Opinion
It wasn’t long after it lost the 2022 election that we started to hear how the Coalition would be focusing its attacks on immigration. Anti-immigration is a crutch, one that political parties use to avoid facing up to Australia’s actual economic problems. Ramping up the rhetoric against migrants is not honest and courageous. It is […]
New labour rights coming into effect on 26 August, including the ‘Right to Disconnect’. On Monday, 26 August, several legal and regulatory changes included in the Closing Loopholes Act (passed earlier this year by Parliament) will come into effect. These changes will better protect casual employees, with a new legal definition of what constitutes casual employment (rather than […]
One of my favourite parts of the working day is picking up my three-year-old son, Gilbert, from childcare. He is so eager to tell me about who he played with, what he ate (or didn’t), which books he read and the letters and numbers he learned. I am so grateful to the educators who make […]
In March this year almost half a million New South Wales (NSW) primary and secondary students took the 2024 National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) tests. NAPLAN assesses students’ proficiency in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 with standardised tests, and is centrally administered and marked. This allows for achievement to be monitored […]
40 years ago today, there was seismic change for women. But there’s still more to do 1 August 1984 was a day of seismic change for women across Australia. At a time when women were unlikely to be approved for home loans, faced limited maternity leave provisions, if any, and were able to have their […]
On Saturday evening（27 July 2024）, as Australia’s triumphant 4x100m Freestyle Relay women’s team were making their way out of the Paris Aquatics Centre, a sports commentator called Bob Ballard observed: “Well, the women [are] just finishing up. You know what women are like … hanging around, doing their make-up.” Ouch. There’s no getting away from […]
Australian astronomer Lister Staveley-Smith told Xinhua in an interview that he hoped to see links between Australian and Chinese scholars deepen through face-to-face collaborations, which are very helpful in enabling new scientific projects. A hybrid conference was held in Perth, Western Australia from July 31 to Aug. 2 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the […]
A tobacco-style ban on fossil fuel advertising would be a decisive win for Australia – and the climate. The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, has called for a global fossil fuel advertising ban. This is a policy idea that has been previously proposed by advocates in Australia, and that was quickly backed by the Greens and nine Independent MPs […]
Along with all Australians, I was shocked by the terrible scenes at former President Trump’s campaign event in Pennsylvania. I’m relieved by the news that the former President is safe and doing fine, and I wish him and his family well. I applaud the swift work of US security agencies. I am also saddened by […]
Towards a culture of collaboration Reaching out. Welcoming others in. Collaborating. Achieving. This has not always been the image of the modern Australian Public Service. But every one in this room is committed to changing this. We know that in 2024 we need to work even harder for a public service that puts the Australian […]
