In The News Sep 20
CELEBRATIONS
Liberation Day East Timor
More about Sep 20 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_20
ABORIGINAL PEOPLES
Why Andrew Bolt has a place on ABC TV: recognition doco executive producer
https://www.crikey.com.au/2016/09/19/why-andrew-bolt-has-a-place-on-abc-tv/
Larrakia elder reignites call for renaming of Vesteys Beach
Eighty years after swimming at her childhood beach, a Larrakia great-grandmother reflects on its Indigenous heritage and calls for its name to be changed.
Radical approach cuts offending in outback crime hotspot
The New South Wales outback town of Bourke is trialling a new way to cut crime. The early signs are that it's working — and there are hopes the town's experience could be a catalyst for fixing other Australian communities.
Northern Territory appeals $3m Timber Creek native title payout
Appeal comes in wake of federal court decision which could establish a legal precedent for liability payouts to Indigenous groups across Australia
Recognition: Yes or No? The ABC asks the wrong questions of the wrong people
Amy Maguire, University of Newcastle
The ABC has missed a rare opportunity to deeply engage with the diversity of views among Indigenous Australians about whether and how they should be 'recognised' in the Constitution.
To move forward on reconciliation, Australia must recognise it has a race relations problem
Daphne Habibis et al
Indigenous peoples live in societies where their sense of cultural worth is constantly undermined.
ASYLUM SEEKERS
Australia under the spotlight at UN refugees summit
Australia's immigration polices will be under the spotlight as Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull meets with world leaders in New York.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-19/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-un-refugees-summit/7858492
Strong borders key: PM
Malcolm Turnbull says Australia is able to take more asylum-seekers because of public confidence in border control.
Newly leaked Nauru reports detail harrowing accounts of sexual abuse and self-harm
Incident reports from early 2016 describe child refugees attempting suicide and the terror felt by a woman who says she was bundled into a car and raped by two men
Liberal MP says Turnbull can't possibly claim world's best border protection policy
The PM should use talks in New York on the global refugee issue to find a country to resettle those in Australian offshore detention, says Russell Broadbent
Asylum applications to OECD nations double
More than 1.2 million people applied for refugee status in the EU in 2015, making up the bulk of the 1.65 million total across the OECD.
New law to slam door on refugees
ASYLUM seekers held on Nauru and Manus Island will be slapped with life bans that prevent them entering Australia even if they become citizens of another country.
A message from the Australian Government for the UN Refugee Summit
Video
Peter Dutton has claimed Australia has a 'good story to tell' about refugees. So here's Mark Humphries to tell it.
Private resettlement models offer a way for Australia to lift its refugee intake
Susan Kneebone, University of Melbourne; Asher Hirsch, Monash University, and Audrey Macklin, University of Toronto
Should Australia stick with its current model of state-controlled refugee resettlement schemes? Or are there other models we can learn from?
If Australia had its current refugee policy in 1939, we wouldn't be alive today
Alyx Gorman and Rick Kuhn
My grandfather’s family came to Australia to survive, make a life, get work and make significant contributions to society. The refugees on Manus and Nauru want to do the same
Europe can learn from Australia's border policy. But not by listening to Abbott
Melissa Conley Tyler
Tony Abbott is wrong that European leaders can solve the refugee crisis by mimicking his policies. Here are the real lessons Europe can learn from Australia
Theresa May isn’t interested in refugees’ welfare. She just wants fewer of them in Britain
Patrick Kingsley
The prime minister cares little for nuanced definitions over who is and isn’t a migrant - she just wants fewer vulnerable people to have legal protection
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/sep/19/theresa-may-refugees-welfare-migrant
Outdated model swamps us
Nick Cater
Humanitarian migrants have miserable prospects.
Hard lessons on boats, borders
The Australian editorial
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is right to trumpet Australia’s success.
Think Australia's treatment of refugees and asylum seekers is OK? Read this.
An open letter from a refugee on Nauru to the leaders of the UN's Summit for Refugees and Migrants.
CHARITY AND WELFARE
NFP Coalition Calls for Urgent Fundraising Law Reform
The current state of fundraising regulation in Australia is inconsistent, fragmented, outdated and rarely enforced and is in need of urgent major reform, according to a coalition of Not for Profit peak bodies.
https://probonoaustralia.com.au/news/2016/09/nfp-coalition-calls-urgent-fundraising-law-reform/
Coalition to reveal plan to tackle welfare dependence across generations
Social services minister Christian Porter to outline focus on identifying and eliminating ‘welfare traps’ rather than just cutting spending
Incentives to work the way to prosperity
Advertiser editorial
IT is surprising that the Federal Government is proposing to impose a so-called backpackers tax while also moving to curb multi-generational welfare by weaning people off benefits.
Philanthropy must stay risky to reap benefits
Stacey Thomas
PHILANTROPHY is all about taking risks - and the benefits can be seen across South Australia when it comes to health
CHILD ABUSE
Vatican delegate urges Pope Francis to fire Guam archbishop over abuse
Paedophile priest said children 'enjoyed' sexual activity: royal commission
Child sex abuse doesn’t create paedophiles
Xanthe Mallett, University of New England
A popular misconception is that most child sex offenders were once victims themselves.
https://theconversation.com/child-sex-abuse-doesnt-create-paedophiles-60373
Child sex abuse: the Catholic Church is fallible but not exceptional
Chris McGillion and Damian Grace
CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
We don't want to be 'just a face on the screen': prisoners on court video links
New South Wales prisoners are concerned that court video links reduce them to "just a face on a screen" and hamper their interaction with their legal representatives, a new study finds.
Don't shoot at moving cars, Victorian police officers told
Victorian police are warned against shooting at moving cars despite an increase in the number of offenders driving at officers while trying to flee.
DISABILITY
NDIS: Half signed getting disability support for first time
The Paralympics is changing the way people perceive disabilities
Marion Gray, University of the Sunshine Coast and Michele Verdonck, University of the Sunshine Coast
The success of para-athletes at the Paralympics is helping to change perceptions of those with disabilities.
https://theconversation.com/the-paralympics-is-changing-the-way-people-perceive-disabilities-65407
DIVERSE SEXUALITY
'Thanks for nothing': Magda Szubanski clashes with Fiona Nash over plebiscite
Nationals senator Fiona Nash tells the Q&A panel she supports a "traditional view" of marriage, sparking anger from actor and author Magda Szubanski, who says gay people deserve the right to wed.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-20/qanda-szubanski-fiona-nash-clash-qanda/7859660
Boys will be boys and girls will be girls
Kevin Donnelly
Gender is not a choice, but a matter of birth.
People should decide on marriage
Andrew Hastie
A plebiscite is the best measure to gauge whether a fundamental shift should be made.
I support gay marriage and a plebiscite
Justin Quill
SUPPORTERS of gay marriage say there shouldn’t be a plebiscite because it will promote hate speech. But if you don’t have a plebiscite, the outcome will be worse
Marriage should reflect society’s diversity
Peter Boyer
People other than straights want to feel they belong.
DRUGS
Alcoholics who quit completely do better than those who dabble. I'm not surprised
David Ferguson
I tried, and failed, repeatedly to control my intake of intoxicating substances. Eventually I decided total sobriety was the only way
ENVIRONMENT
Protection of Amazon's biodiversity could fuel 'fourth industrial revolution': Study.
New digital technologies such a 3-D printing and quantum computing create the potential for the Amazon's unique plants to drive major advances in medicine and engineering, according to a study by Brazilian scientists
https://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/-6458064555473417805
Heatwaves in the ocean: Risk to ecosystems?
Marine ecosystems are responsible for about half of global annual primary production and more than one billion people rely on fish as their primary protein source. Latest studies show that enormous warm water bubbles in the ocean are having a noticeable impact on ecosystems. How should we interpret these changes?
https://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/50002
Retailers consider dumping button batteries as safety code released
Some of Australia's major retailers have agreed to new measures designed to stop the number of young children swallowing button batteries.
Risk of Another Chernobyl or Fukushima Type Accident Plausible, Experts Say
The biggest-ever statistical analysis of historical accidents suggests that nuclear power is an underappreciated extreme risk and that major changes will be needed to prevent future ...
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/09/160919113044.htm
Is Puerto Rico the next sustainable agricultural hot spot?
As the U.S. island territory faces a $70 billion debt crisis, some advocates see sustainable farming as one potential solution.
https://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/-718697387869794174
Indonesia forest fire haze pollution may have caused 100,000 early deaths.
Video
A haze resulting from intentional forest fires in Indonesia could have caused 100,000 premature deaths in 2015, new research has concluded.
https://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/-718697387869794165
World deforestation: we're losing a forest the size of NYC every 2 days!
This is an issue of global concern. Climate change, urbanization, and resource depletion (more mouths to feed, burn wood in stoves for, graze more cattle for) is still happening at a fast an alarming clip, influencing our planet’s ability to store CO2 emissions, and protect diversity.
https://www.enn.com/wildlife/article/50001
New study undercuts favorite climate myth ‘more CO2 is good for plants’
A 16-year study found that we’re at a point where more CO2 won’t keep increasing plant production, but higher temperatures will decrease it
Climate change could shrink habitat of 90pc of eucalypts
It may be harder to spot a mountain ash in parts of Australia's mountains or some species of mallee trees in the outback within 60 years as climate change causes the range of most eucalypt species to shrink or even disappear entirely, new research suggests.
Another one bites the dust: the 'five second rule' has been debunked
Dave Schilling
Food can acquire bacteria the moment it falls to the floor, so picking it up really fast doesn’t mean it’s clean in case you were ever taken in by the lies
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/sep/19/five-second-rule-bacteria-clean-lies-debunked
The silencing of the seas: how our oceans are going quiet
Ivan Nagelkerken, University of Adelaide; Sean Connell, University of Adelaide, and Tullio Rossi, University of Adelaide
The oceans are filled with sounds produced by animals. However, a recent study shows that ocean sounds are diminishing due to nutrient pollution and ocean acidification
https://theconversation.com/the-silencing-of-the-seas-how-our-oceans-are-going-quiet-65157
Tackling corruption will deal a lethal blow to the illegal wildlife trade
Yury Fedotov and John E Scanlon
Talk of prohibiting, preventing and countering corruption must take centre stage when signatories to the Cites treaty on regulating the international trade in wildlife meet in Johannesburg this weekend
Invasive predators are eating the world’s animals to extinction – and the worst is close to home
Tim Doherty et al
Cats, rats, foxes and other mammal predators have been implicated in 60% of the world's animals extinctions.
FAMILY
Single dads = heroic. Single mums = vengeful. Um, what?
IN most parts of the world, a man has to commit a terrible deed to be considered the most hated man in the country. But in Australia, dating a single mum is enough to incur national wrath.
Queensland conservatives behind the times
Jenna Price
Straight people, gay people, people who don't sign up to either of those groups, engage in anal sex.
https://www.smh.com.au/comment/queensland-conservatives-behind-the-times-20160919-grj9zt.html
FINANCE AND INEQUALITY
What price economic growth?
Leon Moulden 20
Not all Australians have benefited from 25 years of economic growth and free market policy,
https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/what-price-economic-growth,9489
Winners and losers from the government’s compromise on superannuation
Helen Hodgson, Curtin University
The Coalition has reached a compromise to get its superannuation reform past its own party, but the changes will make it harder for women and older workers.
FactCheck Q&A: would the Constitution need to be changed to ban political donations from unions?
Gabrielle Appleby, UNSW Australia
Labor senator Doug Cameron told Q&A the High Court had decided that the unions and business are entitled to fund political parties. Is that true?
It’s time to junk the flawed economic models that make the world a dangerous place
Paul Mason
Mainstream economics is terrible at understanding the reality of human behaviour. Now, even the respected thinker Paul Romer is calling for change
GAMBLING
Our pokies culture is un-Australian and it needs to stop - now
Tom Lawrence
Tom Lawrence's father worked on the documentary ‘Ka-Ching! Pokie Nation’. Now Tom wants to help Australia break up with poker machines for good, by speaking directly to the next generation.
HOUSING AND HOMELESS
To cut urban sprawl, we need quality infill housing displays to win over the public
Geoffrey London, University of Western Australia
Government and industry need to demonstrate the benefits of well-designed higher-density housing. Rich residential display projects may be the ideal catalyst for creating smarter cities.
HUMAN RIGHTS
India set to unveil human trafficking law to help sex workers
India’s government is planning to unveil its first comprehensive law on human trafficking by the end of the year. It's set to make a dent in the country's huge illegal sex trade.
Amal Clooney and Boris Johnson to launch campaign to collect evidence of ISIS' 'abhorrent crimes'
Amal Clooney and Boris Johnson will back a plan to collect evidence of ISIS' "abhorrent crimes" in the hope of one day bringing perpetrators to justice.
Christian convert from Islam sent back to prison in Iran
A Christian convert from Islam in Iran has been sent back to prison in spite of suffering long-term health issues.
Human Rights Commissioner sounds alarm on rape at universities
The Washington Post is wrong: Edward Snowden should be pardoned
Trevor Timm
There’s little truth in the five charges most often levelled at the whistleblower. Here’s why he deserves acclaim, not punishment
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/sep/19/washington-post-wrong-edward-snowden-pardon
IMMIGRATION AND MULTICULTURALISM
Make arrivals feel at home: G-G
Governor-General Peter Cosgrove has urged Australians to follow the lead of Mildura and ‘embrace’ migrants.
The resistible rise of Pauline Hanson
John Passant
John Passant discusses the political and economic conditions underlying the rise of "Hansonism".
RELIGION
'Radicalised Christianity': Outspoken priest Father Rod Bower slams Pauline Hanson
The Anglican priest whose provocative signs have become an internet sensation has torn strips off Pauline Hanson at a speech in Melbourne, accusing the One Nation leader of representing a "radicalised Christianity" that has no place in Australia.
'Science Mike' McHargue: 'Christians aren’t stupid, and atheists aren’t evil'
The man best known as ‘Science Mike’ to listeners of ‘The Liturgists’ and ‘Ask Science Mike’ podcasts shares his story of losing and finding faith in his first book.
Vast majority of Americans identify as Christian, say faith is very important to them
A significant majority of Americans identify themselves as Christians and consider faith to be very important in their lives, though only a minority are "practising Christians" according to research conducted by the Barna group.
Almost 30 per cent of French Muslims favour sharia over secular law
Just under 30 per cent of French Muslims favour sharia law over secular laws in France, according to an Ifop poll published by the weekly Journal du Dimanche.
Beethoven is proof that God loves us
Barney Zwartz
https://www.theage.com.au/comment/the-power-of-music-is-a-path-to-god-20160919-grji1z.html
The Christian obsession with celebrity has got to stop
Carey Lodge
You can't have missed it. Mission resources being advertised by TV stars, conferences headlined by musicians famous – gasp – in the 'secular' world (Switchfoot doesn't count), and rumours abounding about celebrities who have supposedly converted to Christianity.
WORK
Early childhood educators protest being paid as little as $20 an hour
Get the dole while you work on farms under Mr X plan
UNEMPLOYED Australians who accept seasonal farm jobs such as fruit-picking would be able to earn up to $5000 while still receiving the dole, under a proposal by Senator Nick Xenophon
A world without work is coming – it could be utopia or it could be hell
Ryan Avent
Robots will eventually do all our jobs, but we need to start planning to avert social collapse
Balance work with having a life and we all benefit
Conrad Liveris
https://www.smh.com.au/comment/balance-work-with-having-a-life-and-we-all-benefit-20160919-grjh1c
The System Has Failed Retail And Fast Food Workers, Says Coles Fair Work Winner
Duncan Hart
Duncan Hart recently won an important court action over underpayment of wages as an employee of supermarket giant Coles. He takes aim at his employer, and the union that failed to protect him.
WHAT’S MORE
Down on the data: facts are not the only truth in life
Greg Jericho
Progressive wonks – and I put myself in this camp – write as much with passion for a cause as they do with passion for facts