Albanese edges towards a big shift in Middle East policy
While sharply critical of the 'provocative' expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, Albanese as a backbencher in 1998 firmly established himself as a supporter of the two-state solution, acknowledging both the desire for Palestinians to have their own homeland, and Israel's right to exist securely.
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Sydney Morning Herald
5 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Inaction on pokies harm is gambling with lives
The pokies article by Peter FitzSimons (' MPs servants to 'predatory' pokies ', July 27) emphasises the most important point of the pokies disaster. It can't be fixed because both sides of politics are so dependent on pokies donations that once in power they realise the pokies lobby is in charge, not them. And fixing that by increasing campaign funding for political parties from the budget means increasing taxes. It's easy for the pokies lobby and its media backers to stoke public outrage when increased taxes are suggested. There even is a term for it, 'state capture'. Whoever wins the election, lobby groups are still in charge. It's relevant more widely, such as the fossil fuel lobby slowing down climate action. It's a pernicious problem and the Herald is to be commended for running an anti-gambling campaign. It's hard to see a solution until someone is brave enough to have a policy calling for higher taxes to tackle some of the bigger problems we face. Maybe braver politicians? Gary Barnes, Mosman Take my advice Senator James Paterson says 'Labor would be judged on the results of proposed consultant cuts' (' Labor's splurge on advice revealed ', July 27). That's rich coming from anyone in the Liberal party. It's not the spending of money on consultants that I mind so much as the pretence practised by the Liberals that ditching public service jobs to do it, while ignoring the alternate costs, is somehow saving money. Equally objectionable is the sneakiness of hiring people – using eye-watering amounts of public funds – to tell you what you want to hear instead of what you should be told, while claiming it's somehow a 'partnership'. Driven by their own 'ideological obsession' of antipathy towards the public service dating as far back as the Howard era, the Liberals were avid practitioners of an identical reverse bias. And while Labor's pot so far seems decidedly tarnished at keeping its promise to negate it, they've got a long way to go to match the blackness of the Liberals' kettle. Adrian Connelly, Springwood The criticism of the Albanese government's use of consultants is misplaced. They have pledged to rebuild the capacity of the public service, laid waste by the previous Coalition. Does anyone really believe this will happen overnight? While there are green shoots, it will take years to restore an objective, expert public service. The damage wrought to good government by the previous Coalition administration, venal in its attempts to politicise the public service, promote mates and create a supine culture (remember robo-debt?), nearly destroyed it. As Labor rebuilds, of course consultants will be needed, especially as this government wants to achieve something. Hopefully, the best can be encouraged into an invigorated public service for the national good. Wayne Duncombe, Lilyfield False piety America likes to think of itself as a God-fearing nation of Christians, yet it puts up with Trump (' America's shame: Despite all the evidence Trump remains shameless ', July 27). There seems to be no shame that their president breaks all those Christian ideals they hold so dear. Their sin is not their lack of shame. It is their hypocrisy. Neville Turbit, Russell Lea Fertility lifeline The importance of IVF to many families cannot be underestimated, but to those with life-threatening genetic conditions it is especially important (' There have been 17 million IVF babies. Rebecca was one of the first ', July 27). For these families IVF can allow the possibility of a mutant gene to be isolated and sidelined and ultimately dismissed from the family line, allowing hope for a more positive future. We can only be grateful for the process. Janice Creenaune, Austinmer So fertility rates are 'nosediving'? Perhaps a truer word has never been used. It's well known that modern perfumes contain hormone disruptors such as phthalates, isn't it? And to say that perfumes are pervasive is an understatement. We live and move in a sea of fake scent. You can't even walk down a bush track without being nasally assaulted by the smell of the person (man or woman) 10 minutes ahead of you, whom you may not actually ever see. It must drive the wildlife, well, wild. Ironically, perfume formulas are designed to make the wearer more attractive, but may in fact result in lower fertility. Pass the nose peg, please. Carolyn Little, Mortdale
West Australian
5 hours ago
- West Australian
Sussan Ley: Opposition Leader tells Anthony Albanese he needs to ‘walk the walk' on Indigenous issues
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has slammed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's lack of action for Indigenous Australians since the failed Voice to Parliament, saying he has shied away from the issue since the failed referendum. Speaking from Wyndham in the Kimberley on Saturday, Ms Ley said the Prime Minister needed to walk the walk after talking the talk at successive Garma Festivals — one of the largest gatherings for Indigenous Australians in the country. 'It's so disappointing to see this plan that the Prime Minister calls a plan for economic empowerment is failing in these critical areas,' she said. 'Now he had the same announcement at last year's Garma, I believe there was a plan for economic empowerment released. 'This is the fourth year of an Albanese government and we're seeing these critical indicators go backwards, that is not good enough. 'It's not good enough to be there for the photo op, Australians are expecting the follow up.' Ms Ley said key issues facing Indigenous Australians were not being addressed. 'The scale of the challenges in Indigenous Australia are much bigger than the scale of the response that I have heard from Prime Minister Albanese today,' she said. 'We have 19 indicators in Closing the Gap — four of those are going backwards and what really concerns me is that they are indicating a lack of progress, in fact, a retreat in critical areas relating to children and education and youth incarceration.' While Ms Ley attacked Mr Albanese's approach, she elected not to attend the Garma Festival herself, instead sending shadow Attorney-General Julian Leeser and defended her travel to WA. 'This visit to the Kimberley was planned so that soon after the recent Parliamentary sitting, I could come with two of my senior colleagues and listen to the voices of regional Indigenous Australians here in a really important part of Australia,' she said. 'It's vital that we do that, it's what I said I would do when I became leader.' Ms Ley kicked off her tour of WA's north-west on Friday, landing in Kununurra before heading an hour north-west on Saturday morning to Wyndham. Ms Ley said she was looking to reach Indigenous Australians where they were. 'We've seen programs that work, we've seen job initiatives that are doing well, we've also seen things that are failing,' she said. 'We've heard from so many people about what works and what doesn't work and it's important that we look at the detail, that we listen and that we closely examine how we might construct policies in the future to address the sense of disappointment . . . that is here in so many of the communities that we are visiting now.' Ms Ley spent the first two days of her tour in Kununurra and Wyndham, meeting with local Indigenous groups and businesses. Issues ranged from funding challenges being a border town, needing an on-country incarceration system and housing shortages. Not every meeting took as serious a tone however, with Ms Ley proving a popular figure that evening among the akubra-wearing pub patrons, with multiple people asking for selfies with the politician and she attended a Saturday footy game in Kununurra. The trip also comes a week after a public spat blew into the public sphere between State leader Basil Zempilas and WA Federal frontbencher Andrew Hastie over the party's net zero position. Ms Ley said she wasn't concerned. 'I barely looked at those reports,' she told The Sunday Times before her trip. Ms Ley will also visit Broome, meeting with youth services, health programs and Indigenous-led businesses.
SBS Australia
6 hours ago
- SBS Australia
Garma 2025: Minister for Indigenous Australians, Sentaor Malarndirri McCarthy
Minister for Indigenous Australians, Sentaor Malarndirri McCarthy sat down with NITV's John Paul Janke at 25th Garma Festival, following Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's keynote address.
