In this issue:
Practice Nursing, Policy Makers and the Nightingale Legacy;
Before Digging the Gold Mine, Watch Out for the Land Mine;
Religion and Secularism in Queensland Education;
Representation, Leadership and Democracy.
The Problem is Us
Despite a widespread perception that the earth’s resources cannot continue to support even the current human population, policymakers often avoid discussions of population control, especially in Australia. In this article, Andrew McNamara confronts the issues head on and provides a refreshing change to the muted debate about population in this country.
Practice Nursing, Policy Makers and the Nightingale Legacy
The ongoing debate about how to make health services more effective and sustainable is heating up with the federal Government soon to announce a major reform agenda. There are many aspects to the discussion but an often-neglected dimension concerns the role of ‘practice nurses’. In this article, Christine Phillips clarifies the important contribution that practice nursing can make.
Before Digging the Gold Mine, Watch Out for the Land Mine
The relationship between the Australian and Chinese governments has been seriously strained by the arrest of business executive, Stern Hu. What does this mean in light of the immense trading relationship between the two countries? In this article, Hui Feng, an expert on China’s economy, examines the broader context and the longer term implications of this ongoing incident.
Religion and Secularism in Queensland Education
In this article, Tim Mander, CEO of SU Qld, responds to the essay by Hugh Wilson in last month’s edition of The Brisbane Line.
Representation, Leadership and Democracy
In a representative democracy, politicians are supposed to represent the views and interests of the people. But public policies often appear to have a very tenuous relationship with the popular will. In this article, Martin Leet reflects on the nature of ‘representation’ in contemporary Australian democracy.