The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination –  21 March – was first observed in 1966 on the sixth anniversary of the Sharpeville massacre in South Africa.

In the immediate wake of another racist atrocity, we need to rethink ‘Harmony Day’ argues Osmond Chiu. 

THURSDAY 21 MARCH is the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

You may not have heard of the day before. It is commemorated in Australia as Harmony Day.

Harmony Day was a creation of the Howard Government twenty years ago, a response to research conducted for the federal government about the causes of racism. It was a deliberate choice to not focus on ‘anti-racism’ but rather emphasise the importance and value of ‘harmony’. Continue reading →

Anticipating the imminent announcement of a federal election, the Staff Association has contacted the major political parties seeking policy commitments on a range of issues including CSIRO funding, job security, scientific integrity and fairer enterprise bargaining.

CSIRO Staff Association Secretary Sam Popovski has written to Science and Industry Minister Karen Andrews, Shadow Minister Senator Kim Carr and Green’s spokesperson Adam Bandt seeking election commitments prior to the expected announcement of the federal poll in early April.

“The Staff Association has identified eleven science policy priorities for the upcoming federal election and we’ve invited the Coalition, Labor and the Greens to respond and list any other election commitments regarding CSIRO and its staff, for the information and consideration of our members,” Mr Popovski said.

Continue reading →

Across Australia, this summer has been described as the hottest, wettest, dustiest, and generally most extreme on record, but just how unusual was this in context asks Helen Cleugh? 

WITH SMASHED temperature records, one-in-100 year floods, and bushfires raging for weeks on end it’s not a baseless claim. But just how unusual was this summer in a historical context? What role is climate change playing in these extreme weather events? And, importantly, can we expect more of the same?

Continue reading →