Journalism and other writing
A SECOND major defect has emerged in Australia’s federal system.
This is the population policy imbalance. The first, of course, was the vertical fiscal imbalance – a fancy way of saying the Feds raised most of the money but the states had the job to spend it, instead of each government being responsible for raising the money it spends. Continue reading “Joining up the dots of stress”
SORRY, Ike. You warned us 50 years ago but your warning was not heard, or if heard not heeded. Continue reading “Diplomat in service of military-industrial complex”
I WAS (until now) secretly pleased that Australia is about to lose the Ashes series and did not win the right to host the soccer World Cup. I am still pleased, but it is now no longer secret. Continue reading “Why I hope we lose the Ashes”
THE demise of Labor in Victoria shows that it is all over bar the voting for Labor in NSW, but what of Labor in the ACT? And what is it that is causing a wholesale shift by voters away from Labor at state level? Continue reading “Murdoch and population make electoral difference”
WHILE Federal Parliament debated the ACT’s right the legislate about euthanasia this week, another, perhaps more important, ACT matter also remains under federal control: the size of our Parliament. The two questions highlight the need for a bit of tweaking of what is, in effect, the ACT’s Constitution – the Commonwealth Australian Capital Territory Self-Government Act. Continue reading “ACT deserves its own Constitution”
THE back-of-the-envelope figures for the National Broadband Network have always been line-ball. The business plan, whose release has been squabbled over this week, cost $25 million to produce. But you don’t need $25 million to see the difficulty. Continue reading “In the dark on National Broadband Network”
THE referendum to recognise Indigenous people in the Constitution announced this week is all very well, but there are equally deserving symbolic and practical changes which deserve at least equal billing. Continue reading “What about the other constitutional changes?”
PRIME Minister Julia Gillard described it as a Government that had “lost its way”. This week Climate Change Minister Greg Combet used slightly different words. He said the Australian Labor Party had failed ”to make sure that people grasped what drives us, what our values are”. The difference is significant. Continue reading “Can the Greens replace Labor?”
SOME big corporations – Qantas, Telstra and the National Australia Bank – have infuriated me recently. But I am grateful for the experience. Continue reading “Grateful for Qantas, Telstra, NAB bastardry”
EARLIER this month one of the ACT Supreme Court’s acting justices, Justice John Nield, dismissed as appeal against a three-year sentence imposed in the Magistrates Court on Gavin Massey. Massey is 28 and had 57 convictions before the 10 new offences. Continue reading “Presumption of bail should be tightened”