Past Programs
Government and Politics - 2006
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The Year In Review
14/12/2006
2006 - the year when climate change became a majority concern and the Socceroos finally got to the World Cup. The year when the Prime Minister celebrated 10 years in office and Kevin Rudd became the new Labor leader.
It was also the year when parliament vigorously debated stem cell research; industrial relations caused ructions; the war in Iraq continued and we mourned the loss of several notable Australians and cheered when two Beaconsfield miners were rescued amid much media fanfare.
Judicial Appointments
27/06/2006
Not so much judging the judges, as ensuring we get the best people in the first place. How good is the appointment process and what, if anything, needs to change?
The process of judicial appointment has long been debated, and the supposedly simple notion of appointment by merit continues to be scrutinised. Whose sense of merit, using which measures? What does this mean for diversity, representation and - centrally - independence?
A new Judicial Appointments Commission has been established in the UK, which aims to be transparent and accountable. Should we be looking to that model for answers? Or must we first look inside the current system?
Because the government appoints judges, and at the same time the notion of the Separation of Powers is central to our entire political system. Getting it right is about much more than sentencing.
Wigs, gowns, and getting the right selection of people on the Bench. Is the process clear and transparent? Does it need to change?
We'll be speaking to a Supreme Court Judge, the President of the Australian Women Lawyers' Association, and a former adviser to the Federal Attorney-General.
White Collar Crime
25/05/2006
White collar crime: fraud, corruption, bad guys in suits? Maybe it's also about polluting rivers and who's responsible when somebody falls off scaffolding. So from HIH to James Hardie, to the guy who ripped off your super fund . . . what needs to be done? Are we as tough on white-collar criminals as we are on others? And just how fine is the line between creative business practice and crime?
White Collar Crime is in the news - because, these days, it's always in the news. Just yesterday, the Federal Court was asking questions about a $300 000 request for living expenses from the founder of Westpoint, in a case still under examination. Last week, HIH appeared in the news again - as aspects of the case were being appealed.
And given the increasing number of ordinary Australians who hold shares in something - no matter how small - the potential to be a victim of this type of crime is also apparently on the increase.
This month's Federal Budget seems to have recognised that: with more than $230 million dollars allocated to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission - ASIC - to be spent over four years. The regulator is about to sharpen its teeth.
But is regulation enough, and is it working? When it comes to white collar crime, is effective regulation and sensible surveillance enough: or should we just send them all to the Big House? If law and order is such a persistent call to arms in the community, should we begin, rather than end, with the companies and the suits?
Leadership Qualities
22/05/2006
There's leadership rumblings at the top of both political parties. On the conservative side even Rupert Murdoch believes change is in the air. And with Labor? Well, Bill Shorten's become the dark horse - but what exactly do we want from our political leaders - what makes for good leadership? What qualities do you most admire in a leader? And is charisma overplayed?
Violence and Abuse in Aboriginal Communities
18/05/2006
Earlier this week, Dr Nanette Rogers, Crown Prosecutor in the Northern Territory revealed a whole range of stories of sexual abuse and domestic violence in Central Australia.
These stories have shocked people all round the country. There have also been claims made about silences, denial, and that these stories are confronting because they're new.
But in fact it's not the first time we've heard these allegations; and it's not the first time a range of organisations, governments, and individual projects have been set up to address the issue.
On ATB we hear from a range of people active in the area, about where we stand now, what options or models for change there might be, and what future change and leadership is required.
Listeners are also an important part of this discussion: What do you think must be done? Is this a straight-forward policing matter as the Federal Minister argues? And would past inaction have been tolerated if we were talking about white communities? What role for government and for personal community responsibility?
