Put ten Australians in a room and ask them if they pay too much tax and you’re likely to find everyone agreeing, “why yes, I do pay too much tax.” None of us likes paying tax, but are we really paying too much? Here are three ways you can answer that question. How much should we...
My Hometown is the World’s Biggest Exporter of Coal, But I Believe the Industry Must End
One of the arguments commonly used to defend Australia’s minimal efforts to combat climate change is that Australia is responsible for only 1.1% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, it is claimed, there is little Australia can do to make a difference. There is however another way to...
Deceiving Refugees. Is Peter Dutton Lying or Just Incredibly Naive?
This must surely rank as one of the biggest porkies ever told by a government department. In a letter to refugees detained on Nauru and published by the Guardian, the Department of Immigration and Border Protection says The opportunity to settle in Cambodia is now available to you. The first flight...
Why I Support Halal Certification
For some time I have heard assertions that fees paid for halal certification on food are being used to fund terrorism. The ABC recently ran a fact check that exposed this as untrue. Muslim diets require that certain foods be prepared in certain ways. Halal certification identifies food products...
Are we the world’s stingiest nation?
Never before has an Australian government made cuts to the international aid program like those made by the Abbott government. The argument goes that we can’t afford to borrow money in order to give it away. We first need to deal with our debt crisis, and then we can afford to give more. A...
Easter and the pulling on of socks
Until my Parkinson’s progressed I never realised what a fine art it is pulling on a pair of socks. I always thought the challenge would be things such as tying up my shoelaces, but it appears that pulling on socks requires fine motor skills that are more sophisticated than those of tying...
The kingdom of Christ or the kingdom of Rome?
Jesus came to Israel proclaiming a kingdom founded on faith, grace and love and was executed by a kingdom founded on idolatry (the Roman emperor was worshipped as a god), violence (Roman armies had conquered the world and rebellion was ruthlessly crushed) and state-interest (Rome stripped conquered...
A Coal Festival? Really?
In 2012 Rolling Stone magazine published an article by Bill McKibben that’s become famous. McKibben showed that when we burn through all known fossil fuel reserves in the world we will emit 2795 gigatons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The problem is, to have a one in five chance of...
This will break your heart
The Guardian has published interviews with refugees who set out for Australia by boat only to find there was no welcome for them here. Rather, under a policy introduced by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, they were packed off to Nauru, where their claim for refugee status was found to be valid and they...
On Shutting Down Remote Indigenous Communities
A furore has erupted this week over the Prime Minister’s description of aboriginals living in remote communities as being there as a result of their “lifestyle choices”. Aboriginal leaders, even those who have been supportive of the Prime Minister, have expressed disappointment...