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Keywords: Defence

  • AUSTRALIA

    Forgotten Aboriginal war heroes

    • Paul W. Newbury
    • 19 April 2011
    21 Comments

    In 1790, resistance hero Pemulwuy killed Governor Phillip's convict gamekeeper for his abuse of Aboriginal women. The subsequent Frontier Wars raged for 140 years. Anzac celebrations tend to neglect the many Indigenous Australians who died in defence of their land.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Sex and humility in the church and the military

    • Michael Mullins
    • 18 April 2011
    16 Comments

    In the wake of the defence force Skype sex scandal, former diplomat Bruce Haigh pointed out that things start to go wrong when commanding officers forget that they are there to serve, and instead act to protect their reputations. His point holds true for unions and churches.

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  • MEDIA

    Cyber traps for young players

    • Chris Middleton
    • 11 April 2011
    6 Comments

    The use of Skype to demean a young female trainee at the Australian Defence Force Academy once again demonstrates that the internet can damage young people’s sense of self. It also points to the need for an educational program that builds an awareness of our culture and an ability to question information and critique forms of communication.

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  • RELIGION

    In defence of same-sex unions

    • Frank Brennan
    • 09 March 2011
    53 Comments

    There are homosexual persons who enter into loving, faithful and committed relationships. It is difficult to characterise a law that gives non-discriminatory protection to such couples as 'so harmful to the common good as to be gravely immoral' as Benedict has previously done.

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  • INTERNATIONAL

    In defence of people-smuggling

    • Andrew Hamilton
    • 24 February 2011
    33 Comments

    Asylum seekers have also always needed help to make their journey to safety. Our people smugglers may be seen as distinctive in that they charge high prices for their troubles. But asylum seekers have always relied on people who exploited them.

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  • MEDIA

    Julian Assange's problem for feminists

    • Ruby Hamad
    • 09 December 2010
    36 Comments

    Julian Assange claims to be fighting for freedom of speech and government transparency — ideals that feminists also hold dear. But Assange has been arrested on rape charges and many feminists will find it hard to reconcile their defence of him with their support of rape victims.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Politicians stoke the violence myth

    • Ellena Savage
    • 26 November 2010

    I used to carry a knife in my handbag. Like nearly a quarter of Australians, I believe that 80 per cent of all crime is violent crime; I was concerned for my safety. And then I discovered that if my self-defence weapon were used, it would likely be used against me.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    A plan to overcome poverty

    • Frank Quinlan
    • 11 November 2010
    9 Comments

    Currently, we have national plans for such things as defence, conservation and management of sharks, national broadband, combating pollution of the sea, and recovery of the south-eastern red-tailed black cockatoo. It's time we had a national plan to overcome poverty.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Remember SIEV X before waging war on boat people

    • Tony Kevin
    • 06 July 2010
    14 Comments

    Julia Gillard has invited people to say what they feel on the issue of how Australia should manage its borders. It's worth recalling what happened when an Australian Government last instructed its defence force to vigorously repel asylum-seeker boats.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Australian Jesuit's gambling defence

    • Michael Mullins
    • 28 June 2010
    13 Comments

    Everybody knows that problem gambling, just like binge drinking and illicit drugs, destroys lives. But should governments be aiming to eliminate gambling altogether? The Australian Jesuit Michael Kelly thinks not.

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  • INFORMATION

    In defence of people smugglers

    • Chris Bisset
    • 15 October 2009
    4 Comments

    Kevin Rudd calls them the 'vilest form of people on the planet'. How dare these impoverished, yet slightly entrepreneurial fishermen let their social consciousness blind them from considering the interests of white Australians?

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  • AUSTRALIA

    The questionable ethics of Australia's defence

    • Tony Smith
    • 05 May 2009
    6 Comments

    It is enouraging that the Government's Defence White Paper de-emphasises the US alliance in favour of self-reliance. However, we still desperately need community debate about the ways in which a military force can be used morally.

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