Mark Riboldi

Tag: Australia

  • Community Campaigning can Trump Populism [article]

    Originally Published by ABC Religion and Ethics, 26 May 2022. “This was not your typical election outcome. The Australian Labor Party (ALP) is forming government with the lowest primary vote in history. The moderate men of the Liberal Party were wiped out in urban areas by moderate liberal women. Populists Clive Palmer and Pauline Hanson…

  • Blind arrogance or sheer ignorance

    I am not prone to anger, but this sentence from the first front page article of The Saturday Paper got my blood boiling: “These deaths weighed heavily on the conscience of politicians as they struggled in 2012 to find a policy that would stop people undertaking the journey.” Love3 Share Tweet Share Pin

  • Black Hawks, Minstrels, and a losing war

    Over the past couple of weeks I’ve been noticing that the government has been rolling out the propaganda machine for the armed forces and the war in Afghanistan. Love0 Share Tweet Share Pin

  • Australia’s Education Sausage Factory

    Since the recent protests by Indian students in Melbourne and Sydney, the media spotlight has been on Australia’s international education industry. It’s an export industry estimated to be worth around $14 billion a year, and the industry that I’ve earned my living from for the last four years. I started working as an English teacher…

  • Not such a good head for politics…

    International media last week (and continuing into this) was concentrated on the presidential elections in Iran and the death of Michael Jackson. Both are engrossing, for very different reasons. Iran needs to release the remaining British Embassy staff asap (or Downing Street will write them a very angry letter) and the latest I’ve heard about…

  • Swine Flu – Catch it, Bin it, Kill it!

    So how serious should we be taking swine flu? Is it a real global pandemic or just the latest story for the media to dance around with blazing torches? Yes, close to 100 people have died due to the virus, and unlike other flu strains the majority of humans have no natural resistance to it,…

  • They came from somewhere

    The explosion on a boat of asylum seekers off the north-west of Australia, killing five and injuring more, has rekindled some familiar issues and debates. From the right of the fence, we’re given the impression (yawn) that Australia is in danger of being over-run by economic refugees arriving by sea to take advantage of Australia’s…

  • This week: ending March 15

    Three stories from this week: In order to protect jobs, the Australian Federal Government has announced changes to their skilled migration policy. Foreign tradespeople such as carpenters and electricians will no longer have an easy ride to work and residency in Australia. Last year they removed cooks and hairdressers from the same list. I’m not…

  • This week: ending March 1

    Five stories that have captured my interest in the last seven days. The photo was taken in the Lama Temple, Beijing, which has ceremonial/teaching seats for both the Dalai and Panchem Lamas in it. I think it’s been a while since they were filled. Love0 Share Tweet Share Pin