Category: Opinion

Rabble is in ‘power’, but isn’t ‘governing’: Instead of a government, we have an ugly, vacuous rabble. They are somehow in power, but not “governing” in any intelligent way. Sexual assault accusations that go nowhere; deliberately divisive rhetoric (‘Whose side are you on?’ being a stand-out); Ministers accused of corruptly encouraging the changing of environment laws, former DPM telling women what to do with their bodies; and “freedom of speech” held up as the excuse for party politicians to attend, and speak at, a right wing, US-style hate fest, where speakers encourage their followers to tape a woman’s legs togetherContinue reading

Victoria’s Minister Lisa Neville is not well please with federal Minister Dutton’s ’thought bubble’ in January about a federal Sex Offender Register: “The Victorian Government was disappointed that it was not consulted prior to the announcement of the proposal and I have written to Minister Dutton requesting further consultation on the complex issues involved with the proposal and any alternative policy responses. The Victorian Government will continue to be guided by Victoria Police on what, if any, further reforms may be required to ensure we are doing all we can to keep the community, and especially our children, safe. –Continue reading

I read recently that many treaties, including the Trans Pacific Partnership, contain clauses prohibiting restrictions on where data is stored. It is designed, I understand, to stop sovereign governments from requiring that, for example, data stored in your cloud account or at your bank be stored on national servers. It means your data can mostly be stored anywhere. Obviously, this does not include confidential government data, but for you and I, there is no prohibition on, say, your data being stored in Russia or China. – Ronald Watts, Chatswood, NSW. ( Details of TPP-11: http://tinyurl.com/yyzlxj2k )

I believe that the USA like any other sovereign nation, has the right to make laws that govern the behaviour of people in its territory, including both its citizens & visitors. It is open to the USA, like any other sovereign nation, to make laws governing the behaviour of its citizens, even when they are outside its territory. But what I don’t understand or accept is that the USA, or any other sovereign nation, has the right to charge the citizen of another sovereign nation with a breach of its laws when they weren’t even in its territory when theyContinue reading

I believe recreational marijuana use is a civil liberty, and this email is to state my concern regarding the current laws in place regarding its use. I wholeheartedly believe that the Australian Government is doing a disservice to the Australian public by continuing to criminalise the use of marijuana. The Western world is addressing this ‘issue,’ and Australia being progressive, I would like to think we could push forward with new laws also. – Paul Ravenhill, Victoria

Richard Flanagan’s speech –  at the Garma Festival in August 2018 should be reproduced in bronze on a monument in Canberra, along with the Uluru Statement from the Heart. Copies of both should be a mandatory presence in every school in the country, that every child/student be aware of the content and value of what is expressed. If merit were any guide, Richard Flanagan should immediately replace either the Prime Minister or the Governor-General, or both. He demonstrates all the excellence, humanity, and complexities of true leadership that appear to be spectacularly lacking in both of the above. His forewordContinue reading