Webdiary - Founded and Inspired by Margo Kingston

"The COAG Agreement states that the "[l]eaders agreed that any strengthened counter-terrorism law must...contain appropriate safeguards against abuse, such as. ..judicial review"... Given the importance of the principle of judicial oversight in the COAG Agreement, this paper briefly explains the proper role of judicial oversight in relation to anti-terrorism laws and the necessary conditions for effective judicial oversight. It then details why the provisions of the draft Anti-Terrorism Bill 2005 (Cth) dealing with control orders and preventive detention orders fall short of providing effective judicial oversight." Joo-Cheong Tham

|| Chas Savage makes a seditious call for revolt || Bernard Crick wants a humanist-religious alliance || Misleading editorial on US politics || Byron Calame on the failings of Miller and the Times || Maureen Dowd criticises her colleague Judith Miller || Rami Khouri on the UN report into the Hariri assassination || Rory Stewart on what is emerging from democracy in Iraq || Robin Blackburn and Oliver Kamm debate Chomsky || Christopher Caldwell worries about humanity in a virtual world || Report on the rise of the anti-consumerism 'Puritans' || Columnist only discusses the placement of 'only' ||

Margo redrafted these guidelines for the new site, and we'll stick by them, subject to your input:

Margo Kingston set the overall direction for Webdiary over the first five and a half years of its existence. The charter, ethics, editorial policy, and discussion guidelines we work to were all created by her. David Roffey is General Manager (and Managing Director and Company Secretary of Webdiary Pty Ltd).

I believe:

- that there is a vacuum of original, genuine, passionate and accessible debate on the great political, economic and social issues of our time in the mainstream media, despite the desire of thinking Australians in all age groups to read and participate in such debates

- that newspapers have lost their connection with the readers they serve

- that the future of news media which serves its democratic function to inform, expose and analyse the world around us lies in a collaboration between journalists and readers through independent news media.

MARGO NOTE: Webdiary's ethics remain the same, save that the Sydney Morning Heralds' ethics guidelines no longer apply. I have therefore deleted  references to that document.

Webdiary Management Team Note: Margo's redraft for the new site stands as she wrote it!

I want you to trust Webdiary. Trust is the ideal at the core of all professional ethics codes, which are guidelines for conduct which aim to achieve that ideal. I'm a journalist bound by a code of ethics drafted to apply to traditional journalism. I've adapted the code to meet the responsibilities of running Webdiary, and set out guidelines for your contributions. These guidelines are always open for discussion and debate on Webdiary and can be clarified and added to as issues arise.

"Although COAG and the ministerial councils facilitate intergovernmental cooperation and policy coordination, as the Stanhope example shows they raise some questions about the transparency of decision-making. COAG can limit parliamentary scrutiny of key national policy positions as Premiers and Chief Ministers commit their governments to action without first exposing policy positions to examination by their respective legislatures, and by extension to the broader community." Linda Botterill

"Avian influenza is an infectious disease of birds caused by type A strains of the influenza virus. The disease, which was first identified in Italy more than 100 years ago, occurs worldwide. For much of that past century, and for all the years before, avian influenza was not an issue of widespread (let alone global) concern because these viruses did not normally infect species other than birds and pigs. Today things have changed, people are catching the "bird flu" and dying. The recent run on available prophylactic drugs in developed nations points to how much of a concern it has become. It has become something to concern all the peoples of our planet; for should things change again and the virus begins to spread amongst us multitudes may die, and even if it doesn't kill us it is going to change the life lived by many millions worldwide." Craig Rowley