Should Scotland鈥檚 people decide to separate from Britain in next month鈥檚 independence referendum, the English establishment may well be very unhappy with Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, whose recent ham-fisted attack on Scottish nationalism appears to have given a boost.
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What does it say about Australian politics when a mining billionaire who rides around in a Rolls Royce becomes the people鈥檚 champion in parliament?
The Palmer United Party (PUP), formed and largely funded by Clive Palmer, continues to disrupt the two-party game played by most politicians and their media supporters.
To them, the PUP is 鈥渕averick鈥, a label that fits after Palmer鈥檚 outburst this week about 鈥渃ommunist鈥 China trying to 鈥渢ake over鈥 Australia.
The Socialist Alternative club at the University of Western Australia had its 鈥渃lub privileges鈥 suspended on August 13. In effect, this amounts to a suspension of the club's affiliation to the Student Guild, which could be a prelude to complete disaffiliation.
The issue seems to have flared over posters produced for a campus forum on the topic 鈥淲hy Israel is a terrorist state鈥. After initially approving the posters, and allowing them to be displayed in Guild areas on campus, on the day of the forum the Guild sent an email to the club saying that all the posters had been removed.
The total number of jobs now advertised across Australia is about 133,000. This is the labour market for the 790,000 unemployed looking for work 鈥 and it will get a lot worse before it ever gets better.
In the financial year to June, private sector wages rose by just 2.4%, the lowest growth rate in 17 years. With consumer prices rising at 3% over the same period, the decline in real wages will continue as unemployment rises.
The release of up to 150 children under the age of 10 from residential detention is not a humanitarian move by the government, in case you were wondering.
Immigration minister Scott Morrison claimed that issuing bridging visas to 150 children and their families to live in the community was a 鈥渄ividend of stopping the boats鈥.
Premier Mike Baird鈥檚 apology to the people of NSW, delivered after the resignation of two Newcastle Liberal MPs, is about as sincere as Treasurer Joe Hockey鈥檚 mea culpa to the poor.
Baird鈥檚 statement that the Liberal Party would not contest the byelections caused by the resignations 鈥 鈥渨e strongly believe we have forfeited our right to represent those electorates鈥 鈥 is also a political ploy. The only reason the Liberals are not standing is to avoid the humiliating loss they knew was coming.
Recent months have seen repeated and unprecedented attacks on the unemployed and other income support recipients, with the federal budget and McLure and Forrest Reviews proposing cuts to payments for job-seekers, restricting access to the Disability Support Pension, and expanding Work for the Dole and income management.
But there are signs of resistance. Pas Forgione from the Anti-Poverty Network SA spoke to Owen Bennett, who set up the Australian Unemployment Union.
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What is the Australian Unemployment Union and what are its goals?
Venezuelan ambassador to Egypt, Juan Antonio Hernandez, said on August 20 that an Israeli aircraft attacked the Venezuelan humanitarian delegation in Rafah along the border post between Egypt and Palestine, the next day.
The delegation was delivering 12 tons of aid to the Palestinian people. No one was injured during the attack.
A vibrant student march against the federal government鈥檚 education cuts hit the streets of Newcastle on August 20.
At least half of the 180 protesters were high school students who had walked out of classes, some in defiance of threats of detention and suspension, to join the protest.
Year 12 student at Hunter School of Performing Arts Marianela O鈥橞rien told 麻豆传媒 Weekly that she joined the protest because 鈥渨hen Tony Abbot went to uni he had free education so why can鈥檛 my generation have the same?鈥
The age of entitlement might be over for some, but the spooks are not among them. There are six security and intelligence services in Australia, the largest of which is the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO).
In 2004, it was getting by with 700 staff and a budget of $150 million. Now it has a staff of 1780 with a budget of $600 million at their disposal.
The recent media attention given to the case of 鈥渂aby Gammy鈥 鈥 the child of an Australian couple born to a surrogate mother in Thailand, and left in her care by his parents allegedly because he was born with a disability 鈥 has led to suggestions that rules around surrogacy should be changed.
The rates of surrogacy in Australia are very low. In 2011, only 80 women volunteered for it, the reported on August 10.
The Venezuelan government has released images of the 鈥淗ugo Chavez鈥 shelter, where incoming Palestinian child refugees of the Israeli assault of the Gaza Strip will be housed, on August 16.
President Nicolas Maduro made the pledge last month to shelter Palestinian children who were orphaned and wounded as a result of the conflict, Venezuela Analysis said on August 16. Israel's ongoing assault has killed more than 2000 Palestinians, mostly civilians.
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