Why more laws, bans and cops won’t stop neo-Nazis
Whenever neo-Nazi exploits occur in Australia, politicians and the media cry out for more laws, bans and cops, but their calls are largely misguided. read now…
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Category: Independent Commentary
Recent Independent Commentary
China, the United States, and us
Some people can easily remember what they were doing at the time of significant events. The shooting of John F Kennedy or John Lennon. Or The moon landing. Or what they were doing when the twin towers were attacked or the unlawful invasion of Iraq? There are others, of course. The exactness of where l
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Packed Marrickville Peace Meeting Says, ‘No to AUKUS and War on China, Mr Albanese’
https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/packed-marrickville-peace-meeting-says-no-to-aukus-and...
read now Peace activist: ‘Metal shops should be helping the climate transition, not preparing for war’
Peace campaigners argue that engineering firms should instead be awarded grants to manufacture components for the climate transition. Pip Hinman reports.
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A new review into how teachers are educated should acknowledge they learn throughout their careers (not just at the start)
ShutterstockLast August, the federal government set up an expert panel to look at the continuous improvement agenda in teacher education in Australia. The panel, led by Sydney University vice-chancellor Mark Scott (who also chairs The Conversation’s board), has just released a discussion paper that is open for
read now Narendra Modi’s Cricket Coup
What a coup. Nakedly amoral but utterly self-serving in its saccharine minted glory. India’s showman Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who otherwise appears to have clerkish, desk-bound qualities, had what he wanted: an accommodating, possibly clueless guest in the form of the Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese; a common interest in
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More Independent Commentary
Business as usual: the opposers keep opposing
By Paul Smith “Whitefellas know best” has failed as the way to “look after” Blackfellas. The Voice is the way Blackfellas propose to look after themselves. Most Whitefellas agree that that’s the way to go, but some won’t have a bar of it. They claim that the opposition of some
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Mental health reforms dying at the altar of politics
An announcement by the Victorian Government of a new mental health commission is worthless when mental health laws are being routinely broken. read now…
read now Christian thugs attack trans rights protesters at One Nation rally
“We don’t surrender,” One Nation’s Mark Latham said recently. He is using a legal loophole to try and get two representatives in the NSW Legislative Council to push his bigoted agenda. Paul Gregoire reports.
read now Lebanon: Protesters demand solutions to prolonged economic crisis
Hundreds of people in Lebanon staged a protest outside the government headquarters in central Beirut on March 22 in the second consecutive day of protests against the ongoing economic crisis, reports Peoples Dispatch.
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Filming Police: National Justice Project’s George Newhouse on the CopWatch App
https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/filming-police-national-justice-projects-george-newhou...
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A Cunning Plan to Help Trump Win?
What is widely reported to be the impending indictment of Donald Trump by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg provides an example of many things — politically motivated prosecution, for starters, and, intriguingly, perhaps a hidden agenda. Here is a Democrat operative of the progressive Left, a man whose rise
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Woolworths is getting into telehealth – but patients need to be treated as more than customers
ShutterstockEarlier this week, Australian retail giant Woolworths announced a move into health-care delivery via development of its subsidiary HealthyLife’s online portal. Through this portal, Australians can book a same-day 15-minute virtual GP appointment for A$45 and have any resulting prescription filled and delivered to their home. They
read now Swaziland’s anti-monarchy activists face repression ahead of elections
Mvuselelo Mkhabela, a 21-year-old activist of the Communist Party of Swaziland (CPS), escaped from a hospital after being shot and tortured by the police, reports Peoples Dispatch.
read now Questions grow about Tunisian government response to migrant drownings
The latest migrant drownings off the Tunisian coast have led to further scrutiny of Tunisia’s treatment of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, reports People’s Dispatch/Globetrotter News Service.
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Conspiracy theorists are harassing NSW election staff, accusing them of ‘election fraud’ for transporting ballot papers
Videos circulating on social media show heated confrontations between NSW election commission staff and people accusing them of being ‘crooks’ doing ‘illegal’ activities. The post Conspiracy theorists are harassing NSW
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CSIRO official explains climate change will mean more events like Menindee’s mass fish deaths
Experts in ecology, fish and hydrology pin the death of a million fish in NSW’s far west on poor water quality after extensive flooding. The post CSIRO official explains climate change will mean more events like Menindee’s mass fish deaths appeared first on The Mandarin.
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At the 2023 Adelaide Festival, the best works shimmer with a brutal honesty on incarceration, exile – and Nikolai Gogol
The Sheep Song. Tim Standing/Daylight Breaks/Adelaide FestivalFew Adelaideans remember a time before the Adelaide Festival. Formed in 1960 as a civic enterprise and financed against loss by prominent Adelaide businessmen, the festival today remains arguably the most robust international arts festival in our region. For me, the Adelaide Festival
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What drives early childhood educator burnout and what interventions can help?
This systematic review into early childhood educator burnout and effective interventions was written by Dr Marg Rogers from the University of New England in NSW, Joanne Ng from the Australian Educator Research Organisation and Dr Courtney McNamara from Newcastle University in the UK. The alarming number
read now Chris Minns on women’s representation and goal for more participation
Well into the final days and hours of his fight to become the next premier of NSW, Chris Minns is also managing a fierce battle to retain his super marginal seat of Kogarah, in the South of Sydney. So trying to get even a short phone call
read now Marjorie O’Neill one term in to her massive career shift to politician
Dr Marjorie O’Neill won one of two new seats for NSW Labor exactly four years ago on Thursday, at the 2019 state election, having left a career in academia to pursue political life. Now she’s campaigning to retain the seat of Coogee where she holds a
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Teachers need a lot of things right now, but another curriculum ‘rewrite’ isn’t one of them
Getty ImagesLess than a fortnight after teachers staged a national strike, education was back in the headlines with the National Party’s release of its curriculum policy – or “rewrite”, as leader Christopher Luxon described it. In a nutshell, the policy would require primary and intermediate schools to teach
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Australia’s longest criminal trial almost at an end
Australia’s longest-running terrorism saga is set to finally end — 44 years, 1 month and 7 days after it began. read now…
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‘We’re going to discuss this’: Bronnie Taylor on putting women’s health on the NSW agenda
Bronnie Taylor might be the most senior woman in the NSW government right now, but she never had ambitions for politics. Verbatim, she had “absolutely no interest”. Her heart was always in healthcare. After studying nursing, she spent the first 20 years of her career specialising in
read now How the Cuban government and people collaborated on the Family Code
Natalia Marques spoke to young activists in Cuba to find out how the new law was won through grassroots dialogue.
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World Athletics excludes transgender women from international female competitions
World Athletics has announced a ban on transgender women who’ve undergone male puberty from competing in the female category of elite international events. The governing body’s new ruling comes into effect on 31 March 2023 and is surprising news to many. As recently as January, World Athletics
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‘Hand on heart’: Boris Johnson defends himself at ‘partygate’ hearings
Boris Johnson was called in front of a committee this week where he insisted, again, that he didn’t knowingly mislead Parliament. The post ‘Hand on heart’: Boris Johnson defends himself
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What are the fringe candidates fighting for in the NSW election?
A Crikey guide to the bizarre, extreme and fringe candidates who are hoping to (but probably won’t) win a seat in the NSW election. The post What are the fringe
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Elon Musk and Malcolm Roberts because sure why not?
Continuing his search for the very bottom of the barrel, Elon Musk has some approving words for our very own One Nation senator. The post Elon Musk and Malcolm Roberts
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The ‘remarkable’ twist in Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation proceedings
Bruce Lehrmann has shocked the court in his defamation action by failing to call a key witness at the 11th hour. The post The ‘remarkable’ twist in Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation
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AI chatbots with Chinese characteristics: why Baidu’s ChatGPT rival may never measure up
Baidu’s ERNIE Bot was launched to considerable disappointment. Ng Han Guan / APOn March 16, Baidu unveiled China’s latest rival to OpenAI’s ChatGPT – ERNIE Bot (short for “Enhanced Representation through kNowledge IntEgration”). The “multi-modal” AI-powered chatbot can generate text, images, audio and video from a text prompt. However,
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Why on earth wasn’t Silicon Valley Bank bailed out by the US government?
While there is little sympathy for banks or the Silicon Valley crowd, surely the US government could have tried saving the bank rather than shutting it overnight. The post Why
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Melbourne Now: a vast, sprawling and inspiring exhibition that seems to burst out of its architectural framework
Installation view of Troy Emery’s work Mountain climber 2022 on display as part of the Melbourne Now exhibition at The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, Melbourne from 24 March – 20 August 2023. Image: Tom RossReview: Melbourne Now, National Gallery of Victoria. Melbourne Now 2013 is still spoken about with
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Is Australia heading for an insolvency crisis?
With a COVID-era economy stuffed with cash-handouts, Australian businesses have enjoyed record low insolvency rates for years. Now, we can expect that to change. The post Is Australia heading for
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‘Three-month waiting list just to visit a GP’: inside the campaign for NSW’s largest seat
A showdown between a Nat and an independent is looming in a New South Wales electorate as large as Germany. The post ‘Three-month waiting list just to visit a GP’:
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CARTOONS: Mark David is standing for re-election
Our tip: He’s left his Nazi uniform in the closet. read now…
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Commonwealth Offences Relating to Dealing in Proceeds of Crime in Australia
https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/commonwealth-offences-relating-to-dealing-in-proceeds-...
read now Minister sends up signal for APS stewards
Katy Gallagher’s revamp of APS values is in full swing, with consultation now open for the inclusion of stewardship to the list. The post Minister sends up signal for APS stewards appeared first on The Mandarin.
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Far-west NSW community seeks answers after river catastrophe kills millions of fish
There are many unanswered questions after a fish kill filled a river with carcasses in Menindee, NSW. The post Far-west NSW community seeks answers after river catastrophe kills millions
read now Movers & Shakers: Treasury appoints four assistant secretaries
Sinodinos hands over US ambassadorship to Rudd, third Equality Initiative ambassador, WA Housing First Homelessness Advisory Group, and lots more. The post Movers & Shakers: Treasury appoints four assistant secretaries appeared first on The Mandarin.
read now A “no” vote in the Voice referendum would put a serious dent in Australia’s image abroad
We are so far down this referendum road that not to reach the destination would have very wide fallout, writes Michelle Grattan from the University of Canberra in this article republished from The Conversation. At the end of the emotional news conference in which he unveiled
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Can Perrottet revive the right? Saint Dom shines his post-Gladys halo
If the NSW Coalition can hold Labor to a minority government tomorrow, or even win, the premier will be a god among his fellow Liberals. The post Can Perrottet revive
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