Latest Story
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From living on the streets to helping the homeless: One woman’s tale of how she turned her life around
Kirstie Papanikolaou | July 30, 2010First hand knowledge of homlessness and 14 years experience working in vendor support for the Big Issue combine for some powerfully simple advice about creating opportunities.
I have two dogs. I’ve also got three cats and two rabbits; one of whom weighs 12 kilos and swings on a hammock. I’ve got two kids, one husband and some great in-laws. I consider myself lucky. I’ve got a stable, supportive family, a job that I am passionate about and my own home. But it wasn’t always like this…
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Australia’ s Mineral Resources
Les Pickett | July 28, 2010Are our policy makers and strategic thinkers paying sufficient attention to the role of Australia’s mineral resources in international affairs?
Mineral resources play a role in international affairs that far outweighs the attention paid to the sector by policy makers and strategic thinkers Dr Michael Wesley Executive Director Lowy Institute told participants in a Food for Thought presentation at Victoria University earlier this month.
Modern societies are becoming ever more dependent on mineral resources but increasingly less self-sufficient in their production, making access to stable and reasonably priced resources central to their functioning. And yet there is little awareness of the general dynamics, trends and forces governing the global production and trade in strategic resources.
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UncategorisedAustralia Welcomes New Privacy Commissioner
editor | July 27, 2010
It’s been a good week for privacy in Australia, with Timothy Pilgrim appointed the new Privacy Commissioner on 19 July 2010. Read more at www.privacy.gov.au -
Thinking about Trees
Anna Bowden | July 26, 2010National Tree Day requires us to undergo an important change of mindset.I came to my job as the project manager for National Tree Day by a rather sideways route after marketing green products and administering a brand licensing program for Planet Ark.Although a committed “greenie” I came from a business and marketing background and was more focused on ways to leverage the consumer dollar to bring about environmental change. And so I found myself faced with a different challenge; how to generate a change in attitude & behaviour towards the natural world and trees in particular.The evidence on our need to change behaviour is overwhelming, with unprecedented losses of native animals, and damage to biodiversity.
International Day of Co-operatives
David Griffiths | July 22, 2010On 3 July 2010 co-operatives throughout the world celebrated the International Day of Co-operatives. The theme for the day was how co-operatives can empower women.
"Co-operative enterprise empowers women"
"La empresa cooperativa empodera a la mujeres"
"L’entreprise coopérative autonomise les femmes"The International Day of Co-operatives is celebrated on the first Saturday of July every year. Its aim is to increase awareness on co-operatives and promote the movement’s successes and ideals.
The scope and role of co-operatives in Australia is, for example, not sufficiently understood. To address this, in June 2009 Co-operatives Australia published a list of the top 100 co-operatives, credit unions and mutuals. Co-operatives Australia is the national body for State Co-operative Federations.
Award winning NZ sheep drencher an innovation the whole family can enjoy
Kate Williamson | July 20, 2010
Rod Walker, Director and Research and Development Manager at Simcro speaks to Open Forum’s Kate Williamson about OPTILINE; winner of a 2010 Australian International Design Award (medical and scientific category).
Corporate reporting is no longer working
Les Pickett | July 19, 2010Corporate reporting is no longer working – so what needs to be done to make it fit for purpose in the future?
Corporate reporting plays an essential role in the effective functioning of the market economy. It provides the building blocks of information necessary for effective decision-making by investors and other key stakeholders.
The financial crises of the last decade have demonstrated serious shortcomings in the understanding of corporate business models, the alignment of incentives, and the management of risk. The current corporate reporting model has not highlighted where these shortcomings exist.
Privacy by Design: An oxymoron, an impossibility or the way to go? A Big Picture seminar in Brisbane
Malcolm Crompton | July 19, 2010Privacy by Design incorporates privacy from the planning stage rather than tacking it on at the end.What is privacy, REALLY?What is ‘Privacy by Design’?After the concept was first developed by the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, it has become the new framework for thinking globally. Leaders in the European Commission; the European Data Protection Supervisor; the
Actions speak louder than words: APEC Launches New Privacy Enforcement Initiative
Malcolm Crompton | July 19, 2010The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) has launched an initiative to help boost consumer trust in e-commerce by fortifying enforcement of regional data privacy laws.
Review of Regulatory Burdens on Business
Les Pickett | July 17, 2010Australian Government Productivity Commission invites comment on draft report on Annual Review of Regulatory Burdens on Business: Business and Consumer Services:
http://www.pc.gov.au/projects/study/regulatoryburdens/business-consumer-services/draft
Time to turn off the Simpsons
Lisa Middlebrook | July 14, 2010Why do Australians take the worst and leave the best of what the USA has to offer?
Having a Mum from Sydney and a Dad from Texas, over the course of my life, I’ve lived, studied and worked in both Australia and the USA. It’s an interesting perspective from which to view the way the two cultures regard one another.
