Discuss the republic issue

April 21, 2008, 8:44pm, 116 views,  Leave a Comment

I have created a forum post for discussion on the republic issue.

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Republic discussion

April 20, 2008, 9:33am, 142 views,  Leave a Comment

Apparently there was barely a voice to be heard against Australia becoming a republic among the 100 people in the summit’s governance group. Read more

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Shallow celebrity view

April 19, 2008, 1:36pm, 110 views,  Leave a Comment

Actress Cate Blanchett says artists can contribute just as much as scientists to Australia’s future.

“Science and art are siblings. Science and art are different outcomes of the same primal urge in us all to engage with, to detail, and to affect narratives and patterns,” she said.

She says a few years ago she met former US president Bill Clinton, who had an interesting take on the value of art to society. Read more

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GG on the money

April 19, 2008, 11:36am, 122 views,  Leave a Comment

Hopefully the Governor-General’s speech struck a chord.

Major General Michael Jeffery urged delegates to use the summit before them as an opportunity to question the “fundamental fabric of our society”.

“Can we do more to strengthen the family unit, to reduce the very high incidence of family break-up, to better prepare young people for adulthood and to strengthen their sense of social responsibility?” he asked.

Major General Jeffery said great ideas had been created in the past and could be created again to forge the future.

“As I move around this country I am constantly struck by the ingenuity, innovation and creativity of our fellow Australians in so many fields of endeavor,” he said.

I suspect a majority of the hand-picked people there are not as interested in family issues and social responsibility as they should be.

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Build before you protect?

April 19, 2008, 11:29am, 85 views,  Leave a Comment

An indigenous youth representative at this weekend’s 2020 summit says a new national Aboriginal body should be created to avoid some of the “ad-hoc policies” surrounding the federal intervention.

“The intervention is a classic example of highlighting where the relationship just isn’t right between indigenous Australia and non-indigenous Australia,” he said.

“You need to build those foundations properly before you can build policies and programs which attack those immediate issues, such as child protection and domestic violence.”

He says a treaty should be signed between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians because the agreement would be good for our the county’s national identity.

“Not only something that recognises the history … that talks about the way this country has been built on the sacrifices of indigenous people, but also really setting the guidelines on which the relationship needs to be built, which can then contribute to how we can build practical policies and programs,” he said.

Cobblers. It’s absurd to say the foundations need to be built before you tackle issues like child protection and domestic violence.

Too bad if you’re one of the kids being sexually abused, or one of the women being bashed. Just ask them to hang in there while a new national organisation is established for more talks to be held. Yeh, right.

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Morons were invited

April 19, 2008, 11:12am, 82 views,  Leave a Comment

I just heard an ABC Radio news report. It included a grab quoting some unnamed idiot saying “the Australian Constitution was written in 1901 by morons.”

I think the moron who said that will find it was written before 1901 by some of the most distinguished legal minds in the country. The fact that idiot got an invitation astounds me.

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News in brief

April 18, 2008, 8:44pm, 115 views,  Leave a Comment

I will publish brief reports and comments here. This section will sometimes be used for running commentary on breaking news.

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