Category Archives: Politics

The pie on the left is how Australia’s first preferences – the real popular vote – were cast. Looks like we want a Labor-Greens coalition, don’t you think? But the pie on the right is how the parliament will look … Continue reading →

As much as I love the idea of holding public fora where voters can ask unscripted questions of their elected representatives. (“Our leaders need more Q & A in the real world”, The Australian, August 18), the Rooty Hill RSL … Continue reading →

We should be cautiously encouraged by the emerging bipartisan approach to indigenous issues, with its increasing emphasis on self determination.

So Tony Abbott finds burkas confronting (The Australian, August 4). He could have added hoodies, baseball caps and fashion headscarves (which can also obscure the face), facial piercings, tattoos, death-metal t-shirts, low-slung pants, and so on; but presumably he doesn’t … Continue reading →

The Liberals’ proposal, weakly echoed by Labor, to impose a form of mandatory sentencing for dole recipients (by forcing Centrelink to impose recommended penalties) will no doubt be a hit with the talkback-radio crowd, but will prove unworkable for its … Continue reading →

It is only natural that The Australian should play its role as part of Rupert Murdoch’s global News Corporation, which controls two-thirds of Australia’s press, by intensifying its conservative bias during an election campaign. But this sharpens the irony of … Continue reading →

There has been an early-campaign media flurry over the six teenagers who lost their two-hour after school shifts because “union rules say they have to work at least three hours”.  But there is nothing to prevent these kids from working … Continue reading →

Some are trying to paint the “stop the boats” beat-up as being about reducing unnecessary deaths at sea (e.g., ‘Putting policy first in the border protection debate’, The Australian, 5/7/10). This is disingenuous. While the three hundred or so sea … Continue reading →