Issue 2015 October 10
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LETTERS
The last conservative? Sir, It is brave of Canberra Observed (News Weekly, September 28, 2015) to categorically state that Tony Abbott is the last conservative leader Australia will ever have. Scott Morrison is just as conservative as Mr Abbott and, being 10 years younger, has plenty of time to see Malcolm Turnbull off; or, if the Liberals lose the 2016 election, be the…
FAMILY AND SOCIETY Child-support program under the microscope
The Commonwealth House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs recently tabled the report on its inquiry into the Child Support Program (CSP). This article is the first of a two-part review that will consider submissions to the inquiry, the committee response and recommendations, and their ramifications. Michael Ord reports. The aim of the Child Support Program…
COVER STORY Will drought and falling dollar spike food prices?
When politicians consult community leaders in the run-up to a federal election, they always want to know the electorate’s mood on unemployment, health and food prices. Here are five reasons why food prices could increase significantly in the run-up to next year’s election. First, the Australian dollar is predicted to fall to around US65¢. About a year ago it was about $US1 and…
CANBERRA OBSERVED Nationals extract good deal in Turnbull takeover
While Malcolm Turnbull’s elevation to the prime-ministership has been greeted with glee from progressive groups and associated media urgers, the practical reality of governing may turn out to be not quite that obvious. Nationals Leader Warren Truss, left, with Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce. The assumption is that Prime Minister Turnbull will adopt a host of policies that were hitherto out of bounds under…
BOOK REVIEW Hope for the Land of the Southern Cross
FROM TRADITION AND AWAY FROM TRADITION: Poems, 2001–2014 by Andrew Huntley (Bendigo, Extra Castra Publications) Hardcover: 60 pages ISBN: 9780646926049 Price: AUD$29.95 Reviewed by Jarred Vehlen For generations men have spoken about the Western tradition, or all that makes up European culture; that which is handed down from one generation to the next, and is preserved in our religion, great…
BOOK REVIEW Evaluating arguments against free will
FREE: Why Science Hasn’t Disproved Free Will by Alfred R. Mele (Oxford University Press) Hardcover: 99 pages ISBN: 9780199371624 Price: AUD$17.95 Reviewed by John Young Some neuroscientists and psychologists deny that we have free will. In this short, clearly written book, Alfred R. Mele examines the common arguments proposed for this contention, and shows their deficiencies. He touches only on…
