En Passant

Yesterday my local Canberra legislature made same sex civil partnership ceremonies in the Australian Capital Territory legally binding. This is not marriage equality but it is a step in that direction.

In the light of the rather inaccurate shoe throwing attempt at our former racist Prime Minister John Howard, I am thinking of setting up a new business – how to improve your shoe throwing

The HowRudd Government is giving CEOs at least an extra $41 a week in tax cuts, but has nothing for those earning less than $34,000. That is Labor for you.

This is Costello’s legacy – the threat of unemployment, attacks on wages and conditions and an economy teetering towards oblivion.

The union leadership’s own internal advice shows conclusively that Rudd’s industrial relations laws are WorkChoices lite and breach ILO standards.

Ive used the lyrics from some of Midnight Oil’s songs to measure the worth of the Rudd Government.  Peter Garrett is (or technically was) the Oils’ lead singer. They have re-formed briefly for some bushfire relief concerts this weekend. Garrett’s day job is as the Minister for Environment, Heritage and the Arts in Rudd’s Labor Government. Here are some […]

The terrifying racist attacks in Manly, and Cronulla before that, are the result of ten years of hard work by John Howard’s Liberal government – with more than a little help from his friends and the tame cat “opposition” of the Labor Party. Jerome Small in Socialist Alternative analyses where this flag waving racism comes from.

Dr Don Driscoll, from the Fenner School of Environment and Society at the Australian National University, has an interesting letter in the Canberra Times criticising ‘the burn off will prevent extreme fires’ argument. He describes the ‘calls for more land clearing and fuel reduction burning’ as ‘reactionary’ and ‘muddleheaded’. Why?