Feminist scholar Eva Cox argues the Women for Gillard campaign is a divisive distraction — and the Prime Minister’s attacks on Tony Abbott over abortion are a “red herring”.
READ MOREArticles by Eva Cox
Welfare and families: has Labor screwed over the poor?
The baby bonus is gone and the record of this Labor government robbing from the poor is a profoundly disappointing one. There wasn’t much for those struggling in the federal budget.
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Let’s acknowledge Abbott’s parental leave plan is better
Forget the misplaced rhetoric, Tony Abbott’s paid parental leave scheme is more generous and sends the right message about women in work. This “hardline feminist” is happy to say so.
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When ‘sisters’ are sent to the back of the room, ask questions
Claims that women are being sent to the back of the room at some Islamic events at Melbourne University should be addressed. But other religions also discriminate on gender.
READ MOREHow our super steals from the poor to give to the rich
Super tax concessions are rich people’s welfare, and those protesting against reform are just protecting their own interests. When will a government have the guts to rein in these subsidies for the wealthy?
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In defence of anti-abortion protesters’ right to free speech
Yes, they can be upsetting and distressing. But anti-abortion protesters have as much right to demonstrate outside a clinic as anyone else — that’s what free speech is.
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When did ‘Labor values’ become John Howard’s values?
Missing: true Labor values and an acceptance that structural barriers create poverty and disadvantage. It’s time for the ALP to stop blaming and short-changing individuals.
READ MORECould cutting sole parent payments cost Australia UN votes?
A campaign to stop planned cuts to sole parent payments is aiming at the government’s vulnerable underbelly in its bid for a UN Security Council seat. Harming Australia’s image may be justified.
READ MORECox: child care shouldn’t be like dry cleaning, in search of a special offer
How can the federal government spend about $4 billion on child care a year and yet have little or no say in where the services are located or how much they charge?
READ MOREIf Labor’s serious about fairness, it should reconsider welfare policies
One of the most obvious inconsistencies in the budget was the government’s claims for an egalitarian redistribution approach while proposing $60 per week income cut for 100,000 sole parents.
READ MOREWelfare: does buying votes really work?
Will the Labor brand receive a major boost from this budget? Doubtful, as its main claim is based on its expanded cash grants.
READ MOREGovt should do its own IM when looking for budget cuts
It is budget week, so how will the new Holy Cow surplus drive the political agenda?
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Cox: as gap between rich and poor widens, how well-off are we?
The trouble with economists has always been that they don’t do feelings.
READ MORECox: older workers need some new-age thinking
Why is there discrimination against older workers? Australian management tends to be fairly conservative in its hiring — younger workers are seen as safer.
READ MOREAbbott’s nanny state could expose kids to lesser levels of care
Tony Abbott’s thought bubble on government funding for nannies may expose children to lesser levels of care as well as assisting more affluent women to exploit many less powerful ones.
READ MORECox: how to continue bad indigenous policy-making
The lack of media scrutiny will allow the federal government to continue and expand a series of paternalistic, ineffective programs that will reduce the well-being of many disadvantaged Australians.
READ MORECox: Labor losing votes by neglecting social policy initiatives
How far should feminists be supporting Julia Gillard as PM because she is a woman and the first one in this job?
READ MORECox: who should get a government subsidy?
There are a series of political issues at present that show the commentariat and electorate are remarkably confused about who should benefit from government payments and concessions.
READ MORECox: 40 years on and the equal pay gaps continue
It will be 40 years in December since the incoming Whitlam government asked the Arbitration Commission to reopen the equal pay case.
READ MORECox: how about asking Tent Embassy why they’re so angry?
Why do so few of the media reporters actually ask the Aboriginal demonstrators why they are so angry with being told to change tactics?
READ MORECox: more to life and Labor policies than just getting a job
How can Labor promote itself as fair if it fails to care for those excluded from the paid workforce?
READ MORECox: more women in cabinet, but social issues slip agenda
My feminist push at present is to put the goal of making society fairer and more civil, and to change the emphasis on economic growth as the only good.
READ MORECox: Stronger Futures demands are un-Australian
How un-Australian is it for the federal government to invite submissions and input from an affected population and then expect them to spend Christmas doing the submission?
READ MORECox: whatever happened to Labor and egalitarianism? The no fair-go
The current government’s various social policy commitments have done little to improve equality for the poorest Australians.
READ MORECox: wheels slowly in motion for equal pay for women
Even if a rise is granted, it will be phased in over six years and not apparently starting until December next year. While this seems reasonable, the slowness again exploits the goodwill of a sector of powerless workers.
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