We have lived through an extraordinary 18 months. In my wildest dreams I never imagined a time when our borders would be shut, our cities emptied of workers, our children shut out of schools. We have endured grief and anguish, the wilting of dreams, the pains of separation. There have been too many...
Introversion has never been my way of engaging with the world. According to Introvert, Dear “an introvert is someone who prefers calm, minimally stimulating environments. Introverts tend to feel drained after socialising and regain their energy by spending time alone.”...
I was watching a short speech by Olympic gold medallist and former Senator Nova Peris today, when she suggested March 3 as Australia’s national day. What a brilliant suggestion. March 3 1986 was the date the Australia Act took effect. I was surprised to discover that prior to this the UK...
When Sandy and I moved to Newcastle 25 years ago we discovered a city and region with layers of beauty familiar to communities located along Australia’s eastern coastline, yet pockmarked by industrialised sites that possessed the bleak and foreboding feel of a post-apocalyptic world...
In an address to the Sydney Anglican Synod, Archbishop Glenn Davies invited those within the Anglican Communion who advocate for the full inclusion of LGBITQ+ people into the church to leave. …The time has come to take action and make decisions, and these recent events have made it all...
Does religious belief impact on attitudes toward climate change? While there is research that suggests Australians who identify with Christianity are less likely to believe in anthropogenically induced climate change, this does not appear to be the case for church-attending Christians. NCLS and...
As school kids are on their climate strike today, this chart from the climate action tracker website is a simple reminder why. The chart shows us: Where we are at present. The world has already warmed, on average, by 1° since pre-industrial times.Where current policies and commitments, if met, will...
Since emerging on the political stage Scott Morrison has cultivated the persona of the daggy suburban family man, who loves his wife, his children, and his football team; who works hard and is duly recompensed; believes in contributing to his community; and believes in a “fair go” for...
A few months back I offered the first in what was to be a series of blogs on reading the bible, bouncing off an approach outlined by Richard Hays. Hays suggested that interpretation is a fourfold task: Descriptive: what a particular book of the bible meant to its original audience; Synthesis: how...
How would you fare if you had to live on Newstart (the dole)? I ran the Centrelink income calculator and discovered that if Sandy & I were unable to find work we would be eligible for $630.00 per week. That’s made up of the Newstart allowance, Family Tax Benefit (we have two children...