Webdiary - Founded and Inspired by Margo Kingston

This announcement by the Prime Minister, if correctly reported, is a recipe for disaster because of its open-endedness. The agreement of the Leader of the Opposition is equally rash. To guarantee deposits for the big four with substantial assets makes some limited sense but ...

The “greed-is-good” era brought the stock market crash of 1987, the savings and loans debacle in the United States and the global recession which gripped many countries in the early 1990s. It is perhaps time now to admit that we did not learn the full lessons of the greed-is-good ideology. And today we are still cleaning up the mess of the twenty-first century children of Gordon Gecko. (Kevin Rudd)

Henson has done nothing wrong under the law and for lawmakers to be carrying in this manner is actually an appalling dereliction of their role in our political system. Indeed arguably undermining of it. They need to be called on this, every one of them.

Indigenous affairs watchers should prepare themselves for some staggering incompetence. Even those already well-versed with government failure after government failure in Indigenous service delivery are going to be shocked. I can smell a Royal Commission on the horizon … and if Jenny Macklin has any sense, she’ll start drawing up its guidelines later this afternoon.

Family First Senator Stephen Fielding has become a surprise power player in the proposed increase to the luxury car tax (LCT), with the Rudd government expected to reintroduce the bill to the Senate this week with changes that both the Family First Senator and the Greens have lobbied for.

Sir Gerard pointed out, as did others, that it may be that when we say we are willing to compromise our freedoms, we may mean that we are "willing to compromise the human rights of others, believing that the laws and practices we have accepted will have no impact on ourselves".

Even though 747’s have been around since the late 60’s they have kept the record for the safest aircraft in history so far. They have flown more than half the world’s population in the last 40 years with 3.5 billion people at the end of 2005. The bottom line is the 747, despite its great safety record, is an aging aircraft.

Since I began watching this issue a few months ago, coverage has certainly increased, but public interest largely has not. Even if the effect on agricultural supply and pricing is ignored, if nothing more this is a case study of the needs for appropriate oversight of the planning and development process, and the rights of landowners and the state when it comes to resources.

The bill was introduced by Senator Coonan for whom I have great respect as a lawyer. She is senior counsel, an experienced commercial lawyer and no dill. One might have expected that she would produce legislation that had legs (she has too). She did.

Turnbull does pose a greater degree of competition for Rudd than Nelson did, as he represents the kind of break with the Howard years that afforded Labor such an easy victory earlier in the year. However, the extent to which this benefits Turnbull is questionable.

It’s easy to ignore a broken bank as just another greedy institution and that deserves their demise. Not so when you are the nations largest childcare provider to hundreds of thousands of working families. The challenge here is whether the government should intervene and nationalise a private sector entity to ensure delivery of a vital piece of social infrastructure.

No doubt, Australians will be stunned to know that this is the first instance – ever – that the topic of “Stroganoff” has been raised in Parliament. And for that, Mr Murphy should be congratulated – after all, breaking new ideological ground is what being a member of parliament in the southern hemisphere’s greatest democracy is all about.

Would that more politicians would be so honest.    She didn't know what she was talking about in specifics, acknowledged it immediately and apologised.   Good on her.

In this month’s edition, the history of WEL, a new head for the Department of Veterans Affairs, the 2007 federal election enquiry, constitutional reform and indigenous rights, the Senate and accountability, and much, much more…

Minchin, wishing Nelson well for his work over the last months, seemed to me to be giving a Judas Kiss. Update:  Turnbull wins 45-41! Bye-Bye Brendan!

"We should all feel empowered that this is our parliament where the individuals trusted to make decisions on behalf of society will do so in the best interest of the community rather than pandering to big business or corporations. What do I mean by community? I mean the people and the environment in which they live." -Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, in her maiden speech to the Australian Senate.

As a follow up to my last piece on the live animal exports issue Animals Australia has given permission for me to publish on Webdiary its record of major incidents in the trade. It is an appalling record.  In reading the facts relating to these incidents one can get some idea of the enormous level of suffering of large numbers of animals in this trade.

"My message to the Prime Minister is simple.  I want to work constructively with him and his government and the cross-benchers and the opposition, to eradicate this scourge from our suburbs, as well as internet gambling from our lounge rooms."- Senator Nick Xenophon, in his maiden speech to the Australian Senate.

There is no doubt that for an export-dependent economy with a major stake in fossil fuel production and long history of reliance on cheap energy, pricing carbon is a serious risk. But Australia is not alone in taking this risk and all the other routes look considerably worse. (Henry Derwent)

Acknowledging such realities does not fit with the [Howard] government’s consistent practice of demonising asylum seekers, which now extends to children. If the parents of the Afghan boys have heard of the UN Convention on the rights of the child, they certainly could invoke it in an attempt to be reunited with their children. (Mike Steketee)

It’s an irony that Australian law provides for mandatory reporting of suspected child abuse by professionals – and mandatory locking up of child asylum seekers. We call both these practices government policy. One protects, the other destroys. (Jacquie Everitt)

It is commonly assumed that the live export trade in sheep and cattle to the Middle East is necessary and economically vital. Necessary because Islamic (halal) slaughter demands it, and vital because of the export income it brings to Australia. Although it is certainly in the immediate interests of those involved in the live export trade, none of the rest is true.

With Bush's former lapdog Alexander Downer now trying to make it in the UN without the aid of his trainers, there aren't too many former Liberal stars left to confuse the spotlight operators. Basically there's Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull. Tony's been busy crooning praise of Peter, his golden tones hinting of a chorus of support from the all-important NSW right wing. Turnbull's dash for the Prime Minstership could be pushed to the backburner again, while our favourite Liberal "bovver boy" tightens his grasp on the keys to the Party door and cements his status as the power behind the throne.

He's a product of a Jesuit school, he's been involved in Aboriginal legal aid and as a convenor of an Amnesty lawyers' group. As if that's not enough of a pointer, don't forget his involvement this month in striking down the World Youth Day regulations designed to prevent pilgrims being "annoyed". Compared with the cactus-like, dry-as-dust figures of recent elevation, this fellow is a positive orchid. (Richard Ackland)

In the future the immigration system will be characterised by strong border security, firm deterrence of unauthorised arrivals, effective and robust immigration processes and respect for the rule of law and the humanity of those seeking migration outcomes. (Senator Chris Evans)

I hope the dimwits in the National Party and the Liberal Party up there sent their sitting Senators off for health checks before they voted to amalgamate because, by convention, the Governor of Queensland is obliged to follow the advice of his Ministers.

The only way to win the “war on terror” is to be less willing ourselves to use terror to win a political victory. The war on terror will be won when all terrorists – including those financed by democratic governments – are brought to justice in the International Criminal Court.

In this month's update: political donations and disclosures in Victoria, guidelines for federal government advertising, protecting whistleblowers in the Australian Government public sector, and the possible formation of a new national indigenous representative body.

The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry is, as I write, undergoing its annual tearing out of the hair and rending asunder of its opulent board room curtaining. Yes, you guessed it: the Australian Fair Pay Commission has ruled on the latest National Wage case.