2018 list of media issues analyses

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List of media issue analyses published in 2017
VCE English students will find eleven 2017-2018 date-compatible media issue outlines in this list - look for the marker

2017/22: Katter's Australia Party's Safer Waterways Bill, 2017: should crocodiles be culled in northern Queensland?

On October 29, 2017, the Queensland premier called upon the acting state Governor seeking a Proclamation from her to dissolve the Queensland Parliament in the lead-up to the state election. All Bills not yet passed by the Parliament therefore lapsed and are to be reintroduced and debated in 2018. One of these Bills is the Katter's Australia Party's (KAP) Safer Waterways Bill, 2017, which was introduced to the Parliament on May 25, 2017. The Safer Waterways Bill, if enacted, would make it mandatory for 'rogue' crocodiles to be removed from Queensland's populated waterways.

2017/21: Pain-relief medications: should Australia ban over-the-counter sale of codeine products?

On January 25, 2017, the body overseeing goods supplied for medical and therapeutic purposes in Australia, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), announced that it would be reclassifying (or rescheduling) medications containing codeine so that they could no longer be purchased without a doctor's prescription. Medications that can be purchased without prescription are described as being available for over-the-counter sale.

2017/20: Exposing sexual harassment and assault: has the #MeToo movement done more harm than good?

On October 15, 2017, United States actress and activist, Alyssa Milano, encouraged victims of sexual harassment and assault to use the phrase #MeToo on social media as part of an awareness campaign in order to reveal how widespread the problem is. Within 24 hours, more than 500,000 tweets and 12 million Facebook posts had been shared with the phrase.

2017/19: Should Australia adopt driverless vehicles?

On November 29, 2017, it was announced that Perth would be one of the first cities in the world to test fully-automated vehicles in 2018. The city will trial driverless hire cars capable of picking up passengers. The year before, in August 2016, Perth began trialling Australia's first driverless shuttle bus along the foreshore in South Perth. The technology is proving attractive to other Australian states and territories who are already making changes to road laws to ready themselves for trials of automated vehicles.

On January 1, 2018, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull suggested using a plebiscite or a postal survey to prompt debate on aspects of Australia becoming a republic. The Turnbull government had used a postal survey between September 12 and November 7, 2017, to gauge popular opinion on whether Australia should alter its marriage laws to make same-sex marriage legal. In the Prime Minister's judgement the success of this process made it a suitable device to use again.

2017/17: Should e-cigarettes be banned in Australia?

On October 6, 2017, the federal Health Minister, Greg Hunt, stated that he would never lift the ban on e-cigarettes in Australia, despite an ongoing Senate inquiry into their use. Five months before, on May 25, 2017, the Minister had announced that the Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport would inquire into and report on the use and marketing of e-cigarettes and personal vaporisers in Australia. Submissions to the inquiry closed on July 6, 2017.

2017/16: Should climbing Uluru be banned?

On October 31, 2017, the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park's Board of Management voted unanimously to ban the climbing of Uluru from October 26, 2019. The Board, consisting of eight Indigenous traditional owners and three representatives from National Parks, accepted a proposal to put a stop to climbing on the 34th anniversary of the Uluru handback.

2017/15: Should Captain Cook be commemorated on public statues as the discoverer of Australia?

On August 18, 2017, The ABC published on its Internet site a comment by Stan Grant, its Indigenous affairs editor and presenter of the ABC's Friday evening current affairs program, The Link. The article is essentially a transcript of a segment televised on The Link in which Grant compares the United States' attitude to the commemoration of its history with that of Australia. Grant argues that the recent controversy in the United States over the removal of statues honouring Confederate leaders makes an interesting comparison to Australia, where, Grant claims, we are often silent regarding contentious aspects of our past.

2017/14:Should the smoking age in Australia be raised to 21?

On October 1, 2017, Australian philanthropist and iron ore magnate, Andrew Forrest, called on the Australian state governments to lift the legal smoking age from 18 to 21. Mr Forrest presented the idea, which has the support of the Australian Medical Association and the Cancer Council, to a recent COAG health ministers' meeting. Most ministers are yet to publicly commit to the plan.

2017/13: Should the US rapper Macklemore have been invited to sing at the NRL grand final?

On September 1, 2017, the NRL announced that it had invited US rapper Macklemore to sing at the opening of the 2017 grand final. The announcement met with a low-key but mixed media response as to the suitability of the entertainer's style of entertainment, especially considering the background of an upcoming postal survey on same-sex marriage. In this context, Macklemore's appearance at the NRL grand final began to attract additional attention as one of his most popular songs, Same Love, has been associated with the same-sex marriage movement in the United States. The song was scheduled to be sung at the grand final.

2017/12: Should Australia legalise same sex marriage?

A voluntary Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey is being held between 12 September and 7 November, 2017, to ascertain respondents' views on whether same-sex marriage should be introduced under Australian law. The final tally of votes from the postal plebiscite poll is expected to be completed by November 15, 2017. If the survey shows that a majority of respondents favour same-sex marriage, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has promised that a private members bill seeking to legalise same-sex marriage will be introduced in the House of Representatives in late November or early December.

2017/11: Rapist shaming: should alleged rapists be named online?

2017/10: Should Japan resume commercial whaling?

2017/09: Free speech and community attitudes to homosexuality: should the Margaret Court Arena be renamed?

2017/08: Is Australia's attitude toward Anzac Day dangerous?

2017/07: Should Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia ban plastic bags?

2017/06: Racism in the AFL: should harsher, across-League penalties be imposed on racially abusive football fans?

2017/05: Police car chases: should Victoria Police's pursuit policy remain a secret?

2017/04: Should the Victorian government ban duck shooting?

2017/03: Should the former archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell, return to Australia to answer questions?

2017/02: Should penalty rates for Australians who work on Sundays be reduced?

2017/01: Should Australia change the date of Australia Day?