Children & Family
Students buckling under the pressure, Hockey warns
Phillip Coorey SMH
JOE HOCKEY has rallied to the defence of young Australians, saying the modern-day pressures of high school education are contributing to rising depression and suicide rates and that their lives in general are becoming over-taxed and over-regulated.
http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/students-buckling-under-the-pressure-hockey-warns-20110727-1i0ai.html
Families hold out hope for the return of stolen babies
Sharon Lafraniere SMH
LONGHUI COUNTY, China: Parents and grandparents have long known to grab their babies and hide whenever family-planning officials show up at the mountainous Longhui region of terraced rice and sweet potato fields. Too many infants have been snatched by officials, never to be seen again, they say.
Education
Nazi ideology in ethics classes, says Nile
Sean Nicholls SMH
THE Christian Democratic Party MP Fred Nile has used a parliamentary debate on his bill to remove ethics classes from schools to claim they teach the philosophy behind Nazism and communism.
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/nazi-ideology-in-ethics-classes-says-nile-20110805-1ifft.html
Taking aim at a sacred cow
Dan Harrison SMH
The fight over school chaplains is about to hit the High Court, writes Dan Harrison.
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/taking-aim-at-a-sacred-cow-20110805-1ifbi.html
O’Farrell must come clean on deal-making
Sean Nicholls OPINION
Barry O’Farrell was quick to hit Twitter last Saturday morning after reading the Herald’s report on the outcome of a meeting between him and Fred Nile on the question of ethics classes in NSW schools.
http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/ofarrell-must-come-clean-on-dealmaking-20110805-1ifbr.html
Gambling
Doctors don’t like the odds on pokies pre-commitment scheme
Julia Medew The Age
VICTORIAN doctors have attacked the state government for failing to support a mandatory pre-commitment scheme for poker machines and have questioned its plan to use licence fees to fund hospitals.
Marriage
Victory for gay couples as Census finally recognises same-sex marriages
Melissa Lahoud SMH
AUSTRALIAN same-sex couples who married overseas will fill out the Census on Tuesday knowing their union will be officially counted for the first time.
Phelps to Turnbull: time to ‘come out’ on gay marriage
Michelle Grattan The Age
MALCOLM Turnbull is under fire from the gay community for failing to endorse equal marriage rights, with leading activist Kerryn Phelps declaring his comments on the issue ”lack courage”.
http://www.theage.com.au/national/phelps-to-turnbull-time-to-come-out-on-gay-marriage-20110805-1ifjw.html
Honey, we really need to talk
· By Alex Tilbury News
DO you fight with your partner about money? More than one in four of us blame financial stress as the most common reason for relationships breaking down, research by Relationships Australia has found. It also showed that seven in 10 Australians believe financial problems push couples apart.
http://www.news.com.au/money/money-matters/honey-we-really-need-to-talk/story-e6frfmd9-1226107180924
Overseas
Syrians ‘slaughtered like sheep’
Refugees
Boatpeople on hunger strike over deportation
ASYLUM-SEEKERS who have been told they will be deported to Malaysia began a hunger strike last night, according to a refugee advocate contacted by one of the group from Christmas Island.
Malaysia Solution to leave kids traumatised, UNICEF says
· THE Gillard government’s insistence on deporting unaccompanied children to Malaysia is illegal, will traumatise and psychologically scar the minors, and will damage Australia’s international reputation for compassion, the UN children’s agency has warned.
Sexualisation of Society
Well done pageant-haters
It is remarkable that in a world walloped by economic recession, when there are wars, uprisings, carbon controversies and assaults on liberty, people can muster up the passion to protest against a beauty pageant.
