Owner corporations have recently come under attack for their dodgy practices. An overhaul of strata committees of management is also long overdue. Continue reading »
Government
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 »
Restoring the rate of productivity growth is critical to future living standards, but unless technological change accelerates living standards may not increase as fast as we are used to in future. Recent history of productivity growth Through history the reason why living standards have risen over time is almost entirely due to increased labour productivity. Continue reading »
Large-scale immigration programs have contributed substantially to Australia since 1947, bringing much needed skills and demand into the economy. They have also helped make Australia a more culturally sophisticated country. In the 1970s, the oppressive policies of assimilation and integration were replaced by the policy idea of multiculturalism. Today, Australian politicians boast that Australia is Continue reading »
A few days after the Hamas breakout from Gaza last October 7, I raised the question of how far Israel might be permitted to advance along the road to moral turpitude. After almost a year now, there is no doubt that the answer is: a very long way indeed. With few exceptions Western countries, led Continue reading »
If the government and Opposition think they will not be held accountable, they should think again. The government and Opposition are disregarding the year-long protests of millions of Australians against Israel’s war on Palestinians and now the Lebanese people. Moreover, they are completely disregarding numerous petitions signed by thousands of Australians, including current and former Continue reading »