Seriously, do you really want Rudd to return as PM? Australia needs stability

Kevin Rudd would be best remembered as the man who helped to topple the Howard government. 


We don't expect Kevin Rudd to be the perfect gentleman but he has  many personal weaknesses that would undermine the effectiveness of national policies.


As more documents and revelations emerge, it is clearer that Rudd is partly if not mostly responsible for his own downfall.  Sympathy for the underdog is slowly running out when he turns into a persistent destabilizer for the party, government and country. 


http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/we-need-to-talk-about-kevin-20120224-1ttxx.html

Rudd may have or believed that he could continue to exercise strong leadership.  But ALP is not Liberal under John Howard. Few leaders in modern democracies could pull the party together for so long. Anyway, Australia is not a dictatorship and ought not to backtrack to those days where a PM's supremacy and views could hardly be challenged by cabinet members and community interest groups. 


How would the world would look at Australia?   It is not possible to put things "right" from the past when we are living in the present.  


Julia Gillard may similarly not be the perfect leader. However, she has steadily learned to get things done. Getting through the difficult but necessary carbon and mining tax legislation is a notable achievement. 


Once again, I appeal for pragmatism. For the sake of our citizens, Kevin Rudd and labour supporters should consider what is in the country's best interests. 

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/rudd-gillard-shape-up-for-labor-battle-20120224-1trgx.html

Cuts in Tertiary education negate potential gains in investments - reconciling Gonski report

Coordination has never been an Aussie forte. 


Gonski study is being seriously considered to lift Aussie students' academic competency in math and science may only cover part of the problem. 


The longstanding and lingering reluctance to fund education up to tertiary level, sharpen competitiveness with world institutions and provide good learning experience is likely to falter. Blaming it on purely economic factors shows the lack of vision in sustaining Australia as a destination for international students. The education sector has served us well in the past decade and should not be allowed to slack without taking proactive steps to live up to the challenges. Indeed, the importance of investing in tertiary education could not be emphasised more. 


Within a week, I heard two pieces of negative news from students and staff who are directly impacted from staff cuts. 


Some segments of students with needs deemed dispensable would be slashed ruthlessly no doubt. With worse times ahead, a strong Australian dollar and effects of past stringent student visa policies, universities seek short term measures. 


Decisions are purely made on monetary considerations rather than performance criteria and feedback from consumers.


There is fine line between downsizing justified by efficiency and dump sizing which compromises on quality of service. After all, education is a service, and not all solutions could be found in technology. 


Heartaches but no sweat for most who are able to find alternative employment or start a business. However, in the current gloomy job market, losing a job is easy but replacing one isn't. 


What about those whose career, passion and lives who have been closely tied to university education, with skills that are not so easily transferable across industries and countries?


U Syd will cut hundreds of academic and general staff in tandem with anticipated reduction in student enrolments, and in order to free up money for IT and maintenance.


http://theconversation.edu.au/sydney-uni-to-cut-academic-and-general-staff-but-boost-it-4404

Power struggle drama serial must end - put national above self interests

When will Labour learn to maintain party discipline, be a good government and grow in strength. Unfortunately, Labour has a history of disunity since it lost power to the Liberals, long before Kevin Rudd became PM.  Labour has been and is still seen as a bunch of scatterbugs held together by factional leaders akin to mafia chiefs.

Yes, Julia Gillard may have done the incorrect thing to stage a coup to remove Rudd whose popularity was waning and was a poor team player. However, Labour might not have lost the elections. That's a hypothesis and no one really know what would have happened with so many "if"s.

However, since Gillard has been holding steady and trying to implement  despite disruptions from the sadistic and destructive Tony Abbott and backstabbing vengeance from Rudd. Every politician has some skeletons in the closet. The difference is a matter of degree.

Aussies are generally averse to strong leadership but good government does need time to build up. For the benefit of the nation, please stop the bickering.

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-02-23/rudd-signals-he-may-challenge-gillard-for-labor-leadership.html

Realisation of global credit squeeze and rising borrowing costs on Australian banks

We actually saw it coming I'm not kidding. Variable rate will at best be put on hold, if not rise to match the higher costs of borrowing and funding due to rising uncertainties and risks from the gravity of European debt ridden economies and the tenuous US "recovery".

http://www.theage.com.au/national/home-owners-pay-for-the-banks-pain-20120210-1smgz.html

Getting it right is not something to boast of. Nevertheless, Australian borrowers would have expected the Reserve Bank to have some inkling even if it had not forewarned of possible rate rises that would cause additional pain to households saddled with mortgages. When many of us including the experienced and savvy investors have suffered severe bashing in the volatile markets since the Global Financial Crisis, suffice to say, an ability to envision beyond six months in financial planning is no mean feat.

Instead of explaining the gulf between the Reserve Bank's anticipated rate cut, which is out of sync with the market forces, and impending mortgage rate rises, Treasurer Wayne Swan has capitalised on the populist bank bashing bandwagon to mask bureaucrats' missed targets.

http://www.businessspectator.com.au/bs.nsf/Article/Wayne-Swan-Australian-banks-funding-costs-pd20120131-R28CV?OpenDocument&src=mp

Indeed, bank bashing has overshot and exceeded reasonable limits - "fever pitch" as some analysts call it. There are always two sides of the story. Blaming another to reap political capital or higher profits would not benefit the common folks. A fairer and more intelligent strategy might.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/economy-needs-smarter-strategy-than-bank-bashing/story-e6frg71x-1226265118327

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/bank-bashing-is-fraught-with-unknown-consequences/story-fn558imw-1226267144306

http://www.smh.com.au/business/banks-deep-pockets-short-arms-and-shorter-memories-20120210-1sm17.html

Fighting Home Grown Extremism

It is comforting to know that two highly educated Muslims (a university student and banker) have taken the time and effort to spread messages of peace. Too little, too late?

http://www.smh.com.au/national/peace-promoters-hope-to-nip-violent-ideologies-in-the-bud-20120205-1qzvd.html

Hopefully, more will come forward and this is not a one-off thing publicity stunt to appease Australians and quell apprehensions. These two heroes of the community must get strong community support and protection, not just in financial terms (counterterrorism funding). In the past, moderators have been afraid to be out the open for fear of being exposed to attacks by extremists. The rest of the community would be inclined along with whoever is more aggressive for fear of ostracism.

However, addressing dangers of home-grown terrorism is fraught with challenges and pitfalls. While promoting multiculturalism, certain individuals have abused their freedom. In a society governed by rule of law, under no circumstances should local tribal traditional practices prevail over secular authority and laws.
The recent trial of male family members killing four of their women folk in Canada is shocking. Sane and morally upright Muslims do not commit murders.

http://ca.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idCATRE8140QP20120205

Those people, not just Muslims, who claim to be firm and true believers and use religion to justify suppression and killing of others will not be tolerated. No one should place themselves above the law in family disputes or commercial settlement, whatever their religion might be. It should be treated no differently or even more harshly as with cases of dysfunctional families, child abuse and bullying.

Ignorance perpetuates the myth that all Muslims are extremists. This must be altered through education for a terrorist is not born but groomed. The fact is that followers of Islam are a diverse group with different emphasis. Many are moderate and observe the cultural heritage, able to think and adapt to enhance peace living among communities of today. More importantly, poverty and social problems which are often the root causes of crimes and terrorism should be examined and redressed.

In the longer term, demonstrating that Australia sincerely adopts a level playing field in domestic and international arena would deprive home-grown of any excuses to destroy fellow human beings.