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It’s school report time for Australian kids, as their teachers explain what they’ve done well and where they might improve. So what about our government ministers? Michelle Grattan runs a magnifying glass over the political year that was, finding some ministers who deserve a gold star, and others for whom it’s a case of “could do better”.
The High Court’s recent decision forcing the release of people in immigration detention threw the government a curveball and created headaches for Home Affair Minister Clare O'Neil and Immigration Minister Andrew Giles. But even if the government thought this particular outcome was unlikely, it ought to have been prepared for it nonetheless, with legislation ready to go.
Other ministers have also had a difficult year for a range of reasons, particularly Indigenous Affairs minister Linda Burney, who was shattered by the referendum defeat, and Transport Minister Catherine King, whose infrastructure cuts have caused a stoush with the states.
In happier news, Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Foreign Minister Penny Wong have been star performers, as have the Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme Bill Shorten and Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke.
And what about the boss? While Anthony Albanese’s grades have slipped considerably during the year, Grattan says, things can change quickly. He will be hoping that’s the case as MPs head into the long summer break.
PS: Three of the authors featured in our yearbook, 2023: A Year of Consequence, will be participating in a webinar hosted by the Australia Institute this Wednesday, December 13. If you’d like to join the discussion with Richard Denniss, Emma Shortis and Jim Stanford, alongside our International Affairs editor, Justin Bergman, you can register here.
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Amanda Dunn
Politics + Society Editor
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
Michelle Grattan reports on some Albanese ministers halfway through its term in government. Highlighting where some shine and others don’t.
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Weekend long reads
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Plan your summer reading or catch up on what you missed with The Conversation’s selection of the best books of the year.
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Amanda Tink, Western Sydney University
Two new memoirs make blind writer Amanda Tink ‘very proud’ of her community – and share the stories of blind writers, performers, teachers, activists and inventors.
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Jindan Ni, RMIT University
A classic of the Heian period of Japanese literature, the sensual delight of The Pillow Book encourages writers to ‘follow their brush’.
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Barbara Baird, Flinders University
A 2023 Senate inquiry report described abortion access in Australia as a ‘lottery’. Barbara Baird’s research doesn’t describe chance, but an inadequate system. What needs to change?
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Tamlyn Avery, The University of Queensland
What does capitalism do to our ability to connect with other people? Lydia Davis’ stories suggest it hollows out our words – but that the exaltation of the ordinary can connect us.
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Our most-read article this week
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Guido Carim Junior, Griffith University; Chris Campbell, Griffith University; Elvira Marques, Griffith University; Nnenna Ike, Griffith University; Tim Ryley, Griffith University
Takeoff and landing are among the most difficult tasks commercial pilots perform.
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In case you missed this week's big stories
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Mark Brown, La Trobe University; Anne Kavanagh, The University of Melbourne; David Trembath, Griffith University; Libby Callaway, Monash University; Scott Avery, University of Technology Sydney
5 disability experts tell us their initial thoughts about plans to reform the NDIS and make it sustainable
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Sam Bennett, Grattan Institute; Hannah Orban, Grattan Institute
The NDIS review found a lack of clarity about what supports should be considered ‘reasonable and necessary’ was at the heart of many of the scheme’s problems.
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
Bill Shorten joins us on the podcast today to discuss the recent NDIS report and how he sees its path forward in modern Australia.
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Michelle Peterie, University of Sydney; Amy Nethery, Deakin University
The release of more than 140 ex-detainees from immigration detention has prompted a panicked government response. So, what does the legislation say, and what happens now?
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
The government seeks to end the year with a series of new announcements, but the ongoing crisis with the high court decision overshadows the government’s work.
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Stephen Duckett, The University of Melbourne
National Cabinet is meeting today to discuss hospital funding, and the interconnected issues of NDIS reform and GST allocation. But how are hospitals actually funded? And what’s GST got to do with it?
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
Ahead of Thursday’s release of the review into NDIS, the states have agreed to provide more and expanded services for people with disability in exchange for an extension of the GST top-up.
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Dr. Dalila Gharbaoui, University of Canterbury
A recently signed Australia-Tuvalu citizenship agreement offers people displaced by climate change a chance to ‘move with dignity’. But staying with dignity has to be an option too.
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John Quiggin, The University of Queensland
Australia’s latest climate change statement shows we have little hope of reaching net zero emissions by 2050. There’s good news on the 2030 target, but then what?
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
Chris Bowen, Minister for Climate Change and Energy, next week heads to COP28 in Dubai, leading the Australian delegation. He joins the podcast to talk about the meeting, which he hopes will be easier than last year's was.
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
Parliamentarians have paid tribute to the Labor MP who has died from cancer aged 50.
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Peter Martin, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
Per person, we’re spending less this year – even on this year’s much hyped Black Friday sales. If that continues over summer and inflation stays low, a rate hike in February 2024 looks unlikely.
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Susan Harris Rimmer, Griffith University
Australia is planning for a very hot summer, which will have far-reaching consequences for many people. It’s time governments took this more seriously and, importantly, took action.
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Record emissions are fast shrinking the remaining amount of carbon dioxide we can emit if we are to limit global warming. At current rates, we’ll use up the budget for a 1.5°C outcome in seven years.
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Lisa De Bortoli, Australian Council for Educational Research
The latest Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) show Australian 15-year-olds have recorded similar results to 2015 and 2018 in maths, science and reading.
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Helen Georgiou, University of Wollongong; Sally Larsen, University of New England
Two researchers independently studied Australian students’ results. These papers both reached the same conclusions: scores on the vast majority of standardised assessments are not in decline.
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Paul Kidson, Australian Catholic University
It’s that time of year when it seems the more school fees parents pay, the less time their children spend in school.
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Stephen Bartos, University of Canberra
Australia’s household saving ratio has collapsed from a high of 20% at the start of the decade to just 1.1%.
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