In defence of good research wherever it is found

Hilda2

21 July 2015 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… In response to commentary deprecating The Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey: Selected Findings from Waves 1 to 12 by Roger Wilkins of the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research at The University of Melbourne, Conor King, the Executive Director of the Innovative Research Universities Group, provides his perspective on the valuable insight which the Survey presents.  …………………………………………………………………………………….......…… The commentary on The Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey: Selected Findings from Waves 1 to 12 by Roger Wilkins of the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and … [Read more...]

About HILDA

HILDA

The Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey is an Australian household-based panel study which began in 2001. It has been used for examining issues such as the incidence of persistent poverty; assets and income in the transition to retirement; the correlates and impact of changes in physical and mental health; and an international comparison of wealth and happiness. The survey is widely used by Australian and international researchers in the fields of economics, social science and social policy and by the Australian Government. The HILDA survey is managed by a small team from the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research at the University of … [Read more...]

NAIDOC Week 2015

Solid Rock

 7 July 2015 We all Stand on Sacred Ground: Learn, Respect and Celebrate ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee. Its origins can be traced to the emergence of Aboriginal groups in the 1920′s which sought to increase awareness in the wider community of the status and treatment of Indigenous Australians.  NAIDOC Week is held in the first full week of July. It is a time to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, culture and achievements and is an opportunity to recognise the contributions that Indigenous Australians make to our country and our … [Read more...]

Nature is speaking

2 July 2015 Nature doesn't need people - people need nature ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… The The Abbott government bangs on a bit about "intergenerational theft" - the "public debt legacy" current generations are leaving to to their children and grandchildren to sort.   As one business writer has observed: That’s a bit rich coming from a government that has axed the carbon tax, tried to increase university fees and hopes to cut youth welfare. It’s a bit rich coming from a government that doesn’t have a thing to say about Australian housing policy or the superannuation concessions that largely benefit older and richer Australians. It's also a government that is … [Read more...]

We ignore  Magna Carta at our peril

Magna Carta

Fairfax Media   |     12 June 2015 ………………………………………………………………………………………………………   As members and senators gather in the Parliament today, they should all make their way to the public gallery where an issue of Magna Carta dating from 1297 is on display and ponder its significance as the foundation document of our form of democracy.  They might reflect,  as Human Rights Commissioner Gillian Triggs observed, that the great principle of Magna Carta  "supremacy of the law over the sovereign – or in today’s parlance, executive – government is under threat in our democracy."   But the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta sounds a warning: Parliament cannot ride rough-shod over the basic rights of … [Read more...]

Scrapping the GST on tampons not so difficult after all

tampons-gst-data

 ABC Fact Check    |     27 May 2015 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… Treasurer Joe Hockey and Prime Minister Tony Abbott say they need the agreement of the states and territories to remove the GST from tampons and pads.  ABC's Fact Check reports that there's no legal barrier, however,  to the federal government changing the base or rate of the GST without state and territory permission. While it might be politically difficult, and not something any government would do lightly, claims that it's not possible to change the GST without state agreement are misleading. …………………………………………………………………………………….......…… … [Read more...]

The Conversation seeks support

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13 May 2015 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… The Budget confirmed that the funding support The Conversation has received from the Australian Government since 2011 has ended. The funding The Conversation was seeking over 2 years ($2 million) is equivalent to 2 years funding the government proposes for the Lomborg Consensus Centre. Here's a message from Andrew Jaspan, The Conversation's editor, seeking donations. …………………………………………………………………………………….......…… We failed to persuade Education Minister Christopher Pyne that we need a further two years funding to secure our future.  Our aim is to be fully self sufficient by 2017 through the contributions from our global network. A … [Read more...]