Will Glasgow’s report from Beijing in the Weekend Australian of 24/25 August is cause for celebration. Since the last Australian journalist left China four years ago, reports on this most important neighbour and on matters of concern to both countries have been either second-hand or coming from non-Australian sources. Although it is ironic that the Continue reading »
politics
Peter Dutton’s nuclear plan may well have minimal carbon emissions, but the distant time of arrival, and ignoring the well known drawbacks makes it a dud. On the face of it, it is all whizzbang white heat of technology (albeit of 60 years ago) and no carbon emissions (never mind the other ones). The problem Continue reading »
The moral distinction between liberal democracies and dictatorships is being flattened by the carnage in Gaza. For most of human history human rights did not exist. The struggle to secure them arguably began in 1215 with the Magna Carta in England, which promised protection from illegal imprisonment as a right. But it took another 733 years and Continue reading »
Soldier Meir Ben-Shitrit has revealed himself as the main suspect in the infamous gang rape of Palestinians at the Sde Teiman detention facility. Rather than making him an outcast, his story has turned him into Israel’s latest media darling. Three weeks ago, the Israeli right-leaning Channel 14 aired a 10-minute interview with one of the Continue reading »
The federal Department of Health will soon finish a “health check” of private hospital finances. Warnings of an emerging crisis sparked the review, with private hospital closures, claims that more hospitals are on the brink of collapse, and high-profile disputes between private hospital companies and health insurers. About 70 private hospitals have closed since 2019, Continue reading »
Richard Marles’ double-speak knows no bounds. His national strategy is entirely contrived to deliver “projection” for America’s ends, without mentioning that Australia is now merely one cog in the unfolding US war machinery across the periphery of Asia. Which is what Paul Keating is saying. Former prime minister Paul Keating has been chipping away at Continue reading »
The United States Government doctrine of neither confirming nor denying the presence or absence of nuclear weapons on board US aircraft has been virtually unchanged in almost 70 years, with a very small number of exceptions. One key element of transparency required for democratic accountability is denied by acceptance of the US doctrine of neither Continue reading »
I was profoundly amazed the moment I walked into the room back in 2018 where I was to have an interview with one of Peter’s support workers. My job was to be a personnel management adviser and my amazement became centred around Peter’s resilience and achievements, despite being in a condition that has the potential Continue reading »
Father’s Day is not what it was when first promoted in Australia in 1936 with “Give-dad-a-tie” campaign. Neither are fathers. With one marriage in four ending in separation, step-fathers proliferate, or have their places pass through a succession of “uncles”; sperm-donors, anonymous or not; same-sex households might have two dads, none or take your pick; Continue reading »