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Economic and political overview 2017
No full textThis year’s CEDA Economic and Political Overview (EPO) is such an important document for political decision-makers and the business community. It again delivers reasoned analysis of the possible economic and political headwinds on the horizon and trends and projections.
It goes without saying that the political and economic consequences from 2016 will be felt throughout this coming year. While internationally, Brexit and the election of Donald Trump as US President dominated and continue to dominate the headlines, at home we had a federal election that delivered significant power to minor parties and independents, and a government that struggled to provide leadership and much-needed economic and social reform.
While the federal government managed to finish the parliamentary year by passing legislation that was generally of interest to their philosophical base, the New Year has already brought further instability following the focus on MPs’ expenses, ministerial changes and the collapse of TPP.
How 2017 pans out for the Turnbull Government may well depend on its ability to urgently set-out a clear agenda and implement it. If they continue to falter on the tough decisions, they could face major problems
Aboriginal custody inquiry means little without action
No full textIntroduction
On 9 February, Attorney-General George Brandis announced the terms of reference for a new Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) inquiry into Indigenous incarceration in Australia. The inquiry was announced in October 2016, and the final terms of reference have now been released after receiving submissions about the scope of the inquiry.
The need for an inquiry has been identified in the face of ever-increasing representation of Indigenous Australians in the prison population.
In 1991, the year of the report of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (RCIADIC), Indigenous Australians comprised 14 per cent of the Australian prison population. In 2016, it was 27 per cent. Yet Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians constitute only 2 per cent of the overall population over the age of 18.
Indigenous incarceration rates are concerning of themselves, but the fact that they continue to increase is alarming. The inquiry therefore recognises and validates widely held concerns.
On the other hand, it represents the abject failure of successive governments around the country to pay heed to what we do know about the incarceration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians — including the failure to implement the recommendations of the RCIADIC.
Read the full article>
Australian political perceptions of the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin
No full textAbstract
On Easter Day 1916, the radical Irish Republican Brotherhood launched a rebellion against British rule with support from the Irish Volunteers. In the hope of inspiring a mass movement across they country, the rebels occupied a number of key buildings across Dublin including the General Post Office. The ‘Rising’ was largely confined to the Irish capital and quickly defeated by British military forces. The leading rebels including Thomas Clarke, Sean MacDermott and Patrick Pearse were summarily executed. This occasional paper examines Australian political perceptions of the Easter Rising. While the British Government considered the Rising to be a serious wartime threat to the British Empire, Irish-Australians were less than convinced. While many non-Irish Australians saw the Rising as sedition, their attitudes changed in the wake of the executions and the continuing brutal suppression of republican spirit in Ireland
Strengthening the Asian Development Bank in 21st century Asia
No full textThe pace of change in Asia and new and more flexible sources of finance mean that the Asian Development Bank needs to continue to demonstrate its relevance to donors and borrowers.
Key findings
The ADB faces three challenges in the 21st century: navigating the evolving geopolitical dynamics of the region; fulfilling its mandate for economic development and poverty reduction; and remaining an important source of development finance for the region.
The ADB is well placed to respond to these challenges by leveraging its history of quality projects and high standards; however, the Bank does need to reform its governance and its graduation policy.
The Bank can meet the new demands of Asian countries such as protection against climate change while staying anchored as a development bank focused on alleviating poverty
We need a comprehensive housing approach to deal with heatwaves
No full textHeatwaves across much of the country this summer have revealed a serious problem with our national housing stock.
Wendy Miller looks at smarter design and construction, better rating systems and the role of government and industry to overcoming barriers to better housing design.
Read the full article on The Conversation
Final evaluation report of the Bowel Screening Pilot: screening rounds one and two
No full textThe New Zealand Ministry of Health funded Waitemata District Health Board (WDHB) to run a Bowel Screening Pilot (BSP) from 2012 to 2015, to inform whether a national bowel screening programme should be introduced.
This report is the final evaluation report of the BSP, undertaken by Litmus, the Centre for Public Health Research Massey University, and Sapere Research Group.
The goal of the evaluation was to determine whether organised bowel screening could be introduced in New Zealand in a way that is effective, safe and acceptable for participants, equitable and economically efficient.
The report found that:
the pilot has demonstrated that a national bowel screening programme could be safely introduced in New Zealand
it is considered highly probable that a well-managed bowel screening programme will reduce deaths from bowel cancer
bowel screening is cost saving and brings health benefits
participation in the pilot was higher in most groups than the internationally accepted minimum
enabling equal participation in a national programme is essential
the evaluation noted the challenges to a national programme presented by colonoscopy workforce capacity.
Budget 2010 committed 12.4 million to extend the pilot to December 2017
Dark side of the boom (NSW)
No full textAs the mining boom winds down and the mining clean up boom begins, mine site rehabilitation and mine abandonment are emerging as major issues for Australian communities, governments and taxpayers. All stakeholders will need information on the status of mines and their rehabilitation efforts to ensure this is carried out in a way that does not leave taxpayers and the environment with the costs of abandoned mines and poorly rehabilitated sites.
Unfortunately few reliable statistics are available. This report focusing on New South Wales (NSW) and is the first in a series that will compile data from each state’s relevant department on numbers of mines that are operating, have suspended operations (often referred to as“care and maintenance”), are being closed and have been abandoned. We also summarise available information on the environmental bonds that miners pay to governments. Results for NSW are based mainly on correspondence with the agency responsible for overseeing the mining industry, the Division of Resources and Energy (DRE)
Sky News is not yet Fox News, but it has the good, the bad and the uglies
No full textThe Monday media section in The Australian newspaper, which is mainly just a platform for News Corp to promote its interests and attack its enemies, excelled itself on February 6 with this suggestive but essentially meaningless statement:
After a strong showing in the US presidential election on the back of the Donald Trump phenomenon, Sky News suddenly has wind in its sails.
Whatever the intended meaning, it did invite a look at how Sky News covers politics. It also invited a comparison with its US counterpart, Fox News, which was a cheerleader for Trump the candidate and remains a cheerleader for Trump the president.
So, is Sky News the Australian version of Fox News?
Well, yes and no.
Read the full article on The Conversation
From airwaves to earbuds: lessons from Knight investments in digital audio and podcasting
No full textPodcasting and on-demand audio are attracting new audiences, giving rise to new voices and creating new revenue sources, with public broadcasters playing a central role, according to a study by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation released today.
Yet the fast-growing podcast ecosystem is not nearly as diverse as it could be, and public radio stations are not unified in their approach, said the report, titled “From Airwaves to Earbuds: Lessons From Knight Investments in Digital Audio and Podcasting,” prepared by Lutman & Associates and Dotman Connector Studio.
Because the report examined Knight Foundation investments in both public media and for-profit companies – through philanthropic grants and the Knight Enterprise Fund, a venture capital initiative – it provides a broad view of podcasting and on-demand audio at a time of rapid growth. Knight is interested in podcasting’s potential to inform and engage communities, both as journalism and as an alternate form of storytelling
Cranking up the intensity: climate change and extreme weather events
No full textKEY FINDINGS
1. Climate change is influencing all extreme weather events in Australia.
All extreme weather events are now occurring in an atmosphere that is warmer and wetter than it was in the 1950s.
Heatwaves are becoming hotter, lasting longer and occurring more often.
Marine heatwaves that cause severe coral bleaching and mortality are becoming more intense and occurring more often.
Extreme fire weather and the length of the fire season is increasing, leading to an increase in bushfire risk.
Sea level has already risen and continues to rise, driving more devastating coastal flooding during storm surges.
2. Some of the most severe climate impacts the world has experienced have occurred in 2016.
Arctic sea ice reached its lowest annual extent on record while record sea surface temperatures drove the worst coral bleaching event in the Great Barrier Reef’s history.
Tropical Cyclone Winston was the most intense cyclone to hit Fiji on record, while Hurricane Otto was the southernmost hurricane to hit Central America on record.
Canada experienced its costliest wildfire in history in Fort McMurray, forcing the evacuation of almost 90,000 people.
The US state of Louisiana experienced 1-in-500 year rains that brought severe flooding leading to 30,000 rescues and 13 deaths.
3. Across Australia, extreme weather events are projected to worsen as the climate warms further.
Extreme heat is projected to increase across the entire continent, with significant increases in the length, intensity and frequency of heatwaves in many regions.
The time spent in drought is projected to increase across Australia, especially in southern Australia. Extreme drought is expected to increase in both frequency and duration.
Southern and eastern Australia are projected to experience harsher fire weather.
The intensity of extreme rainfall events is projected to increase across most of Australia.
The increase in coastal flooding from high sea level events will become more frequent and more severe as sea levels continue to rise.
4. The impacts of extreme weather events will likely become much worse unless global greenhouse gas emissions are reduced rapidly and deeply.
Burning of coal, oil and gas is causing temperatures to rise at unprecedented rates and is making extreme weather events more intense, damaging and costly.
Major emitters including China and the European Union are leading action on climate change, but Australia is lagging well behind and is on track to even miss its very weak target of a 26-28% reduction in emissions by 2030.
Australia is expected to do its fair share to meet the global emissions reduction challenge by cutting its emissions rapidly and deeply.
Phasing out ageing, polluting coal plants and replacing them with clean, efficient renewable energy sources such as wind and solar is imperative for stabilising the climate and reducing the risk of even worse extreme weather events