The UN convention on children’s rights (CRC) – now 25 years old – sets global standards for children’s education, health care, social services, penal laws, and protection from economic and sexual exploitation, violence and other forms of abuse and neglect and establishes the right of children to have a say in decisions that affect […]
A New Australian Knight
UPDATE 30 January 2015 Confusion Reigns: who will do the honours for Sir Phil? Apparently, Tony hasn’t yet told the Queen whether she can dub her hubby personally, or Tony will do it, or it can be a Selfie. A spokesman at Buckingham Palace says: “The Queen acts on the advice of the Australian government […]
Australian Politics 2014
We all have lists of things we wish should never happen. Abbott Coalition’s attacks on living standards in Australia include: 1. The worst budget in living memory with no sense of fair play or regard to pre-election promises. It cruelly attacked the poor while granting bonuses to the wealthy – creating outrage in the community. And the government […]
Higher Education for Care Leavers
The UK is miles ahead of Australia when it comes to supporting Care Leavers to study at universities and other institutions for post-secondary schooling. What’s more, the UK is making a determined effort to increase the number of Care Leavers entering and staying in education after the age of 16. We all know the close correlation between a […]
History of institutions providing out-of-home residential care for children
This is the 2nd of Prof Shurlee Swain’s three research papers for the Royal Commission It can be downloaded here This will prove to be the most fascinating of the Swain papers for those who are new to this area. It explains the many different types of institutions offering out-of-home ‘care’ for children in Australia from […]
Foster Care in Crisis
I wish we didn’t need so many kids to be placed in the care of foster families. But, with more than 40,000 Australian kids unable to be looked after by their parents because of poverty, family breakdown, drug and alcohol issues and violence – and lack of support in a crisis – things are in a very bad […]
Indefinite Detention of Asylum Seekers Not Lawful
After a long period of ambivalent rulings, the Australian High Court on Thursday (11 December 2014) finally defined the limits of mandatory detention of asylum seekers. In recent years, many of us in Australia have been disturbed by what seemed to be a routinised indefinite detention of thousands of refugees, including children. “Since September 2013, the average time spent in […]
A Rousing National Anthem
Sometimes we can take nationalism too seriously. There comes a time when it might be fun to poke the ribs of the doctrinaire. This is from Susan Butler’s new book, The Aitch Factor (Pan Macmillan, 2014)
War – is commemoration the same as glorification?
Australians commemorate Anzac Day (25 April) or Remembrance Day (11 November) with mixed emotions. Some still see it as a time to venerate brave soldiers and remember ‘the fallen’. Others take the opportunity to point again to the futility of war. Remembering wars brings out all sorts of emotions: mawkish sentimentality, strident nationalism, grief for young lives lost […]
Spin doctors and children in detention
The wheel turns on media spin. In June this year, Fairfax media reported that the number of ‘spin doctors’ and communications staff employed by the Australian Immigration Department had risen to 95 – up from 13 under the previous government in 2011. This in a time when the Government is telling us there’s a budget crisis […]