Just a few weeks ago we all stood in this House and debated the passing of Bob Hawke, a great Australian who stood for all Australians. Bob Hawke’s prime ministership was characterised by an understanding that together we are stronger. He looked for common ground. Nothing could stand in more contrast with that than what we’ve seen from this government…
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Did Israel Folau actually misquote the Bible? Hell, yes – by John Tait B.Sc (Ed), M.Theol
During the extended Israel Folau debate I have been waiting for a theologian or biblical scholar to come forward and address Folau’s misuse of scripture in his controversial post. The saga rolls on and I am still waiting. I have also been searching media reports curious to know what brand of church Folau attends. It is important to know this to understand…
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It is embarrassing to have ill-informed decision makers
Prime Minister Scott Morrison says it’s time to “rediscover” Captain James Cook because he gets “a bit of a bad show”. Mr Morrison plans to kick the “rediscovery” along with more than $12 million in projects to mark the 250th anniversary of Captain Cook’s first voyage to Australia and the Pacific. They include a circumnavigation of Australia by a replica of the Endeavour…
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BOOK REVIEW: A City Lost & Found by Robyn Annear: Whelan the Wrecker’s Melbourne –Black Inc 2006
Someone recently gave me A City Lost & Found as a birthday present. That is not a valid motive for writing a review of a book published more than a decade ago. But in this case there are good reasons for reviewing it now. One is that it is a remarkable historical work which is now available as an ebook. (The…
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High Salaries and Low Wages
The Oxfam Report Growing Gulf Between Work and Wealth shows wealth inequality in Australia has been on the rise over the past two decades, with the gulf between the amount of wealth held by the top 1% and the bottom 50% now the greatest at any time over this period. The richest 1% of Australians continue to own more wealth than…
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Close Unfair Tax Loopholes: End cash refunds for franking credits – SOURCE: The Australia Institute
The complexity of the Australian tax system hides many loopholes, one of the most unfair is the fact that some of Australia’s wealthiest citizens pay negative tax. The tax office actually pays money to people who have paid no tax themselves, and these people are some of the wealthiest in the country. It’s time this perverse tax loophole was closed.…
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Words that matter. What’s a franking credit? What’s dividend imputation? And what’s ‘retiree tax’? – from The Conversation by Peter Martin
Peter Martin is a visiting fellow at the Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University. This article originally appeared on The Conversation. You’re forgiven for being confused. Newspapers need to economise on words. Television and radio reporters need to economise on seconds. So they use shorthand: words like “dividend imputation”, “franking credits”, and yes, “retiree tax”. Which is fine…
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Dutch Historian Rutger Bregman berates billionaires at World Economic Forum over tax avoidance
Follow this link to the YouTube recording of the recent panel discussion on this subject. ‘I hear people talking the language of participation, justice, equality and transparency but almost no one raises the real issue of tax avoidance, right? And of the rich just not paying their fair share’ Bregman tells the panel. ‘It feels like I’m at a firefighters…