By Ian Marsh, Adjunct Professor, Institute for the Study of Social Change, University of Tasmania The important CIS report on Indigenous programmes adds another volume to an already heavily laden shelf. Criticism of existing approaches and of the effectiveness of spending is wide and deep. Recent assessments range from the Senate Public Administration Committee review […]

By Ian Marsh, Adjunct Professor, Institute for the Study of Social Change, University of Tasmania There is a structural contradiction at the heart of the new parliament. Two diametrically different political systems co-exist. Incentives and expectations are at cross purposes. Until this contradiction is addressed the prospects for major policy change must be judged slight. […]

By Elliana Lawford via www.abc.net.au A new report suggests Aboriginal people are facing enormous pressure to lose their traditional culture in order to be successful in Australia. Larrakia Nation, which represents the Larrakia people of the Darwin region, teamed up with the Universities of Sydney and Tasmania to investigate race relations in the Top End. “Daily […]

Scott Morrison has correctly diagnosed the problem, but needs to be flexible about solutions Saul Eslake, Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow, University of Tasmania Federal treasurer Scott Morrison’s diagnosis of the risks and challenges confronting the Australian economy, as set out in his Bloomberg Address in Sydney, is hard to fault. Australia has become very dependent on continued strong […]

Launch of ARC Linkage project findings Telling it like it is: Aboriginal Perspectives on Race and Race Relations The first findings from a research partnership between UTAS and Larrakia Nation Aboriginal Corporation on race relations in Darwin have been released.  This ARC Linkage grant led by Assoc Prof Daphne Habibis, Penny Taylor, Prof Maggie Walter […]

Professor Peter Rathjen, Vice-Chancellor, University of Tasmania, writing in Campus Review The University of Tasmania and the state it serves have a powerful connection; revitalising higher education can be the key to a return to prosperity. At a time when regional campuses in Australia appear under threat, the news that the University of Tasmania will […]

The governor’s parting message on the economy In his last speech in the job, Glenn Stevens once again made a persuasive case for more infrastructure spending, writes Saul Eslake Dring his ten-year tenure as governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia, Glenn Stevens’s occasional musings on issues outside the strict boundaries of monetary policy have […]

The electorate has spoken, but Turnbull’s speech shows he hasn’t listened Saul Eslake, Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow, University of Tasmania Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s first major economic address since the July 2 federal election was, in most respects, the kind of speech one might have expected from a leader who had won with a comfortable margin. He sounded […]

Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow Saul Eslake WHILE it is true, as West Australians keep saying, their share of total GST revenue has been unprecedently low in recent years, relative to their share of the population, there is a good reason for that. As a result of the mining boom, WA has been richer than the rest of […]

Celebrity Chefs, Consumption Politics and Food Labelling: Exploring the Contradictions Dr Michelle Phillipov, University of Tasmania Tuesday 30 August, 5.30pm to 6.30pm, Harvard Lecture Theatre 1, Centenary Building, Sandy Bay Campus This seminar examines the media campaigns of British celebrity chefs Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall that promote ‘free range’ chicken and eggs as more […]