In 1939, as Europe stood on the verge of all-out war, Nazi Germany, true to their promise, had issued and implemented 400 different decrees for the regulation of the public and private lives of Jews. Their properties were confiscated, and their businesses and synagogues were burned down. These laws effectively purged Jews from schools, academia, business and public life, and declared them 鈥渦ndesirables鈥. Many Jews were forced to seek asylum in other Western countries.
Tony Abbott
A 23 year-old Iranian asylum seeker has been savagely attacked on Nauru.
The young woman had been on day-release from the detention centre on May 16, visiting refugees in the community. She was expected back at 5pm so at 4.30pm she left the house she was visiting to catch the bus back to the detention centre.
She never arrived.
At about 8pm Nauruan police were seen wrapping the woman in a blanket and trying to place her in a police car. She had been found naked, distressed and disoriented.
Community and Public Service Union (CPSU) members at the Bureau of Meteorology and Agriculture Department, including Quarantine and Meat Inspectors, are the latest in a growing number of public servants taking industrial action to highlight the federal government鈥檚 attacks on workers鈥 rights, pay and conditions.
Members held one hour stop-work meetings on May 19, part of a week of rolling stoppages across the Commonwealth public service that has already seen tens of thousands of CPSU members walk off the job in Centrelink, Medicare, Child Support and the Tax Office.
I guess there were some people who thought that the leopard Tony Abbott may have changed his spots after his look-we've-changed 2015 federal budget. The polls certainly suggest this.
As William Bowie wrote in his Poll Bludger column in Crikey.com: 鈥淎 flurry of post-budget opinion polls adds up to a solid increase in the Coalition鈥檚 standing, with Tony Abbott鈥檚 personal standing now rivalling his least-bad results since his short-lived post-election honeymoon.鈥
In its latest federal budget, the Tony Abbott Liberal-National government announced the setting up of a $5 billion 鈥渃oncessional loan facility鈥 called the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility. The proposal has been condemned by environmental and Aboriginal rights groups.
The toll of Australia's bipartisan anti-refugee policies in death and suffering is rising. In the past fortnight more than 3000 Rohingya refugees from Arakan state in Burma (Myanmar) have turned up on the shores of Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, having either swum ashore or been rescued by local fishing boat crews. An estimated 7000 more are trapped on boats that have been described as 鈥渇loating coffins鈥.
The May 2015 budget was framed by the Abbott government with one issue in mind 鈥 winning the next federal election. Although there are some members of the Coalition keen on an early election, it seems unlikely to be called until sometime next year.
You would not have thought it possible, but Tony Abbott appears to be degenerating 鈥 in literacy skills as well as morality. Having campaigned on a simplistic three word slogan, in office, he's that's two too many, and has cut 鈥淪top the boats鈥 to 鈥淣ope, nope, nope.鈥
During his visit to Sri Lanka, Australian immigration minister Peter Dutton said the transfer of refugees to Cambodia would 鈥渉appen very shortly鈥.
Dutton said he wanted to send 鈥渁 small group鈥 to the south-east Asian country to 鈥渟end a clear message to the remaining people on Nauru that Cambodia is an appropriate option to consider to start a new life鈥.
The Australian government has been trying to persuade refugees held on Nauru to volunteer to settle in Cambodia, which signed a deal with Australia to take refugees in exchange for aid.
In a period of so-called 鈥渂udget emergency鈥 when deep funding cuts are being imposed on universities and scientific research, the federal government has managed to find $4 million for a 鈥渃onsensus centre鈥 headed by advocate for climate inaction Bj酶rn Lomborg.
The $13 million centre will form part of the University of Western Australia鈥檚 (UWA) business school, with the Commonwealth contributing $4 million over four years.
A Senate inquiry into corporate tax avoidance last week revealed that BHP Billiton was funnelling profits from Australian minerals through a marketing arm based in Singapore as a way of dodging tax in Australia.
From 2006 to 2014, BHP was 鈥渟elling鈥 minerals mined in Australia to its Singaporean arm at well below market rates. The prices were then marked-up and sold on to third-party companies in Singapore, thereby attracting the infinitesimal Singaporean tax rate.
Recently I went to an asylum seeker forum at Gosford Anglican Parish. Hosted by the awesome Father Rod Bower and chaired by Labor鈥檚 Senator Deborah O鈥橬eill, it featured special guest speaker, Labor鈥檚 Shadow immigration minister Richard Marles.
I was nervous when I arrived. When I left, I was furious! Here鈥檚 why鈥
Despite talking a lot, and very well, Marles made just seven points.
Let鈥檚 take a look at each of these points individually.
1. Liberal is worse than Labor
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