Whale wars heat up to boiling point
The news that a vessel of the Japanese whaling fleet has deliberately rammed and sunk a small boat of the Sea Shepherd fleet in the open ocean will lift the whale wars to a whole new level. It could...
View ArticlePressure builds in whaling conflict
The Japanese whale hunt in the Southern Ocean is always controversial in Australia. But, as predicted earlier this week, the political and public heat around the issue has escalated further following a...
View ArticleElection year issues in Australia
This year will be full of elections in Australia. The most significant of course will be the national election, but there will also be elections in three of Australia’s six states. Unlike the election...
View ArticleClimate debate in Australia warms up again, while glaciers are melting elsewhere
The period between Christmas and the week leading up to Australia Day (Jan 26) is sometimes called the ‘silly season’ by the media, reflecting the fact that most of the news isn’t as serious and most...
View ArticleA small step forward in addressing violence against Indians in Melbourne
The statement by the head of the Victorian Police, Simon Overland, acknowledging that there have been racist elements behind some of the attacks on Indians living in Melbourne will hopefully...
View ArticleSri Lanka – the civil war may be over, but is the conflict finished?
In a sad irony – with the emphasis on sad – a news report indicates that former Sri Lankan General and recently defeated Presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka has said he is considering seeking asylum...
View ArticleViolence towards Indians remains a big problem for Australia
The issue of violence in Australia against Indian students, and others of Indian background living here, has been getting significant coverage in India for many months. But it is also getting a...
View ArticleAnti-whaling pressure continues – on land and sea
Most of the media headlines about the conflict between Japanese whaling vessels and ships from the Sea Shepherd anti-whaling fleet have revolved around collisions on the high seas. But meantime, the...
View ArticleFew Asian countries signed up to Convention against cluster bombs as it...
Last week, the international convention to ban the use of cluster bombs and munitions was ratified by two more countries, providing the 30 ratifications needed for it to become officially binding...
View ArticleTwo weeks until elections in 2 Australian states
There are only two weeks to go until state elections in both Tasmania and South Australia. Tasmania is unique amongst Australian states in having multi-member electorates with a proportional...
View ArticleAustralia strengthens death penalty ban
A significant piece of legislation passed the Australian Parliament this week. The new law prohibits the death penalty from being re-adopted by any state or territory government in Australia, and also...
View ArticleWhat lessons could the Liberal Democrats showing in the UK election provide...
A couple of weeks ago, Tasmania made a small but significant contribution to Australian political history when Greens MP Nick McKim was appointed to a ministerial position. It wasn’t the first time an...
View ArticleImpact of Philippines election in Australia
It is not surprising that a great deal of international media coverage is being devoted to the drawn out turmoil and violence in Thailand. News coverage of the unfolding events in Thailand has been...
View ArticleAustralian election imminent
There is a widespread expectation that Julia Gillard, the new Australian Prime Minister, will announce a federal election within the next week or two, which would see an election date of 21st or 28th...
View ArticleRefugees again a political football in lead up to election
The arrival of asylum seekers in boats has been a hot button political issue in Australia for many years. Public anxiety and antagonism towards these refugees tends to be strong, even though the...
View ArticleAustralian election – 34 days to go
As noted here on Asian Correspondent, the Australian election campaign is officially underway. Australia’s first ever female Prime Minister, Julia Gillard – who has held the position for just a few...
View ArticleAustralian election hits half-way point
The legal minimum time in Australia between when a national election is officially announced and polling day is 33 days. It is in the hands of the government of the day to decide the date and the...
View ArticleAsia’s coral reefs under threat
International marine scientists say that a huge coral death which has struck Southeast Asian and Indian Ocean reefs over recent months has highlighted the urgency of controlling global carbon...
View ArticleAustralian PM turns attention to Asia
With the first two full weeks of Parliamentary sittings for her newly elected government just concluded, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard is heading to Vietnam for the East Asia Summit. Having...
View ArticleBoat people issue dominates Australian coverage of PM’s Asian visits
Despite all the significant economic, human rights, environmental, social and security issues which are important in our future relations with our neighbouring countries, the issue of a few thousand...
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