Today is the Queen’s Birthday holiday. Yet I suspect that not many of my fellow Australians will give much thought to the Queen nor her birthday. For most today is just another public holiday. Nonetheless, this public holiday always arouses my republican inclinations. I find it odd that...
A Budget is a Values Statement
As the nation prepares itself for what is predicted to be a particularly tough budget, I find it worthwhile remembering something I learnt at theological college, that a budget is a values statement. Whether a church budget or a national budget, we can never reduce budgets to simply being financial...
Some Things, Like Greed and Self Interest, Never Change.
Pursing the Common Good. Where Christians are Getting It Wrong and How They Can Get it Right
Backward Steps on Climate
Hot on the heels of the appointment of a businessman who doesn’t think climate change is induced by humans to head up a review of the Renewable Energy Targets (Gee, I wonder where that might go?), comes the Abbott Government’s redefining of Australia’s objectives for international...
Australia Day. A Time to Laugh and a Time to Cry
I find myself conflicted this Australia Day. Do I laugh or cry? On the one hand I am a proud Australian. I love this country. I love the fact that I can go to a footy match, sit beside supporters of my opponents, and feel perfectly safe. I love our self deprecating sense of humour, that calling a...
Selling Out the Poor for a Few Kilometres of Bitumen
Good on you Joe, you have traded the opportunity to end extreme poverty for millions for a few extra kilometres of bitumen.
Five Wishes for the New Government
So, we have a new Prime Minister and a new government (or at least will have once they are sworn in). Now the rancour of electioneering has passed, here’s what I am hoping. That Tony Abbott rises to the challenge of high office to be a good, or even great, Prime Minister. For me the...
Global Citizenship. Putting the National Interest in its Place
When it comes to sport I am an unabashed nationalist. There is something delicious about beating the English in cricket, the All Blacks at rugby and the US at anything- not that we’ve been doing much of that lately. But there lies the problem with nationalism. While it may be relatively...
A Bigger Vision for Who We Can Be
It seems that the major parties are leading us into a time of turning our backs upon our global neighbours. We are witnessing a race to the bottom on asylum seekers, both parties are pulling back on their previous commitments to increasing aid, and there is fading resolve to lead on combating...