Search

The article discusses the practice of acknowledging the traditional owners of the land during public gatherings in Australia. It notes that conservative politicians question the action and suggest a flippancy verging on hypocrisy. It mentions that the symbolic action attempts to correct the wrongs inflicted on the natives.

The article reports that Prime Minister John Howard and opposition Labour Party leader Kevin Rudd has expressed their willingness to accommodate the Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso on his visit to Australia. After receiving severe criticism of hypocrisy from Greens leader Senator Bob Brown and other Tibet campaign supporters, the two backtracked on their initial position of refusing to meet with the exiled Tibetan leader.

The author laments the average Australian's seeming disinterest in being environmentally friendly. He notes that 99% of shoppers still use plastic bags and that most people toss their free newspapers into the garbage bin at train stations rather than into recycling bins. He criticizes similar behavior in universities and the wastefulness in offices as workers leave computers and lights on overnight. He calls on scientists and university graduates to join his crusade against hypocrisy and waste.