This weekend marks the beginning of National Reconciliation Week, a time for reflection on the past, an honest assessment of where we've got to as an inclusive society, and an opportunity to forge a better future together as Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. It is 43 years last Friday since the 1967 referendum, and this coming …
Dear tobacco industry: Do no harm
In recent weeks tobacco sales and advertising have again been in the news as the tobacco industry reacts to the Gillard Government's courageous plan to mandate that all tobacco products be sold in plain packaging by July 2012. The good news is that public education campaigns and restrictions on tobacco advertising have made a significant …
Churches welcome aid budget increase
Most Australian families operate on a budget. So do companies, clubs and societies, and churches. And so, of course, does the federal government. Beyond the figures, a budget is a strong indication of an organisation's core priorities, while changes from year to year show how those priorities fluctuate. Last week's federal budget was a dog's breakfast …
Bin Laden killing a symbolic victory
The world’s most wanted man, Osama bin Laden, is dead. For ten years the face of global Islamist terror, bin Laden was finally cornered and shot dead by US Navy SEALS in a secure compound outside Islamabad in Pakistan. It was a high-risk operation, not least for US President Barack Obama, who ordered bin Laden …
Knee-jerk responses to Osama’s death
Along with millions around the world, I greeted news of the death of Osama bin Laden with surprised relief, and I was fascinated by the responses it generated. But two concerns stood out. First, while jubilation at a long hoped-for win is understandable, the scenes of wild celebration outside the White House detracted, I think, …
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