Fight over study on AWAs: 
The big news of the day was the study of 8,000 workers, which found that - on average - workers on AWAs received $106 less per week and had to work an hour more. The original article is here. This study, originally run by the Herald and The Age as a headline article, unleashed a big back-and-forth war between Coalition politicians and the study's authors.

Just let me point out here that this, the big news of the day, is still conspicuously absent from the headline listings on News.com.au.

The main criticism from the government is that the study was funded by Unions NSW. While it is true that they partly funded the study - most of the funding came from the Australian Research Council, a Federal government body. The transcript of the 7:30 report is not yet up, but Kerry O'Brien listed a large number of peer reviews and checks that this study went through before being released. From what I can see, every effort was made to ensure that this was an unbiased, objective study of the effect of the Workchoices legislation.

Which brings us to the comments from the Coalition:

 Hockey said earlier today "It is the same old flawed research from the same old union academics. It contradicts far more reliable findings from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

"It is hardly surprising that academics such as John Buchanan and Brigid van Wanrooy, who have previously authored ACTU research, would come up with such a flawed report." 

Of course, the Union scare tactics as always. 'You can't trust this, it has the Union's grubby hands all over it!' Hockey screams.

This was met by a firm rebuke from the researchers:

Dr van Wanrooy said she had only once before been involved in research with any union association, in 2001.

"Prior to that, I spent two years working at the Department of Workplace Relations under minister [Peter] Reith and minister [Tony] Abbott."

Study co-author and director of Sydney University's Workplace Research Centre Dr Buchanan also fired back:

"[Mr Hockey] has made some very serious allegations about me and my team being union bosses in disguise masquerading as academics ... I find the statements from the minister quite unhelpful and it is a complete betrayal of the scrutiny we receive as academics from our peers through the ARC process."

There's even a story on the ABC website about the academics considering their legal options after being defamed by the government. Lomandra from the Oz Election 2007 forums comments:

"He essentially accused them of academic fraud, which is the worst sin imaginable in academia... Hockey is hoping that fallacious reasoning (the unions part-commissioned this, therefore it must be wrong) and comparing apples with oranges (the Bureau of Stats figures on overall salaries under AWAs and the salaries of lower skilled workers under AWAs). Such deceit needs to be exposed.".

Hospitals Policy:
Howard has introduced a plan to overhaul the way hospitals are managed, with each hospital getting its own local management board. This idea has been panned by State Labor governments, but has received support from the president of the AMA, with some reservations from a couple of state AMA presidents.

It is in contrast to Rudd's plan for a $2billion cash injection into the national hospitals, and a possible referendum for a Federal takeover of hospitals should the states fail to agree to new guidelines and minimum standards for the hopsitals.

Climate Change Report:
The CSIRO has just released a climate change report. Interesting to see this reported prominently on news.com.au unlike the Workchoices study. I wonder if that has anything to do with Murdoch's change of heart on the issue, and claim that he will "subtly introducing [the climate issue] into our content.".

According to the report "AUSTRALIANS have been warned to brace for catastrophic heatwaves, bushfires, drought and severe water shortages as climate change causes widespread havoc" and furthermore:

• A SPIKE in temperatures nationwide of at least 1C by 2030,and up to 5C by 2070.
• DROUGHTS dragging on for up to 80 per cent longer.
• LESS spring and winter rainfall, with drops of up to 40 per cent in some southern parts of Australia by 2070.
• FEWER frosts.
• LESS snow.

News on Burma:
"Hla Win, the defecting chief of the military junta's intelligence operations, that thousands of monks have been executed in recent days and their bodies dumped in the jungle." The articles are here and here.

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