Students and universities have warned the Coalition against its proposal to abolish compulsory student fees, voicing concerns it could damage the international standing of Australian education and lead to critical services being scrapped.

from Crikey ….

sovereign risk at last? WA Premier threatens Browse venture

from politicoz ….

"Could it have been a case of lost in translation when Julie Bishop met with her Indonesian counterpart Dr Marty Natalegawa in New York on Monday – or simply falling on deaf ears? Ms Bishop described her meeting earlier this week as 'very cordial', 'positive and very productive'.

We are the hollow men

We are the stuffed men

Leaning together

from politicoz ….

In the space of a few days, the Abbott government has articulated its first enemy: not workplace law or reproductive rights, as some feared, but information.

While there are few consolations for no longer being in government, one that will appeal to Labor is that it no longer has to deal with the asylum-seeker problem. It's now up to Tony Abbott to ''stop the boats''. As Labor's perceived failures in this area were Tony's ticket to the Lodge, it's unlikely the electorate will allow him to forget his promise.

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison says the Government does not plan to publicly reveal when or if any asylum seeker boats are turned around - a measure that is a key plank of the Coalition's border protection policy.

from politicoz ….

The Liberal Party will be unsurprised by the mass resignation of the NBN Co’s board.

from politicoz …

We are now within two months of what may be humankind’s most dangerous moment since the Cuban Missile Crisis.

There is no excuse for not acting. All the resources our species can muster must be focussed on the fuel pool at Fukushima Unit 4.

With tens of thousands killed and millions of lives destroyed by nearly twelve years of US war in Afghanistan, there is no possible number that accurately reflects the carnage

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