Open Letter to Antonio Guterres on the Australian Government’s failure to publicly defend the office of the United Nations Secretary General. Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations UN Plaza, NEW YORK USA Email undesa@un.org Dear Sir, We write in shame that the Australian Government has failed to join over 100 Member states Continue reading »
Government
One year on from the defeat of the ‘Indigenous Voice’ referendum of 14 October 2023, some myths have arisen about the process and the outcome. These deserve further discussion. I supported the referendum unequivocally and would still do so today. Like many supporters of a ‘Yes’ vote, I had criticisms and doubts about the outcome, Continue reading »
In the forthcoming October 26 state elections, my prediction is that Labor in Queensland will get hammered. As it happens, Labor in Queensland is the name of a political history that I co-authored with Sigrid Thorntons’s brother, Harold Thornton. In the recent Northern Territory election there was a 23 pre cent swing against the ALP. Continue reading »
It is not surprising that so many of us believed that after the Voice Referendum 2023 Indigenous people would be recognised in the Australian Constitution and their voices valued. The Uluru Statement from the Heart was so much more than a request to be heard. It was a generous gift from First Nations offering all Continue reading »
Owner corporations have recently come under attack for their dodgy practices. An overhaul of strata committees of management is also long overdue. Continue reading »
Israel has no right of self-defence against resistance to the illegal occupation. Israel cannot both occupy Palestinian lands, and then launch an attack on those lands by citing ‘self-defence’ when occupied populations resist. Neither can Israel treat those resisting in occupied territories as enemy combatants. Consider this scenario: the Prime Minister states in response to Continue reading »
Peter Job’s article in P&I, ‘Palestine – The Lessons of East Timor’, is an interesting foray into the link between international law and moral condemnation as offering a possible insight into the future of Palestine. As Job argues, one generally does need international law to be on one’s side if a just resolution is to Continue reading »
Until recent events, many Australians would not have realised that it could be a criminal offence to display the symbol of a terrorist organisation in public. The display of the Hezbollah flag at rallies, by a minority of protestors, has now become a political football, with politicians across the spectrum calling for prosecution. The Opposition Continue reading »
The federal government recently released a Productivity Commission’s Report on children’s services. It found too many changes were needed for the government to say more than that they were “looking at it”. The report is significant and was passed to the Government to guide possible reforms to its role in funding of services to deliver Continue reading »
Scientists overwhelmingly agree that climate change is threatening life on this planet and that the root cause is the burning of fossil fuels. But what are we doing about it? More importantly, what are our so-called Leaders doing to address the threat? Those who oppose Australia advocating for the global phase-out of fossil fuels should Continue reading »