The federal Labor government released a , Stronger Futures in the Northern Territory, on June 22. It suggests the continuation of much of the NT intervention after the Northern Territory Emergency Response legislation expires next year.
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Carbon price not effective
It is unbecoming for the Greens and major environmental organisations to be supporting the Gillard government鈥檚 carbon price, which promises to be so palpably ineffective in reducing Australian emissions.
Even treasury modelling indicates that it will be over a decade before Australian emissions begin to fall, whereas climate science indicates that we need big reductions beginning now.
Oh this is such fun. And every few hours it gets better, but always with an announcement there鈥檚 鈥渟till worse to come鈥, leaving us struggling to imagine what they might have done that鈥檚 worse.
Presumably by tomorrow it will turn out they planted a bug in Heather Mills鈥檚 false leg and hacked into Stephen Hawking鈥檚 voicebox.
The only thing that tarnishes it slightly is now everyone hates Murdoch. It鈥檚 like when you follow an obscure band and they become famous.
More public servants have voted against proposed enterprise agreements put forward by the management of various federal government agencies.
Places where staff have voted 鈥渘o鈥 include the departments of agriculture, fisheries and forestry; immigration and citizenship; defence; and customs.
Staff in the Australian Taxation Office, the Productivity Commission, Comcare, the Australian Communications and Media Authority, and the Attorney Generals Department have also voted no.
Workers are unhappy with the 3% a year limit on pay rises 鈥 less than the expected rise in the cost of living.
Action on climate change is one of the most important issues of all. But the Gillard government鈥檚 carbon price plan is not a serious response, grounded in the climate science.
Michael Coleman is keen to rejoin a Gaza Freedom Flotilla at any time (although his parents would say something different). The youth worker from Sydney has just returned from taking part of the international protest against Israel鈥檚 illegal siege on Gaza.
Coleman narrowly avoided a jail term for trying to help a Canadian boat 鈥 the Tahrir 鈥 leave a port on the Greek island of Crete as part of the Freedom Flotilla 2. He is very proud to have been part of an international protest which has again put the spot light back on to Israel.
There鈥檚 been so much political spin around the Julia Gillard government鈥檚 carbon tax announcement. Of course, there鈥檚 the predictable hysterical hollering from Tony Abbott, Barnaby Joyce and the climate change denier鈥檚 camp, but there is also tons of bullshit from the Labor government. However, a couple of developments have provided a much-needed reality check.
You could be forgiven for thinking that when the Labor government says its new carbon price plan will cut Australia鈥檚 greenhouse gas emissions by 5%.
Climate campaigners have been understandably happy about the funding bodies for renewable energy contained in the carbon price package. It seems that these measures are largely in place because of strong campaigning by the grassroots climate movement and the Greens MPs in negotiations.
Two Australian Palestine solidarity activists, former NSW Greens MP Sylvia Hale and Jews Against the Occupation activist Vivienne Porzsolt, were released from immigration detention by an Israeli court on July 13. The court ordered they not be deported.
The judge ruled that while they had not broken any rules, they had a limited time to apply to the Israeli Defence Force to visit Bethlehem and Ramallah in the West Bank. The pair had told immigration on entry to Israel that they wanted to visit Palestine.
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