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Opportunities in existing suburbs
Simon Merrigan | October 1, 2008The substantial, but gradual re-development of the middle suburbs to a density that makes better use of land and allows for existing members of the community to remain in an area provides the best immediate opportunity for an increase in affordable housing.
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A tax for everything
alison gordon | September 30, 2008If we want to encourage more people to enter the housing market, there needs to be some incentive for them to do so.
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Mentors and role models
Kate Rimer | September 29, 2008Flexibility is not just a women's issue, but the lack of support and outright antagonism from some senior women does not help the cause for change and continues to be a great disappointment.
In my last two blogs on Open Forum I talked about some of the challenges and support I received as I navigated the straights of a challenging career and motherhood.
In this last piece, I would like to talk briefly about the roles of mentors in managing work/life issues and flexibility, which we will come back to later. I have managed to combine work and family through the support of some key people, especially the mentors I have had along the way.
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The Rise in Consumerisation of IT
Craig Scroggie | September 28, 2008Employees are bringing their mobile devices to work and expect IT to support them.
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Adding cost through the duplication of regulation
Chris Lamont | September 26, 2008It is not uncommon for houses built on either side of the street to have differing obligation and regulations imposed.
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Survey Results now available!
JoeyPin | September 25, 2008Dear Openforum members and guests, Please be advised that the results to the Social Justice Survey project entitled "Houses and Humpies" is now complete. A great big 'Thank you' to all who participated. The completed surveys were received successfully by us, and they were all of great instrumental value and insight to the project contributor. […]
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The Hot Tip
sally.rose | September 24, 2008Leaving a tip is a much more compicated transaction than you may have ever imagined as poor regulation has created a moral minefield that needs to be carefully navigated.
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More than just lip-service
Anne Summers | September 23, 2008It is great to see women’s employment issues and problems – such as lack of equal pay, lack of child care, lack of paid maternity leave – finally being acknowledged and put back onto the political agenda.
While in my last blog I suggested the government has done well in promoting women to senior roles in cabinet, it is important that it does not commit the mistake of typecasting women as mothers, thus alienating those who have yet to have kids, or whose kids have already grown.
I was disappointed that the Rudd government decided not to reverse the previous government’s downgrading of the women’s policy advice function from the Prime Minister’s department to the welfare area.
As you will recall, the Howard government not only downgraded the Office of the status of Women but also changed its name – to the Office for Women. We lost our power – and our status.
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The Great Game Mark II
Warren Reed | September 17, 2008Immortalised by Kipling in 1901, at a time when Central Asia was seen by many strategists as the geopolitical centre of the world, now, in the early part of another century, 'The Great Game' is on again.
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An Image Makeover for Regulation
Peter Fritz | September 17, 2008To foster better regulation the first thing we need to do is to change our attitude.
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Why I learned to love regulation
patrickcallioni | September 17, 2008In our time, we cannot wait for hundreds of years while the rules evolve to suit our requirements; we cannot even wait decades, largely because of the speed of technological development and its social, economic and cultural consequences.
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A Fairer Approach to Risk Equalisation
John Rashleigh | September 17, 2008Managed well, Risk Equalisation has an important social role to play in ensuring health insurance is available to all Australian citizens, alleviating considerable pressure from the public purse.