Journalism and other writing
The mistrial in the high-profile Bruce Lehrmann case highlights yet again a weakness in the jury system made worse by 21 st century technology.
The trial was aborted when it was found that a juror had done some internet searching and brought the results back into the jury room.
Continue reading “Juries past used-by date”
The real Budget will come in May next year. Today’s Budget (or mini-Budget as they are usually called when they come outside the usual annual cycle) is likely to be a bit of tweaking after a change of Government.
The main reset will be to ditch a lot of Coalition spending promises – if you like, rorts, mainly National Party requests as the price for not opposing the net-zero carbon promise. It is a straight-forward task with little or no electoral cost because the rorts were one of the main reasons the electorate voted the Government out.
Continue reading “It is not about promises, but performance.”
The comments last week by Nationals frontbencher Barnaby Joyce likening the Voice proposal to a law enacted in Nazi Germany show what a difficult task it will be to get the Voice referendum passed.
Various polls show about 65 per cent support for it. However, large majority support for sensible and/or symbolic constitutional change in Australia often evaporates when it comes to putting a Yes on a ballot paper.
Continue reading “Joyce show why Voice will be hard”
The hardly noticed evil of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s foray into the South China Sea is that they have given legitimacy to defence hawks in Australia and indeed boosted their numbers. And this in the face of a good case for Australia being more independent and more isolationist.
Continue reading “The Australian way of war”
Looking at recent events in Britain and the US, Australia appears to have had a lucky escape.
Britain’s mad electoral system and elitist selection of its Prime Minister has led to a catastrophic economic hiatus diminishing the quality of life for most of its citizens.
Continue reading “Lessons for Australia”
In four weeks the first Budget of the fifth Labor Government since World War II will be brought down. The first four tackled the big medical elements of social security. Chifley did the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. Whitlam did universal health insurance. Hawke-Keating reinstated universal health insurance after Fraser cruelled it. Rudd-Gillard introduced the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
Now Albanese should follow the pattern by reversing the Howard Government’s cruelling of Medicare and by introducing universal dental coverage.
Continue reading “Labor should fix medicare and dental”
The death of the Queen and Morrison’s multiple ministries should have, but have not, made us question precisely what is the role of the monarchy and the Governor-General in the Australian polity.
The black-dress, black-tie and hushed-tone telecasts; the multi-page special newspaper wrap arounds; and the on-the ground displays of gold braid, medals and mo(u)rning coats, have clouded the essential questions: What do they do? What are they supposed to do?
Continue reading “What does the GG do?”
It is an uncoordinated, off-the-rails, unfair, loophole-ridden schemozzle. It is Australia’s tax system, of course.
Continue reading “Tax system off the rails”
Much has been made of the influence that the Teacher’s Pet podcast might have had over the bringing to trial of Christopher Dawson and over the trial itself.
One argument was that the podcast had denied Dawson a jury trial because potential jurors and witnesses would be influenced by the podcast which has been listened to by 60 million people worldwide since it went online in 2018.
Continue reading “Dawson case shows juries unnecessary”
Last week was Sugar Awareness Week. A lot of sugar; not much awareness. Australia is lagging hopelessly behind on dealing with the obesity-diabetes epidemic, most of which can be put down to too much sugar in the diet, particularly through sugar-sweetened carbonated beverages and breakfast cereals.
The amount of sugar in these on the supermarket shelves is, literally, sickening. Some of the drinks have eight teaspoons of sugar in a small can. Some of the cereals are 20 per cent sugar.
Continue reading “Killing us sweetly . . .”