Quote:
Well how are they going. Is it going well?
Is it a steady hand, no surprises Government with the adults in charge?
Or are they flaying around without a clue on what they are doing?
Asylum seekers boat push-backs may breach international laws, UN warns.
The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is warning such actions may place Australia in breach of its obligations under international law.http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-01-1...ts-bac/5195328
The federal government's new green paper reveals many practical problems with its policy to combat climate change.
The cost of seeing a doctor would soar if private health insurers were allowed to cover GP fees, a health economist has warned.
As a GP, when I prescribe a drug, I need to know its likely benefits and risks, and I need to base my decision-making on the best available evidence. I’d like to think the same principle applies to the world of policy, but a recent proposal leaves me scratching my head.
|
Former Liberal Party leader John Hewson says Tony Abbott should be less secretive about his asylum seeker policies, suggesting the Prime Minister give proper briefings to the public and to MPs from other parties.
Dr Hewson suggested Mr Abbott had gone too far in his efforts to suppress information.
In its broadband policy released in April 2013 (PDF), the Coalition made the following pledge: “Within 90 days the department of Broadband Communications and the digital economy, with the assistance of NBN Co and private carriers, will provide Parliament with a ranking of broadband quality and availability in all areas of Australia. This ranking will be published for comment and review and will guide prioritisation of the rollout.”
However, the report released by the Minister appears to be little more than three pages of extremely high-level summary overview material. It does not consist of a “ranking of broadband quality and availability in all areas of Australia” as the Coalition had promised would be delivered within 90 days of it taking office.
This approach has meant that the Coalition has admitted — just several months after the Federal Election — that it will no longer be able to keep its election promise of giving all Australians access to 25Mbps broadband speeds by 2016.
I really have no idea how anyone at NBN Co — with that company’s deep engineering expertise — is supposed to take it seriously. It is a farcical effort that the Government should be ashamed of, and reflects a new broken election promise for the Coalition, if a minor one.