Latest Editorials
05/03/2012 Opinion piece on nationaltimes.com - What is the best model for paid parental leave in Australia?
I know how tough it can be to go back to work when you've got a little baby at home. Being able to spend those precious first months with your child is irreplaceable.
31/01/2012 Opinion piece in the Age - Beyond the headlines, the work to improve indigenous lives goes on
I have found the images of the recent tent embassy protests extremely distressing and difficult. I think the same is true for many Australians, indigenous and non-indigenous.
24/01/2012 Opinion piece in The Australian—A commitment to real action
For all the words written and spoken about problem gambling over the past days, weeks, months and indeed years, there is one core truth: problem gambling is real.
19/01/2012 Constitutional changes for an inclusive Australia
Over the past year, a group of passionate and intelligent Australians has been touring the country to talk to people about how to best recognise Indigenous Australians in our constitution.
09/12/2011 Opinion piece on Mamamia - “I just wasn’t strong enough”
Gabriela Byrne is a community worker, a wife and a mother to two wonderful children.
16/09/2011 Opinion piece on The Drum - How expensive war chests can distort the facts
Twenty million dollars buys you a lot of airtime. Dodgy claims about some overseas research might even get you a front-page story.
19/08/2011 A day in their shoes highlights need for National Disability Insurance Scheme – The Drum
Thomas Mattingley is 25 years old, and lives just around the corner from my place in the north-eastern suburbs of Melbourne.
13/07/2011 Not everything worth doing is easy – mammamia.com.au
In my job, you get to meet a lot of babies. As the Federal Minister for Families, last Friday I was with kids at the Shepherd Centre in Sydney talking about early intervention for kids with hearing problems, and the week before...
05/07/2011 Rugby league's hospital pass on pokie reforms – The Punch
Like a lot of parents I have spent my fair share of cold and wintry days on the side of a football field.
04/07/2011 Parental payments made easy – Australian Financial Review
Good employees are gold to a small business owner, so when you have great staff it makes sense that you'd want to keep them.\
25/06/2011 Pension changes will help people help themselves – The Daily Telegraph
For many people with a disability, getting a job can be hard. But I do not want to see people with disability left behind as our economy grows.
24/06/2011 Partnerships key to a stronger Indigenous future – The Australian
Sometimes when confronted with problems traditionally put in the too-hard basket, the temptation is to give up. During my time as Indigenous Affairs Minister, I have refused to allow this to be our attitude towards improving the lives...
14/04/2011 You can't gamble on self-control - Herald Sun
Australians enjoy a good punt now and then. Having a flutter at the races and playing a game of two-up on Anzac day is as Australian as a meat pie at the footy.
12/03/2011 Bulldozers have no role in transforming Alice – The Australian
OVER the next three years the Australian government is spending more than $150 million on the Alice Springs Transformation Plan.
19/02/2011 Home ownership for Indigenous people - The Australian
The Australian Government is pursuing an ambitious Indigenous land reform agenda with Indigenous people who want economic development and home ownership on Aboriginal land across remote Australia.
10/02/2011 Dignity of a job is worth supporting - The Newcastle Herald
The Disability Support Pension is an essential part of Australia's social security safety net. It provides important income support for Australians who are unable to work to fully support themselves.
01/01/2011 Parental leave keeps women connected to workforce – The Australian
The start of Australia's first national paid parental leave scheme today is the result of 30 years of hard work by dedicated women and men across the country keen for a better deal for Australian parents and most importantly, for newborn babies.
14/12/2010 Getting down to the business of parental leave - The Punch
On 1 January 2011 Australia will get its first ever national government-funded Paid Parental Leave scheme. This is a historic reform which will benefit not just mums, dads and babies, but also businesses.
09/12/2010 Minister responds over SIHIP – National Indigenous Times
It is important to get the facts right about the Australian Government's record commitment to tackling the appalling living conditions for many people in remote Indigenous communities.
22/11/2010 Making it easier to get disabled back into the workforce – The Australian
AUSTRALIANS rightly expect our social security safety net to support people in need.
22/11/2010 Indigenous Constitutional recognition about respect – The Punch
21/06/2010 Breaking the vicious cycle of welfare dependency - The Australian
This week, the Senate has the opportunity to pass legislation in the best interests of Australia’s most vulnerable children, by helping families up and out of entrenched welfare dependency.
17/06/2010 The Punch – Paid Parental Leave
On Tuesday this week, 25,000 Australians delivered a clear message straight to the people who represent them in the nation’s Parliament.
16/03/2010 Tony Abbott is driving would-be parents crazy – The Punch
It’s little wonder the Australian people, not to mention his own Coalition colleagues, are utterly confused about Opposition Leader Tony Abbott’s sham paid parental leave scheme funded by his great big new tax on business.
19/12/2009 Hard decisions to build a future - The Australian
New lives for the citizens of the town camps at the nation's red centre can be created
22/09/2009 Figures show NT intervention alive - The Australian
Contrary to the assertions of Tony Abbott, the emergency response in the Territory is far from dead, contends Jenny Macklin
25/05/2009 We could wait no longer on shanty towns - The Age
Alice Springs' camps of despair are crying out for Government action
22/09/2008 Cut red tape and be fair to families - The Adelaide Advertiser
In the coming months you'll be hearing a lot about Australia's transfer system. Many of you may be wondering what on earth that means.