Federal Government Videos

Home insulation update Do you live in one of the estimated half a million Australian homes that has recently had roof insulation installed under the federal government´s Energy Efficient Homes Package? Wryside economics: nudge In an ocean of choice, sometimes we need a little help to make the best decisions. Political poll dancing The Australian Sex party sees itself as concerned with sexual issues in ordinary people´s lives. Fabulous food with Jane Kennedy Do you love food? The problem is as we get older we´re less able to get away with eating what we want, when we want.

I m not sure of the requirements today, but when I was in school, we were required to take and pass a constitution test. I wonder how many people have taken that test over the years. . .and sadly, how many have forgotten what they learned. It s not so much about the rote memorization of an important historical document. It is about what those words mean and the sacrifices of those who wrote and signed it. AUDIO

Canberra Babylon Laura Tingle returns after a six week break to discuss the policy and political implications of the current refugee/asylum seeker pressures; the mid year economic review; and the politics of the Rudd government appointing Peter Costello to the Future Fund. Seeking refuge from Sri Lanka and Australia's response The number of people arriving in Australia seeking asylum has been increasingly from Sri Lanka over the past few months. At the end of the civil war that has plagued that country for a quarter of a century, why are not just the Tamils but other minority groups leaving their country? And why is there so much attention in Australia on those who seek refuge in boats, not planes? You Liar! - Alan Ramsey Pt 2 The now retired press gallery veteran talks to Phillip about an infamous incident in 1971, which ensured Alan Ramsey's name was etched into the political history books when he yelled 'you liar!' at the then Prime Minister, John Gorton, in parliament.

Canberra Babylon Christian Kerr discusses the merits or otherwise of the ALP declining to run a candidate in the Higgins by-election; desperate government rhetoric on people smugglers; and a possible hint from next year's concentrated parliamentary sitting dates. Who started the 2008 Georgia conflict? In August last year, the five day conflict involving Georgia, Russia and South Ossetia shocked the world with its violence and force. The Council of the European Union established its first-ever fact-finding mission into how the conflict started and what happened during the fighting, believing that these facts could help prevent further conflicts. The report has been published finding fault on all sides, yet tension continues to build up in the region. Where to now? Poseidon´s Steed: The Story of Seahorses, from Myth to Reality Seahorses aren´t an animal that one comes across on the average trip to the beach, and yet for thousands of years, across of number of different cultures, it´s been a potent symbol of the sea. The seahorse looks like something beyond pre-historic, like something that couldn´t possibly exist except in myth. Its part-horse-part-mermaid body seems like it should be on the page next to unicorns and griffins in a medieval bestiary. Marine biologist Helen Scales searched the oceans of the globe for years before she spotted her first seahorse in the wild, and she was so enraptured that she decided to write a book about it.

The federal government is giving low income parents an incentive to pick up more fruits and vegetables for their children. It is revising the menu for its low income nutrition program to cut fat and add fiber. Some parents and dietitians in the Northwest are excited about the change.

Bruce Baird International students and refugees are two of the biggest political issues of the moment. Television for tots According to new guidelines, children under the age of two should not watch television at all, and for those between two and five years of age one hour a day is the recommendation. A Week at the Airport: Alain de Botton When philosopher and self-confessed travel obsessive Alain de Botton was approached by BAA the owners of Heathrow Airport to become their first ever writer-in-residence, he of course said yes. Your feedback This week including letters and calls on marrying out, tenant's rights, and our meet the listener's cousin dropped us a line.

Canberra Babylon Christian Kerr discusses what he describes as an extraordinary doorstop by outgoing Opposition backbencher, Peter Costello who claims that there was no need for stimulus spending at all because the automatic stabilisers would have kicked in. Christian also discusses the refugee issue. After canvassing various refugee advocates, he found they are very divided on how the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, has been handling the issue. Under the Radar: Dutch strategy in Afghanistan It´s now eight years since the fall of the Taliban government in Afghanistan, and an insurgency is still raging in the country. The Dutch have been an integral part of the NATO operation in Afghanistan, but we hear very little about them. A new independent report evaluating Dutch strategy says it has been more successful than American and Australian efforts in the province of Uruzgan. Failed Colonies We all know of the successful settlements of our time but what of the ones that have failed? It was not just due to the forces of nature but a range of reasons from personalities of the leaders, demands from the homeland and lack of suitable allies. The reasons why some of these places where settled is just as intriguing.

The opposition leader survived an important test of leadership in Canberra when a marathon meeting of the coalition party room gave him the go-ahead to negotiate amendments to the government's emissions trading scheme. MPs met for four and a half hours last night debating whether to do a deal with the government, with backbenchers in the end agreeing that Malcolm Turnbull should be allowed to present his amendments. Our political editor Alison Carabine was watching the events.