• You are discussing tax take and yet you miss one of the critical mining taxes that flow to governments and voters - royalties. Post the MRRT, the key mineral producing states have taken the opportunity to significantly increase royalty rates that 'offset' the MRRT. So although the increase in the Federal receipts has been paltry, the increase at the State level has been very significant. You could argue that WA may need to go higher still on iron ore royalties but most of the rest of the mining industry is not earning its cost of capital and paying more than its fair share of tax. - Ella
  • Labor's chickens have come home to roost earlier than they'd hoped. The budget is in crisis, the credit card limit has been increased multiple times and is nearly maxed out at 300 billion. It's ALWAYS the most vulnerable who suffer and Labor's propensity to spend like drunken sailors is the cause. This website is hysterical about the dangers women face under Tony Abbott but the fact is that women are far worse off now than they were under Howard. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/columnists/desparate-pms-war-has-failed-her-own-gender/story-fn7078da-1226537935706 - Gee
  • I would like to see these companies made accountable for their social responsibilities. Any company making those kinds of profits should be providing and maintaining the necessary infrastructure and social services required by their activities and if they do not then the government should be charging them the necessary royalties to cover the cost to taxpayers. All payments to governments should be disclosed and made transparent. Miners are too rich and have too much power. A breeding ground for corruption. - Rhoda
  • [...] responsibility and unpaid care work. Tara Moss has written an excellent piece over at The Hoopla, The Most Important Job In The World, that explores some of these nuances, including the societal and financial expectations that women [...] - Judging mothers | Australian Feminist Reader
  • We have had several children over a timespan which has seen support for mothers increased, so I agree with Not That Bad in that things are much better now than the were even when we had our first child 20 years ago, however, that doesn't mean that "things" are as they should be! I am slightly shattered that even after all of these years of struggle and work, that the role of men and women is not more equal, and that the gender difference is still so debated. All parents deserve society's support: single parents, fathers, mothers. We should be working towards a society where men and women feel supported whatever their choices, and this doesn't necessarily mean financially. Access to services, education, self-finance. We should all be being encouraged to fulfil our potential as human beings. We have the brains, we have the capacity (economics is, after all, a human invention---not a creature with a life of its own) to make the changes. Attitudes need to change. Colour, race, marital status, having children, not having children.... Children are precious and deserve out attention, and parents deserve society's support. If that is given, then we may get the society we deserve! - Dodieh
  • @Robyn. You're the one with the attitude. Over it! - metoo
  • Yah pronking & smiling - Jay
  • Tony Abbott thinks Superannuation is a confidence trick? So what would he think of the national savings that would have been if this had been allowed to remain Australian Law. At the 1937 federal election, the United Australia Party had promised to introduce a system of national insurance that would provide medical cover and pensions for working people. The scheme was to be funded by contributions from government, employers and employees. Menzies, who had helped draft the policy, was an enthusiastic supporter of the scheme. For him it constituted good social policy and, once adequate superannuation funds had been accumulated, promised to relieve taxpayers of what was likely to become an intolerable burden in the future. Unfortunately the United Australia Party’s coalition partners were not nearly so keen about the proposal. Although a National Insurance Bill was passed, Country Party ministers continued to resist its implementation, arguing that the money was needed elsewhere, particularly to provide for ‘adequate defence’. After a series of stormy meetings, Cabinet succumbed to Country Party threats and decided to repeal the pension provisions of the Bill. Menzies immediately resigned from the ministry. - johnward154
  • Never have and never will purposefully buy a celebrity endorsed product. Make my own choices according to years of experience. I don't watch or listen to commercial tv or radio or read mainstream media . Abc, Sbs plus community radio (bay fm 99.9) are my choice. Find very vacuous the current obsession with all things celebrity! - Robyn
  • Maybe hard to be honest ..... but I think probably most of us are little influenced by advertising especially with gorgeous hot men and sexy women, we would probably all look beautiful even though we get older ..... as Dolly Parton said in an interview, you have no idea how expensive it is to look so cheap.. ;-) - Tone May
 
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Categories:  Entertainment, Movies

OCTOBER AT THE MOVIES

By Lisa Hensley
October 9, 2012

The best way to convey the feel and the tone of the new Brad Pitt crime film Killing Them Softly, is to give you an insight into Australian director Andrew Dominik’s state of mind during the opening night of this extraordinarily well made film.

Dominik, who gave us the brilliant Chopper and The Assassination of Jessie James, announced that it was great to be back home after eight years of living in the US and what a truly beautiful city (Sydney) we live in. He told of his longing for Australia and its people and that the film we were about to see, was his interpretation of how he saw America.

 

Brad Pitt as a hitman in Killing Them Softly.
 

All I can say after viewing the crime thriller Killing Them Softly is: I am not sure Dominik is a huge fan.

Based loosely on the novel Cogan’s Trade, Killing Them Softly is a grimy, harsh, ugly look at America’s dog eats dog culture and its rapidly decaying economy. Set in 2008 during the lead up to the presidential elections, it tells the simple tale of a sociopath hit man (a brilliant Brad Pitt) employed to chase down those responsible for a raid on a mafia run card game.

In this brutal world of dirty streets, derelict buildings and low life characters, there is little beauty. However, interwoven with the film’s heavy atmosphere of poverty and desperation, is a wonderful dollop of black humour that together with a great ensemble cast of actors, serves to deliver the films much needed heart and entertainment.

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The Wedding Party

After enjoying success at countless overseas film festivals and voted most popular at the Melbourne International Film Festival a couple of years back, the new Australian feature The Wedding Party has finally made it to mainstream cinema.

I am not sure why it would have taken this long as this charming little film is a real delight.

It stars the wonderful Josh Lawson (pictured above, left) as Steve, a hopeless romantic who desperately loves his girlfriend, however as he is on the verge of financial ruin he agrees to marry a Russian stranger, Anna (a wonderful Isabel Lucas – above, right) This decision, which he must keep secret, creates nothing but problems for his already dysfunctional family.

This really sweet comedy with its universal story of love, family and the hardships in navigating tricky personal relationships is so easy to relate to. With its outstanding cast, should appeal to many. It is worth noting that the film as just secured a US release, so who knows, it may end up being the little engine who could.

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4 Responses to this article

  1. Debbie October 13, 2012 Reply
     
     

    Thanks for the heads up about Wuthering Heights. I don’t mind the idea of a re-envisaging as long as its done well – sounds like this is.

     
  2. Ekka October 13, 2012 Reply
     
     

    All movies look really interesting. Never seen the original Wuthering Heights, looking forward to this one.

     
  3. Rhoda October 13, 2012 Reply
     
     

    Sounds like Wuthering Heights is not to be missed. It will have to be good to better the book that contains that most magical of final paragraphs.

    “I lingered round them, under that benign sky; watched the moths fluttering among the heath, and hare-bells; listened to the soft wind breathing through the grass; and wondered how any one could ever imagine unquiet slumbers for the sleepers in that quiet earth.”

     
  4. Rachel ward October 13, 2012 Reply
     
     

    Interesting that you found any value in killing them softly. Having loved chopper and jesse james, dominic’s previous previous outings I had high expectations. I don’t always have a problem with nihilism but this took the biscuit. Vile men with vile, degrading chatter re women and very heavy handed social commentary re Obama’s ‘hope’ spin and truth of American life. We get it in first five mins now give us some humanity or beauty or humour somewhere. Why do we need an hour and a half of relentless filth and debasement.? As usual this film will have every chance re distribution, publicity , festivals, acclaim while magnificent female driven films filled with humanity/beauty/ something to say like Lore or Wuthering Heights get sidelined. As dominic goes to ugly lengths to show us, Misogyny is alive and well in heartland of America as well as Hollywood . But nothing new there.

     

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  • Ella: You are discussing tax take and yet you miss one of the critical mining taxes that flow to governments and voters - roya...

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