Posts on sundry matters of life the universe and everything: Culture, Environment, Life, Politics & Government, Science, Social Science and Society, Technology etc.
The Royal Commission into Institutional Child Sexual Abuse continues to amaze, this time with the horrific abuse in the Diocese of Ballarat. At the same time we find that the Catholic Church will continue to use the so-called Ellis defence, whereby it can’t be sued for compensation because it does not technically exist as a legal entity. Continue reading Saturday salon 23/5
Ironically one of the biggest benefits to the environment could come from “Tony’s tradies” in the form of rooftop solar. One of the benefits to small business is the ability to write off immediately as a tax deduction business expenditure to the extent of $20,000. Continue reading Budget 2015: the environment
Newspoll, which is the poll pollies are said to take notice of, moved from 52-48 in favour of Labor to 53-47 after the budget. Not that you’d know from ABC radio, which was spruiking the Fairax/Ipsos poll which came in at 50-50. A month ago it was 54-46 in favour of Labor. Continue reading Abbott back in the game after the budget
This post is a photo essay on the most beautiful and interesting private garden I’ve ever seen or am likely to see. Continue reading Glen Aplin garden splendour
Listening to Bill Shorten’s budget reply speech, I was reminded on my son Mark’s statement of what people want from politics in his book Queensland: Everything you ever wanted to know, but were afraid to ask. Continue reading What people want from politics: Shorten’s budget reply
Judith Sloan said the budget was “a classic case of politics trumping policy”, with a focus on the Coalition’s core constituency. Paul Kelly is on a similar theme: Continue reading Politics trumps policy? Budget 2015
In this post I’ll highlight some of the features of Joe Hockey’s big-spending budget. Tonight our little family celebrates a birthday. After that I might try to round up some of the commentary. Continue reading Joe’s big-spending budget
In a stunning UK election result, David Cameron and the Conservatives will have the numbers to govern alone: Continue reading Cameron to govern alone
1. Mark Bahnisch in conversation with Paul Barclay
Last night I joined ABC Radio National’s Paul Barclay in conversation with Mark Bahnisch discussing his book Queensland: Everything you ever wanted to know, but were afraid to ask at the Avid reader bookshop. Continue reading Saturday salon 9/5
That’s the title of a Four Corners program on working conditions in Australia’s fresh food industry.
A union official contends:
Michelle Grattan says that the change is more than generational – “it marks the end of the Brown-Milne era, that was born out of the environmental cause and centred in Tasmania.” Continue reading Greens go for Di Natale
