The world of politics, policy and public life

Author Archives: Shakira Hussein

The Heathrow queue for the Eskimos – and the Australians – is getting longer

If memory serves (and Google, on this occasion, does not), Paul Keating once said that it was hard to get sentimental about Australia’s relationship with Britain when you had to queue with the Eskimos at Heathrow while EU citizens sailed straight past you.
Gordon Brown’s recent speech on immigration raises many issues, but so far as Australians are [...]

Lessons from the Traveston dam veto – if you love the bush, then learn the joy of a bush pee.

Well, my summer is looking a whole lot more straightforward since Peter Garrett overruled Anna Bligh, vetoing the Traveston dam project.  The idea of having to camp out near Gympie with a bunch of irrititing hippies really didn’t appeal, but such is my love for lungfish and turtles that I would have gone to any [...]

Put down the dog-whistle

It’s back to the future as headlines report on the arrival  boatloads of asylum seekers and politicians reach for the dog-whistle. Malcolm Turnbull recycled John Howard’s “we will decide” line on immigration, and didn’t even blush. And Kevin Rudd is not about to be outflanked.
This is an ugly political game, because the only way to [...]

Afghanistan: “Shape, clear, hold and build”. Or not.

To the US Public Affairs section at the National Press Club, to hear a presentation by Dr Anthony Cordesman, analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and currently an advisor to General Stanley McCrystal on Afghanistan.

ANU hosts loya jirga

Last week’s conference on “War 2.0: Political Violence and New Media” ammounted to a loya jirga of different tribes – old media, new media, academics, and the odd military representative.