The people of Australia have rejected the divisive ideas of the right to the point that the only jurisdiction that retains a right-wing government in Australia is the smallest state in the land – and even in Tas this grip on power is waning. Yet even though the right-wing political parties in our country have…
Even before October 14, The Voice, or, to describe in full, the Referendum on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament, was in dire straits. Referenda proposals are rarely successful in Australia: prior to October 14, 44 referenda had been conducted since the creation of the Commonwealth in 1901. Only eight had passed.…
Today, we know the result of this referendum that has hung over us for what seems an eternity. According to the polls and the media (notably News Corp), the “NO” campaign has won. Both sides exhausted their arguments with words that either spoke the truth, half-truths, or full-on lies – or repeated the exact same…
By Allan Richardson Unless Erwin Schrödinger and Dr Anne Twomey have secretly colluded, I’m not a constitutional lawyer. Nor am I even a conveyancing clerk. The nearest I come to law offices is to sign compulsory documents, when electronic signing is unavailable. That establishes my law credentials. Although I am seeking involvement in the burgeoning…
With the body count rising in this latest, and particularly bloody Israel-Hamas War, the narrative of Israel the wounded, Israel the desperate, has now been annexed to Israel the just warrior State, fighting darkness and primaeval stone age barbarism. This has taken two forms. The first is the way the victims of the Hamas attacks…
Trying to find a consistent pattern to the Liberals has been difficult over the years, but I’d have to say that Dutton has raised it to a whole new level. Let’s take their position on the repeal of 18C. Georgie Brandis asserted that people had a right to be bigots and the general position of…
The Voice: Yexit or Nixit Second nations still rule Maboriginals By guest columnist Tess Lawrence We are but seconds from a starless midnight when the fate of The Voice will be won or lost not in the sacred jurisdictions of the heart, justice, equity, humanity and love but in the brutalism of a body politic…
By Frances Goold 1 Treasured Possessions There is some big love inside countless Australians for places on this continent where they grew up, or spent precious, formative, or unique moments in time. New migrants are starting to form attachments to the places where they settle. Others not so lucky are left floundering in limbo having…
Let this be a lesson to you students. You are now coming to the end of another semester, arbitrarily designated as having an even number of weeks, crammed with a range of objectives that no doubt most of you have not met. For one thing, you did not read. But my, did one try to…
The recent problems in the Middle East have led a number of commentators to speculate that this may lead to higher fuel prices which will undoubtedly lead to higher inflation. Higher inflation will put pressure on the Reserve Bank to raise interest rates with a view to controlling inflation. Now I know what some of…