Monthly Archives: September 1995

Holding on to the Past: Governing National Archives

This entry was posted in Governance, Listener on by .

Listener: 30 September, 1995.

Keywords: Governance;

The prime minister must have groaned when controversy erupted over the reforming of the National Archives, which holds most of the nation’s important records. It is the sort of row which his government does not need. The antagonized includes archivists, genealogists, historians, constitutional lawyers, Maori with land claims, and retired soldiers. The proposals have alienated them, yet the gains, if any, from the reforms will be small.

Working on It?

This entry was posted in Listener, Regulation & Taxation, Social Policy on by .

What Use is Part-time Work If Your Benefit is Cut and You Earn Little More?

Listener: 16 September, 1995.

Mike was finishing his university degree when he was offered a part time job with one of the biggest employers in the city. He took the job, did it well, and the employer eventually gave Mike a full time job. Three years later he is still working there. Mike’s experience is not unusual. Once the young worker walked into a full time job. Today’s young start off with bits and pieces of part-time work, obtain work skills and a reputation for good work disciplines, which eventually leads on to full time work.

Anything They Can Do …

This entry was posted in Listener, Social Policy on by .

Economic Reform is Possible Without Savaging the Welfare State

Listener: 2 September, 1995.

Keywords: Social Policy;

Prime Minister Paul Keating has an almost mythical reputation. As Treasurer (the Australian Minister of Finance) he presided over a major transformation of economic structure while the Australian economy continued to prosper. More recently he led his Labor Party into a “can’t win” election, and won it handsomely. While he is not popular because of his personal arrogance and an acerbic tongue, he can be proud of his government’s accomplishments.