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Australian Options Australian Options Also Inside Miriam Lyons: Pushing Our Luck Andrew Leigh: Equality and unions Australian Ian Lowe: Environment Hugh Saddler: Electricity Pricing Toner and Stilwell: Manufacturing Industry ODiscussionps for Sotcial Juisticeo and Polnitical Chasnge Music Review: Wagner Ring Cycle BEGINNING TO REBUILD IN ABBOTTLAND $5 Summer 2013/2014 Quarterly no. 75 ISSN 1324-0749 print post approved 100000854 Australian Options Australian Options is a quarterly journal which aims to challenge the Articles 4 Editorial: Beginning to rebuild ideas dominating Australian mainstream debate. Articles of up to 1500 words are welcomed from Each edition includes major articles by activists and readers with knowledge or experience in particular FOCUS: Equality and Environment progressive thinkers on contemporary political, national or international political or social justice issues. social and cultural issues. Book, Film or DVD and Music reviews up to 500 words 5 'Pushing Our Luck' extract ......................................................................................... Miriam Lyons History are welcome. The editors reserve the right to decide what to print and to edit contributions to fit with the 8 'From Battlers and Billionaires' extract ...................................................................Andrew Leigh Australian Options was launched in May 1995 by a space or style ensuring the integrity of the contents is large number of people who expressed a wish for an preserved. 10 Why we need a 1:12 Campaign ................................................................................Howard Guille open discussion journal of the left. Email contributions to [email protected] with a copy to Jack Humphrys: [email protected]. Promotion of Australian Options 11 Environment ......................................................................................................................... Ian Lowe Contributors without email can post their We receive no external funding and rely entirely on contributions to: AO Editorial, 13 Why is electricity consumption decreasing in Australia? ....................................Hugh Saddler subscriptions and donations. Subscribers play an Attn: Jack Humphrys, important role in the journal’s promotion. Your help C /- 5/39 Phillip St, and suggestions on increasing circulation would be West Croydon, SA, 5008 15 Environment, equity, economy: Reflections on sustainability ..................................Joy Paton greatly appreciated. Leaflets and complimentary copies for this purpose Copyright 18 What's left: Building an agenda for social and environmental justice ....................John Kaye can be obtained by contacting Don Jarrett. Copyright is retained by individual contributors. FEATURES Membership Deadlines Australian Options is published by a registered non st 21 Why does Australia need manufacturing industry? ...............Phillip Toner and Frank Stilwell profit subscriber owned Association – Australian Autumn 2014 Issue: Tuesday, April 1 Options Publishing Inc. All subscribers are members 25 Borrow and build: Early relief possible for commuters ..............................................Ian Spring of the Association and their involvement in the Subscriptions Journal is welcomed. The Annual General Meeting of See subscription form inside back cover members is held each October in Adelaide to review 27 Trans-Pacific Trade Deal ..........................................................................................Patricia Ranald policy and progress and to elect members of the Australian Options On-line Management Committee. www.australian-options.org.au 29 Keating: Interviews for the true believers .............................................................Carol Johnson Subscribers can search and download material from Patron all editions of Australian Options. The on-line digest 31 VLAD is not a joke .......................................................................................................Howard Guille Hugh Stretton ‘What’s hot and what’s not’ is available on the site or by registering for email or social media. 33 Curriculum review: Where did ‘Judeo-Christian’ come from? .............................. Chloe Patton Management Committee Australian Options Contacts Adrian Shackley (Chairperson), Frank Barbaro, Glenn REVIEWS & REGULARS Giles, Howard Guille, Don Jarrett (Secretary/Treasurer), Editorial David Prendergast, Ian Steel, Sue Jervis Jack Humphrys: see above under ‘Articles” Online 34 ‘Pushing Our Luck: Ideas for Australian Progress’ by Miriam Lyons ................. Ray Broomhill Editorial Sub Committee Howard Guille: [email protected] 35 ‘The Melbourne Ring Cycle 2013’ .........................................................................Michael Browne Frank Barbaro (Chairperson), Jack Humphrys, Prof. Administrators/Subscriptions/Promotions Frank Stilwell, Rob Durbridge, Howard Guille, Brian Don Jarrett: [email protected] 36 Three CD Reviews .....................................................................................................Jack Humphrys Aarons Postal Address PO Box 431, Goodwood, South Australia, 5034 38 Well read ......................................................................................................................Frank Barbaro The views expressed in the journal are those of the Website authors and not necessarily those of Australian Options. www.australian-options.org.au Cartoon commentary by Simon Kneebone Readers Contributions Publisher: Australian Options Publishing Inc. Readers letters are welcome. Please keep them short, ABN 129 568 793 66 preferably less than 300 words. Printed by Print Lord 08 8258 0156; www.printlord.com.au Layout by Blue Eight Design www.blueeight.com.au 2 Australian Options Summer 2013/2014 Australian Options Summer 2013/2014 3 Editorial Focus: Equality and Environment profitable and channelling private sector capital into for example, prevent average household spending on renewables. art, culture and entertainment from increasing much 'Pushing Our Luck' faster than inflation over the six years to 2009-10. And The ALP record in government during 2007-13 is This is an edited extract from ‘Pushing Our no alternative. It failed to turn the tide on growing while it’s true that much of the astronomical increase in inequality while its climate change policies showed an Luck: Ideas for Australian progress’ – edited by house prices over recent decades can be explained by unwarranted faith in market mechanisms. Its planned Miriam Lyons * homebuyers bidding up the price of existing housing, emissions trading scheme to replace the fixed carbon the debt boom was also associated with a big expansion Christopher Pyne has torn up the ‘unity ticket’ on school price would have allowed half the emissions permits to in house sizes: the average floor area of new houses funding. Joe Hockey is blaming spiders in the Treasury be bought from overseas. Mining, gas and port approvals increased by around 40 per cent between 1984-85 and cupboards for his failure to make public debt disappear proceeded rapidly and key ALP Commonwealth and State 2002-03. There are other explanations, such as the fact overnight. Tony Abbott has discovered that his right Ministers are now lobbyists for resource development. that the prices that have been spiking - like electricity to swing his verbal fists ends where Indonesia’s nose bills - are easier to notice than whose prices have been Australian Options is beginning 2014 with two issues begins. It’s post-election season in Australia, a time declining or rising more slowly than inflation – like Beginning to rebuild on Rebuilding and Working Cooperatively on the Left. when inconvenient promises are broken, rookie mistakes clothing, cars, and other consumer goods. Our return to Particular themes in this issue are equality' and the are made by out-of-practice politicians, and the implied sanity on saving has also had an impact on the amount After four months some of the directions environment' and a 'new citizenship’. Australia is an omnipotence of campaign poetry is translated into the of spare change jingling in the pockets of Australian of the Abbott Government seem clear. unequal society in which the rich have much better lives dry and disappointing prose of government. consumers. The household saving rate declined during and much better natural and urban environments than Mining before the environment, no help for But the new Coalition government enters this summer of the debt-fuelled housing boom of the 80s through to the poor. We must urgently consider how this can be manufacturing, minimal action on climate discontent with particular challenges of its own making. the mid-2000s (going negative in 2003), and has since challenged. Language is crucial: words like ‘fairness’ and change, talk up an economic crisis, scapegoat Mr Abbott did his level best to turn the 2013 election recovered to over 10 per cent. ‘inclusiveness’ must be more than buzz-words used for into a referendum not just on electricity costs but costs and humiliate refugees, bluster about spying political spin. Even taking each of these factors into account, however, on the neighbours and blame everything else in general: ‘This election will be about trust. Who do you it’s hard to understand how Australians manage to feel on the unions and the ALP. We need a convincing account of a society and economy trust to reduce cost of living pressures?’ The message less ‘financially secure’ than
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