REMINDER: Ryan Candidates Forum, tonight at 7 pm, SMT Academy, Bywong St, Toowong, organised by Westside Climate Action Group. Enquiries: 0412 807 184 The Good: Yesterday I invited four young voters to discuss their views about politics, elections, the issues, the parties, the candidates, and what makes them more or less proud about their country [...]
For a change, this morning I’ll comment just in brief on four items from this morning’s media: 1. Labor first-home buyer tax breaks. In its version of the Government’s first-time home-buyer scheme, Labor also takes an unimaginative and not very effective path. Houses will not be made more affordable by policies that bid up house [...]
Tags:Independents·Local issues·Parliament·Public transport & traffic congestion·Work
I was very saddened by today’s news that Peter Andren died today after his struggle with pancreatic cancer. A man I never met, but one I feel I knew. My thoughts are with his family and friends. Regular readers will have realised from previous posts that I have deeply admired his service to his electorate [...]
Tags:Independents·Parliament
A number of people asked me whether I would be writing about last night’s debate. I’m not going to. It’s not that (as a debating coach) I don’t have anything to say – there’s plenty. It’s because the debate, the worm, the whole spectacle, are just too far removed from what’s truly important. The issues [...]
Tags:Parliament
Parliament may yet be recalled for one last week (or two). Mr. Rudd has questioned the value and the cost of this exercise, given that most legislative business was cleared up in the last sitting, retiring members have been farewelled, and offices cleared. He has a good point. But if they do return, what should [...]
Tags:Parliament
Last week I was very critical of a Parliamentary debate (purportedly on a “Matter of Public Importance”) that was, not unusually, devoid of new thinking and dominated by reverberating party taunts. Today was different. There were words of wisdom, passion and insight from members of both parties. Why? Because they were uttered in the valedictory [...]
Tags:kmz file·Parliament
Setting aside a day’s leave for the distinctly apolitical task of heavy manual labour in my garden gave me the opportunity of listening uninterrupted to the day’s proceedings in Parliament, courtesy of ABC News Radio. But it wasn’t Question Time and its usual antics that struck me most forcefully.
Tags:kmz file·Parliament
According to ABC Radio, Peter Andren, the Independent Representative for Calare in NSW, has just announced that he has cancer and will relinquish the race for a seat in the Senate. Not only his constituents, but many others throughout the country have the greatest respect for Peter and
Tags:kmz file·Parliament