Comments on: Why Latin America is important to Australia

By: Geoff Phillips

Geoff Phillips — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 13:18:36 +0000

I suggest that Greg sniff around and check out the sterling coverage provided by Neil Wiese, the man illustrated in this week’s Media section of the Oz, who was based in Managua covering the civil war for the ABC and Time magazine in the mid-80s and returned to cover Latin America, with distinction, for ABC Radio in the mid-1990s and early 2000s. Maybe
someone at the ABC should contact him and lure him back from media management in London.
It should be noted that when he was based in Panama City, Neil was fulltime for the ABC. He was also part-time when based in Miami.
Of course, Nick Olle, son of the late and much-admired Andrew, works as a stringer for the ABC out of Buenos Aires.

By: Scott Grant

Scott Grant — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 07:31:59 +0000

Ditto to all of the above.

I first heard of Hugo Chavez in 2002 through IndyMedia. I saw nothing in the SMH or ABC at the time. Since then, the occasional reports I have seen in local newspapers all seem to have been filtered through a neocon propaganda machine. Very little independent reporting.

I heard of the El Alto riots in Bolivia (aka Bolivian gas war), in IndyMedia, in 2005. At the time I did a search of the web sites of all major news organisations in Australia, and came up with one hit at the ABC. The story was written up as something along the lines of “Australian Tourists Stranded”.

I completely agree that Australia would be better served by having a “foreign correspondent” or two, from one or more of our major news organisations, to write stories about Latin America that have not been filtered through someone else’s agenda.

Our northern neighbour The Phillipines, shares some history with Latin America - colonised by the Spanish, then by the US during the Spanish American war. How many are aware that Hawaii was annexed, against the express wishes the majority of its inhabitants, as a prelude to invading the Phillipines? But I digress.

By: Brian Mitchell

Brian Mitchell — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 05:22:13 +0000

It’s not often that I agree with Barnsy but he’s right on the money.

Fostering language development should not be a second-order issue. It is of supreme importance. Every child should be taught from day one a second language, with Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, Indonesian, Hindi and Korean offered most widely, with other languages offered where possible.

What it will take however is a supreme act of political will on behalf of Julia Gillard to wrest control of education from the states.

It’s long past time that Australia’s school system was nationalised, with one central curriculum. Allowances could then be made for parochial interests (local and state history, for example) and centering second-language choice most appropriately.

By: michael crook

michael crook — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 04:40:50 +0000

As well as which there are some incredible social advances occurring in places like Venezuela, Ecuador and Bolivia, who are all part of the ALBA bloc. Venezuela especially through a policy of using oil revenues for social programmes and a structured nationalisation process for essential industries such as cement making and rice distribution. The Venezuelan version of 21st century socialism is providing a great example of the achievements that are possible when programmes are directed towards the benefit of all not just the wealthy. Empowerment of the poor, and an educated social awareness are just two of the social advances happening there. I urge everyone to go and have a look for themselves, as I did.

By: Kevin Murray

Kevin Murray — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 04:29:04 +0000

Yes, there are many other reasons as well for covering Latin America:
- the impact of climate change in countries similarly affected to Australia (Argentina is having one of its most severe droughts also)
- the important experiments with indigenous rights in countries like Bolivia
- understanding the environmental and community interests affected by Australian mining projects in the region
- sharing the experiences of new Chinese investments in areas like mining
- understanding the common challenge of seeing ourselves at the bottom of the world (see http://www.southernperspectives.net)