On October 31 2009 there was a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Margaret Holmes. It took place at a packed St Luke's Anglican Church, Mosman, NSW (where Margaret and her late husband "Tag" had been active members). I was among the speakers who were asked to say a few words about her. I spoke on her involvement in the peace and social justice movements. I had reviewed her biography on Radio 2GB when she turned a 100 earlier this year and I spoke at an event to mark her 100th birthday at the Women's International League for Peace... Full article »

Posted by: Webeditor at 5:23 PM Comment

Tags: Australasia, peace

Friday December 4th 2009 2009 has been another turbulent year, with Australia's involvement with the world's superpowers creating as many problems as opportunities. Among the topics to be reviewed this morning are: • How is Barack Obama doing? • Global Economy: Breakdown or breakthrough? • Global Environment: Winning battles but losing the war? • 21st Century: "The Asian Century"? Course No. 94HM381 1 session 10 am - 12.30 pm Cost: $39 (No Concession) Morning Tea included WEA House, 72 Bathurst St, Sydney 2000 Tel: (02) 9264 2781 Fax: (02) 9267 6988 Internet: www.weasydney.nsw.edu.au A non-profit organisation established 1913... Full article »

Posted by: Amanda Foxon-Hill at 3:41 PM Comment

Tags: Australasia, business, economics

While Australia has the lowest recorded annual rainfall of any inhabited continent it tops the list on a per capita calculation, our problem has always been more about management. This book chronicals the history of Australia from the first fleet to present day, outlining how the search for and management of water shaped this great continent. In the early days Sydney and its surrounds was sustained by fresh water running into Sydney Cove but with the population rapidly increasing this supply became inadequate and the "Tank Stream" was created. By tapping into an underground water source Sydney was able to... Full review »

Posted by: Webeditor at 10:34 PM Comment

Tags: Australasia, business, environment

There is controversy again over some people seeking to arrive in Australia. People have been on the move since Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden - and so this is a continuing issue with a very long history! It is necessary to make a distinction: "migration" (whereby Australia currently accepts about 170,000 people per year) and "refugees" (whereby Australia accepts about 13,500 people per year). Migration" is based on each country's own requirements. In Australia's case, the two main categories of migrants are those arriving to do particular jobs where there are shortages of labour (such... Full article »

Posted by: Webeditor at 9:32 AM Comment

Tags: Australasia, law, sociology

The Colombian Navy's sail-training ship "Gloria" sailed into Sydney last Sunday giving the city a chance to come onboard one of the tallest sail ships still in operation. I went down to Circular Quay on Sunday with my family and about 1000 Colombian nationals to welcome it into Australia.  The Colombian's certainly know how to put on a colourful and noisy party!      ... Full article »

Tags: Australasia

Australia has had a quiet time on the international front over the last few decades due in part to the hub and spoke arrangement that put the USA in the driving seat of world affairs. However, that era is ending thanks partly to the rise in wealth across many of Asia's key players. While the rise of China and India provides plenty of scope for functional cooperation, there are many unresolved issues in the region that could cause conflict. Tangled Webs looks at Australia's future in a multi-lateral era where the USA is no longer the king pin and Asia... Full review »

Posted by: Webeditor at 11:52 PM Comment

Tags: Asia, Australasia, media, reviews

Last night's New Zealand victory in the Bledisloe Cup is another reminder of how tiny New Zealand can still beat Australia. It is prickly relationship going back over two centuries. One of the best books on this subject is by Denis McLean The Prickly Pair: Making Nationalism in Australia and New Zealand (University of Otago Press, 2003). There are many more New Zealanders living in Australia than there are Aborigines. Over one tenth of all New Zealanders live in Australia. The average New Zealander here enjoys a higher standard of living than the average Australian: he or she is better... Full review »

Posted by: Webeditor at 1:00 AM Comment

Tags: Australasia, reviews

It seems that politicians all over Australia had a thing or two to say about the recently rejected Cap and Trade emissions plan. The only problem is in working out just what they all meant! Take a look at this clip from Sunrise on Seven and see for yourself!... Full article »

Tags: Australasia, entertainment, environment

The recent controversy over the Australian mining executive, Stern Hu, held in China has been a reminder of the importance of mining to the Australian economy. But mining's contribution is not just financial. In May 2008 I spoke at the dinner of the National Mining Congress of the Association of Mining and Exploration Companies (AMEC). Here are some of my remarks: Mining Companies Make the World a More Peaceful Place First, mining is part of the overall improvement in international trade - and trade that bring countries together reduces the risk of international war. This has been called the "MacDonald's... Full article »

Tags: Australasia, business, economics, environment

Edmund Campion, Melbourne: David Lovell Publishing. 2009 This is one of the most inspiring books I have read for some time. Though I can imagine Ted Kennedy being unimpressed with my praise! He was not that kind of person! Father Ted Kennedy (1931 - 2005) was most well known for this parish work in Redfern, inner Sydney, home to one of the country's largest urban populations of Indigenous Peoples. It was poverty-stricken, rundown and neglected by the politicians - even though it is only literally walking distance from the State Parliament House and business district. It is a world away... Full review »

Posted by: Webeditor at 10:01 PM Comment

Tags: Australasia, religion, reviews, sociology

                The Australian Business Foundation have just launched their latest research project investigating Australian businesses and their engagement with China. This project is a reality check on actual experiences of doing business with China. It looks beyond the China hype to the strategies and approaches Australian businesses are using on the ground in China. The book explains that there is no right equation for businesses engaging with China. It is constantly changing and the right answer is different for every organisation. Rapid economic growth and development have ensured China will continue to play a... Full article »

Posted by: Webeditor at 10:52 PM Comment

Tags: Asia, Australasia, business, economics, media

                    It's a struggle for CEOs in the current business climate. Profit seems to be an ever more elusive goal and the federal government isn't helping. Julia wants workers paid more, Wayne doesn't want them redundant, Kevin has run out of stimulus, customers wont pay a cent more than half-price and Penny is poised to plant a huge carbon footprint all over the bottom line. The Federal Labor Government has many fine qualities but it wouldn't get a pass in business studies. One of its outstanding assets is a remarkable pool... Full article »

Tags: Australasia, economics, entertainment

The poor treatment of foreign students in Australia has been in the news again this week. The ABC TV "Four Corners" programme explained the plight of Indian students coming to Australia and being cheated by some of the educational institutions, migration agents etc. My only complaint with the programme was the implication that this was somehow a new issue. In fact almost as soon as the formal "export of education" got underway in 1986, there were problems. In my 1995 book "Global Agenda: Economics, The Environment and the Nation-State", I raised some concerns with this process (pp 128-134). Australia has... Full article »

Posted by: Webeditor at 12:24 PM Comment

Tags: Asia, Australasia, education, environment

The largest loss of life ever sustained by the Australian media industry took place on October 16 1975 at the East Timor village of Balibo. Five journalists were killed by Indonesian troops. A sixth Australian journalist, who went looking for them, was later killed by Indonesian forces in the capital city Dili. The massacre has been back in the news with this week with the preview of the movie Balibo. All the governments that had citizens involved in the deaths have refused to reveal all that they know. It has been difficult to get to the bottom of it because... Full article »

Posted by: Webeditor at 11:23 PM Comment

Tags: Asia, Australasia, conflict, reviews, security

                    There is no higher calling than saving test cricket from being short-changed by 20 Twenty. While some are confident floodlit tests are the answer, wiser heads believe it lies in responding to the desperate plight of the cricket fan. Fans arriving at the Sydney Cricket Ground on the first day of a test match are brimming with excitement until their grog is confiscated upon entry. The mid-strength grog available inside the ground doesn't contain enough of the good stuff to sustain excitement over a five day stay at the ground;... Full article »

Tags: Australasia, entertainment, Europe, sport

                    Kevin opened up his latest world tour with a stopover in Malaysia. Friday Mash's exclusive sources believe he went there to lecture asylum seekers on the joys of living in New Zealand. Then on to Germany, the Pope's country of birth. Correspondents travelling with Kevin were undecided whether he went there to pick up a beamer to replace the ute or to impress Angela Merkel with his economic theories for post neo-liberalism and his smoke and mirrors approach to saving the world from environmental catastrophe. Is the Pope a catholic?... Full article »

Tags: Australasia, entertainment, environment

There are occasional scares in the Australian media about the number of asylum seekers coming here by boat. I have just been reading an excellent publication which helps set this issue in a wider context. Dr Khalid Koser, Director of the New Threats and Human Security Programme at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, has written The Global Financial Crisis and International Migration: Policy Implications for Australia. It is available free of charge from the Lowy Institute for International Policy website:  (The Lowy Institute, based at Sydney, is an independent international policy think tank). Dr Koser spoke to his report... Full article »

Tags: Australasia, economics, law, sociology

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                    World News Before It Happens NZ will shortly hold a referendum on whether it should be legal for parents to smack children. Of course it should. Smacking prepares Kiwi kids for the treatment they can expect later in life from Aussie sporting teams. However it should be applied with a certain restraint. Heaven forbid that Kiwis should become pains in their own arses. Rumours are emanating from North Korea that Kim Jong Il doubts whether any of his sons has what it takes to succeed him as Dear Leader. As... Full article »

Tags: Australasia, entertainment, sociology

                      There are clear signs the US is in a mid-season slump what with money worries, the middle east, a young inexperienced president and Arnie threatening to terminate California. It's time for their old mate Aussie to take on a coaching role and help them lift their game. The trouble is Americans are constantly being told by politicians and the media that they are the greatest people in the world living in the greatest country in the world and you can forget all the rest. Secure in that knowledge in... Full article »

Tags: America, Australasia, entertainment, sociology

                    You've got to feel sorry for Eric Roozendaal. He's such a well-meaning chap but last year his mini-budget went down like John Howard at a union meeting and now his full budget has been received like a steak sandwich served to Kevin in flight. It's a pity Wayne didn't give him a few tips and it was just unfortunate that Bernie Madoff wasn't at liberty to help out. First it was Obama with the 'audacity of hope', only to be outshone by Eric's 'beacon of hope'; although perhaps Eric should... Full article »

Tags: Australasia, economics, entertainment, law