For even the most casual watcher of Australian politics the last few months have been depressing.

Tony Abbott, the self-styled ideological love-child of Bronwyn Bishop and John Howard has been playing some pretty petty party politics; stone-walling any Labor policy, regardless of its merits.

So step up Paul Keating, the ideological love-child of a brick wall and Jack Lang.

He has launched a vicious and burning attack on Abbott calling him an "intellectual nobody [with] no policy ambition", and the "poor man's John Howard".

Hard to disagree with, and hard to see how Abbott will slip out of the shadow of the anodyne if he doesn't start voting with Australia's, and not his interests in mind.

In the last few days I have been researching a political organisation known as the nationalist alternative. From their ideologies it is not hard to jump from ultra conservative white-only party to radical neo-nazi party. I realised that many opposed to such racist groups are looking into a violent mirror. The nationalist alternative was attacked aggressively at an anti internet censorship rally in South Australia, a video on slackbastard depicted multicultural groups stomping the white only protestors heads, the lyrics to a song by Skarharrper called "nazi scum" has the lyrics "we gotta beat em in the street, there's a time to fight and that time has come, we're comin for ya nazi scum". How does one defend minorities by violently attacking one?

Two weeks ago I had the privilege of attending the Somewhere Near Tapachula world premiere at the Circular Quay Dendy in Sydney.  This opportunity was made all the more special because the movie was directed by my good friend Stefan Hunt.

The captivating documentary follows the rich lives of Alan and Pamela Skuse who left Australia in 2000 to work at a Mexican Orphanage, and the 50 children who look to them as parents.  The raw emotion captured in the film kept viewers at chairs edge puzzled at how the young kids on screen who each have such heartbreaking stories to tell seem incongruously so happy with their lives. The film becomes a beautiful celebration of overcoming adversity, and taking everything one can from the life they've been given. Somewhere Near Tapachula directed by Stefan Hunt and produced by Jonno Durrant is a truly inspiring movie, that will make any viewer want to pack up their bags and buy a one way ticket to Mexico to experience this extraordinary thirst for life first hand.

Kara Jensen Mackinnon was lucky enough to interview director Stefan Hunt about his new film - the trials, rewards, and what's next to come.

Next Thursday at UNSW there has been a 24 hour strike planned by the NTEU, a plan which has been met with a ridiculous letter sent to students by Management.

The letter basically tries to make the NTEU look radicalised, unwilling to negotiate and separate from the running of the unversity. Nothing could be further from the truth and unless something is done to change this perception, the university faces dark days ahead.

by Sean Maguire

As "revelations" emerge that the Defence Department has been wasting billions, I ask you, is anybody surprised?

As we are constantly told in international relations, security is the central concern of all governments. Without it, society can't function.

So in turn, governments, especially American governments, throw billions into blackhole budgets in an attempt to keep us safe, or feeling safe.

And just to make it all the sweeter, secrecy is essential- meaning transparency is of course impossible.

So just like the story that British Ministers have been getting greedy with their entitlements, the only person to blame for this is yourself.

Because, as long as we're happy blindly throwing power, money and guns to shady people we shouldn't be surprised that they use them for their own benefits.

Once again Tony Abbott has come out of the political woodwork with a new idea that:

1. Is stupid and
2. Goes against his previous promises as a leader.

Tony Abbott is trying to relight the dwindling flame of his woman support by proposing a six month paid maternity leave, which in itself is a fantastic idea.

The problem is the bill will be foot by a fairly large tax of 1.7% on all middle to large businesses that earn in excess of $5mil a year.

Apart from the fact that Abbott promised there would be no new taxes if he were to become leader, most of these large multimillion-dollar businesses already have paid parental leave schemes for their employees in place and by this new tax would be put out millions of dollars more to pay for everyone else. 

Interestingly, Australia is one of the only Western countries that doesn't have a governmental parental leave programme already in place, which reflects poorly on us as a progressive nation.  

Perhaps we should take a leaf out of Norway's book - where each Norwegian is taxed 0.01% and is rewarded with 46 weeks off at 100% of their wage or 56 at 80%, and the father MUST take at least 10 weeks off.   

Why didn't Australia get the memo?

The pursuit of happiness is a life goal which overcomes many of us; it  invites us to depart with money, time, energy, and possibly happiness itself to attain it. It seems that in a complex, corporate and digitally connected world that the analysis of how to be happy dominates lifestyle columns, psychiatry visits and doctor's prescription pads-leading many to ask whether our conception of happiness is consumerist, transient and idiotic.  

Last night, in the stunning City Recital Hall in Sydney, many of these ideas and more, were debated in the latest IQ2 debate, with interesting implications to what things we should pursue in life, where we should find them and whether we can find them at all- by Sean Maguire

It's often said that Sydney is now the world's most expensive city to live in; a claim that is also often parelleled with a shortage in housing and the extreme tightness of the rental market.

Until yesterday I don't think I fully understood how tight that market was and what people were willing to do to get a room.

The night before last we put an ad on Gum Tree for a small windowless room in Newtown for $160 a week, hoping, just hoping we might get some response.

In the few hours that followed (before phones were turned off due to the continuous ringing) we were called dozens and dozens of times with people begging to come in for an inspection.

Being boys and with such an oversupply of applicants there was a bit of fun to be had to see how far these guys would go.

Would you for instance join our acapella band whose signature number was "Hey Jude"?

Would you share a room with a goat (which you had to milk) and a priest?

Our applicants would.  

After laughter, and jubilation that we could pick and choose who we live with there have been some sombre moments of reflection.

All this has shown to me that people who go to university or work in the city are forced to fight to live close by because they know that any further out and the commute will be impossible.

A sad state of affairs to see and hear young vibrant people reduced to such desperation.