian VET sector.
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Guess who got a cattle station for Christmas
Max Thomas | January 12, 2017The Australian government has recently approved a bid from mining magnate Gina Rinehart and a Chinese partner to buy the cattle empire S. Kidman & Co. Max Thomas voices his concerns.
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What’s in store for Australian political parties in 2017?
Dominic O'Sullivan | January 9, 2017Angry and disaffected voters will increasingly be a challenge for the Turnbull Government this year. Political expert Dominic O’Sullivan talks us through the opportunities and potential pitfalls for our political parties.
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Looking back on 2016
Svetlana Stankovic | December 14, 2016An eventful year is coming to an end. Thank you for your blogs, your comments and your support. Here’s an overview of our discussion topics and the most popular blogs written this year.
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How democratic are we?
Bede Harris | December 14, 2016So long as the electoral system remains unchanged, we are condemned to an eternal alternation in power between Labor and the Coalition. That is not a democracy, it is a duopoly, as Bede Harris points out. So what is to be done?
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GAP – Year in Review 2016
Catherine Fritz-Kalish | December 11, 2016The end of the year is a time to reflect and gives us an opportunity to share with you how the GAP process has delivered to its members and to society as a whole.