Complete the job on Indigenous recognition

THE question of recognition of Indigenous Australians in the Constitution has had a fair airing this week. And that should tell us a few things.

It is 48 years since the 1967 referendum. That referendum removed Section 127 which said: “In reckoning the numbers of the people of the Commonwealth, or of a State or other part of the Commonwealth, aboriginal natives shall not be counted.” It also removed the words “other than the aboriginal race in any State” from Section 51 of the Constitution which sets out the Commonwealth Parliament’s power, one of which was to make laws with respect to “The people of any race, other than the aboriginal race in any State, for whom it is deemed necessary to make special laws.” Continue reading “Complete the job on Indigenous recognition”

Grown up UK and NZ make Abbott look undergraduate

LAST year’s Budget was flop; this year’s Budget is flip. How is it that Britain’s and New Zealand’s conservative governments have done so well both economically and with the voters, yet Australia’s conservative government is doing so badly with both? Continue reading “Grown up UK and NZ make Abbott look undergraduate”

Up here for brains down there for kidneys

WHAT follows is a quite radical idea following Carrie Bickmore’s Logie-award plea for more money for brain cancer research. Cancer research consumes a huge amount of money but we are going to have to raise it if we are to get better results. One way is to see if spending in other health areas can be reduced, to free up money for research. Continue reading “Up here for brains down there for kidneys”