POL101: Short Answer Critical Reviews of Australian Political News

This assignment presents five short-answer critical reviews of Australian political news items from weeks 2 to 7, each approximately 200 words in length, totaling under 1000 words. The reviews follow a structured format, analyzing the main topic, the speaker's thesis, the author's argument from required readings, supporting evidence, and the author's conclusion. The topics covered include sustainability and indigenous practices (Week 2), the Australia Day debate and Indigenous contributions (Week 4), children's rights and deliberative democracy (Week 5), free trade deals and Brexit (Week 6), and the Asian Century (Week 7). The assignment incorporates in-text citations using the APA referencing system and includes a comprehensive reference list. The student critically examines the viewpoints of prominent political figures such as Tony Abbott, Scott Morrison, Malcolm Turnbull, and Julia Gillard, alongside the arguments presented in academic articles by authors such as Gammage, Grehan, Carson, McDougall, and Johnson et al. The analysis focuses on understanding different perspectives on key political issues and their implications for Australian society and international relations.

Assessment Task 2
Short Answer Critical Reviews
You are required to complete five short answer critical reviews of the news items provided from week 2 to
week 7. An example for week 3 has been provided as a guide. Each short answer critical review should
relate to the news item and required reading for the appropriate week and should consist of around 200 words.
The total words for the completed task should not exceed 1000 words.
The recommended structure is:
 The main topic - what is this news article about?
 The speaker’s thesis - what is the public figure’s position on the main topic?
 The author’s argument - what is the author of this week’s required reading’s main point on this
topic?
 Evidence and examples provided to support the author’s argument
 Author’s conclusion on the topic.
You are required to include a reference list and cite in the text of the short answer critical reviews the author,
year and page number/s where your information and ideas come from using the APA (in-text) referencing
system
Week 2 Critical Review
Abbott, T. (2014) Address to the Sydney Institute, 14 November 2014. New item
Gammage, B. (2011). Fire in 1788: The closest ally. Australian Historical Studies 42(2), 277-288. Article
The then prime minister serving the masses of Australia in the article entitled “Address to the Sydney Institute”
discusses the various ways and manners in which the concerned company might address the issues of
sustainability that have been affecting the country in discussion. The prime minister is observed to have been
reflecting back on the procedures and the techniques that were implemented by the people belonging to the
indigenous communities that have been residing within the country. The prime minister further stated that the
indigenous people are often observed to have been setting a proper benchmark for the discussion on the
implementation of the sustainable practices for enabling the proper existence within the given country.
Gammage (2011) discusses the ways in which the indigenous people of the country had used various
techniques in order to deal with the severe fire breakouts that had taken place in the past. The author further
discusses the fact that the people belonging to the indigenous communities had undertaken an unconventional
procedure in order to deal with the fires that had been plaguing the country (Gammage, 2011, p. 280). The
authors highlight the fact that the alignment of the vegetation in the direction of the fires helped the
indigenous people to survive the fires.
Week 4 Critical Review
Morrison, S. (2018) On The Australia Day Debate, Sunrise, Channel 7, 24 September 2018.
Grehan, H. (2018) First Nations Politics in a Climate of Refusal, Performance Research, 23:3, pp. 7-12.
The past prime minister of Australia Scott Morrison (2018) in his addressal at the Sunrise program conducted
by the Channel Seven, proposed that the Australian population should dedicate a day towards the
acknowledgement of the contributions of the indigenous communities towards the preservation of the
Australian culture. The prime minister opines that it is important to recognise the contributions of the
indigenous Australians towards the richness of the cultural heritage that is present in the Australian territories.
Morrison (2018) further states that the celebrations of Australia Day need not be curbed in order to
accommodate the celebrations that should be dedicated to the indigenous Australians. On the other hand,
Grehan (2018) argues that main way in which the Australians tend to connect to their cultural heritage refers
to the purchase of the artwork that has been curated by an artist belonging to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander communities. The authors further state that the major issues that are faced by the people of the
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities refer to them being at a social position that is
disadvantageous as compared to the other citizens of the country. The authors state that the active
participation in the educational activities might help in the resolution of the situation faced by the country.
Week 5 Critical Review
Morrison, S. (2018) Response to Richard Di Natale question without notice, Question Time, Parliament of Australia, 26
November 2018.
Carson, L. (2011) Dilemmas, disasters and deliberative democracy, Griffith Review Edition 32: Wicked Problems, Exquisite
Dilemmas, May 2011

In the given news article, Morrison (2018) is observed to have been responding to the questions that were
posed by Richard Di Natale in relation to the rights of the children who have been present within the country.
The prime minister further argued that the children of the country should have proper and unhindered access
to the various educational institutions that have been present within the country. The prime minister, through
his response, advices the schools to maintain their status of being an educational institution and should steer
clear of their transformation into the parliament of the country. Carson (2011) seconds this claim in the article
entitled “Dilemmas, disasters and deliberative democracy”. Carson (2011) states that the Australian
democracy is known to be one of the largest deliberative democracies that is existent in the world. The author
further argues the fact that the leaders should take special care in the comparison of the agreements and
disagreements that exist over a given scenario. The author further suggests that the educational backgrounds
of the concerned people should be updated through the implementation of the proper education among the
residents of the country. This in turn assists the development of the deliberative democracy.
Week 6 Critical Review
Turnbull, M and May, T. (2017) Turnbull and May confident of free trade deal, The Guardian, 11 July 2017.
Derek McDougall (2016) Australia and Brexit: Déjà Vu All Over Again? The Round Table, 105:5, 557-572.
Turnbull and May (2017) addresses the issues that are related to the importance of the existing trade relations
of Australia and Brexit in the speech wherein the trade policies are addressed. The British politician argues on
the fact that the various trade relations that have been existing among Brexit and Australia would help in the
development of the economic conditions that are being faced by Brexit. On the other hand, Turnbull opined
that the implementation of the trade relations between the Australian economy and the economy of Brexit
would lead to the seeming repetition of the historical event that had eventually led to the colonisation of
Australia at the hands of their European counterparts. However, McDougall (2016) in his article entitled
“Australia and Brexit: Déjà Vu All Over Again?” stated the fact that the Australian economy would be benefitted
due to the proper merger with the EU as well as the post-Brexit EU. McDougall (2016) further argues on the
fact that the implementation of the trade relations between Australia and the EU as well as the post-Brexit EU
might assist in the dealings of the issues that are related to the political security as well as the economic
relations within the Australian government.
Week 7 Critical Review
Gillard, J. (2012) In Conversation: Australia in Asian Century White Paper, The Lowy Institute. 21 November 2012.
Johnson, C. et.al. (2010) Australia's Ambivalent Re-imagining of Asia, Australian Journal of Political Science, 45:1, 59-74.
Gillard (2012), in the discussion with Michael Fullilove, the Executive Director of the Lowy Institute discusses
the fact that the Australian economy might face a high opportunity due to the implementation of the Asian
century. The well-known politician associated with the Australian economy sheds major light on the fact that
the Australian economy might face a huge growth due to the convening of the Asian century. The politician
further opines that this boom in the financial matters of the organisation might help in the development of the
overall growth of the Australian economy that is presented within the organisation. The scope that is
implemented by the commencement of the Asian century tends to depict the high growth of the revenues that
are being earned through the implementation of the principles that are being followed in the Asian century.
The opinion is seconded by Johnson et.al. (2010) who stated the fact that the relations between Australia and
Asia were majorly limited to the debates over the governmental economy, immigration, the national identity
and other such factors. The constructive nature of the relations between Australia and Asia is majorly
attributed to the Whitlam government (Johnson et.al., 2010, p. 68). The Australians demonstrate an attitude of
ambivalence towards the Asians which is known to arise from the historical similarities between the concerned
nations.

References
Abbott, T. (2014) Address to the Sydney Institute, 14 November 2014.
Carson, L. (2011) Dilemmas, disasters and deliberative democracy, Griffith Review Edition
32: Wicked Problems, Exquisite Dilemmas, May 2011
Derek McDougall (2016) Australia and Brexit: Déjà Vu All Over Again? The Round Table,
105:5, 557-572.
Gammage, B. (2011). Fire in 1788: The closest ally. Australian Historical Studies 42(2), 277-
288.
Gillard, J. (2012) In Conversation: Australia in Asian Century White Paper, The Lowy
Institute. 21 November 2012.
Grehan, H. (2018) First Nations Politics in a Climate of Refusal, Performance Research,
23:3, pp. 7-12.
Johnson, C. et.al. (2010) Australia's Ambivalent Re-imagining of Asia, Australian Journal of
Political Science, 45:1, 59-74.
Morrison, S. (2018) On The Australia Day Debate, Sunrise, Channel 7, 24 September 2018.
Morrison, S. (2018) Response to Richard Di Natale question without notice, Question Time,
Parliament of Australia, 26 November 2018.
Turnbull, M and May, T. (2017) Turnbull and May confident of free trade deal, The
Guardian, 11 July 2017.