In this article the author relates his perspectives regarding the Australian government's production of the third Defence White Paper, in 2009 in Australia. He states that while it is impractical to anticipate major additional expenditure on defense industry, the objective of the Australian Defence Forces (ADF) will necessitate gaps to be filled. He pointed out that the ADF does not need to fight a major power like China alone, because the country is dependent on its allied nations.
The article offers information on the hazards of using plastic bags in Australia and the initiatives taken to make the world free of the bags. It reports on ignorance by the general public of the environmental toxicity caused by the bags. Australians reportedly use around 4 billion plastic bags in a year and of these, only 2-3% go to recycling bins while rest go to landfill. To produce the 4 billion plastic bags, 784,000 barrels of oil are burnt, adding to damaging greenhouse gas emissions. It mentions ban on the use of plastic bags as the only way to reduce the problem. Many Australian towns have been declared plastic-bag free. Other countries such as China are taking action to get rid of the bags. It discusses eco-friendly alternatives of plastic bags such as paper bag.
The article discusses Australia's defense white paper issued on May 2, 2009 which portrays China as an emerging national security threat. The differences between the current and previous white papers on defense are cited, including the return of Australia's defense focus to the Asia-Pacific region under the administration of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. Several principles relevant to China discussed in the defense white paper are also discussed.
The author discusses the growth of the Australian medical device industry in Asian countries such as China. Topics discussed include the release of the Australia in the Asian Century White Paper in October 2012 which analyzed the economic changes in Asia and the approach to position the country in its opportunities, the announcement of Chinese expenditure in 2013 where it releases $9.2 million on technological development and research, and the work of AusBiotech in the Asian region.
The article discusses the work in 2008 of policy analysts of the Centre for Independent Studies (CIS) on developments in the Pacific region and in China. The paper on RAMSI, a regional assistance for the Solomon Islands, by CIS analyst Gaurav Sodhi is mentioned along with the ongoing CIS appraisal of Pacific development and what needs to be done by Australia. Also reported is the issue analysis of CIS fellow John Lee on political reform in China entitled "Putting Democracy in China on Hold" released in May 2008.
Published
2008
Discovery Service for Jio Institute Digital Library
For full access to our library's resources, please sign in.