Submitted by Margo Kingston on January 1, 2005 - 3:59pm.
Margo Kingston Sydney Morning Herald Archive
Friday, August 19, 2005 at 01:55 PM
Barnaby to Queensland Nats: "You must go forth and talk to your people."
"This
issue has an iconic substance about it that really means that the
ramifications of my decision affects my whole party, the party that I
represent. Whether it goes forward. Whether it survives or not. And to
be completely frank, if the National Party was not to survive, the
Australian political environment would become a very much poorer place.
It would become very bipolar. You'd really only need four people in the
chamber and everyone else could go home. We have to make sure we get
this right, not just for Queensland, not just for the future of the
National Party, but for the future of a broader view in the political
scene in Australia's future." Barnaby Joyce angst today more
Thursday, August 18, 2005 at 04:10 PM
Barnaby's Lathamesque psychological strip tease
Joyce
has harnessed people power to stop the sale by convincing very cynical
voters that he was different. Then he proved to be the same, almost in
an INSTANT! Re-read his maiden speech just 2 days ago, the day after
after he was supposed to have been just about won over by the big boys
in the Coalition. The Telstra story isn't over yet, folks. Icarus Joyce
will get so many emails and irate contact in other forms from pissed
off Ozzies he'll either change his mind or collapse as a centred human
being. more
How Australia metamorphosed in a generation
"Ideologically,
the Australian nation is no longer committed to social democratic or
socialist ideals of a kind that were often seen to be the cutting edge
of practical socialism in the antipodean British colonies a century
ago." Bob Catley believes November 11, 1975 "ended the high water mark
of the political left in Australia" and began "the transformation of
Australia from a regulated economy and egalitarian society embracing a
national political culture of social democracy, to a predominantly
liberal economy, a more inegalitarian society, and a laissez faire
national ideology". more
Tuesday, August 16, 2005 at 06:14 PM
If..., by Barnaby Joyce
"Politics
talks in riddles and packs with verbiage what is absolutely crystal
clear at the mother's morning tea or the local hotel. Politics appears
to be the art of telling half the story and your followers guess the
rest while using the absence of the complete message as a defence
against the implication drawn by your deriders. When things get
contentious we blame our faction or the joint party room as a reason
that plasters over a personal political ambition. It leaves a political
monoculture that can be less than inspiring and does not give credit to
the public's ability to hear all sides of the debate and understand
that a decision which favors one side has to be made. It would be nice
to see the debate unencumbered in this chamber, not in the caucus or
the joint party room. Neither of these are mentioned in the
constitution and it is a convenient appendix designed by political
parties that was specifically not entailed in the constitution."
Barnaby Joyce more
Why the Coalition hates Barnaby on Telstra, a reminder of their Judas day in 1998
G'day.
Barnaby Joyce will make his maiden speech to the Senate just before
6pm. He could well be Pauline Hanson with brains, the latest maverick
thrown up by Queensland regional and rural voters to demand a 'please
explain' or else. The big issue now, as it has been for a long time, is
the full sale of Telstra. Seventy percent of Australians don't want it.
Rural and regional Australians fear they'll get left behind on
communications if it is, and they don't trust the Libs or most of the
Nats to ensure it isn't so. And no wonder! The Nats betrayed the bush
over Telstra long ago, before the 1998 election, in fact, in a Senate
vote on Saturday, July 11, 1998. THE NATS VOTED TO SELL ALL OF TELSTRA.
Ex-Labor Senator Mal Colston, who sold his soul to the Libs in exchange
for getting deputy president of the Senate, finally said NO! The Judas
National Party Senators still sitting in the Senate groaning about
Barnaby Joyce were Ron Boswell (Qld), Sandy Macdonald (NSW) (alleged to
have helped try to bribe Tony Windsor so the Nats could get his seat)
and Julian McGauran (Vic), the bloke who gave the Senate the 'up yours'
last week. They worked within the system alright, and they're still
alright, aren't they. more
Monday, August 15, 2005 at 03:07 PM
Senator Steve Fielding's maiden speech
"Today,
sadly, what are sold as family friendly policies are really market
friendly policies. The major parties struggle to reconcile their
professed family values with their free-market mantra. They struggle
because the two cannot be reconciled. The mantra of choice, competition
and consumerism is in conflict with family and community. Often it
seems we live in a world where few values matter except those of the
market." Senator Steve Fielding more
Andrew Bartlett: how Howard's team will de-fang the Senate
G'day.
Last December I set out my predictions for the collapse of the last
real parliamentary accountibility for John Howard and his ministers -
the Senate. The government would really be saying up yours to all of us
by doing this, of course, and Senator Julian McGauran did the gesture
in the Senate last week in a helpful visualisation of the government's
contempt for our democracy. Of course Howard, our
perception-trumps-reality king, frowned and said that was very bad. I
thought it was honest, but, of course, that's very bad. Webdiary will
keep a very close watch on the Senate, and today, long-time Democrats
Senator Andrew Bartlett kicks off with his thoughts on what is to come.
more
Sunday, August 14, 2005 at 08:42 PM
Your IR War (how we get and keep our jobs ) primer
Many
Webdiarists want to know the detail of what the nation is arguing about
over John Howard's IR revolution. He hasn't given us detail yet, but
the Parliamentary Library has pulled together the background, what's on
the table so far, and who is playing how. Let's add the twists and
turns through comments. more
Friday, August 12, 2005 at 01:52 PM
Restoring citizens' respect for journalism: we are not without power
"We
all know that the media can no longer be trusted, that their
performance is incompetent ... that they broadcast blatant lies as if
they were manifest truths." Veteran Oz journo Phillip Knightley citing Le Monde with approval more
Thursday, August 11, 2005 at 12:22 PM
What is Happening to Australian Democracy
"Ideally,
'information' advertisements paid for by public money should relate to
legislation already enacted (or at least fully discussed by the
Parliament) and any judgmental argumentation in them should be
scrupulously balanced, with alternative views presented. The ads should
also be subject to independent oversight. Recent advertisements such as
on GST in 1998, on Medicare in 2004 and most recently on industrial
relations (IR) reform fail these tests. The decisions were made by a
Government Committee (the Ministerial Committee on Government
Communications) which is not accountable to Parliament or answerable to
Cabinet and not subject to independent oversight. Nor can their content
be described as non-political. The Broadcasting Services Act
offers no great impediment to the broadcasting of blatant political
advertising by governments using taxpayers' funds." Fred Argy more
Wednesday, August 10, 2005 at 10:08 AM
What ARE are our shared values, Webdiarists?
G'day.
Who amongst us is unAustralian and why? Are there ANY common values we
can agree on in these tipping point days? And if there are, how can
citizens insist that laws, policies and practice adhere to these
values? more
Tuesday, August 9, 2005 at 01:32 PM
LibLab re-elect the Senate President who betrayed our Parliament for JWH glory
On
October 23 and 24, 2003 the Senate President, Paul Calvert, played out
his capitulation to the Prime Minister in degrading the Senate and
betraying his obligations to show equal respect for every Senator
elected by the Australian people. Today, Labor voted with the Coalition
to re-elect him Senate President in the new Senate in the full
knowledge that he had already AGAIN betrayed his obligations by
ordering without consultation with any non-government Senator new
gerrymandered Question Time rules favouring Family First's Steve
Fielding. more
Monday, August 8, 2005 at 05:51 PM
Infernal paradise: how city design determines lifestyle
"It
does not matter how far away you go, or to which country you visit, if
you are only remaining in the inner cities of such places, life is
practically identical. Shopping malls are the same all over the world.
Nightclubs are the same all over the world. The biggest barrier in the
global environment is not language it is class." Solomon Wakeling more
Robin Cook is dead; his warnings on Iraq will, if there is justice, haunt Bush, Blair and Howard
"The
longer that I have served in this place, the greater the respect I have
for the good sense and collective wisdom of the British people. On
Iraq, I believe that the prevailing mood of the British people is
sound. They do not doubt that Saddam is a brutal dictator, but they are
not persuaded that he is a clear and present danger to Britain. They
want inspections to be given a chance, and they suspect that they are
being pushed too quickly into conflict by a US Administration with an
agenda of its own." Robin Cook, deceased, March 17, 2003 in the British
Parliament more
Saturday, August 6, 2005 at 12:47 PM
Where Is the Hirsch Report?
"The
Hirsch report examines three scenarios: one in which mitigation efforts
are not undertaken until global oil production peaks; a second in which
efforts commence ten years in advance of peak; and a third in which
efforts begin twenty years prior to the peak. Each scenario assumes a
"crash program rate of implementation." In the first case, the study
concludes that peak will leave the world with a "significant liquid
fuels deficit for more than two decades" that "will almost certainly
cause major economic upheaval"; even with a ten-year lead time for
mitigation efforts Government intervention will be required and the
world will experience a ten-year fuel shortfall. A crash program
initiated twenty years ahead of the event will offer "the possibility"
of avoiding a fuel shortfall. The report emphasizes repeatedly that
both supply - and demand - side mitigation options will take many years
to implement and will cost "literally trillions of dollars"; it also
notes that "the world has never faced a problem like this."" Richard
Heinberg more
Wednesday, August 3, 2005 at 04:48 PM
Costello, is it time?
"Up
until recently the Liberal Party was the signature-Howard tight ship.
The ranks have since broken and must have been emboldened with a shift
in party power. Public opinion has forced the Prime Minister to back
track. And to apologise. There is no more gloss to sell in the Iraq
war. China and America call from separate corners, yet to bring forth
the winds of public direction, except to place a thereby uncertain
Howard at the brunt of it. We've turned a new page now in Howard's
remaining political life." Robert Bosler more
Monday, August 1, 2005 at 09:06 AM
Get up!: first impressions?
G'day.
Now here's an interesting development - Australia now has its own
MoveOn.org in GetUp!. What do you think of the concept, the structure,
the website, the funding model and the launch impact? Would you join?
Why is this happening now? more
Friday, July 29, 2005 at 01:38 PM
A judge and a DPP: which one served the public interest?
G'day.
Today a tale of two statements on the scary case of Steve Vizard, the
man with the political and business clout to get a seat on the Telstra
Board and tried to profit from confidential information he got in that
position of public trust. He was there to represent the people of
Australia. He helped himself instead. more
Send for the silent seniors
"Now,
more than ever, our modern community needs to re-engage our older folk,
and we need their perspective. If not for anything else, we need it for
a sense of balance." Robert Bosler more
Thursday, July 28, 2005 at 12:36 PM
Grattan on gatekeepers and gatecrashers
"Often
stories sweep past like fashionable movies; after a while the run is
finished and people don't go back and ask, well what did happen after
the publicity died down. In other cases we can't or don't get the
information, and we don't make enough fuss about that... Today's
round-the-clock torrent of words exhausts the politicians, drowns the
journalists, and leaves the public jaded. Knowing more can mean
understanding less. The effort to keep up with it all can preclude
getting behind much of it." Michelle Grattan more
Wednesday, July 27, 2005 at 12:45 PM
'Two Brothers': the play and the reviews
"This review essay of Hannie Rayson's Two Brothers
comments both on the play itself and on the nature of its critical
reception: stories which tells us much about the current intimidated
climate of intellectual and moral debate in Australia." Tony Kevin more
How about a party to bring back democracy in our parliament?
"The
following is an idea I have had in the back of my mind as I watched the
Howard Government act with ever increasing disdain for the Westminster
system of Ministerial responsibility for the actions of their
departments. Sadly, once this sort of behaviour appears on one side of
the House, we generally see the other side following suit. It could
indeed be argued that Labor started the slide of Ministerial
accountability in their last term in government. Accordingly, I thought
up a system that would give voters an opportunity to more effectively
control the probity of their Parliament, whilst still being able to
vote for the policies of their Party of choice. This manifesto is what
I came up with as a result of my thinking on the topic." Allison Newman
more
Monday, July 25, 2005 at 04:48 PM
The thought crimes of Jennifer Zeng
I
asked Jennifer Zeng what she thought Mr Chen Yonglin's claim of a
thousand spies working in Australia. "I was not surprised at all by Mr
Chen's claims," she said. "My family back in China warned me more than
a dozen times that they were not only warned, but also convinced by
Chinese authorities that everything I am doing and saying here is
monitored." Chris Saliba more
Saturday, July 23, 2005 at 01:14 PM
Special regional effects of IR war
"Whatever
grand plans the prime minister has for promoting 'the national
interest' by demolishing the family interest, in towns such as ours the
chances are that more people will be worse off, not better off,
following the introduction of this legislation by Kevin Andrews... In
towns like this, word soon gets about if you visit the industrial
inspector with a work diary detailing the hours of unpaid overtime your
child has done. Blacklisted!" Hugh Wilson more
The United States-v-David Hicks: Guanatanamo Bay update and backgrounder
"A
complication in the debate was created by the Department of State and
Secretary of State Colin Powell. On 26 January 2002, he wrote to the
President on the issue outlining the 'pros' and 'cons' of determining
that the Geneva Conventions will not apply to al Qaeda or Taliban
detainees. He was particularly concerned that the President clearly
understood the options and consequences of either applying or not
applying the Geneva Conventions. In so doing he identified the
advantages of applying the Conventions including providing the
'strongest legal foundation' for future military action and preserving
the 'credibility and moral authority' of the United States and
protecting US forces and officials from criminal investigations." From
Lex Lasry QC's report on The United States-v-David Hicks more
Friday, July 22, 2005 at 06:09 PM
Remembering Howard's waterfront war as he starts a new one
"When
I mentioned this book by Helen Trinca and Anne Davies (Doubleday, 2000)
as a source of evidence for an example of the Howard government's
criminality Margo suggested a review in light of the start of the next
battle in the IR war. An entirely appropriate suggestion as it provides
a perspective on how the government will act to achieve its aims and,
as such, is a caution against placing much, if any trust, in statements
from the government or in trusting to its 'good intentions'." Bob Wall more
Thursday, July 21, 2005 at 05:28 PM
Senate Inquiry into DIMIA needs public input
"In
the final days of the old Senate, an inquiry was established to
investigate the abuses of the Immigration Department. This provides an
excellent opportunity for the community to raise objections to current
immigration policies and instances of mistreatment and abuses of power
by the Immigration Department, and put them on the public record under
parliamentary privilege. There is a slight danger that the Government
will use its numbers in the Senate to shut the Inquiry down, when it
sits in early August, but public pressure and interest will make it
difficult to shut it down. Therefore, The Greens are encouraging public
involvement in this Senate Inquiry." Senator Kerry Nettle, inquiry
member more
Wednesday, July 20, 2005 at 05:36 PM
Keeping the party under control
"Many
(political) parties would be happy to keep their operations beyond the
reach of the law... The suggestion that all parties ought to be
organised democratically, or at least conduct preselections in such a
way, is worth considering." Anika Gauja more
Please swipe your card and press delete
"Finally,
I will have the last swipe. It will be a swipe at my government. Up it
comes: date of birth, mother's maiden name, nationality, last date of
entry into Australia, flight number, colour of my eyes, known medical
condition, started smoking when I was fifteen, was blacklisted and
arrested pending self-removal from the USA in 1997 for overstaying my
visa for 48 hours. And on it goes. I expect a big amount of crunching
to go on inside my old computer. Never mind, I'll boil the kettle for
another coffee, dream of an Australian Bill of Rights and wait. Then,
Mr Howard, Mr Ruddock, Mrs Vanstone, I'll Select All, and I'll press
delete. Because all the information, Prime Minister, all of it, is
mine. It always was mine - and it certainly is not yours to hold or
behold." Jack H Smit more
Monday, July 18, 2005 at 01:55 PM
Shutting down blogs: 'sucks' and the tort of injurious falsehood
"It
is arguable that the words "Hunter Holden Sucks" convey the imputation
that the business of Hunter Holden is poorly managed, and that it
provides poor products and services. There may be other available
imputations which are disparaging of the business and products of the
second plaintiff... the concepts of free speech and discussion and
liberty of the press had little relevance to an action for slander of
goods." NSW Supreme Court says yes to injunction shutting down a blog
critical of a product. more
Will Australians really let Howard let everyone off the hook post Rau?
"This
culture came from two people. It came from the Cabinet table. It began
with Philip Ruddock, and Philip Ruddock should not escape blame in any
of this. Philip Ruddock, from the Palmer Inquiry it's now clear, is not
fit to be a minister in this Government. But secondly, Amanda Vanstone
has shown utter neglect, disinterest and laziness in her capacity to
deal with the problems as they've been presented. You don't fix the
problem while you have Amanda Vanstone in that portfolio." ALP
immigration spokesman Tony Burke more
Friday, July 15, 2005 at 02:40 PM
The bloody price of US foreign policy
"The
invasion and continued occupation of Iraq, the continued presence of US
military bases in Muslim countries, coupled with continued western
support for authoritarian regimes and continuing support of Israel at
the expense of justice for the Palestinian people, guarantees that
terrorism will not go away." John Richardson. more
Wednesday, July 13, 2005 at 10:15 PM
Salination
"My
purpose is merely to highlight that an acknowledged dire problem (in
this case, projected water shortage) is not necessarily intractable -
that, indeed, the technical/financial (if not the political) solution
might even be easy." Peter Gellatly more
Tuesday, July 12, 2005 at 08:11 PM
Comments Trouble
G'day.
An SMH online producer advised me just before 8pm of a significant
system problem concerning comments, which in many cases are being
rejected without cause. It was reported to him by a reader and verified
by an F2 techie, who advised that F2 was unable to assist and that he
had called Netpresence for help. Fairfax has advised that Netpresence
is unable to assess the cause of the problem until tomorrow morning.
The producer asked me to pass this information on to Webdiarists. more
Friday, July 8, 2005 at 07:12 PM
Live 8: Dylan, Sir Bob and the selling of illusions
"With
Live 8, as with Live Aid before it, Geldof follows his perpetual star.
His dream is an electronic world of solidarity. But is this a false
salvation? One notable absence from Live 8 was Dylan. Instead he was
busy issuing a CD of a long lost gig at the Gaslight Café in Greenwich
Village from 1962. In a typical Dylanesque twist, its release is
exclusive to the Starbucks coffee chain." Stephen Smith more
Thursday, July 7, 2005 at 07:05 PM
Let's create worldwide happiness
"Have
you noticed that although politicians, parents, teachers, businesses,
organisations and the media promote the goal of happiness, no one seems
to achieve real enduring happiness?" Martin Gifford more
Man who never has to work again fights for those who may never have a job
"Rabbiting
on, Mr Combat added that "...no case has been made to support this
argument. There is no economic evidence. Seventeen labour market
academics recently confirmed that there is no economic case," he said.
Here at the Murdoch Morning Glory, we have dismissed Mr
Combat's arguments, as we require at least 20 academics to agree on
anything before we will print their opinions." Ian McPherson more
Monday, July 4, 2005 at 10:22 PM
We turned 5 today
G'day.
We turned 5 today, the 4th of July, 2005. Cheers to Club Chaos patrons
who've come and gone, popped in occasionally, and left forever but
returned anyway. Cheers to new patrons, especially those who joined us
since October 10, 2004 after dropping in to commiserate, gloat or chew
the fat on what the result might mean for all of us. And Cheers to the
stayers. You know who you are. It's wild when readers hands join mine
on the steering wheel. I won't say I've always enjoyed the experience,
but it has held my focus, not least because of the sheer
unpredictability of the journey. more
Liberalism and industrial relations
"The
proposed sidelining of conciliation and arbitration also means the
dismantling of a once proud Liberal tradition, although one hardly
talked about in the Howard era. The fathers of conciliation and
arbitration were Liberals like Alfred Deakin, Charles Kingston,
Bernhard Wise and HB Higgins. They drafted the legislation, starting
with Charles Cameron Kingston who drafted the first bill in 1890, with
the advice of Alfred Deakin." Marian Sawer more
Friday, July 1, 2005 at 04:02 PM
Be alarmed, not just alert, on ASIO power extension
"We
should be alarmed, not merely alert, about Australia's terror laws.
They abrogate civil rights, which are our bulwark against tyranny. We
are already seeing them used in what appears to be a McCarthyist witch
hunt against vulnerable members of the community. We have spawned a
monster, and it is only now beginning to show its menace. These laws
are due to expire in July next year, but the Federal Attorney-General
has called for their retention beyond that period. They should be
repealed immediately." Melbourne silk Brian Walters SC more
Thursday, June 30, 2005 at 08:00 PM
'A Life of Unlearning': Roger Fedyk's book review
"The
cycle of guilt and loathing, prayer and confession started again.
However, it had no deleterious effect on his ministry. In fact, Tony
became a leading preacher in the Assemblies of God church. He travelled
the world, preaching to thousands and he developed and gave seminars
that were booked out many months in advance. Finally after one
life-changing homosexual experience in Brisbane, Tony had reached the
end of the road for his double life. Of his own volition, he returned
home and confessed everything to his wife and eventually to his church
and its leaders. He was stripped of his licence to preach, he lost his
income and finally his self-respect and dignity when he was made to
stand in front of his own church congregation and confess his sin of
adultery." Roger Fedyk more
The power of Latham's ghost, by Robert Bosler
"Years
ago we were told we were, all in all, just another brick in the wall.
That may well prove to be so, but in today's world Mark Latham's unique
political thrust has given us the political measure to not just be
another spouse in the house." Robert Bosler more
A new political paradigm: beyond the Wellbeing Manifesto
"The
Australian political process is in disarray. The major parties are
failing to provide what most people really want, yet there is no
coherent political alternative available... Sanity will only prevail,
and collateral damage will only be minimised, if we clearly grasp the
nature of the beast to be tackled. The nature of the current paradigm
can only be properly appreciated from the outside. We must view it from
the vantage of a new paradigm." Dr Geoff Davies' more
Wednesday, June 29, 2005 at 04:14 PM
John Faulkner, Labor's leading historian, on 'Loner'
"When
Bernie Lagan asked me to launch this book, I admit I had some
misgivings. I disagree with some of the analysis, and with some of the
opinions in this book - including those of its subject! There is always
the risk that someone, motivated by stupidity or by spite, will think
launching a book equals endorsing its contents. But, on reflection, I
thought this was a risk well worth taking. Loner covers a
very recent and very volatile episode in Labor's history. The dust has
not settled. The wounds are raw. Some would say that nowhere near
enough time has passed for a reasoned (or reasonable) discussion of
Mark Latham's leadership..." Senator John Faulkner more
Bush admits invading Iraq could have triggered WWIII
"Some
wonder whether Iraq is a central front in the war on terror. Among the
terrorists, there is no debate. Hear the words of Osama Bin Laden:
'This Third World War is raging' in Iraq. "The whole world is watching
this war." He says it will end in 'victory and glory, or misery and
humiliation'. The terrorists know that the outcome will leave them
emboldened, or defeated. So they are waging a campaign of murder and
destruction. And there is no limit to the innocent lives they are
willing to take." George Bush more
Should Australia go nuclear? The cautious case in favour, by Peter Gellatly
"Deja
Vu, all over again? For Australia has been here before: three times in
the last 60 years. Though all to no avail. But this time is different:
this time, nuclear shares the stage with greenhouse. Any contemporary
nuclear debate in Australia must take cognizance of this fact: so far
as our neighbours are concerned, enhanced reliance on nuclear power is
a given. Australia can't stop this progress, even if it wanted to.
Still lethargically, some Western countries are now taking this fresh
look. Will Australia be clever enough to join in?" Peter Gellatly more
Monday, June 27, 2005 at 05:45 PM
Should Australia go nuclear? The no case, by Lindsay Tanner
"The
crucial point is that the onus is on those who are advocating change to
demonstrate why that change should occur. As a member of the Labor
Party I know only too well that that onus rests on all of us who
advocate change. Advocates of nuclear power have an onus to demonstrate
a genuinely commercial market for energy without the huge subsidies
that have characterised nuclear power in other markets particularly in
Europe and with genuinely accounted for external costs, such as the
additional cost required to protect installations from terrorist
threats, the cost of waste disposal, decommissioning and other issues,
properly factored into the equation." Lindsay Tanner more
The future of criminal law, by Michael Kirby
"In
the global market of media entertainment, serious debate about
international issues of criminal law and punishment is usually furthest
from the minds of the media industry. It remains for lawyers and other
experts to attempt to clarify the real issues to be debated in such a
case: is the present international approach to drug use and drug
addiction just, sensible and effective? Is there a more effective and
just approach, at least for some such cases and some drugs? Is 20
years' imprisonment (still more, life imprisonment and death) for such
an offence, wherever it takes place, self-evidently excessive? Can the
disparity between punishments for such an offence, in Australia,
Indonesia and elsewhere, be justified by peculiar local needs and the
attitudes of the public in different countries? Do such punishments, in
any case, deter those to whom they are targeted? Is there disharmony
between the punishments inflicted for such offences and other
punishments involving crimes of corruption, terrorism, violence and
other anti-social conduct? Can there ever be a useful comparison
between the criminal laws and legal punishments imposed in the judicial
systems of countries so different as Australia and Indonesia? Is it
futile, or useful, to compare such punishments?" Justice Michael Kirby more
Thursday, June 23, 2005 at 07:53 PM
Last Question Time in the old Senate
Senate
Question time is fairer, more respectful and more information-based
than QT in the House of Representatives - Senators even have to answer
the question asked! - because the government doesn't have the numbers.
Thus, though Senators vote for a Liberal President to be presiding
officer, that person knows that he or she relies on the confidence of
the Senate as a whole. Expect House of Reps rules and behaviour when
the new Senate sits. From now on, if the Senate President is fair the
government can sack him. This is the last Senate Question time of the
era which closes tonight. The Rebel 4s compromise bill will also pass
the Senate tonight. Fitting. more
Last House of Reps Question Time of the old era
It's
the last day of the old Senate. When Parliament returns after the
winter break, the new Senate - the one the Coalition controls - will
come with it. Already today John Anderson has stepped down as National
Party leader and Beazley said he will announce a reshuffle of his
frontbench tomorrow after a special Caucus meeting tonight. So what
themes did the Coalition and Labor run with on this historic day and
how did they play the game in the final moments of the old era. Here is
the transcript of today's Question Time in the People's House - the
House of Representatives. more
John Anderson steps down on the last day of the old era
"My
party is at a point where it will enter a new era with the Coalition's
impending majority in the Senate. I believe the party needs a leader
who is certain to have the energy to meet the challenges this will
bring, and to take the party forward to the next election." John
Anderson steps down more
Kay Hull: Today is the beginning of their lives
"Make
no mistake, the people who have come here are mostly genuine refugees ,
and have been recognised as such. They have been victims time and time
again. They were victims in their own countries. They were victims of
abuse and violence and death threats to their families. They became
victims of people traffickers and people smugglers and then they became
victims of a set of rules that treated them as though they had
committed significant or horrendous crimes when in fact the only crime
that they had committed was to try to remove their family from these
circumstances. I believe that, given the same conditions, I would make
the decisions that many of these people have made. There is no doubt
that if somebody threatened the life of my family, my sons, my
grandchildren , I would be willing to make any sacrifice or take any
risk to ensure their safety and their wellbeing." Kay Hull, National MP
for Riverina, rural NSW (Wagga/MIA), conservative, prosperous,
hardworking, multicultural. more
Lindsay Tanner: 'Decent, caring Australia is finally asserting itself'
"The
real significance of this bill is that it reflects a major change in
community opinion in Australia. Finally, we are seeing the middle
ground of genuine, caring, decent, honest Australia starting to assert
itself... This major revolt that we have seen in the parliamentary
Liberal Party is an illustration of how strong that sentiment is
becoming and how much the attitudes in our community are changing."
Linday Tanner, Labor MP for Melbourne, greenie inner urban more
Wednesday, June 22, 2005 at 09:00 PM
The Father of the Senate takes his leave
"I
entered this parliament with one fundamental objective that would guide
my approach to issues of public policy. The objective I outlined in
this maiden speech was to contribute to the development of an economic
and social order in which persons can live with freedom and dignity and
pursue both their spiritual development and their material wellbeing in
conditions of economic security and equal opportunity. I was determined
to defend the uniqueness and dignity of each individual human being. In
three decades I have witnessed the encroachment of utilitarianism,
crass materialism and particularly, more recently, moral relativism.
Each of these has negative implications for true human flourishing."
Senator Brian Harradine's valedictory more
Petro Georgiou: 'It will usher in a new era...'
"Not
all of the measures that have been proposed by some of us have been
realised, but the overwhelming reality is that this legislation
represents a major and essential step in ensuring a more flexible,
humane, compassionate and accountable framework for the treatment of
asylum seekers and others. I believe it will usher in a new era in
asylum seeker policy in Australia." Rebel 4 leader Petro Georgiou,
Liberal MP for Kooyong, establishment Melbourne. more
Tanya Plibersek: a triumph of hope despite experience, Rebel 4?
"I
was probably about 14 years old when my dad was taking a group of us to
the blue light disco and the station wagon was packed. My friend Kaleen
was sitting in the back seat with me and she said, 'I really hate wogs
and their big cars.' I had to point out to her that she was, in fact,
in one of those big cars driven by one of those wogs. The members for
Kooyong, Cook, Pearce and McMillan have done a very brave thing,
considering the way party rooms work, and I commend them on their
bravery. I am not embarrassed at all to say that I admire what they
have done in putting this issue once more into the public arena." Tanya
Plibersek, Labor MP for Sydney, inner city, lots of greenies more
Julia Irwin: Welcome to the trenches, Johnny's come-latelies
"I
support the amendment moved by Labor and the minor improvements made by
this bill. If the heavy burden of despair is lifted off just one
parent, if just one caged child can breathe the free air of our
country, Australia, I would support the bill. But I cannot help feeling
like the soldier who has spent years in the trenches of the Somme: it
is tempting to think that those who now claim the glory spent most of
their time drinking champagne back in the bordellos of gay Paris."
Julia Irwin, Labor Left MP for Fowler, Western Sydney, multi-ethnic,
aspirational; a tough anti-MD sell which didn't stop Irwin becoming one
of the earliest such advocates on the parliamentary record. more
John Forrest: 'John, we are just a little bit uncomfortable with this policy approach'
"What
it has done is brought me, along with my communities, into close
association with the sorts of people that members have been talking
about in this debate, particularly a large number who have lately come
from very high profile Middle Eastern countries. The communities have
been very strong in giving them moral and financial support and in
providing them with employment. Having sat with some of these people,
many of them having spent long periods in detention, and listened to
their stories, I can say that the only way to understand their
situation is to put yourself in their position." John Forrest, National
MP for Mallee, Victorian rural, conservative, close-knit...and short of
good hard workers. more
Simon Crean: Labor did the hard yards too
"When
I assumed the leadership, I indicated that we knew that we had to
change the policy. I took the initial step on Australia Day in January
2002 - within a couple of months of assuming the leadership -in an
address to an Australia Day citizenship forum in Brisbane, to call for
the kids to be released from behind the razor wire. It was a call that
said: 'All unaccompanied minors should be released and all children
with their whole family should be settled in alternative
accommodation.' I argued at the time that we needed an independent
medical assessment available in the detention centres. Had that call
been heeded, we could have avoided the tragic circumstances of Cornelia
Rau. I also argued that the government should be back in control of the
detention centres, that it should mothball Woomera and move the
detainees to other facilities and that it should allow media access to
detention centres with appropriate protocols. I make the point that
that call was made by the Labor Party as early as January 2002." Simon
Crean, Labor MP for Hotham, safe Labor worker's seat, Melbourne more
Bruce Baird: 'Once you have seen the injustice there is no turning back'
"The
memories that I have of places like Curtin, which fortunately has
subsequently been closed down, are that they were more reminiscent of
gulags than modern Australia. We expressed our concern at that time
(2001) through the human rights committee with 20 recommendations...
Let us never again see children in detention in this country. They
should not be behind barbed wire or razor wire. It is an indictment
that we have let it happen." Bruce Baird, Liberal MP for Cook, blue
ribbon Sydney South more
Tuesday, June 21, 2005 at 11:19 PM
Peter Andren's take on the Rebel 4 compromise bill
"Since the shameful Tampa
episode we have seen a steady decline in our reputation as a fair go
country, and the treatment of asylum seekers has been the major
contributor to that dramatic decline. I said in August almost four
years ago the Tampa episode was being exploited to create the
desired anti-asylum-seeker sentiment-indeed what was, in its effect, an
anti-Muslim sentiment. I said then that if that was the way to win
government in this country then whoever exploits that way holds a
poisoned chalice. Fast forward to this bill: a response by a prime
minister under enormous pressure from the four dissident members doing
the job of an opposition that is locked into the mandatory detention
process because it invented it, which has been rigid with fear of a
backlash from the electorate-so rigid that the opposition to this
obnoxious policy has gradually developed within the ranks of the
government itself." Peter Andren, Independent MP for Calare, regional
NSW more
The compromise bill: full text
more
Russell Broadbent: why I took a stand
"I
would like to express my thanks to the thousands of people from
throughout Australia who expressed their support for what we were
trying to achieve and took the trouble to e-mail, write and call my
office. In particular I would like to thank those people in the
McMillan electorate who contacted my office with messages of support,
many of them from sectors of the community I would not normally have
expected. The messages of support outweighed overwhelmingly those in
opposition to any change from the status quo." Rebel 4 member Russell
Broadbent, Liberal MP for McMillan, where Melbourne's outskirts meet
regional Victoria more
Big Kim on the Rebel 4's compromise bill: the wind has changed
"The
changes we see today are the cynical outcome of a series of crisis
meetings between the dissidents in his own ranks and the Prime
Minister. They are a quick fix forced on a Prime Minister desperate at
any cost to avoid the public humiliation of backbench rebels voting
down Government policy. As always a solution driven by spin. A
superficial response to a systemic problem... the disaster-prone
Department of Immigration presumably continues on its merry way
detaining Australian residents, deporting Australian citizens and
keeping women and children behind razor wire. It defies all logic." Kim
Beazley more
Menzian liberalism in our Parliament: Judi Moylan's speech on the compromise refugee bill
"Our
democratic system of government has a foundation principle of justice
for all, an adherence to the rule of law and separation of powers
between the executive, parliament and the judiciary. As elected
representatives we owe it to our communities to
uphold these strong democratic principles as a priority. It is my
belief that the policy and its administration heightened the trauma of
men, women and children who were fleeing regimes that we have
condemned. People from all age groups, all walks of life, all beliefs,
have worked toward the common goal of alleviating the suffering of
people who've fled their homes and countries in fear of their lives.
Most Australians don't simply talk about a fair go for all. They
actually live it day by day." Judi Moylan, Liberal MP for Pearce, a
Perth urban+rural mix, Western Australia more
Come on, Amanda, get real
G'day.
Is Vanstone telling the Senate the truth, and if she is, how can she be
the "responsible minister" for immigration? The Rebel 4's bills as
negotiated with the PM will be introduced into the House of
Representatives and debated tonight. I'll be there for Webdiary. more
A Catastrophic Failure of Alternative Leadership
"Who
will stand, who will face the challenges? Who is willing even to look?
Who is not oblivious to the malaise, to the cries and signs around
them? Who will step aside so real leaders may step forward? Not the
Australian Labor Party..." Geoff Davies. more
The Rebel 4 deal analysed
It's
a complicated deal, the one the Rebel 4 dragged out of the PM tiny bit
by tiny bit over at least five long face-off meetings. Don't believe
Howard when he says these reforms were long overdue. He didn't want any
of them. Here's an analysis of the pros and cons by refugee barrister
Nick Poynder. more
Monday, June 20, 2005 at 05:00 PM
Public Confidence in Australian Democracy
"Respondents
were satisfied and proud of a general conception of Australian
democracy but were mistrustful of politicians, the federal parliament,
the legal system and the public service. Thus this study supports
Norris' contention that citizens support democratic ideals whilst being
critical of the practical workings of democracy." Scott Brenton. more
Sunday, June 19, 2005 at 03:39 PM
Kirby's back
Justice
Michael Kirby will resume his duties in the High Court tomorrow after
eight weeks on sick leave following open-heart surgery. more
Saturday, June 18, 2005 at 04:46 AM
The PM's spin on having to bow a bit to liberal values: watcha reckon?
Michelle
Grattan: If they're long overdue Mr Howard, why weren't they done
before? John Howard: "Well that's a fair question. I thought you would
ask it, but I suppose with the benefit of hindsight, we have to confess
that that's one of the many failings of this government of which you've
written frequently. I'll withdraw that last bit Michelle, that's fine. more
Friday, June 17, 2005 at 05:35 PM
7000 TPV holders have hope, rebels give ground on mandatory detention
Six
hours of crisis talks from 9.30am to 3.30pm today and Howard has a deal
with the Rebel 4. I will write about what happened and why later. Here
is the Prime Minister's press release this afternoon containing the
agreement. The rebels asked for it to be released. more
Thursday, June 16, 2005 at 05:06 PM
Senate procedure for a debate on the Petro bills
"The
Greens will wait to see whether Petro can have his bills debated in the
House of Representatives. If he cannot, and it looks like this is the
most likely outcome, then they will move to have the bills debated in
the Senate. The normal time for private members legislation is on
Thursday afternoon but because the Senate is at the end of its session
and there are a lot of government bills to get through this time slot
for Private Members Bills has been axed for next week. In any case the
need for this debate is urgent and The Greens will seek to have the
bills debated as soon as possible." The Green plan for Georgiou's bills
in the Senate more
When evil happens to good people
"I
have a disclosure. I know Doug Wood. At least I have met Doug a few
times many years ago. That on its own put me somewhat closer to his
kidnapping than if it had been someone else. However, I have had a
close personal relationship with one of his brothers, Vernon, for many
years. We went to school together at the Gordon Institute (now Deakin
University) in Geelong. We worked together professionally and our young
families grew up together after we both married." Roger Fedyk on the emotions unleashed by the high-profile kidnapping and release of a close friend's brother. more
The people want a parliamentary debate on this matter, John
G'day.
Big, big developments today in the struggle for the soul of the Liberal
Party. Enter The Greens and Victorian conservative Senator Judith
Troeth. What a combination! more
Wednesday, June 15, 2005 at 03:09 PM
It's about the values of liberalism, John
In
the end, liberalism is not compatible with Howard's Liberal Party.
That's the truth of it. The party either rebalances or there's a split.
The mask is peeling off. What will the people think now? When they see
Howard will they see themselves, or someone else entirely? more
Tuesday, June 14, 2005 at 01:05 PM
The stakes get higher: rebel Libs outstare Howard on Georgiou bills, for now
After
a homecooked meal together, the four rebel Liberals - Petro Georgiou,
Judi Moylan, Bruce Baird and Russell Broadbent, met Howard at The Lodge
last night - the Queen's Birthday holiday. On the same day the
long-time head of DIMIA, Bill Farmer, whose administration even Howard
admits needs cleaning up, got an Order of Australia. more
Thursday, June 9, 2005 at 12:23 PM
MPs, please heed the call this time
Many
have wrongly written that the backbench revolt over prolonged mandatory
detention of refugees is the first big test of Howard's absolute power
over his party. The last big one, in 2000, was also over mandatory
detention, a Northern Territory law compelling judges to send children
to jail for their first stealing offence. It's worth reviewing the
outcome, because it points to how Howard might resolve the current
revolt. In 2000 an Aboriginal lad of 15 was sent to jail for stealing a
Texta pen. He hung himself after unqualified staff - one of whom was an
ex-abattoir worker - ignored his deteriorating mental state and locked
him up in solitary. more
Your top ten protest songs
A fair while ago - I think it was after David Makinson, Webdiary's leading anti-war contributor before we invaded Iraq, wrote In defence of America
- there was a Webdiary discussion on where the protest songs had gone
to. A Webdiarist whose name I remember well sent me a CD he'd compiled
of contemporary music which he called "Not enough protest songs". How
about some of you lot give us your top ten, in the ORDER you'd want
them played, for your album, "My top ten protest songs". They can come
FROM any era. more
Monday, June 6, 2005 at 07:28 PM
Downer joins Vanstone in Alvarez cover-up
"But
to try to sex up a story like this as though somebody has done
something terribly wrong, or DFAT were involved in some sort of
conspiracy to send Vivian Alvarez Solon back to the Philippines-come
on; grow up." Downer's response to his Department's palm-off of the
Philippine Embassy's concerns for Vivian Alvarez in 2001 and its
failure to look for her when advised she'd been illegally deported in
2003. more
SIEV-X: an update
"Having
travelled from Perth to attend the people smuggler trial at Brisbane
Supreme Court with three Iraqi men who lost family on SIEV-X, I can
offer a unique perspective on this chapter of the SIEV-X story. It was
unbelievably hard, they tell me, to sit for hours listening to detailed
accounts of how the asylum seekers were moved across Indonesia by
people smugglers and ferried by small boat onto the SIEV-X, for this is
the journey their wives and children took in the days and weeks leading
up to their deaths." Sue Hoffman more
Thursday, June 2, 2005 at 08:43 AM
Only powerless if we think we are
Don't
get depressed at how powerless you are. Have a look around and work out
how you too can defend your democracy. It's fun, and it's scary for
those political "representatives" and business leaders who think
they've won their fight to crush our right to know what they're really
doing for themselves at the expense of us and our future. more
Wednesday, June 1, 2005 at 06:00 PM
Militant socialism: alive and well in the Coalition
"Those
of you out there who voted for John Howard because of his exceptional
fiscal management should be disgusted at the amount of money that is
being thrown at rural industries in an attempt to keep them from
falling over. Let them fall over I say!" Simon Martin more
Tuesday, May 31, 2005 at 01:55 PM
Rebel Libs leap from 5 to 9: Howard gets more talks
Georgiou agrees to delay presenting his bills until June 20 pending talks with Howard and Vanstone. UPDATE
June 1: Where do your MP and your State's Coalition Senators stand?
Here's the list of Coalition MPs and Senators who've declared their
positions as at Tuesday, May 31. I've got 39 out of the 43; additions
welcome. more
Labor runs dead on Georgiou bills
Gutless
Labor. Here's the Beazley statement this morning and an extract of his
interview with Sky News. Labor won't put up its own bills if the
Georgiou bills don't get debated. Note no committment to support the
Georgiou bills if Labor's amendments don't get up. Gutless. UPDATE:
I've added Bob Brown's offer to introduce the Georgiou bills into the
Senate if Howard stops House of Reps debate, and Beazley's doorstop
this morning. more
Friday, May 27, 2005 at 10:23 PM
Upgrading Webdiary: a call for volunteers
Webdiarist
Caroline Compton has taken on the task of co-ordinating action to
expand Club Chaos after a comprehensive discussion paper prepared by
Marc Macdonald, to whom I am forever grateful. Thank you Caroline and
Marc! Here is Caroline's first report to Club Chaos patrons. more
Thursday, May 26, 2005 at 11:00 PM
Democracy is not a spectator sport
Let's
tell it like it is. Let's feel proud to do so, and let's see the
vitriol rained down on us for what it is, the scream of the facists and
their yes people now dominating the "governance" of this nation. No
more pussyfooting around with these people, okay? Yes, it is us versus
them, but the them are the destroyers of our values. The us are the
ever-growing numbers of Australian citizens who've decided that
democracy in Australia can no longer be a spectator sport. more
The skull beneath DIMIA's skin
Your
name is Bill Farmer. You have been the head of DIMIA for many years.
You know that if Senators questioning you are even half-smart, you will
be exposed, sometime during the day and night ahead, as the leader of
an organisation whose failure to act upon learning that it had deported
an Australian citizen brings to mind the banality of evil. more
Wednesday, May 25, 2005 at 09:41 PM
Palmer to resign after Rau report: judical inquiry needed into DIMIA scandals
The
Government's private and legally powerless investigation into more than
200 unlawful detentions in five years could collapse, with Lateline
reporting that its head Mick Palmer told Immigration Minister Amanda
Vanstone an inquiry with judicial powers was needed to get to the
bottom of the scandal. more
Tuesday, May 24, 2005 at 09:23 PM
The Mandatory Detention Bill 2005
This is the text of the Liberal rebels' Migration Amendment (Mandatory Detention) Bill 2005.
John Howard has yet to decide whether he will allow the House of
Representatives to debate the bill, or will tell Coalition MPs to vote
with him to stop any debate on it in the People's House. more
The Act of Compassion Bill 2005
This is the text of the Liberal rebels' Migration Amendment (Act of Compassion) Bill 2005.
John Howard has yet to decide whether he will allow the House of
Representatives to debate the bill, or will tell Coalition MPs to vote
with him to stop any debate on it in the People's House. more
Petro Georgiou's case for change and his plan to do it
Here
is the argument for and the outline of the rebel Liberal MPs' bills to
abolish mandatory detention and temporary protection visas, which Petro
Georgiou sent to all Coalition MPs today. How's that for open
democracy? more
Lib MPs 'stand up for human dignity', will cross floor to stop mandatory detention
"Episodes
of self harm, attempted suicides, suicides and mental health problems
resulting from detention policy are matters of conscience. Personally I
have felt a great sense of pride when our party and parliament have
allowed matters going to the heart of the preservation of human life
and dignity to be freely debated on the basis of conscience, for
example euthanasia, abortion and stem cell research. It seems no less
important, for reasons of conscience, to engage in a wide ranging
debate on asylum seeker policy, a policy that fails the foundation test
of upholding human dignity." West Australian Liberal MP Judi Moylan
lays it on the line to Howard. more
Vivian Alvarez timeline: a work in and for progress
She
knows she's lost her war to hide truth, and now she's focused on saving
her career. Watching Vanstone's latest tactical play - note that as
always it's about her, not the victims - is getting interesting.
Meanwhile, here is a rough draft timeline of the Alvarez scandal to
help work out the evidence Vanstone and DIMIA give to Senate Estimates
hearings tomorrow, if they don't clam up, of course. I request your
help to flesh out the timeline. UPDATE May 29: Timeline updated to
incorporate info from Senate Estimates - DIMIA. Thanks to Alastair
Gaisford for trawling through the transcripts. UPDATE June 6: Timeline
updated to incorporate info from Senate hearings - DFAT. UPDATE Jun 28:
Correction: Wayne Gibbons did NOT sign the deportation order as stated.
More detail in this entry and in June 28 comment. more
Monday, May 23, 2005 at 04:00 PM
Why we ask...'why?'
"In
the end we, as human beings the world over and in our own way, love. We
believe. We seek to eat, to have shelter and safe beds to sleep in. In
all the tiny corners of the world, torn by war or party to it even if
just by deed of our being human, we each head into sleep at night while
within us somewhere deep or near the surface is the fundamental
question we all ask. Why do we hurt, harm, kill?" Robert Bosler more
History in our hands: radical transformation in Tasmania and beyond
"The
most obvious lesson I draw from the nine year campaign for gay law
reform in Tasmania is that human rights law reform and improving
community attitudes to human rights are inextricably linked. Clearly
changes in community attitudes make law reform more likely. But we
often forget that the relationship is reciprocal. One of the most
significant causes of social change in Tasmania has been community
education. In my experience all meaningful or substantial change comes
not from the hands of authority, but from below, from ordinary people
making the decision to improve their everyday lives." Rodney Croome more
Sunday, May 22, 2005 at 02:22 PM
Malcolm Fraser: once there were liberals
We
have entered a new world where people cease to be people 'not because
they are known to be something but because they are suspected to be
something', Malcolm Fraser says. He points out that normal reporting of
such cases can also lead to imprisonment. 'It's the sort of law Stalin
passed, and it's an Australian law.' more
Thursday, May 19, 2005 at 12:02 AM
The battle for truth on Iraq
When
Tony Blair's Labour Party was re-elected in Britain two weeks ago, the
saga of the Iraq War begun in March 2003 seemed to be, in one sense,
over. All three leaders of the "Coalition of the Willing" - the United
States, Australia and Great Britain - had survived politically after a
war that divided citizens and challenged long established principles of
international law. The three leaders survived despite evidence - still
emerging - that now seems to prove that the detailed justifications for
the war were not only wrong, but in many cases known to be wrong or
uncertain before the war began. This is the second battle for Iraq -
the battle for the truth. more
Wednesday, May 18, 2005 at 03:20 PM
Hicks and the Geneva Convention, by Stephen Kenny
"If
Australia does not call for the Geneva Convention to be applied to its
citizens now, then it is possible that countries involved in conflict
with Australia in the future will disregard the Geneva Convention.
History has shown us that this will result in the unnecessary
ill-treatment and no doubt deaths of Australian service men and women.
It has always been a mystery to me why General Cosgrove was not
pounding on the Prime Minister's door advising that Australia should
insist that all those captured in Afghanistan be dealt with under the
Geneva Convention to ensure the future protection of our own forces.
Unfortunately for our Defence personnel... it is now only the United
States and Australia who are publicly committed to supporting the
Military Commissions in Guantanamo Bay." Stephen Kenny more
Inventing a local newspaper
"Residents
of Blackall [Qld] were left with two newspapers sold into their town
but produced and controlled in other Outback towns, one 200km to the
north-west and another 300km to the south-east. So in 2002, a group of
Blackall residents formed a committee and asked local Queensland
Department of Primary Industries official Chris Capel to help them in a
project to re-start their own locally controlled and produced
newspaper." Dr John Cokley more
Curtin an appeaser, says Downer the Great
Downer
wants to lead the Coalition. Here's his vision for Australian foreign
policy and his justification for the lies he and John Howard told to
send Australia to its first war of aggression and its first war begun
without the support of the majority of the Australian people. more
Tuesday, May 17, 2005 at 05:00 PM
Torture, anyone?
G'day.
It's a funny old world. As we face the fact that our government and its
organs cannot be trusted to respect the rights, and even the humanity,
of innocent Australian citizens, the same government and its organs are
calling for the downgrading of citizen's protections against abuse of
power by the State with a view, perhaps, to the legalisation of state
torture. more
Getting elected as an independent: electoral laws and party favouritism
"History
shows that there have been very few successful Independents, and it
remains very difficult for an Independent to get elected. Part of the
reason is because the rules regarding political practice in most
Australian jurisdictions have been designed in a way that favours
parties over individuals. While such measures appear undemocratic, they
are unlikely to change significantly without considerable public
support or the political will of the major parties." Jennifer Curtin more
Monday, May 16, 2005 at 05:36 PM
Webdiarists help reveal Vanstone 'mistake' on crucial Alvarez fact
It
looks like Webdiary has its first strike in our people's inquiry, after
excellent research by Stephen Biddle, Melba Marginson and Jack H. Smit.
The government did NOT deliver Vivian to the "Overseas Women's Welfare
Association" as Vanstone claimed. And she failed to correct the record
for several days until challenged on her claim by the media. more
Webdiary discussion guidelines
As
a part of what I hope will become a concerted attempt by all
Webdiarists to lift the tone, substance, depth and civility of our
increasingly pluralistic dicussions - and also as a simple editing and
formatting aide memoire to help both editors and contributors speed up
the mechanical hack work of facilitating discussions while we are still
investigating a broader technical redevelopment - Jack Robertson has
drafted some guidelines for Webdiarists. more
A letter to Webdiarists from Melba Marginson, a Filipina Australian
"The
day the news broke out about the missing woman, the Centre for
Philippine Concerns Australia, a national network of Filipinos in
Australia, began joining the ABC in searching for Vivian Solon through
its network Centre for Migrant Advocacy in the Philippines. The CMA
immediately contacted the Australian Embassy in the Philippines and
Philippine government authorities. However, they faced a blank wall -
Australian officials told them they were briefed not to disclose any
information. The Philippine government, on the other hand, did not know
anything about the search and sought information from us instead... If
I ever meet an accident today as I go back to my office in Collins
Street, please take note that you are all witnesses that I am Maria
Selga, an Australian citizen of 9 years." Maria Selga, Victorian
chairperson of the Centre for Philippine Concerns Australia more
Citizen Jack: how a man with a computer and a passion for justice can make a difference in today's Australia
Want
to know how a man with a passion and a computer can help hold a
government to account? Webdiarist Jack H Smit began 'Project Safecom'
after Tampa. He is now one of Australia's most respected and effective
refugee advocates. Here is his story. more
Saturday, May 14, 2005 at 06:55 PM
The impact of outsourcing in immigration detention
"The Court findings in the case of S v. Secretary, DIMIA [2005] FCA 549,
where the Government failed to meet its duty of care towards two
detainees suffering severe mental illness, raises many issues. Whilst
the entire policy of mandatory long-term detention is at the heart of
the problems, one aspect of the policy that is currently very relevant
but has received little attention is the outsourcing of the management
of immigration detention." Andrew Bartlett more
Seeking volunteers for Webdiary's 'people's inquiry' into Alvarez
I suggest that we establish a "People's Inquiry" into Vivian Alvarez. We can start the inquiry now. more
Friday, May 13, 2005 at 01:29 AM
I don't know why you think that is funny: Vanstone
"If
we have got to the stage of cheap politics in this place where you
cannot make a simple factual statement without some bad faith being
attributed then we have really sunk to the very bottom." Vanstone plays
Alvarez for laughs in Question Time. more
Thursday, May 12, 2005 at 08:47 PM
Building a fairer Australia, by Kamikaze Kim
"Our
great country is about to enter the second decade of conservative rule.
History will mark 1996 to 2006 as the Liberal/National Government's
decade of deception. Year after year of lowering the 'truth' bar then
deliberately crawling under it. With one common theme - the Government
deceives, and Australians pay. If you think anyone here of Labor
principle would vote ourselves a $65
weekly tax cut when the people who put us here get $6 - you've got
another thing coming. Sadly we're learning the truth. They've
squandered this chance to make Australia secure for our children and
grandchildren. They have surfed a wave of prosperity but left the tough
decisions to future generations." Kim Beazley more
Ray attacks Liberal 'blowhards' on Alvarez cover up
"Thank
heavens the Catholic priest was watching the television at that time or
she still may not have been found. And if that publicity had occurred
21 months ago, that would have been 21 months less that she would have
had to spend in a hospice for the dying - an Australian citizen!"
Senator Robert Ray more
Charge of the female journos stuns Vanstone
Forgive me, but I'm proud that the media fightback is led by women. Lateline's
Margot O'Neill deserves a Walkley for breaking the first story about
Vivian Alverez and sticking to it like superglue. In the Press Gallery,
The Australian's Elizabeth Colman made it her business to get
the name of the Australian citizen our government kidnapped, and she
did, while AAP's Sandra O'Malley got the facts quickly and reported
them hard and straight every day. Both women were at the forefront of
the mauling Vanstone copped at her doorstop. Cold fury was their
method. more
Wednesday, May 11, 2005 at 10:48 PM
Government knew where Vivian was all the time: Priest
The
government told Vivian Alverez where they were taking her before
deporting her to the Philippines and delivered her to someone from the
convent hospice where she still lives four years later, Catholic priest
Father Mike Duffin said tonight. more
Alvarez found: Vanstone's statement
"I
am advised that an Australian Consular official in Manila has spoken to
a local Australian Catholic Priest in Olongapo, who has been in contact
with a woman in a local convent. It now seems, on the basis of that
discussion, that the woman is the Vivian Alvarez who was removed from
Australia in 2001." Vanstone more
Vanstone disappears, Brandis reads mag, as ministerial responsibility dies after a long illness
The
Senate has just passed a censure motion against Vanstone. The debate
was a depressing preview of how the accountability of ministers to our
Parliament will completely collapse after July 1, when the government
takes control of the Senate. Vanstone did not even bother to turn up
for the debate, let alone defend her honour by speaking. Acting Senate
Deputy President Senator George Brandis (Lib, Queensland), who chaired
the debate, thought so little of the serious issues under discussion
that he ignored it, choosing to read The Economist magazine instead. more
Liberals: the Consumption Party
"The
2005 budget in 20 words or less: 'Last night Peter Costello cut taxes
so that wealthy Australians will be able to afford to buy more things.'
That's pretty much it. The Liberal Party stands for consumption. That
is its ideology - underpinned by the belief that no matter how shoddily
they govern, as long as people can afford plasma screens they'll keep
voting for them." Dave Green more
Time to rethink cancer treatment?
"If
the Senate Committee gives anything more than lip service to the
requests from their constituents for more support for cheaper self-help
[cancer] therapies, this will undermine the implication that vested
interests are the dominating influence over parliament." Don Benjamin more
Tuesday, May 10, 2005 at 05:54 PM
Vanstone, minister for buck passing, doesn't know, won't ask
She's got no class and unlimited gall, Amanda Vanstone. Tonight, an annotated transcript of last night's Lateline
interview and her "answers" to questions in the Senate today on the
growing number of scandals she's chosen to cover up rather than take
responsibility for - her department's culpable neglect of mentally ill
asylum seekers in Baxter, her pretend inquiry into Cornelia Rau, and
her refusal to take responsibility for the search for Vivian Alvarez,
who her Department illegally deported, then, after realising the
mistake in 2003, did nothing to find her and bring her home to her son.
To begin, John Howard's response on Alverez. Believe it or not he
smiled during his answer. Looks like he's betting Australians won't
give a damn about this, so he won't. more
Monday, May 9, 2005 at 10:56 AM
Can new millennium Germany transcend Hitler's evil legacy?
"If
Germany of today could articulate what I suspect heavily is in the
minds of many, it would say the following: Remember, remember...please
never forget the terror. For, as Winston Churchill once noted, if we
fail to learn the lessons of history then we are doomed to repeat them.
But let us find our way to a new day also - finally free, yet
paradoxically bound to the conflict, violence and division that carved
Germany for the majority of the 20th Century." Meagan Phillipson more
The citizen investigator: Marilyn's story
"In
early March this year I decided it was easier and cheaper to store all
the DIMIA answers to questions in Senate Estimates hearings on my hard
drive rather than constantly have to go on line to find answers. I
started reading them that week starting from last year's and working
backward. I found a funny thing. In an answer to a question about the
numbers of people released from detention from July 2003 to February
2004, DIMIA included the phrase "33 not unlawful". What did that mean??? I wondered if I was the first person to actually read the answer." Marilyn Shepherd more
Urgent: an Australian bill of rights for all of us
Australia
is the only Western country where citizens don't have some civil rights
protection in law, and it's showing. I like Professor George Williams'
idea: that Parliament pass a law guaranteeing our right to free speech,
freedom of association and assembly, our right to equality before the
law, and our right not to be arbitrarily detained by the state. These
rights would prevail over contrary laws unless those laws specifically
overrode them. That would mean we'd at least get advance notice when
our rights were about to be curtailed, and could debate whether the
cost was worth the benefit. more
Friday, May 6, 2005 at 05:35 AM
Government policy deepened asylum seekers' mental illness: Judge
Here
is Part 2 of the judgement that finds the Government guilty of systemic
breaches of its duty of care to mentally ill asylum seekers in Baxter
and condemns its outsourcing policy, which Labor promised to abolish at
the last election. Part 1 is at Judge finds government guilty of "culpable neglect" of mentally ill in detention: whose heads will roll?
more
Judge finds government guilty of 'culpable neglect' of mentally ill in detention: whose heads will roll?
Want
to know one of the two big reasons the Government is running scared on
Rau, so scared that the inquiry into Rau's incarceration is private and
has no legal powers to get evidence and documents? The edited text of
today's Federal Court judgement, part one of which I've published
below, will fill you in. We're talking "culpable neglect", and that
means Vanstone and her Department are in big, big trouble. Got the
decency to resign now, Amanda? Or is culpable neglect your brief from
the PM? more
Thursday, May 5, 2005 at 12:32 PM
God under John Howard
"In
her new book Marion Maddox examines the influence of US style
right-wing Christianity on Australian politics and finds that it is not
a new phenomenon. Such an influence has been at work since at least the
early 1990s in the form of firstly, the Lyons Forum and, more recently,
the right-wing evangelical churches of the US. The tactics are adopted
from the US New Christian Right and adapted for Australian conditions."
Bob Wall more
Wednesday, May 4, 2005 at 12:40 AM
Howard: I am the wisdom of all Australians
"The
late Manning Clark produced a powerful piece of historical mythology
when he cast the Labor Party as the 'enlargers' of Australian horizons
and our side of politics as the 'straighteners' of our national life.
It was always a myth, but never more so than today. We in the Liberal
Party are the enlargers of choice and opportunity in Australian
society. We are the friends of freedom and initiative over compulsion
and conformity. And we are the party that respects the accumulated
wisdom that resides in every Australian home. In this, I believe,
history is on our side." John Howard more
Tuesday, May 3, 2005 at 12:23 PM
Costello a fox in Howard's trap
I
am of the view that Howard has begun a campaign to destroy Costello's
pretensions to the top job. I believe Costello must do something
dramatic to change the dynamic and make the case to become Prime
Minister. more
Sunday, May 1, 2005 at 02:54 PM
Why the continuing dance with death?
"...
the role played by the Australian Federal Police in the recent arrests
in Indonesia is cause for grave concern. It raises many questions in
need of an answer from a Federal Government that continues to remind us
it is opposed to the death penalty. The actions of the AFP brought
those nine people face-to-face with the possibility of execution. Our
police have no role in dabbling with the business of death." Rachel
Walsh more
Tuesday, April 19, 2005 at 08:46 PM
The People -v- Abbott: Gillard's case
"As
the attached Safety Net Timeline of Deceit shows, Minister Abbott's
so-called defence also flies in the face of the clear fact that the
Howard Government has had plenty of notice of blow outs in the Medicare
Safety net, including knowing pre-election that the cost of the
Medicare Safety net had blown out to $1.3 billion." Gillard's case for
the prosecution more
Bali busts: our road to a new form of fascism
"The
big drug busts in Bali illustrates my belief that some western
countries are firmly on a road to a new type of fascism. In no way do I
condone the trafficking or dealing in hard drugs. But the only way to
stop this awful crime is to do so at the very scource. If these Bali
Nine are guilty, they are no more than deluded drug 'mules', although I
have no doubt that the AFP will perpetuate the exaggeration that they
were a major cog in a huge drug ring." Michael de Angelos more
China is not a normal country
G'day.
Our relations with China are on the boil as we saddle up for Free Trade
Agreement talks with the giant, as are relations between China and our
biggest trading partner Japan, and between China and Taiwan. James Squires asks for a new thread.
more
Thursday, April 14, 2005 at 10:55 PM
The role of newspapers in this digital age, by Rupert Murdoch
"Scarcely
a day goes by without some claim that new technologies are fast writing
newsprint's obituary. Yet, as an industry, many of us have been
remarkably, unaccountably complacent. Certainly, I didn't do as much as
I should have after all the excitement of the late 1990's. I suspect
many of you in this room did the same, quietly hoping that this thing
called the digital revolution would just limp along. Well it hasn't ...
it won't ... and it's a fast developing reality we should grasp as a
huge opportunity to improve our journalism and expand our reach."
Rupert Murdoch more
Tuesday, April 12, 2005 at 05:32 PM
Howard government corrupt and unpatriotic: Beazley
"Well,
they do have to take us on trust. I suppose there's no getting around
that, and it is true that the Labor Party is as capable of breaking an
election promise as the Liberal Party is. You promise to be different
and you hope that you would be. I think the best answer to it, apart
from the role that all of you perform, is to actually have a set of
legislation that you would put in place to have yourself governed by. A
better FOI Act, a better Act on controlling how governments use
advertising, you've got to actually put around yourself a few
impediments and that's what we would do. We'd put a few impediments
around ourselves, I'm not saying that there wouldn't be a thrust to try
to get this and that argument up when you're in government, that seems,
in a way, only natural. The question is how you're checked and a set of
bits of legislation usually does it. Make the hurdles a bit too high to
jump over." Kim Beazley more
Accountability, by Kim Beazley
"Having
the job of opposing all this may seem a thankless one to some. But on
the contrary, as I have told my colleagues, it is a noble calling. For
Labor, it presents us with the opportunity to stand
shoulder-to-shoulder with the Australian people as their champions in
their House of Parliament. As this term wears on, this Government will
show more clearly than it ever has how badly it needs to be stopped.
And the Howard Government's decisions will belong to the Howard
Government, and no-one else. There is great honour in standing against
the abuse of power, and standing for a better alternative for the
Australian people. That will be our task, and it is one I relish over
these next few years." Kim Beazley more
Friday, April 8, 2005 at 10:12 AM
Club Chaos GM: my thoughts
I've read your comments to Club Chaos general meeting
and am considering how to take Webdiary forward right now. Thank you
for your offers of time and money to keep this show on the road. I
pre-recorded an interview with Radio National's 'Media Report' on
online journalism yesterday afternoon, and realised in the middle of it
precisely why I'm feeling a bit low. I've become Webdiary's editor and
moderator as comments and reader pieces have grown, and I really miss
not researching and writing my own stuff. I want to be a Webdiary
writer too! I have firmed up some ideas which I'll put to you when I've
spoken to Jack. more
Tuesday, April 5, 2005 at 06:56 PM
Khristo's crime at the Baxter protests
"I
was one of the people arrested for pulling down part of the main fence,
and I want to explain that briefly. I do want to apologise to my family
and friends for fracturing 'good order',for the creation of conflict
and turmoil, but I also must stand by my actions because I believed
them to be right, and knew that I did them in the true spirit of
non-violent direct action." Khristo Newall more
Coming in from outside that circle
"And
isn't that what we Greens are; forming new, unexpected, unpredictable
alliances in the name of the next generation, a fairer society and a
world that they can live in with their fellow citizens." Bob Brown more
Monday, April 4, 2005 at 02:24 PM
Who's afraid of The Greens?
"Are
the Greens policies as 'kooky' as John Howard insists? Without doubt
their overall program is radically different to the prevailing
orthodoxy. The last decade of the Howard government has seen a current
account blowout that would make Kath and Kim blush, from $194 billion
dollars in 1995 to the $393 billion today. Under Howard, we've all
shopped ourselves silly, and still feel like we're missing out. The
Greens would change all this. Under the Greens we would be made more
aware of the cost of everything we consumed - to the environment, to
poorly paid sweated labour. Splashing out on an outré outfit at a
Chapel street boutique would become fraught with all manner of ethical
dilemmas. Were the workers properly paid? Did the dyes used in the
product have an adverse environmental impact? Is the outfit
sustainable?" Chris Saliba more
Thursday, March 31, 2005 at 12:46 PM
Entsch and our democracy watchdog -v- the people
"During
the 2004 federal election, in the electorate of Leichhardt in far north
Queensland, Mr Tony Hudson, an installer of antennae and communication
systems from Cairns, had had enough of the sitting member Warren
Entsch, and campaigned for his removal. Mr Hudson created a caricature
of Mr Entsch as a lying devil (horns, forked tongue, Pinnochio nose)
and printed it on a set of electoral signs. The signs were authorised
according to the Electoral Act, and directed people to a web-site where
Tony made his case that Warren was a poor representative for the people
of Leichhardt. The signs were erected commencing 28 September 2004.
Within days, Mr Hudson's signs were attacked, knocked over and removed.
Mr Hudson made a complaint to the Australian Electoral Commission on 30
September..." Bryan Law more
Wednesday, March 30, 2005 at 02:50 PM
Taking back your democracy
My
starting point is that those who rule us get their way partly by
dividing us, and that the belief in democracy has the potential to
unite us in its defence, regardless of who we vote for and what else we
disagree on. So I've started, with the help of volunteers, a new
website called 'Your Democracy' to see if this is possible. more
Thursday, March 24, 2005 at 10:53 PM
Club Chaos general meeting
G'day.
Webdiary will close for Easter, and resume on Tuesday. I've got MUST DO
NOW tax stuff to sort out, then I'll do chill out time with friends to
re-charge. I'll keep the comment boxes open, but please be sparing in
your comments so I'm not snowed under on Tuesday morning. Happy Easter
to all. And now to business... more
Rau proved them is us: the backlash begins
Cornelia
Rau ripped down the barrier between "us" and "them" and showed us all
that you can't treat "them" as if they aren't worthy of the rights
enjoyed by "us" without eroding our rights too. The dam has burst. The
government is exposed as a serial abuser of human rights incapable of
owning up to its crimes. more
Wednesday, March 23, 2005 at 12:47 AM
The Menzies years
"The
problem encountered in the country town where I lived, and I suppose in
many places, was that the Movement was so secret that only Catholics
who were known by the P.P. and recommended by someone already a member
could be admitted to the Group. The result was that the Group consisted
of four or five professional people and me, I being the only person in
the Group to be a member of a Union. I was the last one to join the
Group so, after being sworn to secrecy, was told that the Communists
had great caches of arms, were ready to start a civil war and take over
Australia at any time. I found this information difficult to accept, as
the only people I knew who admitted to having an interest in communism
seemed pretty harmless to me. But a country town is an unlikely seat of
national sedition." Jim Connelly more
Monday, March 21, 2005 at 05:00 PM
What our leaders believe
I've
been wanting to make Webdiary less reactive for a while now, but
there's so much incredible news and the now routine breaking of
traditional democratic conventions these days, from both sides, that
it's damned hard not to react, especially when so few journos are
documenting the latter. During my break a friend gave me the transcript
of the ABC Compass program of October 3 last year called What our leaders believe.
She'd got it from a senior political journo on the 2004 election
campign trail who believed the interviews with our leaders were by far
the most insightful and telling of 2004. more
Thursday, March 17, 2005 at 12:46 AM
100 years of Truth, Damned Truth and Statistics
"A
strong official statistical agency is one of the most important
elements of an effective democracy. To play this role effectively, the
ABS has to be trusted. Trust means that statistics are compiled and
presented objectively. Trust means that there is confidence in the
quality of the statistics. Trust also means that providers of data are
confident that we are a reliable custodian of their data and that its
confidentiality will be protected." Dennis Trewin, Australia's chief
statistician more
Club Chaos advisory
G'day.
I'm flying to Western Australia this morning for three days to speak at
the first Perth Social Forum. Harry Heidelberg has very kindly agreed
to guest edit your comments while I'm away. more
Tuesday, March 15, 2005 at 01:03 AM
The legacy of Sir Robert Menzies
"The
country has great and imperative obligations to the weak, the sick, the
unfortunate. It must give them all the sustenance and support it can.
We look forward to social and unemployment insurances, to improved
health services, to a wiser control of our economy to avert if possible
all booms and slumps which tend to convert labour into a commodity, to
a better distribution of wealth, and to a keener sense of social
justice and social responsibility." Sir Robert Menzies more
Monday, March 14, 2005 at 02:26 PM
The nature of democracy
"In
my own opinion, our most grievous error has been that we have thought
too much of democracy in mechanical terms - as a system of government -
and too little of it as a spirit, a moving force; not a mere vehicle
for the expression of the human mind alone, but a challenge to the
human spirit... If, as a voter, I am concerned only with my own
advantage and am indifferent to the cost to others, I am simply
corrupt. I am selling my vote for an individual mess of pottage.
Government of the people by my party, for me, is not democracy. It is
just a system of crooked bargaining. It cannot support any decent new
order, and it is not worth fighting for." Sir Robert Menzies more
Webdiary, you and me
I've
felt for some years now that parliament is the realm of the second
rate, and that real power is now with big business and international
capital. Politicians, in the main, are mere salesmen for their backers
or, if they believe in serving the public interest, are quickly
squashed by the media and other forces. more
Saturday, March 12, 2005 at 08:35 PM
Onward to Iran
"At
first thought, it seems a US attack on Iran would seem foolish, given
that the American military is already bogged down in neighboring Iraq.
However, there are three important reasons why the Administration might
be more than willing take up the immense risks involved." Richard
Heinberg more
Tuesday, March 1, 2005 at 12:15 AM
Housekeeping
February stats, taking a WD break, reopening for business next Tuesday. more
Tuesday, February 22, 2005 at 02:44 PM
Howard puts more Aussie bodies on the line in Iraq, minus mandate
Unbelievable.
Simply unbelievable. We're sending MORE troops to Iraq! Where is the
mandate for that? Howard framed the Iraq war before and during the
election around not bringing them home until the job was done. He made
no mention at all of sending in more, and if he had, Iraq could have
well become front and centre of the election campaign, with a stark
difference between the majors. Bring them home or send in more? more
Don't think of an elephant
"This
book is not for the Howard/Bush lovers on this site. So to these, don't
read the book. It's secret leftie business. Tactics and stuff. In fact,
skip this review altogether. You really wouldn't be interested anyway."
From Hamish Alcorn's review of the new book 'Don't Think of an Elephant
- Know Your Values and Frame the Debate' more
Monday, February 21, 2005 at 03:05 PM
It pays to be prudent on morality in world politics
"It
is in terms of such a morality of prudence that I believe that the Bush
Administration has seriously failed in Iraq. Its policy has been rich
in unintended consequences (a global wave of intense anti-Americanism,
the opposition of some of America's most important allies, the
indefinite tying down of a third of a million military personnel,
disgusting images of torture, the killing of large numbers of
civilians) and dangerous precedents that may be exploited by others."
Owen Harries more
Wednesday, February 16, 2005 at 02:07 AM
A primer on defence dissemblers' tall tales before today's try-on
To
prepare you for today's Senate questions to defence and its minister
Senator Hill on the latest scandal to erupt over our conduct in Iraq,
I've gone through the transcripts of evidence in May 2004, when
untruths were first exposed about Australia's knowledge of American
torture in Iraq. There's more than a few people in serious trouble
here. Lying to the Parliament is - or used to be - a serious matter. more
Tuesday, February 15, 2005 at 05:05 PM
Howard to Parliament: ask someone else about the truth of my statements
It
has come to this. A Prime Minister of Australia has, for the first
time, refused in Parliament, the people's house, to confirm or amend
personal assurances to the Australian people after their veracity was
disputed by a credible witness. Leadership overboard. more
Every Coalition MP is guilty if no heads roll over Rau
Amanda
Vanstone told the Senate Estimates committee today that her job was to
defend her department. She does not represent the Australian people;
she represents herself, her Prime Minister, and her public 'servants'.
Her department, its top officers admitted today, has not even collected
the facts yet, the excuse for it failing to produce even a timeline of
what happened, when and where. How many times did a DIMIA officer visit
Cornelia Rau in prison in Queensland in the five months before the
department sent her to Baxter? Dunno. Unless the government now orders
a public judicial inquiry, every single Coalition MP is guilty of the
crime perpetrated in the Australian people's name on Cornelia Rau. more
Monday, February 14, 2005 at 05:25 PM
Seeking truth about Australian interrogations in Iraq
Mark
Twain said that if you told the truth you didn't have to remember what
you'd said before. Or, I might add, wait till allegations are made
before determining what you'll say is the truth. Here's what Howard and
Hill have told the Australian people to date about whether we
interrogated prisoners in Iraq. more
Sunday, February 13, 2005 at 01:20 PM
The sinking of Tuvalu
"On
Wednesday, February 16, 2005, when the Kyoto Protocol finally becomes
part of international law, we should all pause and think of the
directly threatened peoples of countries like Tuvalu, be ashamed of
what we in the industrial world have done to them, and do what we each,
and collectively, must to to reduce global warming, because Tuvalu Mo
Te Atua! We Are All Tuvalu!" Dr Mark Hayes more
Thursday, February 10, 2005 at 12:53 PM
Georgiou revives the liberal conscience in Parliament
"In
the US the nation's courts have recently drawn upon the bill of rights
in the constitution to question the government assertion of complete
authority to indefinitely detain immigrants who cannot be deported. The
Australian Constitution has fewer provisions for the protection of
human rights. In 2004, by a 4-3 majority, the High Court decided that
the government had the legal power to indefinitely detain people it
wished to deport even if it is in practice impossible to deport them."
Petro Georgiou more
Wednesday, February 9, 2005 at 04:02 PM
Can the Senate tell us who abused Cornelia Rau?
"It
is incredible that behaviour Aborigines in Cape York and asylum seekers
in Baxter Detention Centre clearly identified as related to mental
illness could be construed by the department of immigration as
"normal". It is even more incredible that the department and
authorities at Baxter Detention Centre deemed it was appropriate to
lock up Ms Rau in the isolation unit." Senator Kerry Nettle more
How the Rau story broke
Here's
the countdown to the exposure of the Cornelia Rau scandal, by refugee
advocate Pamela Curr. Congratulations Pamela; you've done something
special. more
Tuesday, February 8, 2005 at 07:14 PM
Vanstone's defence: trust us, we're the government
Q:
The questions are so big and so hard, surely Commissioner Palmer should
have legislative authority to compel witnesses, to stop destruction of
documents and to get to the bottom of this in public.
A: With respect, I think the complaint you now make is one that you may
wish to make when Mr Palmer has finished his inquiry. more
Vanstone cites Rau's 'rights' to scuttle inquiry
Amanda
Vanstone has announced that a former policeman will have a private
poke-around into the Cornelia Rau scandal without power to compel those
involved to be interviewed or answer questions or to order the
production of documents. She won't even give the poor sod's report
protection against legal action. Why? more
Sunday, February 6, 2005 at 12:36 PM
Peak oil and our government: what energy crisis?
"Two
of the most obvious consequences of declining world oil supplies are
rising prices and international resource conflict. As supplies decline
prices will rise for both oil and oil exploration. The remaining oil
will be in smaller reservoirs in increasingly more difficult locations,
like under the sea, under arctic ice or in oil sands. Higher oil prices
will be reflected in the price of food, transport, heating, plastics,
automobiles, pharmaceuticals, prosthetics, contact lenses, computers,
housing and much more. Then there's the cost of petrol." Ian McPherson more
Friday, February 4, 2005 at 12:00 PM
A society devoid of conscience?
"We
are rapidly becoming devoid of creative thinking and have become
mundanely comfortable in selling our souls on a daily basis to anybody
who will pay us enough. When ones self centered desire for the latest
and greatest techno toy depends on towing an ideological/ corporate
line, compromising one's own values without appearing like one is
suddenly becomes a mandatory skill. We have become our politicians, or
perhaps it is that our politicians have become like us." Andrew
Stretton more
Monday, January 31, 2005 at 11:56 PM
What next for Iraq?
"G'day.
The Iraqis, some of them anyway, have voted to elect people to then
elect a Prime Minister and draw up a Constitution to put to the people
at the end of the year. A few readers have asked me to dash off a
comment piece on the election's success." more
Friday, January 28, 2005 at 03:44 PM
Fat's in fire for USA in Iraq: Beazley
"The
clearest argument we have to make to our American friends is this: you
must not become involved in a long running civil war in Iraq, full
stop. Should you become involved in a long running civil war in Iraq
you will undermine the international fight against fundamentalist
terror and you will not see yourselves in a position where you can take
up the issues of weapons of mass destruction spread wherever else it's
occurring...if it becomes the determinant of all features of American
policy because it's so absorbing the Americans, the fat's well and
truly in the fire by now, my friend." Big Kim more
Burial or praise of Labor's new Caesar? No comment
Is
Labor paranoid? The Labor whip Roger Price broke tradition to ban TV
and print camera people from filming caucus members going in and out.
He even tried to ban reporters gathering in the usual place on the way
to the Caucus room. Huh? They stood their ground, and on the way in to
rubber stamp Beazley (Price is a Rudd supporter) he barked, "No
cameras. And no approaching anyone." more
Monday, January 24, 2005 at 02:09 PM
Raise the white flag: vote Beazley
The
idea that Beazley as leader will inspire citizens to spend time and
effort rescuing Labor from the abyss is plain silly. From what I've
read, Beazley, unlike Rudd or Gillard, has yet again failed to
articulate a plan for Labor's regeneration, in policy or organisational
terms. more
Wednesday, January 19, 2005 at 02:36 PM
Looking for Webdiarists' choice for Labor leader
G'day.
Let's find out who Webdiarists would like to see as the next Labor
leader. My hope is Kevin Rudd, with Julia Gillard as deputy. I think a
return to Beazley would be a return to small target NSW right style.
He's a captive of that group, as shown by his failure in two terms as
leader to do anything to reform the party itself. more
Tuesday, January 18, 2005 at 10:06 PM
Remembering Latham, leader by a vote for a year
"The
collective gasp of reporters swarmed around the Labor bloke who
announced the result on Tuesday was reflected in offices throughout
Parliament House. The jaws of John Howard and Peter Costello dropped
when someone advised the Coalition party room meeting of the result.
Even those who voted for him were in shock all week at what they'd
done. How on earth did this happen?" Webdiary Friday, December 5, 2003 more
Mark Latham's goodbye statement
"I
am exceptionally fortunate to have a fantastic family, especially my
beautiful wife and two little boys. I would be crazy to put this at
risk. In politics everyone talks about family values. I would like to
practice them in a normal way." Mark Latham more
Monday, January 17, 2005 at 02:01 PM
Let the media tear him apart
G'day.
Webdiary is open for conversation in 2005, and I wonder if the tsunami
will significantly influence the course of world events this year. It's
already triggered a leadership crisis in the ALP. more
Friday, December 17, 2004 at 08:12 PM
Christmas break
G'day. Webdiary will close at midnight tonight and re-open in mid-January. Best wishes to all for Christmas and the New Year. more
The year ahead
On
July 1 next year we will lose the Senate as an accountability mechanism
unless we, the people, do something about it. Here's some of what will
go. more
Wednesday, December 15, 2004 at 01:14 PM
2004 Webdiary award winners
And the winners are... more
Monday, December 13, 2004 at 11:03 PM
The media's role in hiding political donations
"The
public, as consumers of both the media and the products or services
advertised, have a right to be fully informed through the press of the
extent of corporate funding of political parties and to be told which
companies are funding which parties. Otherwise the suspicion remains
that the principle of political equality is being undermined by the
political influence of party funders." Robin Tennant-Wood more
Saturday, December 11, 2004 at 04:44 PM
Mungo, Latham, and the press gallery up close and personal
EXCLUSIVE
(I think): the transcript of Tuesday's conversation between Mark
Latham, Mungo MacCallum and members of the federal press gallery on
politics, journalism and the media in the context of the 2004 federal
election campaign. more
Friday, December 10, 2004 at 08:01 PM
The Webdiary awards for 2004: nominations open
I've thought over a reader's suggestion for Webdiary awards for 2004, and call for nominations in the following categories.
more
Saturday, December 4, 2004 at 01:13 PM
Housekeeping
Nom de plumes, November stats, security codes and blanks. more
Tuesday, November 30, 2004 at 09:18 PM
Countering the threat to our right to know
As we get less and less information and less and less context we are going to have to do more investigative work ourselves. more
Monday, November 29, 2004 at 05:48 PM
Anderson told Maguire to get Windsor to back off bribery claim: Windsor
"Get
your mate to pull back...this is bigger than all of us," Windsor claims
Deputy PM John Anderson told Greg Maguire within days of allegations
that an unnamed intermediary on behalf of an unnamed political party
had urged his retirement from politics in exchange for a government
job. And last week the Government black-banned the man elected to New
England with a huge vote from attending or speaking at the opening of a
local aged care facility in his electorate. more
Windsor-v-Anderson: now another conversation's in dispute
I'm
getting the feeling that the longstanding enmity between John Anderson
and the man he beat for National Party pre-selection in Ando's seat of
Gwydir could climax in the political destruction of one man or the
other. Windsor has just told Parliament Mr Anderson had misrepresented
an exchange between the pair after the famous meeting between Windsor
and Maguire on May 19. more
Saturday, November 27, 2004 at 11:29 PM
Webdiary guidelines for you and me
I'm
going to try one innovation, inspired by a comment from Peter Carlisle:
"The use of right/left wing labels does more than redirect the quality
of what we are trying to say. Our self catergorisation along those
dimensions actually influences how we think. You can see it in the
mindless name calling on both of the arbitrary sides (right vs left) of
the Webdiary debates which does nothing to further anyone's knowledge
and only serves to highlight group distinctions (encouraging more
mindless mud slinging). Maybe a solution to the problem would be to
instigate a rule that no submissions containing a left/right label will
be published on the site. How 'bout it Margo?" more
Friday, November 26, 2004 at 12:42 AM
Has Windsor triggered Ando's sports rorts Armageddon?
What
do you reckon about the propriety of a government MP announcing cash
for a project in his marginal seat during an election campaign under a
funding program when an application hasn't even been made - let alone
assessed - under the strict published guidelines? Welcome to Hinkler,
and welcome to the fallout of Tony Windsor's allegations of bribery.
John Anderson, what have you done? more
Tuesday, November 23, 2004 at 12:01 AM
Your right to know? Silly you - trust the AFP
Here's
the AFP's statement - we'll do nothing, as usual, on conduct allegedly
involving the government, and won't tell you anything either - on the
Windsor allegations. Oh well, why should the public have the right to
know the facts? It's our democracy, that's all. And notice how quickly
the matter is finalised after the story gets a public airing?
Inappropriate to comment, eh? No such qualms after the bombing in
Jakarta during the election campaign - indeed, the authorities put out
false info about an SMS message, remember? Just how compromised is the
AFP? But who cares? It's the economy, stupid. I say the least we
deserve is an explanatory statement from the DPP, as we got in the
Reith Telecard affair, and the release of the statements of the key
witnesses - the ones the AFP bothered to interview that is. more
Monday, November 22, 2004 at 11:15 PM
Janine Haines, Democrat
"I
am shocked and very saddened to hear of the cruelly premature death of
former Australian Democrats Senate leader Janine Haines." Jean Jenkins more
What the ABC means to our democracy
"Why
does the ABC need friends? What is its relevance to democracy and
government in this country? Why should it be regarded as under threat?
I think that the answers to these questions need to be looked at in
light of the overall situation of the media in this country." Fomer
chief justice of the Family Court Alastair Nicholson more
Modern Labor: Latham's new start
"After
four election losses in a row, we need to be brutally honest
about the changing nature of Australian society and its economy,
and the ways in which Labor must change. Sure, there are other things
we can blame for our defeat last month ... but none of them address the
long-term trend. None of them confront the seriousness of our position:
Labor has not won a Federal election since 1993. Something more
substantial has happened. Something bigger than one-off factors or
single-issue setbacks." Mark Latham more
A call to communicate
"Detour
words unfortunately redirect the quality of what we try to say away
from its value and in the direction of a useless reception or personal
squabble. If you use these detour words, you can be pretty sure that
your point will not be received the way you want by the very people you
wish to influence. If you have something to communicate, why waste its
value simply because you included a detour word?" Robert Bosler more
Whatever doesn't kill us makes us stronger
"When
it comes down to it Labor lost because people think Howard is doing a
good job of running the economy and few if any swinging voters thought
Labor would do a better job. And who could blame them? What reason has
Labor given them in eight and a half years to suggest they could do a
better job?" Webdiarist Kerry O'Brien more
Sunday, November 21, 2004 at 12:59 PM
Reform the ALP!
"The
objective of ReformTheALP is nothing less than to break the ALP out of
its aging, restrictive mould and build it into a truly social
democratic party. It will become a broad-based citizens movement,
dedicated to progressing Australian society, and the economy upon which
we all depend. This can absolutely be done, and it will be done." Dave
Green more
Saturday, November 20, 2004 at 03:02 PM
The girl we (almost) left behind
Three
days after being snubbed, a distraught Kylie spoke briefly to her local
paper just once, before retreating. "I don't know if I wasn't invited
because I have been a thorn in Mr Howard's side, but if so I hope he
can live with himself after denying me and my daughter an opportunity
to be part of something we would have remembered forever. No apology
will bring that back." more
Privatising Christianity
"Instead
of a population which broadly defines itself as Christian and maintains
a broad set of values, we now have groups which claim to hold the
copyright to the Christian label and assert that they alone are the
arbiters of so-called Christian values. When we had two competing
groups, a level of tolerance was necessary. You could agree to disagree
or, as I said earlier, you could agree not to discuss religion at all.
But now that we appear to have privatised Christianity and to have
issued licences for some groups to have the exclusive right to call
themselves Christians, we now have a split between those insiders and
the great majority who may call themselves Christian but do not have
the registered trademark and so cannot really call themselves
Christians." ALP MP Julia Irwin more
And the winner is ...
Martyn King is the winner of Webdiary's election tipping competition. more
Friday, November 19, 2004 at 05:44 PM
Political bribery: the law and the reality
Greg
Maguire, after months of silence and days of legal advice, has now
accused an MP elected by Australian voters of being a liar. Those
electors deserve to get as close as they can to the truth of this
matter, in the public interest. An independent public inquiry is a
must. more
Greg Maguire deserts Windsor
Did
Maguire withdraw his support for Windsor after the meeting with
Anderson and Macdonald over the equine centre, and run off at the mouth
to try to deliver the seat back to the Nationals? Why would Windsor and
two witnesses lie about what he said? more
Thursday, November 18, 2004 at 08:47 PM
Kylie Russell comes to Canberra, at last
"My
husband was a good soldier. He was a Sgt in the SAS. You don't become a
Sgt in the SAS if you are not a good soldier. But he came across a
weapon that he could not see, he could not fight, and he had no
protection from it. These are terrible weapons and we should, as a
country, try and highlight to the international community that they
should not be used - they should not be used in war - and we should be
pushing for a global ban. And we need to show the rest of the
international community that we are strong and are going to stick to
these rules." Kylie Russell more
And now, the official Family First story
"Our
desire and passion is to be a moderate voice that will seek to be an
advocate of Australian families and a common sense voice that enhances
mainstream Australian life in the Federal Parliament." Family First more
John Anderson on the front foot
"But
did I suggest to Senator Macdonald that we ought to try and find him a
posting? Let me be absolutely frank, as I said during the campaign: I
do not believe the member for New England would make a suitable
diplomat overseas in the first place. In the second place, it would
have been corrupt and wrong, and I would not have done it." John
Anderson more
Windsor's second punch
"Mr
Maguire is the victim of an approach from Mr Anderson and Senator
Macdonald and he, like me, was not aware that he was actually
contravening, or potentially contravening, the Commonwealth Electoral
Act. It would be, a great travesty of justice if the real villains in
this case, the ones who are the architects of the message, were allowed
to flutter off into the sunset, rather than the messenger." Tony
Windsor more
Wednesday, November 17, 2004 at 07:48 PM
Windsor-v-Anderson: trouble in Tamworth
"Senator
MacDonald said, offer him whatever it takes, we can deliver. One of
them also said, and I quote, "the government makes about 500 political
appointments, it can be done". Senator MacDonald also said, Windsor has
a pension, why does he want to hang around anyway - apparently
referring to my 10 years in the state parliament." Tony Windsor more
Tuesday, November 16, 2004 at 08:36 AM
Unholy alliances
What
was Alston in democratic politics for, I wondered. What sort of
difference did he want to make, and for whom? I tried to figure it out,
as, enraged, he blew the cross-media legislation super-spin away like a
parliamentary greenhorn. "This is a WATERSHED amendment! This amendment
goes to the absolute HEART of the cross-media reforms!" he yelled
across the chamber. more
Monday, November 15, 2004 at 03:35 PM
Closing the door on your right to know
John
Howard's preferred scenario is an Australian media landscape so
dominated by the two most powerful men in the country that only the ABC
could, if it dared, subject either man's corporate empire to
independent scrutiny. The Murdoch and Packer journos don't investigate
each other's proprietorial doings because if they did their work would
not be published and they would lose their jobs. There would be no
media players left to defend Aunty. Murdoch's Australian savages the
ABC as a matter of editorial policy these days, even calling for the
abolishment of Radio National, while Packer simply sues it and ties it
up in legalknots. These guys hate uncontrollable public media outlets
as much as they hate an independent Fairfax. more
Terrorism and the democratic response
"The
rule of law is itself one of the fundamental principles which
democrats, the world over, defend against terrorists. As Chief Justice
Latham once said in an Australian case, it is easy for judges of
constitutional courts to accord basic rights to popular majorities. The
real test comes when they are asked to accord the same rights to
unpopular minorities and individuals." High Court Justice Michael Kirby
more
Dear Margo, Meeja and Australia
"Concentration
of media. What interest is served and why? This is not in the public
interest. How could it be? I think Australians of goodwill all around
this great land will gather online and in person. Australians are
sensible and down to earth. We know when we are being done over. It is
not the Australian way and we don't like being taken for a ride nor
taken to be fools." Harry Heidelberg more
Waiting for the great leap forward
G'day.
For me, the most pressing issue for our democracy right now is the
seeming inevitability of the abolition of our crossmedia laws. I'm
still thinking about how to approach dissent to this in the new
circumstances. It is important to dissent, because even though the odds
of success are minimal, it would be tragic for Australia if we lost a
foundation stone of our democracy - an independent, diversely owned
media - without a struggle. Besides, when the odds are impossible,
creativity is the key, and that's got to be interesting. All ideas
welcome. more
Sunday, November 14, 2004 at 03:35 PM
Conservatives and creatives
"We
really are all a blend of each of the creative and conservative forces.
And given a little thought, it is also clear that we are not always
stuck in that particular blend. We change our mix of conservatism and
creativity according to many different things in our lives and over
differing lengths of time. What do we wish to conserve? And what do we
wish to create? And between us, let's go do it." Robert Bosler more
Friday, November 12, 2004 at 07:31 PM
Machine man's report to Labor voters on why their team lost
G'day.
On Wednesday I took time out from my time off to attend the National
Press Club luncheon speech by Mr Tim Gartrell, the national secretary
of the Labor Party, about why his team lost the election. Gartrell had
to be pretty honest in what he said - so his omissions were also
important to pick up. He had to ensure that noone important in the
party would be too miffed, and protect a leader whose position is so
tenuous that one Labor staffer told me after lunch that Rudd could
challenge within the month! And there were Labor supporters to report
to too, many of whom are incensed at the result and questioning whether
Labor is up to the job without serious reform. And, of course, he's got
to convince his people that he's the right man to organise the next
election war. more
Tuesday, October 12, 2004 at 07:53 PM
Democrazy: ten ideas for change
"The
premise of this book is that just about every citizen, whatever their
political colour, can unite on the need for an honest, open, fair
representative democracy. If we get that, then we all have a chance to
have a say, and the representatives of all of us have a chance to
debate and decide the policies our society believes to be in the public
interest." Not Happy John, 2004 more
Train spotting: election blogjam final
Train
whistle blowin', makes a sleepy noise, Underneath their blankets go all
the girls and boys, Rockin', Rollin', Ridin', out along the bay, All
bound for Mourning Town, many miles away. more
Housekeeping
Stats, tipping results, thank yous etc. Back soon! more
Monday, October 11, 2004 at 06:55 PM
A time for brave souls and croc wrestlers
"We
have a truly unique opportunity ahead of us. It's time to stop
pottering around on the road less travelled. Stop wasting time in the
woods. It is a big wank. Get out of the woods and truly see the forest
for the trees. That is the only way to save the things we hold so dear
about Australia. Did you hear about that woman in North Queensland who
jumped on the back of a crocodile in order to save a companion's life?
Wild stuff, but it is that kind of thing that is needed from now on.
All croc wrestlers: apply within. A time for brave souls lies ahead."
Harry Heidelberg, who's coming home to help defend our democracy more
Saturday, October 9, 2004 at 10:46 PM
New era dawns for an Australia in Howard's image
Australia
entered a new era tonight. Australians roundly rejected the once
compelling appeal of 'a fair go', which must now be considered a relic
of our past rather than an expression of our essence. more
Friday, October 8, 2004 at 05:06 PM
Hope triumphs for a day
This
week, Howard deliberately, and after fine political calculation, p...ed
on small l liberal voters and solid liberal voters who care about our
environmental future, after judging that they would not change their
vote in sufficient numbers in safe Liberal seats for the upside to be
more dangerous than the downside. Principle: zero. The national
interest: not a factor. more
A road less travelled
"They
say all politics is local but in the end all politics is actually
personal. It's the day before the election. The day before Judgement
Day. In our truly unique and extraordinary Australian democracy between
95 and 96% of enrolled voters will tomorrow choose their next
government. It's a sacred day and I wish I was going to be there to
witness it. On Judgement Day, it is no longer about opinion polls, nor
focus groups, nor even barbie chat. It's not about the media or the
spin or the negative ads. In the end, so much of that doesn't count.
Each citizen will express their view privately but collectively, we
will determine our future. It's the world's most inclusive and
effective system. God, that's exciting." Harry Heidelberg more
My brother's pre-election thoughts
"The
threats to their world - the real ones that make parents freak - are
international in nature. Ecological problems like climate change,
massive refugee movements, through environmental as well as political
displacement, terrorism, horrible weapons, failed states and the
prospect of continuing global conflict based on unthinkable
international wealth disparities. As I see it, these are the real and
fast-growing threats to the world of my child. more
Thursday, October 7, 2004 at 06:12 PM
The Press Gallery-v-Howard
"I stand by the decision we took in relation to Iraq." John Howard more
A question of choice
"There
is a very strong philosophical difference that has opened up and it
surrounds really the question of the Coalition's commitment to choice
against what I would describe as a preferred model of behaviour that
would be rewarded and alternatives punished under a future Labor
government led by Mr Latham. There is just a touch of the social
engineer about all of this. There is a suggestion that if you behave in
a particular fashion you will be rewarded. There is just a whiff of the
behavioural policeman about my opponent in this election campaign."
John Howard's last pitch more
Wednesday, October 6, 2004 at 05:36 PM
The Press Gallery-v-Latham
"In
hindsight there's always things in politics you'd do differently, but
that's the benefit of hindsight. In campaign strategy - understanding
what the other side's doing - you haven't got a crystal ball, you just
get out there and advocate and put your policies in a straightforward
way. So I think we've done that in the substance of the campaign. We've
done that well and it's not a time for regrets, it's a time for looking
forward and hoping we can be honoured with the support of the
Australian people on Saturday." Mark Latham more
Remembering the future
"Mr
Howard hopes to win on Saturday by scaring people, by spreading fear
and uncertainty. He's running against the past. I'm running for the
future. He's campaigning on fear. I believe in the hope and optimism of
the Australian people. Mr Howard started this campaign talking about
trust. He's ended it with the politics of the Big Lie. Don't tell a
small lie, tell a whopper. Not one independent economist in Australia
supports Mr Howard's claims on interest rates. Not one." Mark Latham's
final pitch more
Election Blogjam: the final countdown
"The
late American comedian and political philosopher George Burns (who was
but a few years younger than John Howard when he shuffled off his
mortal cigar) once lamented, "Too bad the only people who know how to
run the country are busy driving cabs and cutting hair."
Bloggers are finally coming to the realisation that these canny taxi
drivers and barbers are also the only people with their fingers on the
election pulse." Terry Sedgwick more
Eden Monaro's Carr trouble
"Carr
is 'on the nose' throughout NSW, and it's no coincidence that Mark
Latham faces a challenge in the State - just as, in the days when the
Liberals' controversial Nick Greiner was Premier, it was difficult for
Liberals in the State to break in to the Federal Government. Now,
Liberals are frequently comparing Latham with Carr, even though they
are quite different people. Indeed, it's pretty clear they don't even
like each other. But they're both Labor."
Mark Juddery, from inside the crucial Eden Monaro campaign more
Tuesday, October 5, 2004 at 06:05 PM
Greens or Democrats for the Senate?
"Many
of my friends and I believe this is the key question in the Senate vote
on October 9. We think the Democrats have generally done an excellent
job in the Senate over the last 25 years, even if we were disappointed
by a small number of perceived cave-ins. We also like the Greens
because they have a clear vision and aren't afraid to make noise about
it. We don't really trust either major party with the majority in both
the House and the Senate." Justin Whelan more
All trust gone, a Liberal voter tells Howard's man in Ryan
"For
this election, for the first time in my life, I feel compelled to do
more than confine myself to expressing my opinion via my ballot paper.
Mr Howard nominated "trust" as the key issue for this election. I
welcome this, because for me, that does powerfully encapsulate my
concerns regarding the current government, and my growing outrage at
the damage that is being done to our system of government, our
institutions, our standing in the international community, our safety,
and the values that comprise our Australian identity. I do not, any
longer, trust a Howard-led government to preserve and enhance our
"fair-go" way of life, or to make sound decisions that are in the
national interest regarding participation in military actions and the
positions Australia takes on issues in international forums, or even to
manage the economy responsibly if its power or its political advantage
is threatened... I no longer trust what it says and I can no longer
trust what it does. For me, there has been a serious breakdown in
trust." Richard Davey's letter to his Liberal MP in Ryan more
Monday, October 4, 2004 at 04:57 PM
Holding the line at news
"If
ever a prize is awarded for unanimity over the Iraq war, News
Corporation will win easily - outdistancing all Western political
parties, and even the American military. No organisation can quite
eliminate dissent while operating under democracy. But Newscorp keeps
it down to homeopathic dosage. How is it done? Now there is a
specifically Australian dimension available on the website 'limited
news'." Bruce Page, author of The Murdoch Archipelago more
False Prophet
"This
painting questions John Howard's fitness to serve. It is not about
evil. It's not about the bible. It's about John Howard purposely
allowing himself to be susceptible to forces of negativity."
Webdiarist Robert Bosler on his painting 'False Prophet'. more
Is Australia just a business?
"There
was a time when our public service institutions held out against
creeping Americanisation and commercialisation, but not under this
government. The Prime Minister's action man - that egregious ex-public
servant Max "the axe" Moore-Wilton vigorously drove a "reform" of
public service which virtually reduced our most senior public servants
to mere hack businessmen - gradually stripping away the protection of
tenure, installing short-term employment contracts and submitting
senior public servants to the absurdity of "performance pay" - as if
they were branch sales managers. The inducement to give up the old ways
was, of course, vastly increased pay." Alistair Mant more
Friday, October 1, 2004 at 05:31 PM
Why I'm voting for a change of Government
"Never
before have so many voters been united in believing that this election
is one of the most important in the nation's history. I recently joined
one of the mainstream opposition parties, not out of any particular
loyalty or admiration towards the party but solely as a reaction
against the conservative policies of the Howard Government and to help
bring about a change of Government in Australia. Despite this honest
disclosure, I genuinely believe that a change of Government is more
important now than I did when I voted for John Howard in 1996. I
believe it is crucial for the long-term stability and security of
Australia." Neil A. Millar more
Wednesday, September 29, 2004 at 02:03 PM
Latham's message to the people
"Unless
we change now, it will be too late for the security and safety of our
nation - too late to shift policy and resources to our part of the
world, getting it right in Asia in the fight against terror. And unless
we change now, it will be too late for the basic decency and honesty of
government in this country - too late to restore truth in government
and end the deceit and buck-passing of the Howard years. Australia
needs these changes. And Labor is ready to make them, before it's too
late." Mark Latham more
Tuesday, September 28, 2004 at 07:02 PM
Will Latham attack on the second front at last?
There's
two campaign fronts in this election, and Labor is fighting on only one
of them. The big question: will Latham attack on the second front in
his campaign launch tomorrow? more
Howard and the price of oil
"The
Bush/Howard war on Iraq has direct bearing on the price we now pay at
the petrol pump. While the occupation continues, the risk premium is
unlikely to decline for long. Neither government foresaw the risk it
was creating. Both governments deserve to be thrown out for this among
many other misjudgements." Kerryn Higgs more
Monday, September 27, 2004 at 09:47 PM
Your vote, your values
"Our
vote counts most when it reflects our values. This election is a
conscience vote about war and about our vision for the future. We can
show the world that we are sorry for those who have died in this war so
far, that we are sorry for those who will die in the future, and that
we want to end war forever. You can contribute to making Australia the
brightest example of morality and integrity in the world." Martin
Gifford more
Not happy, Mark
"Respectfully,
Mr Latham, these are bigger issues than Health, School funding and Tax
policy combined. Perhaps it is not quite too late to acknowledge that
for many Australian voters, this election will be the only democratic
opportunity to voice approval or disapproval regarding the
extraordinary events and actions of this government in its recent term
in office." Mark Pendrith more
Election tipping comp: state of play
Here's
the summary of the tipping competition so far. If you're in a bunched
group, you can stand out from the pack by naming 5 seats you think
Labor will win off the Coalition if you're going Labor, 5 seats Labor
will take off the Coalition if you're going for Howard by less than his
current margin, or 5 seats the Coalition will take off Labor if you
think Howard will increase his majority. The best seat picker of those
who have a go will win if their number comes up. more
Winning the ground war
"The
major parties are locked in a titanic struggle to determine two
critical questions: is the Keating agenda of the early 1990s returning
and have the culture wars reached the suburbs and regions?"
Noel Hadjimichael more
Election Blogjam: "Houston, we ALL have a problem."
Week
Four saw bloggers from either side of the great divide pondering Hugo
Young's arch description of former British Prime Minister James
Callaghan: "Living proof that the short term schemer and the frustrated
bully can be made manifest in one man." more
Saturday, September 25, 2004 at 01:14 AM
Now we KNOW he lied us into war: will it matter?
Howard
has corrupted the public service, disgraced his office, and treated the
Australian people with vicious contempt. His Cabinet cronies and his
lame backbench let him do it. They are all guilty. Come on, voters in
Liberal seats, do your duty and chuck these bastards out for a term to
teach them the lesson that we care about our democracy and that the
Government has shamed us all, not to mention knowingly made Australia
and Australians less safe. more
Friday, September 24, 2004 at 06:19 PM
Family First: a one church affair
"When
Joan Woods decided to run as a NSW Senate candidate for the Family
First party in the upcoming election she turned, naturally, to her
family first. And they didn't let her down. Her son, Mike, is now the
candidate for Hunter. Mike's wife, Melanie, is the candidate for an
adjoining seat, Calare. Then Mrs Woods turned to her wider network.
Given her deep involvement in the Assemblies of God church Joan's
husband, pastor Ian Woods, is the NSW president of the Assemblies, and
leads the Hawkesbury Church it's no surprise where she found her other
candidates." Mike Seccombe more
Not Happy John banned from Brisbane sky
I've
got a bad feeling about the election, and have now put my pick in the
election tipping competition. It's the Coalition by 11, the same as I
picked in 2001, when Howard won by 17. Still, there's two weeks to go. more
Thursday, September 23, 2004 at 04:05 AM
Another world is inevitable
"Wallerstein
believes that the period of transition we are entering allows us space
and opportunity to break out, to recreate our polity and economy in a
fashion more friendly to personal growth, creativity, and the
possibility of personal freedom and transformation. If homo sapiens has
any brains, as it were, s/he will grasp the opportunity, But this will
only be possible if we do not underestimate the power and
mean-spiritedness of the forces arraigned against us." Brian Bahnisch more
The two party shuffle
"One
of the more interesting aspects of the campaign is the contrast between
national two party voting estimates (the amazingly sexy 52:48 headlines
that make political types excited) and the regional variations that
hide shifting frontlines. Who wins the more votes is not always the
winner. Just ask Mr Gore." Noel Hadjimichael more
Tuesday, September 21, 2004 at 09:22 PM
It's about Bennelong, stupid, says Howard
Want
to know what the election is REALLY all about, straight from the
horse's mouth? I was in Bennelong on Sunday for the inaugural Bennelong
Writers Festival and was given a glossy brochure just put into the
letter boxes of Howard's voters. John Howard: "This election is about
the future of our local area." more
Election blogam week 3: "Are we there yet?
"First
thing we do," says one of the followers of Jack Cade in Henry VI, Part
II, "is kill all the lawyers." Before staging Henry VI, Part II, the
Globe Theatre management submitted the script to a sadly misguided
focus group. Consequently Shakespeare's next line, "The second thing we
do is gag the politicians", hit the cutting room floor. Never gagged,
bloggers and blog commenters relentlessy pored over the issues of week
three, Terry Sedgwick reports. more
Monday, September 20, 2004 at 08:07 PM
Don't mention the war
"Watching
the first ten minutes of the debate farce made me very angry. I get
angry a lot lately. I know that I am not alone. There's a lot to be
angry about. The elephant in the room could not have been more obvious:
the total absence of weapons of mass destruction and the devastation of
Iraq, tens of thousands of dead Iraqi civilians and conscripted
soldiers, not to mention over a thousand dead young American men and
women and sixty six British soldiers. Was I wrong to expect some
attempt to address the unfolding catastrophe that is Iraq? It seems so,
for there was not a word uttered on the subject." Dr Mark Craddock more
Letter from America
"Possibly
the biggest fear, transcending any of the specific issues, is the
overarching complexity of the new world. It is too hard to digest, let
alone manage. So the politician that delivers the message that the
answer is simple, embodied by simple slogans, wins!" Christopher Selth
on American politics today more
Saturday, September 18, 2004 at 03:06 PM
Time for Latham to put the boot in on Iraq
It's
on the cusp of being official. IRAQ HAD NO WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION.
Ok, John Howard, where to from here? Come on, Mark Latham, it really is
time to put the boot in. It's time to name Howard as a man of poor
judgement without the courage to look his people in the eye and tell
them the truth before sending us to war. It's time to state that Howard
has proved a dangerous and divisive leader in times of international
instability. It's time to trumpet Labor's credentials as the party of
good judgement in such circumstances whose policy on Iraq has proved
spot on. more
Friday, September 17, 2004 at 05:01 PM
Future shock: the ideology of Mark Latham
"What
seems to have been largely ignored of Latham's past is his literary
output. Celebrated as the new generation ideas man of the Labor party,
the media over the year has not had much to say about the half dozen
books he has written or contributed to between 1990-2003. There have
been a few murmurings here and there, an occasional quote, but nothing
sustained. This is surprising, because his literary output provides a
sustained ideological view and program. Over that thirteen-year period,
Latham's thinking has not changed much, if at all. I dare say it will
not change much in the future. This could have consequences for all of
us." Webdiarist Chris Saliba more
Half way in, it's still Latham's to win
G'day.
Another huge week in politics, eh, starting with a debate which meant
three things for Mark Latham. He cut the mustard as an alternative
Prime Minister. He got a confidence boost to see him through the week.
He exploded the myth that national security is John Howard's territory,
full stop. He had to do that, and the subsequent concern about possible
Australian hostages underlined his theme that Howard put us in grave
danger by invading Iraq. more
Pauline Hanson, parody
She's
back again, and just like her failed tilt at a NSW Upper House seat
last year, she announced her candidacy at the last minute in a blaze of
publicity. She needs the attention, clearly. Maybe even desperately.
The other David, David Ettridge, spoke to me recently about his new
book, and he too thought she'd be back. He said the people around her
needed the fix, because that's what made them feel important - knowing
her. And she does too. She basks in it. more
Thursday, September 16, 2004 at 09:57 PM
War of words
G'day.
Year 12 student Josh Paine interviewed me recently for an assignment on
what makes a good political commentator, after he did a stint in the
SMH Canberra bureau on work experience and decided he wanted to be a
journalist. Here's his piece. Congratulations Josh, and good luck at
University next year. more
Tuesday, September 14, 2004 at 11:41 PM
Labor's bold bid for parents
"A
feature of the Labor approach to school funding is the 'small target'
strategy: choosing a symbolic number of schools to either slash or
freeze funding with a optimistic number of remaining schools to obtain
more funds." Noel Hadjimichael more
Election 2004 tipping competition
Please
advise which party will win and how many more seats the winning party
(the Coalition includes Liberal, National and the NT CLP) will have
than the loser - that way we avoid the complications of minor parties
and independents. I'll close the competitition on Wednesday, October 6.
Just put your pick in the comments box and I'll transfer it into the
body of this post. Please use your full name. more
Monday, September 13, 2004 at 11:27 PM
Keelty stops a 2004 'children overboard' scam
Why
on earth would Howard do this? Remember, Keelty briefed the opposition
on the rumour as well as Downer and Howard, and it kept quiet. What
possible purpose could be served by stating this gossip as fact to the
Australian people, creating page one headlines across Australia which
were bound to inflame anti-Indonesian feeling among Australians? more
Sunday, September 12, 2004 at 08:39 PM
Latham puts Iraq on the election table
So
Latham didn't squib it. He went for it on Iraq, and I'd say it was John
Anderson's admission this morning that invading Iraq had made us a
bigger target that gave Latham the oomph to have a go. Why? Because it
guaranteed that Latham could not be yelled down by the Liberals for
playing politics with the Jakarta bombing after Anderson himself had
headlined the issue and its connection with our foreign policy. The
transcript is here. more
The great debate: How will the leaders handle Iraq?
G'day.
I'll write a comment on the debate tonight and post your reactions.
Please use your full name or a nom de plume, giving your reason why you
need one. It would also be good if you said what seat you're in or
where you live. I think the key question in the debate will be: "Why is
your party better placed to protect and enhance our national security?"
And the key issue to be addressed in answering that question is whether
John Howard's decision to invade Iraq enhanced or threatened our
national security. more
Saturday, September 11, 2004 at 03:29 PM
What exactly are we witnessing?
"Politically
motivated violence which accepts no limits or constraints and makes no
distinction between combatants and civilians is indefensible, both
morally and tactically. Public horror and outrage at recent events in
the Caucasus and again in Indonesia last Thursday are therefore
reassuring expressions of humanity, though as in the past they may
temporarily mask the true nature of what we are witnessing." Scott
Burchill more
Friday, September 10, 2004 at 08:07 PM
A conservative's view of The Greens
"The
Greens are a very interesting party. They might be described as a
movement more than a party. Each local area has a significant amount of
autonomy, and local branches decide where to direct preferences. They
have championed the environment until it has become a mainstream issue.
However, they are at the crossroads." Noel Hadjimichael more
Vote Latham for a Liberal Government!
"Labor,
unlike their opponents, have a fundamental strength. They have
abandoned ideology. Howard is still harping on cold war notions that
progressive parties are bad at managing economies and weak on security.
Labor, on the other hand, has accepted that ideology is vastly inferior
to reality, and have opted for a dose of reality with Mark Latham."
Webdiarist David Green more
Lest we forget how Howard took us to war against our will
In
the light of recent events, I've decided to publish Chapter Two of my
book, 'Yours not to reason why', which tracks the process by which John
Howard involved Australia in our first war of aggression and our first
war without the majority support of the Australian people. Do you trust
this man with our national security? more
Why trust Howard on national security?
Who
will Australians trust more to manage national security in these
terrible times - Howard/Downer/Hill or Latham/Rudd/Beazley? I think the
chosen Howard "TRUST" theme could well bite him on the bum after this. more
Sue Bradford says thanks to Webdiarists
"I
have been overwhelmed by the response to my letter to Alby Schultz. As
well as the outpouring of posts to your site I have received a large
number of emails - all but one supportive. I am amused that some
writers think I am a Labour stooge and it also astounds me that people
think they can make assumptions - that I have never known what it is
like to be poor (I have), that I am not an immigrant (I am), that I am
- that laziest of words - an 'elite' (I wish)." Sue Bradford more
Election blogjam: the fortnight that was
Australia's virtual Governor-General, cartoonist Terry Sedgwick, does the rounds of the blogger's election campaign. more
Thursday, September 9, 2004 at 02:54 PM
Howard's hallmark: ruthless pragmatism
"If
the Coalition should perchance lose office on October 9, most people on
the Left will be breaking out the champers and bar nuts to celebrate
the fall of what they'll probably describe as the most ideologically
driven of Australian conservative governments. Particularly bitter
words will be uttered over the Tampa episode, the asylum-seekers
crisis, and the war in Iraq. And there will be heady talk about an end
to union-busting, scapegoating, wedge politics and the 'politics of
fear'. In this I think the Left will be pretty much on the wrong track
- as indeed, in my view, it has often been on the wrong track over the
last two or three years." David Burchell more
Wednesday, September 8, 2004 at 01:37 PM
Letter to a Liberal MP from a disaffected Liberal farmer
"I
have admired the job that you have done as our State and Federal member
and have appreciated the support you have always given our local
affairs. I wish you well in the forthcoming election but I won't be one
of those voting for you and I wanted to do you the courtesy of
explaining why. The problem is that I cannot cast a vote which
indicates in any way that I support Mr Howard. I would dearly love to
be able to vote Liberal but will only do so when the party has gained
some of it's humanity and the small 'l' liberalism that it started
with." Letter to Liberal MP Alby Shultz from Sue Bradford, farmer more
New Webdiary, frustrated Webdiarists
G'day.
At last, an updated Webdiary publishing system, which should make the
site easier for you and me to handle. For those of you who've
bookmarked Webdiary, the new address is http://webdiary.smh.com.au.
I've been dashing around in the last few days doing TV and having
emergency dental work, and hasn't a lot happened! Today, David Eccles
and Matt Rubinstein have their frustrated say on the election so far. more
Saturday, September 4, 2004 at 03:51 PM
The rat trap election
Why
is John Howard spending precious campaign time campaigning in his own
seat? Is it possible that there's a risk he could lose it? And does
Malcolm Turnbull need Howard to stay away from Wentworth? more
Friday, September 3, 2004 at 06:38 PM
Turnbull's team takes gloves off: King is 'low life'
'Peter
King is nothing more than a low life of the highest order who has had
three years to argue the case for refugees within the Liberal Party and
more importantly change government policy - and what has he done?
Nothing!' Jason Falinski, President of Turnbull's Point Piper Liberal
Party Branch, Wentworth more
Counting the rodents: week one
Who
won the week? Labor. Who'll win the election? I still think Howard is
favourite, mainly because, as he showed in spades this week, he has no
limits when it comes to retaining power. None. more
Thursday, September 2, 2004 at 06:49 PM
Inside Wentworth: Turnbull accuses Webdiarist of 'mischievous dishonesty'
"I
received a phone call from Malcolm accusing me of being 'mischievous
and dishonest'. I was in a business meeting at the time and shouldn't
have taken the call, and I offered to call him back. That made him
angrier. 'So you have time to write letters but no time to speak to
me!' he shouted. I put down the phone feeling a little threatened and
shaken." Wentworth voter Jonathan Nolan more
Wednesday, September 1, 2004 at 10:40 PM
Brandis self-destructs to save Howard
The
mirror cracked from side to side. The intense strain on the two people
in Senate Committee room 2S1 today, who had - by very difficult choice
- propped up the credibility of a cowardly and bullying Prime Minister
for nearly three years, was palpable. more
Howard's begging letter to Liberals in Wentworth
"I
am writing to you because I have a very real concern that the seat of
Wentworth could be won by the Labor Party at the next election.
Wentworth is not the safe Liberal seat that many people imagine. There
is the added complication that Peter King could also run as an
independent, which would split the Liberal vote and further help the
Labor Party." John Howard more
The catharsis of Mike Scrafton
"Along
with some of my colleagues, I have felt "tainted" by my involvement and
disappointed in my own failure to act more courageously at the time. As
the Public Service Commissioner has pointed out, this was not a time of
which public servants can be proud. There is a cathartic aspect to my
actions." Mike Scrafton more
Tuesday, August 31, 2004 at 10:30 PM
Poor George
Has
Howard's luck run out? He'd stymied the 'honesty' problem, at least in
relation to the marginal seats he's trying to hold or win, by
associating the word the word 'trust' with Labor's old record on
interest rates. Then one of his own throws the dead cat back in the
ring, and Brandis has to, as usual, carry the can. more
Labor's Costello wedge keeps Wentworth on the move
I knew first hand that there was an election on when Tony Abbott - rubbing hands, big smile - strolled into the Sydney Morning Herald's Canberra Bureau yesterday to ask anyone who cared to answer: "Now what can I do for you?" more
Monday, August 30, 2004 at 02:25 PM
Trusting Howard
Trust,
eh? I haven't heard anything so mind-boggling from a political leader
since Treasurer Paul Keating, having helped win Labor the 1990 election
by promising to avoid a recession, baldly announced that this was the
recession we had to have. more
Monday, August 23, 2004 at 12:05 PM
Liberal voter rumblings mean second front for Howard
"As
a person who has specialised in maritime law, I must say that his book
raises many interesting questions - especially questions about whether
aid could have been rendered 'for those in peril on the sea' - which is
the undisputed first law of humanitarianism in relation to sea-going."
Liberal MP Peter King on Tony Kevin's book on SIEV-X more
Wednesday, August 11, 2004 at 03:24 PM
Not Happy, John! Reflections of a Webdiarist
"There
are fascist tendencies in all countries - a sort of latent tyranny ...
Suppression of attack, which is based upon suppression of really free
thought, is the instinctive weapon of the vested interest ... great
groups which feel their power are at once subject to tremendous
temptations to use that power so as to limit the freedom of others."
Sir Robert Menzies, 1942 more
Monday, August 9, 2004 at 02:05 PM
Our military and diplomatic elders on truth in democracies and the downside of invading Iraq
"It
is wrong and dangerous for our elected representatives to mislead the
Australian people. If we cannot trust the word of our Government,
Australia cannot expect it to be trusted by others. Without that trust,
the democratic structure of our society will be undermined and with it
our standing and influence in the world." more
Saturday, August 7, 2004 at 04:00 PM
The battle for Bennelong: Valder-v-Howard
Liberal
Party elder John Valder's manifesto for his "Not Happy, John!" campaign
to unseat the Prime Minister at the election and restore Liberalism to
the "Liberal" Party. more
Thursday, August 5, 2004 at 10:17 PM
The FTA state of play: your say
Isn't
it funny that Australians only got a chance to have a look in on the
FTA debate because Labor was divided? Thank God for it. More Labor
division on policy please, so that the people get a chance to work out
what's going on and whether or not they want what's being slipped
through. more
FTA lessens our world power on trade: Brazil picks up our dropped ball
"Brazil
is a semi-peripheral power moving towards core power status in the
broader capitalist system. Australia is a semi-peripheral power, and by
opening us up to increased domination by the US and its corporations
through the FTA, is moving further away from core power status." Brian
Bahnisch more
Wednesday, August 4, 2004 at 09:58 PM
Latham proves he's still got guts
What
Latham has done on the FTA, to everyone's surprise given the incredible
political and media pressure on him to cave in completely, is to avoid
the Beazley small target disaster and pick a do or die issue of crucial
importance to the Australian people which could show Howard up for what
he is. more
Recent Comments