Helping to shape our dialogue with Iran
[caption id="attachment_7173" align="alignleft" width="150"] Photo: Jennifer Ashton and Eloise McLean[/caption]Much productive work of CLA occurs behind the scenes, often in meetings that take eat up time: planning, preparation, deciding who should attend, attending, and then reporting. Here’s an example of a ‘dialogue’ preparation meeting, run by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, to help their diplomats prepare for an exchange of views with Iran over human rights.
DFAT misses a chance to listen
A lemon remains a lemon when withering
The ’new’ Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement is likely as bad as the original, but the text is still secret, so it may be worse. Ideology is over-ruling common sense. 2 Feb 2018.
East Timor is mad as hell…
Australians with intimate knowledge of our sleazy dealings over oil reserves with East Timor are delighted the Labor Party has announced a change in policy. John Martinkus explains why. 19 April 2016
Lack of debate causes ‘democratic deficit’
Australia’s Treaties committee has celebrated 20 years, highlighting significant doubts about whether there’s a ‘democratic deficit’ if major national issues are not debated by the full parliament. 26 March 2016
TPP: Corporations trump democracy
One of the world’s top business schools has dissected the TPP, finding that it would undermine public accountability, thwart democratic mechanisms and harm millions of people…just for starters. 13 March 2016
Scientists want Controls law re-think
In a last-minute plea to the PM, top researchers urgently want reconsideration of a law that would do ‘irreparable damage’ to Australianscience. You too can sign the petition. 22 Feb 16
ASIS-ASIO are Govt’s bully boys
Read an extraordinary tale of spook intrigue, bugging foreign cabinet ministers, raid on lawyer’s office, denials, duck-shoves, spurious spin…all in the name of Australia, but deeply un-Australian. 17 June 2015
ALP takes TPP to the community
Large crowd at first ALP community forum on the TPP shows there’s widespread public concern about direction the Coalition government is heading with the 12-nation agreement, and ISDS. 10 June 2015