Crispin Hull

In the past week or so we have seen emerge the first couple of cases under the reformed 2006 uniform defamation law.

Alas, the law is not much reformed, nor is it entirely uniform.

The cases were high profile because they involved celebrities, insofar as one would regard Mercedes Corby, the sister of a convicted drug smuggler, a “celebrity”. The plaintiff in the other case was Judy Davis, an accomplished Australian actress. Continue reading “Corby case leaves us no wiser”

This rule is that 80 per cent of users of computer programs use only 20 per cent of the programs’ functions and that 20 per cent of users use 80 per cent of the programs’ functions.

(As an aside, if you saw my colleagues Grattan, Warden, Macklin and Abjorensen, you’d wonder why it wasn’t called the 90-10 rule or the 95-5 rule, but never mind.)

The challenge to the 80-20 rule has come with two new graphics programs. One has been on the market a short time, PagePlus from Serif, and the other, CorelDraw 5 is to be launched in Australia next week.

Corel is the Rolls Royce, Mercedes and Porsche of graphics programs. Hands up those who can afford to drive and Rolls Royce, Mercedes or Porsche.
Continue reading “1994_06_june_graphs”

It is a little more than two years since the Federal Parliament on a conscience vote removed the power of the Health Minister – then Tony Abbott – over the approval of the abortion drug RU486.

It is 12 years since it was made a prohibited import by the Howard Government to the satisfaction of anti-abortion Independent Senator Brian Harradine whose vote in the Telstra privatisation Bill was crucial to the Howard Government getting it through the Parliament. Continue reading “Sad result of RU486 restrictions”

Well may they publicly applaud Queanbeyan Mayor Frank Pangallo’s declaration as a candidate for October’s Legislative Assembly.

But privately sitting MLAs will be cursing because it will make things more difficult for Labor and the Liberals and virtually impossible for business-inclined independent Richard Mulcahy. Continue reading “Pangallo’s good chances in ACT election”

Paul Keating was fond of quoting the old Arab proverb: “The dogs bark and the caravan moves on.”

For him the dogs were various media commentators. The caravan was whatever big-picture item of his was under fire: closer relations with Asia, competition policy, bank deregulation or whatever. Continue reading “Media bar to constitutional reform”

First the Howard Government, now the Rudd Government, has got itself into a constitutional bind over gay unions.

The Rudd Government’s threat to overturn any ACT law on civil unions that provides for ceremonies equivalent to marriages can be easily backed up by the Commonwealth’s power over the territories. Continue reading “Gay marriage strife for govt”

For the first time in more than a decade the inflation rate in Canberra is higher than the rate of the increase in property prices.

This has profound taxation implications.

For a long time many Australians have bought investment properties and mortgaged them to the hilt. Rent has never met the outgoings, particularly the interest on the mortgage. Continue reading “Capital gains tax glitch”

Raised levels of arsenic and the pesticide dieldrin have been found at the Tuggeranong Homestead site warranting further testing, the ACT Government has announced.

The Minister for Environment, Land and Planning, Bill Wood, said tests had been carried out near the sheep-dip area, which was part of the homestead site, but not in the parcels on which development was proposed.

However, Minders of Tuggeranong Homestead member Rebecca Lamb said yesterday that the dip site was uphill from one of the parcels and that arsenic travels with water. She asked whether a clean up would cost more than the redevelopment was worth. She called for the release of detailed results. Freshly dipped sheep would have contaminated the whole 31-hectare site, she said.

Mr Wood said the initial results indicated the contamination was highly localised. He would do whatever necessary under the guidelines set down by the Australian ad New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council to make the site safe.
Continue reading “1994_05_may_tugg13”

There are a couple of leaks in the ACT Electricity and Water’s pricing regime announced this week. ACTEW took a step in the right direction _ towards user pays _ but there may be a glitch.

From July 1, we will pay for the first drop of water we use. Before we paid a large access fee and the first 350 kilolitres were not charged.

There was no incentive to save water in the average home _ the average home consumes 350 kilolitres.

Under the new regime, those households that use less than the average, will pay less. They will be rewarded for their conservation of water.
Continue reading “1994_05_may_forwater”

Canberrans should be grateful that the Liberal Opposition is in such disarray.

It has meant that Treasurer and Chief Minister Jon Stanhope has not had to hand out any election-year lollipops in the 2008-09 Budget – well, not many. Continue reading “ACT Budget analysis”