It is very difficult to take Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s nuclear announcement seriously. His proposal for seven nuclear power stations is, at present, legally impossible, technically improbable, economically irrational and environmentally irresponsible. Given the repeated community objections to much more modest nuclear proposals, such as storage of low-level radioactive waste, there is almost […]
New Zealand’s understaffed and underfunded midwifery sector is hoping to benefit from increased health funding announced in the 2024 budget. The government has promised NZ$8.15 billion in additional operating capital for the health system, with $3.44 billion earmarked for hospital and speciality services and $2.12 billion for primary care and public health. […]
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said he and Chinese Premier Li Qiang discussed improving military-to-military communications to avoid future incidents involving their armed forces in their wide-ranging meeting on Monday. This follows an encounter last year in which Australian Navy divers were targeted with sonar and one this year when […]
Chinese Premier Li Qiang is visiting Australia from June 15 to 18. It is the first visit to Australia by a Chinese premier in seven years, and signals a further thawing of the once-frosty relations between the two countries. Who is Li Qiang? The premier leads the State Council and is ranked […]
A national Newspoll, conducted June 3–7 from a sample of 1,232, had Labor and the Coalition tied at 50–50, a two-point gain for the Coalition since the post-budget Newspoll, three weeks ago. This is Labor’s worst position in Newspoll since last November, following the fallout from the defeat of the Voice referendum. […]
In his latest foray into the climate change debate, Peter Dutton has sown fresh confusion around the opposition’s policy, whether intentionally or by failing to spell out what he means. It’s yet more frustration for potential investors in the energy and other clean industry sectors who crave greater certainty about […]
Anyone following recent news reporting may rightly think Australia’s migration system is in “crisis”. Much of this reporting is fixated on the perceived threat posed by non-citizens to the safety or prosperity of the Australian community. Last week, this panic was reflected in Immigration Minister Andrew Giles’ proposed revised directive to decision-makers […]
All Australian teachers need to be able to teach their students about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures. It is part of their professional standards and the curriculum requires First Nations content to be taught across all areas of learning. But non-Indigenous teachers are often hesitant to include […]
On October 17, 1953, constitutional reform granted women the right to vote in Mexico, and two years later, women cast ballots for the first time in a federal election. Now, nearly 70 years later, Mexico has elected a woman president for the first time, according to an official quick count. Claudia Sheinbaum, the […]
The world has reacted with anger this week after an Israeli air strike on a safe zone for displaced civilians in southern Gaza reportedly resulted in the deaths of at least 45 people, including women and children. This latest action in Israel’s war in Gaza has come despite the International Court of […]
