Vol 34 No 14

15 July 2024

AUSTRALIA

The Productivity Commission's magical thinking
- Michael McVeigh
- 25 July 2024
While proposing broader access to tax deductibility for some charities, the Productivity Commission's new report on charitable giving suggests removing benefits for religious entities. This raises serious questions about the role of religion in fostering charitable giving and the potential consequences of these reforms for Australia's charitable landscape.
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INTERNATIONAL

Only in America
- Peter Craven
- 25 July 2024
It’s easy, isn’t it – much too easy – to invoke the standard response that only in the so-called Land of the Free could these things transpire. A vulgar, mendacious man who has refused to believe that he lost the last election is now the improbable victim of an assassination attempt. And the incumbent president, who has not done badly at his impossible job, surrenders his chance at re-election.
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EDUCATION

Universities struggle to keep pace with AI integrity challenges
- Erica Cervini
- 25 July 2024
To counter threats to academic integrity posed by AI, universities need to continually update policies, alongside placing additional emphasis on examining what makes effective academic writing.
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MEDIA

Where the media vultures gather
- Andrew Hamilton
- 25 July 2024
Recent media pressure led to two high profile resignations. Joe Biden, after resisting pressure to do so, has abandoned his re-election bid and English professional football manager Gareth Southgate resigned. The part played by the media merits reflection on the human vulnerability of persons in public life and of those involved in reporting on it.
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INTERNATIONAL

Donald Trump: 'I had God on my side'
- Warwick McFadyen
- 24 July 2024
Following the assassination attempt, Donald Trump evidently sees his survival as a sign from God, in whom he very likely does not believe, that he is certain to achieve victory this November. It seems Trump’s religious road veers towards whichever destination offers him the greatest prize.
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RELIGION

What to make of the Viganò Schism?
- Miles Pattenden
- 23 July 2024
Schism is an entrenched idea within Church History. What should we make of Pope Francis’ very modern schism: a decision by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith to declare Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò guilty of ‘public statements resulting in a denial of the elements necessary to maintain communion with the Catholic Church’ and to excommunicate him?
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INTERNATIONAL

Violence and virtue in an age of monsters
- Julian Butler
- 22 July 2024
Trump's public persona, controversial as it may be, does not in any way justify or diminish the severity of such violence. However, we must also recognize that there exists a broader culture of violence to which individuals can simultaneously contribute and fall victim.
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ARTS AND CULTURE

Finding memory and magic in the ‘lost’ novel of Gabriel García Márquez
- Michael McGirr
- 19 July 2024
Published ten years after his death, Gabriel García Márquez's final novella Until August emerges as a testament to the enduring power of an author's voice. This unexpected gift from the master of magical realism raises provocative questions about authenticity, how we view dementia, and what exactly defines an act of creation.
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ARTS AND CULTURE

Spiralling into understanding
- Andrew Hamilton
- 19 July 2024
The spiral metaphor ties together 800+ pages of lyrical meditations, environmental rage, and historical reflections from Australia’s most celebrated and prolific poets. With powerful social critiques that blur poetry's lines, Kinsella's work rewards close reading with its deep exploration of our connection to a changing world.
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AUSTRALIA

Legislating the right to a home of our own
- Ken Haley
- 18 July 2024
With homelessness rising and housing affordability plummeting, Independents propose a radical solution: a National Housing Plan. In challenging both major parties, can they create a system that provides a roof over the heads of all Australians?
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INTERNATIONAL

Why are we being forced to buy into AI?
- Michael McVeigh
- 18 July 2024
In a world racing to embrace AI, we rarely hear about AI's voracious appetite for energy. As tech giants like Google and Microsoft see their emissions soar, questions arise about the environmental cost of this digital revolution. Is AI's promise worth the toll on our climate goals?
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INTERNATIONAL

On reading electoral entrails
- Andrew Hamilton
- 18 July 2024
In the wake of recent elections in Britain and France, global democracies are seeing voters reject established parties amidst a deepening cycle of disillusionment. But can a return to honesty and integrity in politics break this downward spiral?
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CARTOON

Make America calm again
- Glen Le Lievre
- 18 July 2024
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AUSTRALIA

Does 'social cohesion' mask religious political influence?
- Binoy Kampmark
- 16 July 2024
Senator Fatima Payman's departure from Labor over a pro-Palestine vote and the emergence of 'The Muslim Vote' have reignited debates about faith in Australian politics. While PM Albanese cautions against religious influence, his stance overlooks the nation's history of faith shaping governance, raising questions about the feasibility of separating belief from policy-making.
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INTERNATIONAL

An American crisis
- Warwick McFadyen
- 15 July 2024
Following the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, politicians, including the US President were quick to condemn the shooting, all saying it had no place in American society or democracy. Tell that to children killed by gunfire. Every day, guns take young lives in the US. Gun violence was recently declared a national health crisis in the United States.
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INTERNATIONAL

Uncertainty in a time of conviction
- David Halliday
- 15 July 2024
Why do we often find ourselves locked into courses of action that seem destined for failure? Despite calls for Biden to step aside following a shaky debate performance, the President stands firm in his re-election bid. Is it time we valued the courage to change course as much as we value the courage of one’s convictions?
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Vol 34 No 14