Scott Morrison: The Prime Minister of mad ideas
From kids driving forklifts to crippling foreign relations, Scott Morrison has made some truly questionable decisions of late. read now…
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Category: Independent Commentary
Recent Independent Commentary
My WA or the highway
Good morning, early birds. Western Australia will no longer be opening its borders on February 5, and Google says they’re trying to stop Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party from posting
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We are all angry about Charlise’s death, but where is the action?
To say I was angry when I woke to the news of Charlise Mutten’s horrific and avoidable death is an understatement. But only 24 hours after we heard of Charlise’s passing, news breaks of the body of a three month old baby found in a freezer in
read now Australia set to wind back critical discrimination protections for women before next CEDAW report
In 2023, the Australian government is due to report to the Committee on the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) about how we’re going at ending discrimination against women and girls in Australia. Australia’s last appearance before the Committee was a bit torrid by
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The Spectator Australia
The Spectator Australia https://www.spectator.com.au The oldest continuously published magazine in the English language. Thu, 20 Jan 2022 12:34:01 +1100 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.3 Cover 22 January 2022 AU https://www.spectator.com.au/2022/01/cover-22-january-2022-au/ https://www.spectator.com.au/2022/01/cover-22-january-2022-au/#respond Wed, 19 Jan 2022 17:00:00 +0000 https://www.spectator.com.au/?p=10709407 What to read next: Bridge | The Battle for Britain | Hating
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Grattan on Friday: Scott Morrison’s ministerial team looks far from match-fit
It sounded a touch desperate – Prime Minister Scott Morrison imploring backpackers to “come on down” to Australia, as the Omicron crisis escalated. “Enjoy a holiday here”, said the one-time managing director of Tourism Australia, and “at the same time join our workforce and help us”. The backpacker flow
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More Independent Commentary
Liberty Sinks Slowly in the West
The State of Western Australia has just introduced one the most draconian proof-of-vaccination requirements in the entire world. The state government had already introduced forced vaccinations, including booster shots, for at least 75 per cent of the local workforce. But now, anyone over the age of 16 who refuses
read now Is Macron Being A Pr*ck? France’s New Vaccine Law
The French Parliament has approved a new law that effectively prevents citizens who are not vaccinated against Covid-19 from going out in public. I want to look at a couple of reports on the law and then consider whether this new law crosses a line. No Jab? No Social Life
read now After the seven hottest years on record, Labor lessens its climate ambition
In 2015, the Climate Change Authority recommended emissions reduction targets for the government to take to the Paris climate conference: a 2025 target of 30 per cent below 2000 levels further reductions by 2030 of 40 to 60 per cent below 2000 levels In response, Labor proposed an emissions reduction
read now Hypocrisy, ‘God powers’ and Djokovic
Regardless of the entitled Serbian tennis player’s behaviour, Sue Bolton argues that the Immigration Minister’s decision to kick him of the country should be cause for concern.
read now Queensland’s ‘Path to Treaty’ has some lessons for the rest of Australia
After decades of calls, a patchwork of treaty processes are being developed across Australia. However, without a history of treaty-making or treaty law in Australia, serious questions arise about the best approach. Getting treaties right is crucial for First Nations peoples’ well-being and for building a reflective, assured, and
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Public servants can swap holidays like Australia Day but not all agencies promote it
Experts says day-in-lieu clauses should receive more promotion in public services and managers should remove any workplace barriers to it. The post Public servants can swap holidays like Australia Day but not all agencies promote it appeared first on The Mandarin.
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Cost of toll roads take Sydneysiders for a ride
Road infrastructure is becoming less accessible, as market forces seek to monopolise a system that is intended on being available to all. read now…
read now Socialists pledge to hold Newcastle Council to account
Communities will keep up the pressure on the Labor majority elected to the Newcastle Council, reports Kerry Smith.
read now Furore escalates over Robert’s ARC veto
Two members of the ARC’s college of experts have quit in protest at what they say is Stuart Robert’s inappropriate project grants overreach. The post Furore escalates over Robert’s ARC veto appeared first on The Mandarin.
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Boris Johnson and ‘Partygate’: he who lives by the Brexit sword, dies by the Brexit sword
Kirsty Wigglesworth/APBoris Johnson’s time as the United Kingdom’s prime minister is under immediate threat. Johnson, who likes a classical analogy, will know that civil servant Sue Grey’s imminent report into the “Partygate” scandal is the bureaucratic equivalent of the Sword of Damocles hanging over his head. Johnson
read now Navy stikes contract for first of four regional maintenance centres
The Royal Australian Navy has struck a major contract for a regional maintenance centre in Cairns, the first of four new strategic sites. The post Navy stikes contract for first of four regional maintenance centres appeared first on The Mandarin.
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Schools can expect a year of disruption. Here are 7 ways they can help support the well-being of students and staff
ShutterstockThere’s just over a week to go before term one starts across the country – except in Queensland which has pushed back the start of the school year. We are yet to see states and territory plans for how to open schools safely, and to minimise the inevitable
read now Omicron is overwhelming Australia’s hospital system. 3 emergency measures aim to ease the burden
Public hospitals – never with much spare capacity – have been severely stressed by the latest COVID wave. The current Omicron outbreak has loaded even heavier demands on hospital beds, both for those who need oxygen and for the severely ill in intensive care wards, as well as those who
read now Labor, Greens win majority on Parramatta City Council
The Labor-Greens majority in the City of Parramatta is going to face some big challenges, writes Kerry Smith.
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Rapid Antigen Tests: Short Supply and High Price Leads to Crime and Thriving Black Market
https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/rapid-antigen-tests-short-supply-and-high-price-leads-...
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Ten’s Celebrity bounces back against Nine’s tennis coverage
A dip in the Australian Open’s viewers saw Ten’s ‘star-studded’ reality TV challenge creep up the ratings ladder. The post Ten’s Celebrity bounces back against Nine’s tennis coverage appeared first
read now Ecuador: Digital rights activist Ola Bini goes to trial
The trial of Swedish software developer and digital rights activist Ola Bini, began on January 19 in Ecuador, reports People’s Dispatch.
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The TGA’s Vaping Ban and Aboriginal Health
In April 2020, Quadrant contributor Dr Anthony Dillon wrote in Our Coming Bleak Winter and Beyond: “Until political leaders find the courage to reclaim responsibility for the state of the nation, the [COVID] virus and far more damaging policies imposed to combat it cannot, and will not, be separated.”
read now Morrison rolls back pandemic leave payment
Rather than make workplaces safe and expand access to paid pandemic leave, the federal government has tightened eligibility to the Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment, writes Fred Fuentes.
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EXCLUSIVE: No RATs left to give
As Australians struggle to access RATs tests, Greg Hunt and Scott Morrison have publicly denied allegations of stockpiling. read now…
read now ACTU calls for free RATS, safe workplaces
The Australian Council of Trade Unions is very critical of the government’s “let it rip” approach. But, Sarah Hathway reports, many unionists want it to do more.
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We smell a RAT
In an exclusive IA report, we detailed mounting evidence suggesting that the Morrison Government is stockpiling tests ordered by pharmacies and others in the community who did plan in advance. read now…
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Coalition ‘hypocrisy’: bang on about academic freedom and then block research it doesn’t like
Labor promises to approve all grants approved by the Australian Research Council’s peer review process. The post Coalition ‘hypocrisy’: bang on about academic freedom and then block research it doesn’t
read now Voice to Parliament design report still doesn’t meet international human rights standards
Last month, the Australian government published the Indigenous Voice co-design final report. It’s the latest step in the debate about how Australia should and shouldn’t recognise a distinctive Indigenous presence in public life. Some of the report’s recommendations, which the government accepts, will help policy-making to work better for Indigenous
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The Games no one wants to play
With few cities willing or able to play, the organising body is offering the 2026 Commonwealth Games to Melbourne on a plate. The post The Games no one wants to
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Locco’s lob … Where the bloody hell are ya? … mum’s the word
Novak Djokovic has left the country but the stink lingers. Read about that and more from Crikey’s bunker. The post Locco’s lob … Where the bloody hell are ya? …
read now Lusia Harris, first woman to be drafted by NBA, dies
Lusia Harris, who in 1977 made history by becoming the only woman to be officially drafted by an NBA team, has died aged 66. Harris’ family released a statement:“We are deeply saddened to share the news that our angel, matriarch, sister, mother, grandmother, Olympic medalist, The Queen
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Hoarding RATs: is Morrison lying about something he should actually be doing?
In September the Morrison government boasted that home tests would soon be available. Now it’s scrambling to fix its bungling. The post Hoarding RATs: is Morrison lying about something
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Kids on the frontline: the anti-vax tactics against juvenile COVID jabs
Australian anti-vax groups are taking a page from US extremist groups by targeting parents, school staff and local councils. The post Kids on the frontline: the anti-vax tactics against juvenile
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2021 was one of the hottest years on record – and it could also be the coldest we’ll ever see again
Well, it’s official: 2021 was one of the planet’s seven hottest years since records began, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) declared this week. The year was about 1.11℃ above pre-industrial levels – the seventh year in a row that the average global temperature rise edged over 1℃. The WMO report
read now Court orders Porter and lawyer to pay $430,000 legal costs
The costs relate to a finding last year that Chrysanthou could not continue working with Porter on his defamation case against the ABC. The post Court orders Porter and lawyer to pay $430,000 legal costs appeared first on The Mandarin.
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André Leon Talley dreamed of a life ‘in the pages of Vogue, where bad things never happened’
Photo by John Lamparski/Getty ImagesEvery time we see a “fashion moment”, we use the words of André Leon Talley, from his description of Galliano’s 1994 Japonisme show. Talley, who died yesterday age 73, was a flamboyant, over-the-top figure from the fashion industry, inclined to snobbery and rather overbearing.
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Britney Spears threatens legal action against her sister
On Tuesday, Britney Spears’ younger sister Jamie Lynn Spears released her 240-page memoir, ‘Things I Should Have Said’, revealing “misleading or outrageous claims” about Britney, according to Britney’s lawyer Mathew Rosengart. Overnight, Rosengart sent a letter to Jamie Lynn, instructing the 30-year old “cease and desist from
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Indonesia will take a big step on the global stage this year – are Australians paying enough attention?
Tracey Nearmy/APMany Australians are probably unaware that neighbouring Indonesia has assumed the G20 presidency and will host the crucial meeting of the world’s largest economies for the first time in October. The theme for the summit in Bali will be “Recover Together, Recover Stronger”. We can all
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Why Clive Palmer’s Senate tilt is no laughing matter
It’s easy to mock Palmer’s run for the Senate. It’s far more important to examine what it says about the mood of the electorate. The post Why Clive Palmer’s Senate
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Our storytelling around fatherhood must change
Over summer, BroadAgenda is republishing some of its most popular articles. This compelling piece was first posted earlier this year. I groan at the screen when I see my kids watching one of the typical portrayals of the ‘modern dad’. Perhaps the most common depiction is the well-intentioned, loving but
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