A storm is brewing over the $40 million set to be paid out to Baz Luhrmann’s Hollywood blockbuster The Great Gatsby, with angry film industry insiders saying the decision ignores the main game of proper investment in local productions.
Australia
Calming the Indian crisis
The violence against Indian students issue isn’t going anywhere, and while the Australian government fails to fix it, the Indian media will run inflammatory, blanket coverage. It’s time for an independent inquiry to help mend our relations.
How much for the coat of arms? Selling out our national identity
We assume national symbols are owned by the nation. But not when they’ve been plastered across products to sell them off to patriotic consumers, writes Richard White and Melissa Harper.
Is it time for Australia to become a republic?
It’s ten years since the republic referendum failed and it’s time to restart the debate, says George Williams. Let’s have an initial popular vote to establish we do want a republic, then vote again for the type of republic we want.
Mirror mirror on the wall, who’s the Nobelest Aussie of them all?
For the first time ever, an Australian woman, Elizabeth Blackburn, has won the Nobel Prize. So why are the Americans trying to claim her for themselves? asks Crikey intern Melanie Mahony.
Australians love themselves
Who said Yanks were the crazy patriots? Citizens of 33 countries were asked to rated their trust, admiration, respect and pride of their homeland. Australia ranked first. Time for another Southern Cross tattoo?
Forget GDP, we rate 102 out of 143 countries on the Happy Planet Index
As Australia again begins the quarterly festival of GDP worship, isn’t there a better measure of national success? asks Charles Berger.
Overlap between Birthers and climate change sceptics
Is US right wing irrationality — with climate change sceptics and Birthers still questioning their president’s birthplace — appearing in Australian politics?
Humans causing the “sixth extinction” of species
Australia, New Zealand and Pacific islands are likely to become the “extinction hot spots” of the globe, mainly thanks to the human destruction and degradation of ecosystems.
The Racing Kangaroo and De Ronde
De Ronde is a race for the hard men of cycling, not the anaemic mountain goats that characterise stage races such as the Tour de France, writes Tim Watson.
Will Baz strike real (or fool’s) gold with Australia’s DVD?
With so much riding on the director’s costly paean to God’s own; the DVD’s success if Fox will forgive us — has become paramount, writes Ross Stapleton.
I survived Marysville for an orgy of ocker self-love
My emotions, and the way I’ve been talking about them in order to deal with them, have been hijacked by the emotions of “the nation” and its faithful organ, the press, writes Peter Chambers.
Peter Costello’s Australia essay: what his teacher said
Peter, I am very pleased to see that you have taken in at least the rudiments of essay writing which we have been covering over the course of the last semester.
Australia’s not the bomb they’d have you believe
An unwillingness to break a decade-old tradition of Oz film bashing may be infecting Australian reporters’ abilities to sensibly interpret a simple list of figures writes Michael Griffiths.
Australia: the verdict
Well, it’s official. Australia is crap. The only raging debate amongst reviewers world wide is exactly why the movie that was supposed to save our film industry is quite this bad, writes Eleri Harris.
A cup of tea previews Baz Luhrmann’s Australia
We Aussies are so filled with hate
On freedom of speech and Gerald Fredrick Toben
We should be speaking up for him now, rather than waiting for a more appealing victim of this attack on free speech.
A target of 550 ppm CO2 is a recipe for disaster
Garnauts Final Reports Fateful Decisions and the uncharted brave new world of 550 ppm CO2 and + 3 degrees Celsius, Dr Andrew Glikson explains.
A moment’s silence for the passing of Big Brother
Everyone will remember where they were…
US08: Let’s hear it for the emerald continent
Australia, sunny social democracy that is is, is suddenly flavor of the month for discerning Americans, writes Guy Rundle.
Animated Gif for the 2020 Summit – YEAH!
Hello, Australia speaking…
Tips and rumours
The Sydney Daily Telegraph has a scary, scary graphic charting Labor Lovin’ amongst the heavies on Macquarie Street today, but what about Canberra? Is this the Federal Cabinet with the most members who have slept with one another? In Western Australia the Libs paid European backpackers to hand out their how-to-vote cards. At one booth, […]
