The first time Sandy and I drove across Kooragang Island we were confronted by a large swamp devoid of any vegetation other than string of dead trees poking up out of the water. We turned to each other and simultaneously exclaimed “Mordor!”. Kooragang Island is home to Newcastle’s...
All we have are the fingerprints of an elusive God
Should we stop reading the New Testament letters for a while?
Is Australia Being Islamicised?
Why and how we should criticise politicians
Living inside a Peter Allen song
Prayers to Allah, the Tears of Slaves, and the Playground of Superstars. Day 2 in Turkey
Istanbul is a heady mix of the ancient and modern, of the religious and the secular. My day began with a visit to the famous Blue Mosque. Four hundred years old it is a very impressive structure. Massive columns support a multiply domed roof that is designed to evoke a sense of the greatness of the...
The biggest threat to our democracy is not asylum seekers but the Minister responsible for them
According to this year’s Lowy Poll 48% of Australians see asylum seekers arriving by boat as a critical threat to Australia’s national interest. It is somewhat ironic then, that the greatest threat currently comes not from refugees but the Minister who oversees the refugee program, the...
Con Jobs, Breathtaking Buildings and Apple Tea. Day 1 in Turkey
Perhaps the Coldest Thing I’ve Ever Heard from a Politician
I know politicians can be cold and calculated, but footage of Immigration Minister Scott Morrison addressing asylum seekers detained on Manus Island and Nauru is chilling. With sombre, determined tones he advises asylum seekers that they are where they are because “you entered Australia...