opinion
opinion
letters September 14, 2019
Yet again, Behrouz Boochani (“Dutton’s for punishment”, September 7-13) articulates, with profound insights, many truths experienced by people rightly seeking asylum and incarcerated on Manus Island and Nauru. He also reminds those of us opposed to...
diary September 14, 2019
Gadfly: Legal eagles take to Sky
It was a star-encrusted night on Tuesday as the New South Wales Council for Civil Liberties held its annual knees-up at Sky Phoenix in Sydney. This was not just a few lefties munching on dim sum around a lazy Susan in a Chinese restaurant. Rather, it was a grand affair bursting with judges, lawyers, politicians, scientists, captains of industry, academics, public administrators, journalists and other worthies.
politics September 14, 2019
The Morrison government is running away from a national integrity commission at breakneck speed. Its reluctance is made all the starker by its unrestrained willingness to seize on the embarrassment caused to its Labor opponents by Australia’s...
editorial September 14, 2019
This is what happens when your chief climate policy is prayer. Rainforests burn in the spring. Bushfires rage in two states before it is even summer. Rivers are silted with dead fish. Drought wrecks the inland.
immigration September 14, 2019
From Manus Island to Port Moresby
As the government of Papua New Guinea has vowed to remove all refugees from Manus Island, most of us who have been detained there for almost seven years are being transported to Port Moresby. It is a big change for us: disturbing and disruptive in...
diary September 7, 2019
Giovanni (Pork) Barilaro, deputy premier and king of Cockies Corner in the New South Wales parliament, has been busy puffing hot air and positioning himself for a move to Canberra. But he has other pressing concerns: unfortunately for Giovanni, the Australian Taxation Office has applied for a winding-up order for Ryleho Group Pty Ltd, the Queanbeyan timber doors-and-windows operation he owns with his brother Tony.
letters September 7, 2019
In his article “The complacent country” (August 31-September 6) I thought Kevin Rudd offered a slightly different perspective on the left–right divide in Australian politics. He suggested that the left should provide a national identity with an eye...
editorial September 7, 2019
Scott Morrison says his government’s commitment to press freedom is absolute. On Thursday, after the federal police raided the Canberra home of Australian Signals Directorate employee Cameron Gill, the prime minister was defiant. “We are absolutely committed to press freedom,” he said, “and we are also absolutely committed to every Australian being subject to the rule of law.” But a government committed to freedom of the press doesn’t raid the homes of journalists.
immigration September 7, 2019
Biloela showing community spirit
As I write, I am struggling to comprehend that Sri Lankan couple Priya and Nadesalingam and their Australian-born daughters, Kopika and Tharunicaa, continue to face an uncertain future. Meanwhile, back in Biloela, a traumatised town will be...
immigration September 7, 2019
Seeking mercy for Tamil family
When Labor leader Anthony Albanese flew into the Queensland town of Biloela midweek, the temperature was 31 degrees. But the heat was still far below that generated by the government’s determination to deport a Sri Lankan Tamil family who had called...
letters August 31, 2019
Thank you, Richard Cooke (“The power and hypocrisy of George Pell’s supporters”, August 24-30). The Court of Appeal in a majority judgement has carefully examined the evidence and arguments using its technical expertise, intellect, rigour and...
