World faces last chance to avoid fatal warming: EU. The world faces a final opportunity to agree an adequate global response to climate change at a U.N.-led meeting in Copenhagen in December, the European Union's environment chief said on Friday. [Environmental Health News]
Category Archives Politics
Crisis wipes $115b from Govt revenue. The global financial crisis has slashed a massive $115 billion from Government revenues over the next four years, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has revealed. [ABC News: Breaking Stories]
'Buy American' Rider Sparks Trade Debate . The stimulus bill passed by the House last night contains a controversial provision that would mostly bar foreign steel and iron from the infrastructure projects laid out by the $819 billion economic package. [washingtonpost.com - Business]
Tidal power divides the greens. One single project could provide an enormous boost to Britain's renewable energy problems. Engineers have long fantasized about harnessing all the energy from the river Servern--and with climate change and energy security now pressing political problems, ministers are beginning to take them seriously. [Environmental Health News]
Means testing the baby bonus. I had vowed to not say another word on the baby bonus but the renewed speculation that something might be done has drawn me out. The talk now is of means testing it. As Andrew Leigh notes, this would have to be done with plenty of care but nonetheless would be a good step forward.…
Another good one from Andrew Leigh. As we draw near to budget time, there has been plenty of talk about what “middle Australia” will get. But where exactly is the middle? To provide a more precise sense, I’ve tabulated the pre-tax annual income distributions for individuals and households, in the 2008-09 tax year. My raw data is the 2006 HILDA…
The Australian IT Section reports: AUSTRALIANS could use electronic voting systems in next year's federal election if a proposed trial goes ahead. The proposal arises from a report by the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters on the 2004 federal election, published in October. Among its recommendations are a trial of electronic voting systems for use by blind and visually…
Noel Preston argues there are legitimate concerns about integrity in the public service. Constant reform is needed to provide a context in which public officials can perform their roles not only effectively but ethically as well. So true. Not just QLD.... Link: Absence of ethics in the public service.
ABC news reports: Japan has failed in its bid to resume commercial whaling during a vote at the International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting in Uslan, South Korea. Japan loses whaling bid