Hard calls, high principles
The Age
Saturday October 17, 2009
Politics is also about principle and perspective €” and both realities are underscored by the two biggest stories in today€™s edition. From the very beginning, the Alcoa aluminium smelter at Portland was about paying a price to reap a dividend. The question back in 1979 was whether the economic gains were justified by the massive cost in subsidies, and it is explored in Royce Millar€™s revealing Insight cover story. Former Liberal minister Rob Maclellan now looks back on the original decision of 1979 as €śa collective moment of insanity€ť, prompting the question of how the current crop of cabinet ministers will reflect on their deliberations another quarter century down the track. As we argue in today€™s editorial, the challenge is to reconcile retaining the industry with a greener future, and it will not be easy.The need for principle and perspective is demonstrated in the unfolding drama in thecoastal town of Merak in Indonesia and the renewed debate over asylum seekers who seek to come to Australia without authorisation by boat. Petro Georgiou€™s piece on our opinion page should be compulsory reading for those on both sides of politics who have resorted to inflamatory language, and anyone interested in viewing recent events in their proper context.
© 2009 The Age