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Matthew -
submitted 15/01/2010
The question Australia needs to ask itself is what role does it intend to play in a global context through the next century. Australia is still preceived as a relatively young and devloping country. Our more prominent involvement in international affairs continues to change that perception of youth but what is it that we are really trying to do? We are fooling ourselves if we think that we can seriously contend with the economic and population power houses of China and the US as far as influencing global affairs is concerned. To that end I think the Government and the Australian people need to focus on the issues that will actually effect us and those that we have some degree of control over rather than prentending to be some sort of global diplomatic force (think Copenhagen). Australia's biggest assets are its natural resources and I believe the control, expansion and development of these resources will be the key to any meaningful contribution Australia will make to the global wellbeing in the future. So returning to my initial question, Australia has the choice between setting itself up to play a meaningful and mutually beneficial role on the world stage as a supplier of key resources (and hopefully an exporter of the outputs that result from processing such resources) or it can try to play the role of a much smaller and far less effective participant in global diplomacy while severely disadvantaging its own people (eg CPRS and bans on nuclear energy).
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Tamara -
submitted 14/01/2010
I think there should be more attention given to university students to find casual jobs since its so damn hard to find those especially when the employers know that you might be gone within few months or years and they won't accept students. I think there should be an organisation that should look for casual jobs for students and it should work! not like the job seaker website, with all do respect but they don't find any jobs. The organisation should be assigned to help students find jobs and this can be done through advertisement for casual jobs that are normally or not normally advertised because employers donot want to pay for adds and casual jobs. So the organisation or even the website can deliver these jobs and announcments for students to contact them and all for free. How can students learn if they either keep worrying about money or by busting their backs off so they can earn those few dollars and study at the same time. its a big issue and it needs huge attention GOVERNMENT!
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Anonymous -
submitted 14/01/2010
Now a day’s increasingly politicians are forever reducing taxes. Why do this? Well it buys votes it doesn’t really help anybody in the end. Instead lets increase taxes people pay so that our government can invest more in community provided services so that anybody can have a fair go in life. People in Scandinavian countries such as Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland pay much more tax than we do in Australia and these countries have a history and reputation for using that money to invest in community provided services such as public education, public healthcare, environmental issues such as climate change, student housing and employment. In these countries waiting lists in their public healthcare system are much shorter, the public education system is of a much higher standard and University degrees are completely free. Access to education, student housing, healthcare, and employment are all things very important to young people today. The only way to solve these problems is to increases taxes. It is immoral that in our current Australian society people suffer because they can’t get as much access to vital services like education and healthcare. The only way for our government to finance investment in public services to help people is through tax. So by increasing taxes to Scandinavian levels we can better fund public services to enable people including young people such as myself to live in a society that enables everybody rich or poor have equal opportunity in life.
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Dan Ednie -
submitted 9/01/2010
My concern is how we relate to and treat our International Students. International education is a AU$15 billion dollar a year industry, and we have students from all over the world come here with high expectations, a desire to learn a profession through degrees like commerce, law and engineering, often they want to stay here and boost our skilled labour force, but having made no local friends they return and tell their friends not to go to Australia.
As an undergrad Arts student at Melbourne Uni I'm appauled by how we treat young international students who come here for two main reasons:
1.They're excluded from concession cards, suffer appauling fees, and and generally being short changed by Australian institutions, businesses and land lords.
2.Australians tend not to easily become friends with International students, and while Julia Gillard claims that the attack on Nitin Garg weren't racist, young Australians basically aren't welcoming International Students.
Young Australians need to be given more avenues to interact with, learn from our intl. students. Between 2006-8 I learnt to speak Japanese from international student friends in Melbourne. Now I am learning Chinese. My prospects in business and travel are greatly enhanced by the cultural and linguistic knowledge and the people I've come to know. I work with Australian's learning foreign languages to bridge the gap, but I want to know what other ways people know of connecting intl and local students.
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Michael -
submitted 8/01/2010
We ask state governments to STOP approving new COAL MINES and ask the federal government to GIVE NOTICE to coal exporters that FUTURE coal contracts must require importing countries to have fully operational carbon capture and storage facilities as a CONDITION of SALE.
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James -
submitted 16/12/2009
It seems that the recent trend in Australia has been to try and hide things which could be unfit for children to view. For certain people, the most obvious example is our lack of an R-18 rating for video games, but more recently a more far-reaching example has come to light: The proposed mandatory Internet filter, which will block access to websites deemed dangerous or illegal. While this seems like an admirable goal, the problem is that anything short of shutting those sites down won't really work - anyone who wants to view these sites will be able to get around any filter if they really want to do so, making this filter the thousands-of-dollars equivalent of blocking our eyes and ears, and pretending bad sites do not exist. It is often said that we're doing this to protect the children, an argument also used against the R-18 rating, but when you think about it that really means that we no longer trust parents to guard their children themselves. We're curtailing choices and wasting money to try and fulfil parent's responsibilities for them.
Clearly the Government does have faith in us, Australia's youth, or a forum like this one wouldn't exist. If that's true, then why doesn't there seem to be any faith in Australia's parents? Why do we as a country feel censorship is the best option, when that money could be used to educate or fight against those responsible for the illegal sites? If we're to truly grow as a democracy, we need to really question this trend.
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Allan Ball -
submitted 9/12/2009
I understand that this is an issue that is multi-faceted and filled with complexities. However, I would like to see a independent enquiry into HECS and charging young people for education. In a perfect world I would love to see an eradication of any fees for students to study; paying for stationary and text books is just a fact of life but paying for courses that run into the thousands each semester is unjust and silly. Unjust because education should be free and silly because your being counterproductive in terms of an educated-workforce. Additionally it is extremely silly that HECS has interest, interest should be deleted immediately it is just plan greedy! Going to University is a not a right of passage for all young people it is a privilege for a select few and an educated workforce is a more productive workforce so why would the Australian Government keep shooting itself in the foot!
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Patrick Berg -
submitted 4/12/2009
What do you consider to be the NEXT BIG QUESTION?
How can Australia prepare for the SEPTEMBER 2010 MILLENIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS progress meeting?
Why is it important?
The MILLENIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS are eight goals to be achieved by 2015 that respond to the world’s main development challenges. The MDGs are drawn from the actions and targets contained in the Millennium Declaration that was adopted by 189 nations and signed by 147 head of state and governments during the UN Millennium Summit in September 2000.
SEPTEMBER 2010 is important because it marks the 2/3 point of the goals. It will be an important part for human society to prove that we can solve the world’s toughest problems by quantifiable targets. If it is important to the world it should be important part of Australia future as well.
What do you think the implications might be is we don’t ask this question? What might we lose or what might some of the risks be if we don’t start exploring and finding answers to this question?
The implication of not asking this question will put the SEPTEMBER 2010 MDG meeting for Australia on unstable grounds. We could lose touch with the world and put the next generation of Australia future at risk. If we don’t explore and find answers to this question before the meeting it could be put us behind in the international community. Australia needs to have a voice in this small world of ours.
Thanks
Patrick Berg
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Jessie -
submitted 27/11/2009
Over the 21st Century the biggest issue facing Australia will be the shortage of resources. I believe the Australian Federal Government should be addressing this issue now to reduce the impact of resource shortages for future generations. These resources include food, water and energy. It is essential to our society that we have these three resources to survive.
If the Australian Federal Government doesn't act now it will be harder and more challenging in the future to deal with the shortage. It is up to the Government to impliment policy now, that will lessen or prevent the effects of this disaster, rather than leaving our generation to solve the problem when it arises. This issue is an essential issue to address as it will effect our country economically, socially and even politically.
If we are going to attempt to deal with this issue now we will have to consider: -The preservation of water -The ability of primary and secondary sectors to provide food -The market forces that are pushing these sectors overseas -The inevitable day that resources such as gas, coal and oil run out -Alternate energy sources that will effectively and efficiently be able to meet out energy demand -Is nuclear power a viable option or our only real alternative??? -Our increaing population
If we do not deal with this issue now it will severely effect the growth and prosperity of our nation in the future and it will adversely impact the lives of future generations.
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Anonymous -
submitted 27/11/2009
Generation Y has been dudded by their parents. Too many of today's young people have grown up without adequate rules, boundaries or exposure the hard realities of life.
Many parents have adopted permissiveness as a means of conflict avoidance, as they desperately try to be their children's friend. What kids need are reasonable limits and guidelines and, when they disagree, conflict resolution skills.
The declining standard of parental discipline is affecting the ability of schools to maintain productive classes, as more and more students arrive in the classroom having never made to conform, consider the rights of others or been told "NO" (or they've been told "no", only to get their way after a tantrum and mum or dad back down - even worse).
Reports are already filtering through of Gen Y's petulance and inability to deal with disappointment in the workplace. Who can blame them - they've been prepared for a fantasy world where everyone wins, individual freedom reigns supreme and actions have no consequences.
Kids have friends. What they need from their parents is structure, consistency, reliability, moral guidance and preparation for the real world.