In The News Jun 17

CELEBRATIONS
Bunker Hill Day          United States of America
Father's Day             El Salvador   Guatemala
Independence Day         Iceland
World Day to Combat Desertification & Drought   https://www.un.org/en/events/desertificationday/
More about Jun 17        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_17

ABORIGINAL PEOPLES
Department confirms remote work for the dole penalties are permanent
Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion said fines for failing to comply with work for the dole programs were "at worst suspended" — now he's backtracked.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-06-16/department-confirms-remote-work-for-dole-penalties-are-permanent/7518060

Comments about homeless Aboriginal people in NT 'misplaced'
WA Premier Colin Barnett brushes off calls for his state to "take back" hundreds of homeless Aboriginal people in Darwin, describing comments from NT's Chief Minister as "misplaced".
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-06-16/wa-premier-colin-barnett-dismisses-adam-giles-claims/7516950

NSW massacre site proposed for National History Keeping Place
There are calls for a new National History Keeping Place at the site of the Myall Creek massacre in New South Wales.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-06-16/call-for-a-national-indigenous-keeping-place/7516228

Aboriginal trust land development expected to create 1,200 jobs
Traditional owners are behind a push to develop a parcel of Aboriginal trust land in the Townsville suburb of Cranbrook that will create up to 1,200 jobs.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-06-16/indigenous-development-on-aboriginal-trust-land/7515784

Labor to restore funds to NCAFP
Labor would restore funding to the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples, stripped in the 2014 budget.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/federal-election-2016-labor-to-restore-funds-to-indigenous-affairs-budget/news-story/9b1180033ce138cd584084d17ae7e5f2

White teachers get help to overcome their anxiety about teaching Indigenous issues
Was Australia invaded or settled? What's the difference between Aboriginal, Koori and Indigenous people?
https://www.theage.com.au/victoria/white-teachers-get-help-to-overcome-their-anxiety-about-teaching-indigenous-issues-20160616-gpkqv0.html

David Hill: Invasion had lasting effects
It is useful to revisit the facts after the PM agreed the colonisation of Australia could be called an ‘invasion’.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/uk-invasion-unintended-but-had-lasting-effects-nonetheless/news-story/b50fa9ca634559b057cb6470b98ed2bd

Stephen Fitzpatrick: Debate enhances awareness
Political sparring over a treaty, constitutional recognition and invasion has ‘enhanced’ awareness of the issues.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/federal-election-2016/federal-election-2016-historys-dark-side-enhances-awareness/news-story/76eabaf25f66695f3f106a135882d8e7

SMH Editorial: Nation building on Indigenous recognition
What does it say about us as a nation, that there never seems to be a good time to talk about a treaty with Indigenous Australians?
https://www.smh.com.au/comment/smh-editorial/nation-building-on-indigenous-recognition-needs-a-mature-debate-20160615-gpjqko.html

ASYLUM SEEKERS
Desmond Tutu, Benedict Cumberbatch and Helen Mirren join calls for action to help refugees
Dozens of faith leaders and celebrities have today urged governments around the world to take immediate action on the growing refugee crisis.
https://www.christiantoday.com/article/desmond.tutu.benedict.cumberbatch.and.helen.mirren.join.calls.for.action.to.help.refugees/88525.htm

Sri Lankans reportedly bound for Australia and stranded off Aceh to be ‘escorted’ back
A pregnant woman and nine children are among the 44 on the boat, which has been drifting off the coast of Lhoknga
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jun/16/sri-lankans-reportedly-bound-for-australia-and-stranded-off-aceh-to-be-escorted-back

TPVs on the menu, says Ruddock
Philip Ruddock has warned future governments can’t “pick and choose” from the Liberal’s suite of immigration measures.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/federal-election-2016/federal-election-2016-tpvs-part-of-the-set-menu-says-ruddock/news-story/8776aec407c9648855ceca313cf2a2b9

Max Costello: The Turnbull Government appears criminally liable for Manus and Nauru
The Turnbull Government appears criminally liable for health and safety in Regional Processing Centres, Nauru and Manus, despite it repeatedly claiming ...
https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/the-turnbull-government-appears-criminally-liable-for-manus-and-nauru,9114

Simon Benson: Shorten risks reopening Rudd floodgates
AS in war, in an election campaign the first casualty is truth. Both sides are guilty but the greatest fiction would have to be Bill Shorten’s claim Labor’s asylum seeker policy is the same as the Coalition’s.
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/simon-benson-labor-leader-bill-shorten-risks-reopening-rudd-floodgates-to-refugees/news-story/5a63afb959728d464ebcf747d4c057f4

Opinion: Labor has learned zero from boats failure
LABOR can’t help but meddle where no meddling is needed. As matters stand the boats have been stopped. There is absolutely no -reason to tinker with our border protection policies.
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/labor-party-has-learned-zero-from-ruddera-border-protection-failure/news-story/781cc345dcc9c8ffd38971012fd12556

CHARITY AND WELFARE
2015 America’s Most Generous Year Ever – Giving USA
Charitable donations from America’s individuals, estates, foundations and corporations reached an estimated US$373.25 billion in 2015 (A$504.89 billion), setting a record for the second year in a row, according to the latest Giving USA Report.
https://probonoaustralia.com.au/news/2016/06/2015-americas-generous-year-ever-giving-usa/

Good Mob Trials Collective Giving Online
Two young Melbourne-based entrepreneurs have begun trialing digital tools for collective giving via an online startup called Good Mob.
https://probonoaustralia.com.au/news/2016/06/good-mob-trials-collective-giving-online/

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
Explosion in thefts drives spiralling crime rate
Upswing in crime in being driven by huge rise in robberies, with one third of crimes committed in Victoria now theft-related.
https://www.theage.com.au/victoria/explosion-in-thefts-drives-victorias-spiralling-crime-rate-20160615-gpk4p2.html

Increase in car theft in Victoria linked to gangs, says police chief
Victoria leads the nation in relation to car theft, with the latest crime statistics revealing a 12.4 jump in the overall number of offences in the past year.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-06-16/significant-increase-car-theft-linked-to-gangs-victoria/7516146

How bad is crime in your suburb?
THE state’s crime rate has spiked by 12.4 per cent in a year amid youth gangs fears and closing cop shops, but how has your area fared?
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/law-order/crime-up-124-per-cent-in-victoria-report-show-s/news-story/d3aef02da13a9f3d07538ea6db02a1d1

DEATH AND DYING
Border Force seizes copy of assisted suicide book written by Philip Nitschke
Peaceful Pill Handbook was ordered by a 73-year-old Victorian woman who was told it was ‘prohibited absolutely’
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/jun/16/border-force-seizes-copy-of-assisted-suicide-book-written-by-philip-nitschke

Fiona Patten: End of life choices are not cut and dried
 As a community we need to be prolonging life, not death.
https://www.theage.com.au/comment/end-of-life-choices-are-vital-but-not-cut-and-dried-20160615-gpjtpb.html

DISABILITY
James Adonis: Hiring staff with intellectual disability
A large possible workforce remains largely untapped. As an employer, here's what you need to know.
https://www.theage.com.au/small-business/managing/work-in-progress/why-you-should-hire-someone-with-an-intellectual-disability-20160616-gpk8lw.html

DIVERSE SEXUALITY
LGBTI vote puts pressure on blue-ribbon seat of Higgins
One group that could swing the vote in the traditionally blue-ribbon seat of Higgins is the LGBTI community, who have put issues like same sex marriage and LGBTI quotas on the agenda.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-06-16/election-2016:-lgbti-vote-could-lead-to-higgins-swing/7515496

Scott McKinnon: Why are we still scared of seeing two men kissing?
On screen or in public, why does the sight of men kissing continue to provoke controversy, censorship and even violence?
https://theconversation.com/why-are-we-still-scared-of-seeing-two-men-kissing-61085

Julia Baird: Five things the Orlando massacre taught us about homophobia
Surely this nightmarish episode has taught us not just that US gun laws are in desperate need of reform, but also that we must address the homophobia seemingly entrenched in our communities
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-06-16/orlando-shooting-5-things-massacre-taught-us-about-homophobia/7513612

Jamie Shupe: I am the first official genderless person in the United States
After a historic ruling, I have won the right to define my gender exactly as I choose – and I won’t be the last
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jun/16/i-am-first-official-genderless-person-united-states

Christopher van der Krogt: The Qur’an, the Bible and homosexuality in Islam
For Muslims generally, as for conservative Christians, homosexual acts are sinful. Christian gays and lesbians have had to work hard for a measure of recognition among fellow-believers; their Muslim counterparts are just beginning that struggle.
https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-the-quran-the-bible-and-homosexuality-in-islam-61012

DRUGS
Carrots and sticks fail to change behaviour in cocaine addiction
People who are addicted to cocaine are particularly prone to developing habits that render their behaviour resistant to change, regardless of the potentially devastating consequences, suggests new research from the University of Cambridge. The findings may have important implications for the treatment of cocaine addiction as they help explain why such individuals take drugs even when they are aware of the negative consequences, and why they find their behaviour so difficult to change.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-06/uoc-cas061516.php

ENVIRONMENT
What would a global warming increase of 1.5 degrees be like?
The Paris climate conference set the ambitious goal of finding ways to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, rather than the previous threshold of 2 degrees. But what would be the difference between a 1.5 and 2 degree world?
https://www.dailyclimate.org/t/515501742094048283

700-year-old West African soil technique could help mitigate climate change
A farming technique practised for centuries by villagers in West Africa, which converts nutrient-poor rainforest soil into fertile farmland, could be the answer to mitigating climate change and revolutionising farming across Africa.
https://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/49645

Judge rules - no right to know hazardous pesticide ingredients
A federal judge has ruled that the US Environmental Protection Agency is under no obligation to force pesticide makers to disclose supposedly 'inert' ingredients in their products - even where those ingredients are seriously hazardous to health or environment.
https://www.enn.com/pollution/article/49641

Alan Davies: Are cities bigger than we imagine?
Cities are invariably much "bigger" than they seem. Administrative boundaries almost always fail to capture the full extent of a city's economic and social influence
https://blogs.crikey.com.au/theurbanist/2016/06/16/cities-bigger-imagine/

FAMILY
Most children exposed to porn by early teens, study reveals
A major study has revealed most children are exposed to pornography by their early teens.
https://www.christiantoday.com/article/most.children.exposed.to.porn.by.early.teens.study.reveals/88444.htm

Angelika Poulsen: Smacking contributes to a violent society and is a form of family violence
That violence against women in the home presents a problem is irrefutable, but our society is lagging behind in joining the dots to recognise that the same is true for children.
https://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=18306

FINANCE AND INEQUALITY
Poorest households claim biggest wealth gains, says RBA
Australia's poorest households enjoyed the biggest gains in wealth over recent years, according to Reserve Bank of Australia research that challenges widespread claims inequality is getting worse.
https://www.afr.com/news/economy/poorest-households-claim-biggest-wealth-gains-says-rba-20160616-gpkt39

Richard Denniss: Minimum wagers won't get a trickle-down treat from company tax cuts
It is hard for the benefits of a company tax cut to "trickle down" to workers when employer groups insist on building dams to capture the gains for themselves.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-06-16/denniss-no-trickle-down-treat/7512836

GAMBLING
City wants Pies to blow up the pokies
MELBOURNE councillors want Collingwood Football Club to cut its reliance on poker machine revenue as a condition of a deal to use the club’s training centre and grounds.
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/melbourne-city-council-calls-on-collingwood-football-club-to-wean-itself-off-poker-machine-revenue/news-story/b88c049613eaf24d7860bd335833b705

HOUSING AND HOMELESS
Households Paying up to 85% of Income on Rent
Low and moderate-income households are paying up to 85 per cent of their income to secure rental properties in Australia, according to new data.
https://probonoaustralia.com.au/news/2016/06/households-paying-85-income-rent/

A Living Room for Melbourne’s Homeless
Melbourne’s growing number of homeless are set to get their own “Living Room” with the relaunch of a state-of-the-art facility in the city’s iconic Hosier Lane following a $500,000 facelift.
https://probonoaustralia.com.au/news/2016/06/living-room-melbournes-homeless/

Rental stress rising up the ladder
IT USED to be that low-income workers suffered the most from rent stress. That’s just changed, according to this study.
https://www.news.com.au/finance/real-estate/housing-stress-is-rising-up-the-income-ladder-according-to-industry-report/news-story/653e2af221177d49ed7e022ffe7aaa6f

HUMAN RIGHTS
Aubrey Perry: Thank you, Australia, for making us safe from gun crimes
Thank you, Australia. Thank you for making me feel safe when I walk out my front door.
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/comment/thank-you-australia-20160615-gpjn0r.html

INTERNATIONAL AID
Absent investments, 200 million children may not reach their potential say experts
31 academic experts argue that global policy lags behind the science of brain health, US and peers must fund healthy development beyond mere survival
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-06/cums-ai2061316.php

James Rose: Aid and sport - it's a no-brainer for Australia
We need to find ways to capitalise on areas where Australia has a strong presence and operating culture already, and we need ideas that can be put to use now.
https://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=18309
 
MIND
Need to remember something? Exercise 4 hours later!
The findings reported in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on June 16 show that physical exercise after learning improves memory and memory traces, but only if the exercise is done in a specific time window and not immediately after learning.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-06/cp-ntr060916.php

How Lighting Can Influence Happiness In Your Home
"Light is a fundamental ingredient in the regulation of our circadian rhythm," Belinda Williams, psychologist at The Whole Being Group told The Huffington Post Australia.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2016/06/14/how-lighting-can-influence-happiness-in-your-home/

RELIGION
Southern Baptists debate religious liberty for Muslims
Southern Baptists are usually the first to defend religious freedom. But when it comes to Muslims, some want to draw a line.
https://religionnews.com/2016/06/15/southern-baptists-debate-religious-liberty-for-muslims/

Tom Elliott: Religion doesn’t merit privileges
IT’S time we questioned whether religion deserves its legally protected immunity from richly deserved criticism, ridicule — and taxes
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/tom-elliott/religion-doesnt-merit-privileges/news-story/cb534af156a227381db5b748e84d10e9

WORK
Election Candidates Asked to ‘Vote for Volunteering’
Peak body, Volunteering Australia has launched its federal election platform called Vote for Volunteering, calling on candidates to formally take an online “pledge” to show their support.
https://probonoaustralia.com.au/news/2016/06/election-candidates-asked-vote-volunteering/

Labor promises 'fair pay for work' youth unemployment scheme
Labor is set to reveal its answer to the Government's youth internships budget policy, to lift young people out of entrenched unemployment.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-06-17/labor-promises-fair-pay-for-work-youth-unemployment-scheme/7518938

Dull and dirty - your workplace could affect brain function
A new study by a Florida State University researcher shows that both a lack of stimulation in the workplace and a dirty working environment can have a long-term cognitive effect on employees.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-06/fsu-da061616.php

Andrew Stewart: Are unpaid internships unlawful?
In today’s hyper competitive job market, internships are becoming a must-have on almost every job applicant’s CV. But when should a worker be paid for an internship?
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2016/06/16/comment-are-unpaid-internships-unlawful

Peter Martin: Australia - a part-time employer?
In the Coalition's three years in office part-time employment grew 306,000 and full-time employment just 150,600
https://www.theage.com.au/business/the-economy/election-2016-the-coalitions-employment-record-isnt-that-good-20160616-gpkwnw.html