Latest news with #IndigenousVoice
Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
This roundtable could have been an email
Federal Treasury has let the cat out of the bag: the erstwhile Productivity Summit, now Economic Reform Roundtable, is the kind of meeting which could have been an email. In a leaked document, the department recommended a set of outcomes for the roundtable, which was – supposedly – to be informed by the 500-odd pages of research conducted by the Productivity Commission covering five pillars laid out by Treasurer Jim Chalmers last year. Spoiler: the recommendations are only tangentially related to those documents, which have taken an army of policy minds at a purpose-built organisation six months to prepare. That's not just inefficient – it's a working case of the opposite of productivity. In fact, the whole process increasingly resembles a dramatisation of the CIA's 1944 Simple Sabotage Field Manual. To disrupt the effectiveness of organisations and conferences, the spy manual suggests a saboteur gum up progress by insisting on doing everything through 'channels' and 'never permit short-cuts to be taken in order to expedite decisions'. Consider that box ticked. Loading The roundtable is certainly not a shortcut. Especially given the fact that the roundtable attendee list is broad and many are coming armed with their own policy proposals, to complement the work of the Productivity Commission. The CIA advised saboteurs to 'make speeches', specifically, 'talk as frequently as possible and at great length'. Given Treasury's recommendations are, at least as reported, conspicuously limited, it's already clear there'll be a lot more talking than listening. The Business Council of Australia has flagged that it will be 'bringing constructive ideas' to the roundtable, which 'will assist in identifying policies that can increase investment across the economy through red tape reduction, faster approvals on major projects, future industries' growth, research and innovation, harnessing AI and tax reform'. Laudable stuff. But the advocacy body and its members tend to spend more time talking to business forums than selling their importance to the wider public. The timorous prime minister and his pre-chastened treasurer have no incentive to invest any political capital in putting them into practice. Predictably, big businesses will leave the roundtable lamenting a 'lack of political will' and go back to individually shaping regulation for their personal comfort. It is telling that big businesses were happier to donate to the campaign for an Indigenous Voice to parliament, cosying up to the government in the process, than they are to spend a bit of cash selling the public on a more competitive and productive Australia. The Australian Council of Trade Unions will have four representatives at the roundtable – a super-majority of three more than any other organisation represented. It has decided that this summit is the perfect opportunity to campaign on a four-day work week for the same pay. At least the peak body is out selling its proposal – though selling the idea of free money really doesn't take much skill. Four days on full pay would, say the ACTU, be made possible by implementing technological advances, like AI. Never one to shy away from irony, the union peak is simultaneously seeking to stymie the implementation of AI because it fears it would result in job losses. But then, as head honcho Sally McManus famously asserted in 2019, if you don't like laws, it's OK to break them. What are a couple of pesky laws of economics to a unionist armed with a populist proposal? The Australian Council of Social Service will be there to demand workers and savers get taxed more, of course. And the small business representative body will be there for decorative purposes, having never been a focus of an Albanese government which prefers its stakeholders large enough to be unionised. Opposition Treasury spokesman Ted O'Brien also has a seat, but seems increasingly perplexed by the process.
The Age
2 days ago
- Business
- The Age
This roundtable could have been an email
Federal Treasury has let the cat out of the bag: the erstwhile Productivity Summit, now Economic Reform Roundtable, is the kind of meeting which could have been an email. In a leaked document, the department recommended a set of outcomes for the roundtable, which was – supposedly – to be informed by the 500-odd pages of research conducted by the Productivity Commission covering five pillars laid out by Treasurer Jim Chalmers last year. Spoiler: the recommendations are only tangentially related to those documents, which have taken an army of policy minds at a purpose-built organisation six months to prepare. That's not just inefficient – it's a working case of the opposite of productivity. In fact, the whole process increasingly resembles a dramatisation of the CIA's 1944 Simple Sabotage Field Manual. To disrupt the effectiveness of organisations and conferences, the spy manual suggests a saboteur gum up progress by insisting on doing everything through 'channels' and 'never permit short-cuts to be taken in order to expedite decisions'. Consider that box ticked. Loading The roundtable is certainly not a shortcut. Especially given the fact that the roundtable attendee list is broad and many are coming armed with their own policy proposals, to complement the work of the Productivity Commission. The CIA advised saboteurs to 'make speeches', specifically, 'talk as frequently as possible and at great length'. Given Treasury's recommendations are, at least as reported, conspicuously limited, it's already clear there'll be a lot more talking than listening. The Business Council of Australia has flagged that it will be 'bringing constructive ideas' to the roundtable, which 'will assist in identifying policies that can increase investment across the economy through red tape reduction, faster approvals on major projects, future industries' growth, research and innovation, harnessing AI and tax reform'. Laudable stuff. But the advocacy body and its members tend to spend more time talking to business forums than selling their importance to the wider public. The timorous prime minister and his pre-chastened treasurer have no incentive to invest any political capital in putting them into practice. Predictably, big businesses will leave the roundtable lamenting a 'lack of political will' and go back to individually shaping regulation for their personal comfort. It is telling that big businesses were happier to donate to the campaign for an Indigenous Voice to parliament, cosying up to the government in the process, than they are to spend a bit of cash selling the public on a more competitive and productive Australia. The Australian Council of Trade Unions will have four representatives at the roundtable – a super-majority of three more than any other organisation represented. It has decided that this summit is the perfect opportunity to campaign on a four-day work week for the same pay. At least the peak body is out selling its proposal – though selling the idea of free money really doesn't take much skill. Four days on full pay would, say the ACTU, be made possible by implementing technological advances, like AI. Never one to shy away from irony, the union peak is simultaneously seeking to stymie the implementation of AI because it fears it would result in job losses. But then, as head honcho Sally McManus famously asserted in 2019, if you don't like laws, it's OK to break them. What are a couple of pesky laws of economics to a unionist armed with a populist proposal? The Australian Council of Social Service will be there to demand workers and savers get taxed more, of course. And the small business representative body will be there for decorative purposes, having never been a focus of an Albanese government which prefers its stakeholders large enough to be unionised. Opposition Treasury spokesman Ted O'Brien also has a seat, but seems increasingly perplexed by the process.
Sydney Morning Herald
10-08-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Brisbane news live: Appeal launched for 12-year-old last seen on Roma Street
6.54am While you were sleeping Here's what's making news further afield this morning: One hundred days in, how does the prime minister measure up? A right-wing activist group which came to prominence campaigning against the proposed Indigenous Voice to parliament, has launched a campaign to kill off 'weakling' Liberals who support the net zero climate target, heightening Coalition tension over energy policy. The Reserve Bank of Australia will begin its two-day deliberations later today ahead of an official interest rate decision on Tuesday, in which a cut is all but guaranteed. An interest rate reduction would mark the third this year, and follow a shock decision last month to deny relief to Australian home buyers and businesses. It comes after the June-quarter inflation figures showed headline inflation at its lowest levels since early 2021, while underlying inflation also eased. CSIRO researchers say they've developed a new algorithm that can block images from being used to create deepfakes, as Australian state governments scramble to criminalise sexually explicit AI-generated content. Labor is about to dump proposed new laws to regulate artificial intelligence as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's caucus splits on whether to clamp down on the sprawling technology. And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has branded Australia 'shameful' in its advocacy for Palestinian statehood, 6.40am The top stories this morning Good morning, and welcome to Brisbane Times' news blog for Monday, August 11. Today we can expect a cloudy day and a top temperature of 22 degrees. In this morning's local headlines: Brisbane's Olympic Games organising committee faced an unexpected challenge in their bid to protect Games branding when a local council beat them to the trademark for 'Logan 2032' by just 13 days. Six people, including a woman in a critical condition, were hospitalised after a three-car collision in Logan on Saturday night, while another man was struck in a separate hit-and-run in Logan after a road-rage row. The NRL Integrity Unit has requested an explanation from South Sydney after star recruit Brandon Smith was stopped by police at Coolangatta airport ahead of his 150th NRL game on Sunday against the Titans. As an 11-year-old, several rare tumours were removed from Max Shearer's brain and donated to the Queensland Children's Tumour Bank for research into childhood cancer. Since then, the now 21-year-old has raised $150,000 for the foundation to help other sick kids. Six nights, three lodges: is this Queensland getaway Australia's most luxurious? And it was a mostly disappointing weekend for Queensland NRL and AFL teams. After the Broncos' injury-laden Thursday loss to the Storm, the Lions were pipped at the post by the Swans in an overcast Gabba thriller on Saturday, while the Dolphins were blasted off the park in a 52-point demolition by the Sydney Roosters – however, the Gold Coast Suns scored a win over Carlton. On Sunday, the Titans and the Cowboys suffered narrow losses, to the Rabbitohs and Eels respectively, but the
The Age
10-08-2025
- Business
- The Age
Brisbane news live: Appeal launched for 12-year-old last seen on Roma Street
6.54am While you were sleeping Here's what's making news further afield this morning: One hundred days in, how does the prime minister measure up? A right-wing activist group which came to prominence campaigning against the proposed Indigenous Voice to parliament, has launched a campaign to kill off 'weakling' Liberals who support the net zero climate target, heightening Coalition tension over energy policy. The Reserve Bank of Australia will begin its two-day deliberations later today ahead of an official interest rate decision on Tuesday, in which a cut is all but guaranteed. An interest rate reduction would mark the third this year, and follow a shock decision last month to deny relief to Australian home buyers and businesses. It comes after the June-quarter inflation figures showed headline inflation at its lowest levels since early 2021, while underlying inflation also eased. CSIRO researchers say they've developed a new algorithm that can block images from being used to create deepfakes, as Australian state governments scramble to criminalise sexually explicit AI-generated content. Labor is about to dump proposed new laws to regulate artificial intelligence as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's caucus splits on whether to clamp down on the sprawling technology. And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has branded Australia 'shameful' in its advocacy for Palestinian statehood, 6.40am The top stories this morning Good morning, and welcome to Brisbane Times' news blog for Monday, August 11. Today we can expect a cloudy day and a top temperature of 22 degrees. In this morning's local headlines: Brisbane's Olympic Games organising committee faced an unexpected challenge in their bid to protect Games branding when a local council beat them to the trademark for 'Logan 2032' by just 13 days. Six people, including a woman in a critical condition, were hospitalised after a three-car collision in Logan on Saturday night, while another man was struck in a separate hit-and-run in Logan after a road-rage row. The NRL Integrity Unit has requested an explanation from South Sydney after star recruit Brandon Smith was stopped by police at Coolangatta airport ahead of his 150th NRL game on Sunday against the Titans. As an 11-year-old, several rare tumours were removed from Max Shearer's brain and donated to the Queensland Children's Tumour Bank for research into childhood cancer. Since then, the now 21-year-old has raised $150,000 for the foundation to help other sick kids. Six nights, three lodges: is this Queensland getaway Australia's most luxurious? And it was a mostly disappointing weekend for Queensland NRL and AFL teams. After the Broncos' injury-laden Thursday loss to the Storm, the Lions were pipped at the post by the Swans in an overcast Gabba thriller on Saturday, while the Dolphins were blasted off the park in a 52-point demolition by the Sydney Roosters – however, the Gold Coast Suns scored a win over Carlton. On Sunday, the Titans and the Cowboys suffered narrow losses, to the Rabbitohs and Eels respectively, but the
ABC News
10-08-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Picnic at Hanging Rock is just as unsettling and relevant 50 years on
Peter Weir's Picnic at Hanging Rock, released 50 years ago, is remembered for its eerie atmosphere and mysterious story. But beneath its haunting beauty, the film challenges the idea of colonial control over the Australian landscape. The rock becomes a place that refuses to be explained or conquered by European logic. This tension between the land and colonial power still matters today. The failure of the referendum on the Indigenous Voice to Parliament shows how divided Australia remains over questions of reconciliation and Indigenous sovereignty. Rewatching Picnic at Hanging Rock in 2025, we can appreciate the film as an unsettling portrayal of place, silence and disappearance. Picnic at Hanging Rock tells the story of a group of private schoolgirls and their teachers who visit the nearby Hanging Rock on Valentine's Day in 1900. During the excursion, three students and one teacher mysteriously disappear. No clear explanation is ever given, which unsettles both the characters and the audience. The mystery triggers hysteria, scandal and a slow collapse of order at Appleyard College. As the search for answers continues, the film refuses to provide resolution, deepening its sense of unease and ambiguity. Based on Joan Lindsay's 1967 novel, the story captured the public imagination with its haunting beauty and unanswered mystery. Audiences were obsessed with whether it was based on true events (it wasn't). The film became a landmark of the Australian New Wave, a 1970s movement that revitalised the national film industry with bold, artistic storytelling and a focus on uniquely Australian themes. With its poetic visuals, haunting score and colonial setting, the film stood out for its mood rather than action. Audiences were both fascinated and frustrated by its lack of closure, and it gained a cult following, especially among viewers drawn to its gothic atmosphere and slow-burning mystery. Ngannelong, also known as Hanging Rock, is a striking volcanic formation north-west of Melbourne. For the Dja Dja Wurrung, Woi Wurrung and Taungurung peoples of the Kulin Nation it is a deeply important cultural and spiritual place. Lindsay and Weir's mystery of white schoolgirls who mysteriously vanish sits on top of older, deeper traumas – those of dispossession and the forced removal of Indigenous people from their lands. While the film appears dreamlike and mystical, Ngannelong's sacredness challenges this romantic view, reminding us that the land holds its own stories and history. It does not forget. Picnic at Hanging Rock can be seen as a powerful story about colonial fear and uncertainty. The unexplained disappearance of the schoolgirls plays off the idea that European thinking and logic can't fully understand or master the Australian landscape. When watched through this lens the story reveals just how fragile colonialism is. The film invites viewers to think differently about Australia's identity, suggesting the landscape itself remembers the past and actively resists the stories colonisers have tried to tell about it. The film contrasts the tidy world of Appleyard College – which stands for colonial order, built on white privilege and Britishness – against the untamed mysterious landscape of Ngannelong. The girls represent white femininity, meant to bring culture and control. When they vanish, it's as if the land rejects these colonial ideals. Their disappearance unravels the school's order, exposing how fragile colonial power really is. It hints at a deeper crisis beneath the surface. Russell Boyd's cinematography is key to the film's unsettling mood. Shifting light and strange angles create a sense of uncertainty. The bush isn't just background, it is defiant. This fits with 'ecological cinema', where nature has its own voice. In Picnic at Hanging Rock, the land often overpowers people. It refuses to be controlled or explained by colonial ideas. Picnic at Hanging Rock is part of the Australian Gothic: literature and films which explore dark parts of Australia's story. Named for European Gothic literature of the 18th and 19th centuries, these 20th century Australian stories often express the anxieties, violence and uncanny dislocations of colonisation and the natural landscape these settlers encountered. In this Australian Gothic tradition, Picnic at Hanging Rock uses haunting and mystery to explore deep social and historical wounds. These unsettled feelings still shape how Australia sees itself. Australia's national identity rests on silences and erasures. Like the missing schoolgirls, the colonial subject is lost – unsure of who belongs and whose history matters. Picnic at Hanging Rock remains powerful today, especially in light of ongoing discussions about Indigenous sovereignty and reconciliation in Australia. The film's mystery is never solved, forcing viewers to sit with the discomfort of what's left unsaid. The land is not something empty or passive, but alive. It is a force that remembers and resists. Even 50 years later, the film still unsettles, not just through its eerie beauty, but by challenging colonial ways of thinking and reminding us that sovereignty endures – even if it's not always visible. This piece first appeared on The Conversation. Jo Coghlan is an associate professor of humanities, arts and social sciences at the University of New England.
