Time for The 7:30 Report to rethink its futureKerry O’Brien’s announcement that he is hanging up his 7:30 Report shingle gives the program — and Aunty ABC — the perfect opportunity not just to change host but to modernize the way it delivers news and current affairs, writes Mark Day.
September, 2010
A tale of two majorities
The speaker problems kick on and we may end up with a tale of two majorities in parliament. The first majority is for government existence itself — the ability to withstand no confidence motions that could change the government without needing an election, writes Possum Comitatus.
Should you have to be wealthy to be healthy?
A new report conducted by the National Centre for Social and Economic Modeling has found 65 percent of people in low income groups have long term health problems, compared to 15 percent in high income groups. Martin Laverty discusses the need for national health care reform.
How many more Australians have to die to appease Uncle Sam?
Obama’s second canceled visit to Australia marks an appropriate time to reassess the human cost of our alliance with the US. We are, after all, the only country to have dedicated soldiers for every war the US has fought over the past century, writes Paul Sheehan.
Grog’s Gamut outing: in whose interest?
Grog’s Gamut is the pseudonymous political blogger who drew much attention during the recent election. Now The Australian has deemed his identity news and decided public servants aren’t entitled to hold political opinions. Wrong on both counts, says Tobias Ziegler.
Grog: Why I used a pseudonym
The public identity of Grog from Grog’s Gamut — a political blogger of much acclaim in the recent election — was unveiled by The Australian this morning. Grog argues that it isn’t in “the public interest” to reveal his name and occupation.
Julia and Tim move into the Lodge
On Sunday Julia Gillard and Tim Mathieson became the first unmarried couple in history to move into The Lodge, some three months after Gillard replaced Kevin Rudd as PM. She officially denies jumping on the bed.
AFL Grand Final is a tie! 68/68: “it’s a joke”
The two teams will replay the Grand Final next Saturday at 2.30pm. Oh my god.
A Saharan crossing
It was the “Mauritanie” scrolling across the bottom of the screen that caught my eye. I then spotted the word “touriste” and finally “mort”. My grasp of the language was far from being fluent, but I knew enough for it to send an alarm bell ringing, writes Dave Keetch.
Should science journalists pick science?
It’s a nice concept that journalists are objective and neutral. But journalism need to report the truth and provide the additional analysis and context that readers don’t always have in scientific debates, argues science journo Ed Yong.
Podcast: Televised Revolution #04
The Televised Revolution podcast is back for another instalment. This week Dan Barrett discusses the rumours surrounding new sports anti-siphoning regulations and how Foxtel are launching a 3D channel.
Why the Saints will come marching in
Collingwood may be the bookies favourite to win the AFL flag tomorrow, but St Kilda has a host of experience and a craving of redemption that could get them over the line, writes Robert Walls.
Immigration detention: 27 dead and (not) counting…
Up to 27 people have died in immigration custody since 2000 yet none of these deaths are recorded by the national deaths-in-custody monitoring program, despite clearly meeting the legal definition, writes Crikey intern Inga Ting.
The Usher of the Black Rod is displeased
The Usher of the Black Rod has admonished the federal parliamentary Press Gallery for “discourteous” and “dangerous” behaviour in its pursuit of scoops, in a extraordinary missive sent to journos yesterday afternoon.
Students in detention? Life gets harder for international scholars
They’re already faced with huge tuition fees and a host of other financial restrictions. Now there are warnings international students might resort to staying in Australia illegally if their application for permanent residency fails under tough new restrictions.
The Swedish model — and how it went terribly wrong
The society that The Guardian has declared “the best in the world” has taken a big step to the right, writes Lisa Rosman, Swedish freelance journalist currently living in Australia
Wankley Awards: The Latham/Henderson double act
This week’s Wankley goes to a dual bout of disingenuousness between the upstanding director of the Sydney Institute, Gerard Henderson and fellow Fairfax columnist and former Liverpool Mayor Mark Latham.
Swan finally tells us the 2009 deficit
There was a rare sight in Parliament House this morning: a politician declining to take credit for a better-than-expected performance.
Back to the future on a carbon trade-off
The debate has been returned to its starting point of more than a decade ago — a trading scheme versus a carbon tax, writes Giles Parkinson.
Bartholomeusz: giving up on Telstra
Has there ever been a company battling so much uncertainty on as many fronts as Telstra? asks Stephen Bartholomeusz.
Now NSW police become the p-rn police
Now a police officer in NSW can make a snap decision about the classification of a film, simply based on its cover, that could see a shop assistant go to jail, writes Fiona Patten, convenor of the Australian Sex Party.
3.25 million missing votes in federal election
Almost 3,252,000 eligible Australians didn’t cast a vote — extraordinary for a country that has compulsory enrolment and compulsory voting, write Brian Costar and Peter Browne of Inside Story.
Crikey Clarifier: what is the role of the speaker?
There’s a storm brewing in Canberra over who will be elected Speaker, which side of parliament they will come from and whether their casting vote will be paired with the Deputy Speaker. Crikey went to the experts for answers.
