The future of euthanasia politics in the Australian state parliaments

There has been significant activity on voluntary euthanasia, with bills seeking to reform the law on the practice introduced in all of the Australian state parliaments except Queensland. This article examines the present legislative attempts to legalise voluntary euthanasia in two Australian state parliaments: South Australia and Tasmania. The two parliaments have been the foci of a large part of the activity on the issue in recent years and some would argue, have shown signs of promise for law reform. The status of bills presently being considered by each parliament is reviewed and the activities of relevant interest groups and professional organisations are examined to identify the likelihood of reform in the near future. It is argued that, so long as there is opposition to bills in the states from medical and legal professionals, the law on voluntary euthanasia is unlikely to change in the near future. More broadly, the paper sheds light onto the power of the medical profession in Australian politics in relation to a contemporary ‘morality politics’ issue.  • This article was first published in Australasian Parliamentary Review 29 (1) by Alison Plumb, School of Politics and International Relations, ANU.   &nbsp

THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED SOCIETY AND THE MANAGERIAL REVOLUTION

The topic of the knowledge-based society and its implications on management is highly debated nowadays. Therefore, the aim of this study is to identify the logical connections between the knowledge-based society and the managerial revolution. The findings of this study reveal that the knowledge- based society and, more specifically, the knowledge-based economy, along with their main features and requirements regarding people’s competences and skills, have a major influence on management, whether in private or public companies. In this society, the central resource of management is knowledge and the leading social groups are knowledge workers.knowledge-based society, industrial society, managerial revolution, networking.

Developments in Utilities Prices

Large increases in the prices of utilities have been a notable feature of consumer price inflation in Australia in recent years, and further large increases are anticipated over the next few years. The recent price rises reflect the move towards cost-based pricing, the need to replace and expand infrastructure to meet demand, and rising input costs. At times, these increases in utilities prices have had a significant effect on aggregate inflation. While international comparisons are not straightforward, the level of electricity and gas prices in Australia does not, however, appear to be particularly high compared with prices in a number of other advanced economies.Australia; utilities prices; consumer price inflation; electricity; gas; water

USE OF ICT IN SMES MANAGEMENT WITHIN THE SECTOR OF SERVICES

This study investigates how the use of ICT could contribute to the success of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) within the sector of services. Within the knowledge-based economy, SMEs are facing both opportunities and challenges due to the information and communication technologies development. We consider that ICT should be used in small business management within the sector of services because ICT are key tools in management processes and could improve managerial practices. The study is based on evidence provided by articles and research reports. The research question was answered by analysing published sources and interpreting evidence. Another way of approaching this question could be collecting and analysing empirical data from the SMEs within the sector of services and comparing the results with the findings of this study.information and communication technologies, small and medium enterprises, management, services, knowledge-based economy

IMPROVING URBAN MANAGEMENT THROUGH E-GOVERNMENT SERVICES: THE ROMANIAN EXPERIENCE

The paper outlines the role of e-Government services within the process of improving urban management and the conceptual framework for measuring the e-Government services development. Furthermore, the progress on e-Government services in Romania is analyzed with a view to compare it with the sophistication stage achieved within the European Union. The findings of this study reveal that e-Government services are key tools for improving urban management and a higher level of e-Government services development is needed in order to transform the interactions between public administration and citizens/businesses. The study was carried out by combining a wide variety of sources, such as reports, regulations, and the national experience in developing e-Government services. Our conclusion justifies the effort invested in developing e-Government services and also has relevance for policy making in a very sensitive sector like the urban management. The methodology and the results reported in this research may be helpful for the specialists within the system in order to better address the inherent problems encountered in developing the e-Government services.urban management, e-Government services, sophistication stage, Romania.

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