Britannia defends Law, Monarchy and Religion against Violation from the Great Political Libertine. Despite its many flaws, inequities and inequalities, a constitutional monarchy remains the least easily manipulated governance system humans have devised
Death or Liberty! Cartoon by George Cruikshank, London, 1819
CHRIS OVERLAND
ADELAIDE - Raymond Sigimet's perfectly competent and informative article about the death of the Queen triggered a remarkable outpouring of venom about the monarchy from those who want to replace it with a republic.
There is no denying that the monarchy is an archaic and elitist institution. Also, there are plenty of examples of royals behaving badly.
Continue reading "The real virtues of constitutional monarchy" »
John Kerr was looking for friendship and support wherever he could. Prince Charles allowed himself to be drawn into the collaboration to bring down an Australian government
King Charles III (then Prince Charles) in 1976
JOHN MENADUE
| Pearls Irritations
SYDNEY - In the heat of early spring 1975 in the New Guinea highlands, Australian Governor General Sir John Kerr sidled up to Prince Charles and suggested a quiet chat.
The topic? The possible dismissal of the Australian prime minister.
Continue reading "Prince Charles, Kerr & the dismissal of Gough" »
"I know how honoured Her Majesty is to be your Queen, a title borne by her with immense pride and renewed by the people of this great country upon independence in 1975" - King Charles III, speaking as the Prince of Wales, in 2012
Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh visited PNG in October 1982
RAYMOND SIGIMET
DAGUA - Papua New Guinea, as a member of the Commonwealth, is mourning the passing of its head of state, Queen Elizabeth II.
Elizabeth II, called Misis Kwin in PNG Tok Pisin, died aged 96 one week ago, Thursday 8 September.
Continue reading "PNG's monarch, ‘Misis Kwin’, has passed away" »
“I want to warn the country about ‘lazy man expectations’ that money from oil, gas and mining would be a permanent solution for our economy; far from it” – James Marape
James Marape speaking in parliament this week
JAMES MARAPE MP
| James Marape News Page | Edited
WAIGANI – The story of Papua New Guinea is not bad as many people make it out to be.
By 2027, the Budget will be in surplus and by the mid-2030s PNG will have paid its total sovereign debt on the way to becoming a K200 billion economy.
Continue reading "Marape says PNG's prospects now look strong" »
Papua New Guinea is entirely a colonial construct and, as recent elections demonstrated, tribalism still trumps democracy in many places and in many ways
Taking a break in a village. Life under colonialism was predictable and progressive. And colonisers and colonised generally got on well. But the colonial governance construct is now showing its age
CHRIS OVERLAND
ADELAIDE - The desire of Bougainvilleans for independence is not going to dissipate based on some deal concocted by Port Moresby to give the island autonomous status within Papua New Guinea.
Surely this message has been delivered in clear and unequivocal terms?
Continue reading "PNG’s colonial construct is under threat" »
‘Foreign media must understand that the manner in which journalists are allowed to conduct themselves in other countries does not give them the right to operate in the same manner in the Pacific’
Solomons journalists at a training workshop in March 2021
NEWS DESK
| Pacific Media Watch
AUCKLAND - The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has condemned the Solomon Islands government for threatening to ban or deport foreign journalists “disrespectful” of the country’s relationship with China.
The IFJ said this was a “grave infringement on press freedom” and called on prime minister Manasseh Sogavare to ensure all journalists in the Solomon Islands remain free to report.
Continue reading "Solomons’ threat to journalists condemned" »
The autonomous Bougainville government said ratification of the 2019 referendum on independence will be done by the national parliament and doesn't require PNG citizens to be further consulted
NEWS DESK
| Radio New Zealand
AUCKLAND - The Bougainville government has rejected a call from the Papua New Guinea government to hold for a nationwide consultation on the Bougainville independence referendum.
PNG prime minister James Marape proposed the consultation earlier this month.
Continue reading "Bougainville says no to independence consultation" »
A critical precondition for peace is that people must desire it fiercely enough to argue, fight and even die for it. This is what we all may be doing soon enough if China uses force to conquer Taiwan and the United States intervenes
Art by Spiros Karkavela (Art of Future Warfare)
CHRIS OVERLAND
ADELAIDE - One of the unfathomable mysteries of human nature is the instinct to pursue violence and war.
History is, in many respects, just one long and dismal story of seemingly endless warfare.
Continue reading "The nightmare of war that is with us forever" »
“The allegations of scandalising the judiciary are nonsensical. It’s a fact the chief justice, who I understand is the complainant in this allegation, is a close friend of former prime minister Peter O’Neill and was appointed on an NEC (Cabinet) submission sponsored by O’Neill"
Bryan Kramer at parliament house
THIERRY LEPANI
| PNG Post-Courier
PORT MORESBY - Papua New Guinea’s Justice Minister and Madang MP Bryan Kramer has been referred to the Public Prosecutor by the Ombudsman Commission on 14 counts of alleged misconduct.
He told a media conference that the Ombudsman Commission had delivered a letter informing him of the allegations and the referral.
Continue reading "Corruption fighter Kramer slams allegations" »
It is important that media criticism of the government is based upon facts and constitutes fair comment. This is vital to preserve the credibility of the media
CHRIS OVERLAND
ADELAIDE - Requiring the media to 'instil unity amongst our people' – as the Solomons prime minister proposes - is all too often code for 'do not criticise the government even if this is warranted'.
In Australia, the Liberal-National Party governments have been notoriously critical of the ABC because, as they see it, the management and journalists are biased against the conservative side of politics.
Continue reading "Mass media & politics: an uneasy relationship" »
Traditionally women exercised power on matters such as food security, children’s health and education. In matrilineal settings, they can exercise total authority over the distribution and use of land
STEPHEN CHARTERIS
CAIRNS - I believe Terence Wood (‘What went wrong with the 2022 elections’) has made some pertinent observations.
He has picked out a number of factors that are increasingly impacting the safe and orderly conduct of elections.
I would add a couple more to the mix.
Continue reading "How to give women a say in PNG governance" »
I’ve spoken to electoral officials who told me about the death threats they received. I’ve heard of candidates kidnapping officials’ family members. If other candidates’ supporters attacked your supporters last election, why not get revenge this time round?
TERENCE WOOD
| DevPolicy Blog
CANBERRA - The dust is still swirling, far from settled, and already people are calling the 2022 elections the worst in Papua New Guinea’s history.
Is that correct? I don’t know – the 2002 and 2017 elections provide stiff competition. And in some ways, 2022 hasn’t been as bad as I feared.
Continue reading "What went wrong with the 2022 elections?" »
Very few Pacific islands would opt for their current status if offered a choice to return to their pre-colonial lives. This could be more than a post-modern fantasy
STEPHEN CHARTERIS
CAIRNS - If you look at history through a Bougainvillean lens, independence is obvious and non-negotiable.
But the same sentiment applies to practically every other island group in the Pacific region.
Continue reading "A Pacific of small island states is no fantasy" »
We must harden up and put our collective shoulders to the wheel to make our country more economically resilient and self-reliant, as well as to repair our much neglected and grossly inadequate defence forces
Anthony Albanese has taken over a country in which laissez faire capitalism has wrought its magic, enriching the few at the expense of the many (Caricature from The West Australian)
CHRIS OVERLAND
ADELAIDE - Australia's 'timid' government (Keith Jackson’s descriptor) has sniffed the wind and knows that, while Australians were intensely unhappy with the previous government, they were not necessarily going to buy into demands for thoroughgoing reforms of the current system.
In particular, a large majority of voters still fondly imagine that the serious problems now manifest in the health system, aged care, disability services, public transport and housing can be magically fixed without, if not an increase in taxation, at least the abandonment of the unjustified and inequitable tax cuts which passed into law before the recent election.
Continue reading "Sweeping reform is not on Albanese’s agenda" »
Marape became the first PNG prime minister to be elected unopposed as 97 MPs decided to vote for him unanimously, leaving former prime minister O’Neill, comprehensively outmanoeuvred in the election, to strut out of the chamber muttering something about “a matter of conscience”
Rachael and James Marape
KEITH JACKSON
NOOSA – Even in the elation of victory, unanimously chosen prime minister of Papua New Guinea, James Marape, could not bring himself to provide hope for women to occupy a fair share of seats in PNG’s parliament.
“Women do not need special seats, they can run on merit,” was the curt response when he was asked whether two (1.7%) of 118 seats was an adequate return for the nation’s women.
Continue reading "Election gives Marape a stranglehold on PNG" »
Elections need to proper planning and management. But this election has repeated previous experience, with 50 known deaths, arson, destruction of property and 3,000 people displaced from their homes
Houses burn in Enga Province
MAHOLOPA LAVEIL
| The Interpreter | Lowy Institute
PORT MORESBY - Violence is a mainstay of Papua New Guinea’s elections.
As I write this article, tensions are high in the capital Port Moresby. Reports of machete wielding men slashing innocent bystanders along the city’s main roads and fears of retaliation fill my social media feed.
Continue reading "PNG’s election: Death, arson & destruction" »
MARTYN NAMORONG
PORT MORESBY - The Catholic Bishops Conference of Papua New Guinea has called on prime minister James Marape and his ministers (now in caretaker mode pending the outcome of the national election) to return to Port Moresby and address the current crisis of election-related violence.
The United States still has a chance to fix itself before 2024. But when democracies start dying—as the USA already has—they usually don’t recover
The United States Capitol (Stephen Voss, Redux)
BRIAN KLAAS
| The Atlantic
NEW YORK - In 2009, a violent mob stormed the presidential palace in Madagascar, a deeply impoverished red-earthed island off the coast of East Africa.
They had been incited to violence by opportunistic politicians and media personalities, successfully triggering a coup.
Continue reading "America’s self-obsession is killing democracy" »
James Marape and Peter O’Neill seem likely to retain their seats but Allan Bird, the respected governor of East Sepik Province, is seen by many people as good prime ministerial material
Peter O'Neill casts his vote at the 2017 election. Re-elected prime minister, he was toppled by James Marape in 2019. Now a bitter battle looms for the leadership
RONALD MAY
| Pearls & Irritations | Edited extracts
CANBERRA - Voting is proceeding apace in Papua New Guinea’s tenth election for the national parliament. A record of around 3,500 candidates are contesting the parliament’s 118 seats.
In the last parliament (2017-22) there was no female MP and despite campaigns to encourage women to contest this election, only 142 of the candidates are women, compared to 167 in 2017.
Continue reading "Marape v O'Neill: Post-election battle looms" »
"University of South Pacific is only one of two regional universities in the world, and arguably one of the few tangible outcomes of Pacific regional integration” - Professor Albert Schram
Solomon Islands student Dale Pala wants regional governments to sort out the USP mess - 'When they come here students say we are one people, one ocean’
KEITH JACKSON
NOOSA – It’s been a while since this blog touched upon happenings at the University of the South Pacific in Fiji.
The deportation of vice-chancellor Professor Sal Ahluwalia and his wife Sandra Price in February last year, and the subsequent withdrawal of Fiji’s funding from the regional university, have kept the issue alive.
Continue reading "Pacific uni strife continues as funds dry up" »
Lying, obfuscation and diversion are all part of well-established Chinese strategy to confuse or misdirect putative enemies and gullible others as to its real intentions. What Chinese diplomats are saying about the development at Ihu clearly fits this category
Speaking before 3,000 representatives to the National People’s Congress in Beijing in March 2021, president Xi Jinping proclaimed his country had been the first to tame Covid, the result of “self-confidence in our path, self-confidence in our theories, self-confidence in our system, self-confidence in our culture”
CHRIS OVERLAND
ADELAIDE - I worked as a kiap in the Gulf Province (or District as it then was) for two years from mid-1969 to mid-1971.
It was a very impoverished region then as it is now.
For this reason, any major development project is likely to be welcomed by the local people.
Continue reading "Chinese now a real threat in the Gulf of Papua" »
“Every man has his good side,” Marape says of O'Neill. “But as time progressed, power got into his head, and his heart shifted away from the main goalpost"
Marape says of O'Neill: "Some of us reached the tolerance rate where we can’t be part of that sort of regime where you make a call and you expect everyone else to follow"
HAMISH McDONALD
| The Saturday Paper
MELBOURNE - As Papua New Guinea’s prime minister James Marape was working the tables at a hotel gathering of his Pangu Party in Goroka, a heavily drunk man was making a nuisance of himself.
Burly police bodyguards moved in for a rough eviction. But then Marape saw the man, walked closer, embraced him, and got him to sit quietly in a corner. The prime minister had recognised an old high school classmate.
Continue reading "The complex challenges of leadership in PNG" »
It's likely the government, particularly under Peter Dutton, acted illegally in limiting the number of partner visa places to an extraordinary degree
ABUL RIVZI
| Pearls & Irritations
CANBERRA - In 2018, I wrote about one of opposition leader Peter Dutton’s lesser known scandals – his action to egregiously limit the number of partner visas.
In 1989 and in 1996-97, parliament voted to ensure partner visa applications (more specifically spouse visa applications) were managed on a demand driven basis.
Continue reading "Capped partner visas: Another Dutton rort" »
Only seven of Papua New Guinea’s 65 government agencies have reported how they have spent billions of public funds provided to them in the budget since 2016
The Money Tree (painting by Channell Arivai)
KEITH JACKSON
NOOSA - The delivery of a peaceful election is a shared responsibility that requires broad-based leadership, says Transparency International Papua New Guinea (TIPNG).
It says a free and fair election will require a concerted effort by the police, defence force, correctional service and some government agencies working alongside the electoral commission.
Continue reading "On election violence & unaccounted billions" »
A Twitter thread examining the alarming, tragic and unfinished story of Covid in Australia: where the people are now; how we got here; and what we must do to extract ourselves from this shitshow
Image by The Age
COLIN KINNER
(@ColinKinner)
BRISBANE - First, where are we right now? Some facts.
Around 50% of all Australians have had Covid, there have been 9,700 deaths from Covid and about half a million people are suffering from Long Covid.
To put that in perspective, the current death rate is around 50 people per day, and increasing.
Continue reading "Australia's Covid situation is out of control" »
One key test for PNG’s fragile democracy will be women’s political representation. PNG is one of only three countries to have no female legislators in its national parliament
Election and security officials plan the movement of supplies, 2017 (Commonwealth Secretariat)
TEDDY WINN
| Griffith Asia Insights
https://blogs.griffith.edu.au/asiainsights/
TOWNSVILLE - Papua New Guineans will go to the polls on 2 July - the tenth time citizens have exercised their universal suffrage since the first post-independence election of 1977.
The process started with the issuing of writs on 12 May. Sadly, the country lost its deputy prime minister in a fatal car accident the day before, resulting in the deferral of nominations by a week.
Continue reading "Pre-poll incidents foretell election violence" »
Research suggests that policy-makers now need to focus on the less politically popular aspects of education policy, such as improving teacher quality and oversight and monitoring
NEWSDESK
| Radio New Zealand | Pacific News
AUCKLAND - More than 10 years after it started, big changes are being called for in Papua New Guinea's tuition fee-free education system, introduced by the O'Neill government in 2011.
The National Research Institute (NRI) in PNG has conducted an assessment in East Sepik and Morobe provinces and found that, while fee-free education improved access for many students, the quality of education was undermined.
Continue reading "Fee-free education in PNG flawed, says NRI" »
Do the people understand exactly what is happening – and how it is happening, and to the benefit of whom? No, too often they don’t. They are not told. These things are not explained to them
PAUL OATES
CLEVELAND QLD –There is an argument put forward that, if everyone knows their taxes and public resources are deployed in a transparent and ethical way, where then is the corruption?
And if people vote on issues that have been fully explained to them by their elected representatives, where then is the ignorance?
Continue reading "When your guardians become grand thieves" »
Almost no organisations and government agencies have an anti-corruption strategy - even those responsible for protecting integrity
KEITH JACKSON
NOOSA - With the help of the European Union, Transparency International PNG (TIPNG) is seeking to persuade Papua New Guinea’s government agencies to adopt and implement explicit anti-corruption and integrity strategies.
It says it is doing this in the knowledge that few government agencies, including those responsible for protecting integrity and fighting corruption, do not have an anti-corruption strategy.
Continue reading "New push to adopt anti-corruption strategies" »
It was Michael Somare’s Pangu that knew the way to independence. Now under James Marape, ‘Pangu ino save lo rot’. Pangu doesn't know the way
MICHAEL KABUNI
| Academia Nomad
WAIGANI – ‘Pangu save lo ro’ (Pangu knows the way) is a motto made popular by the late Sam Basil.
It refers to the Pangu Pati that attained independence for Papua New Guinea in 1975 led by the late Michael Somare.
Continue reading "PM Marape’s compromised & corrupted Pangu" »
Being an agitator can come at a high cost. In many instances, society may not be ready for the solutions the media provides. The media itself may not be ready
Scott Waide - "The role of the media as a guardian of democracy comes to the fore when people go to the polls"
SCOTT WAIDE
| My Land, My Country
LAE - It has been a hectic three months working around the clock running pre-election workshops for journalists in all four regions through the media development initiative of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
The most important part of the training for many of those journalists who attended has been the discussion around the role of the media in Papua New Guinea.
Continue reading "The vital roles of the media in our country" »
From the outset ASPI was a highly politicised right wing think tank. It’s now reached its use-by date & should put down the megaphone
BRUCE HAIGH
| Pearls & Irritations
ORANGE, NSW - The Australian Strategic Policy Institute, ASPI, was conceived as a body to provide the government with the advice it wanted to hear.
It was commissioned by prime minister John Howard in August 2001 to undertake ‘policy-relevant research and analysis to better inform government decisions and public understanding of strategic and defence issues'.
Continue reading "Time is up for right wing cheerleader ASPI" »
The observer group at the 2017 election was strongly criticised for its perceived failure to identify many substantial problems around voting
Commonwealth observer speaks with voters in Hela Province, 2012 (Treva Braun | Commonwealth Secretariat)
KEITH JACKSON
NOOSA – A former president of Nauru, Baron Waqa, will lead the Commonwealth Observer Group to Papua New Guinea’s national election next month.
At the invitation of the PNG Electoral Commission, the Commonwealth Secretariat will deploy the Group to observe and report on the country’s national election scheduled to begin on 2 July.
Continue reading "Commonwealth observers ready for action" »
Neo-liberalism's inherent flaws and contradictions have created mountainous debt and numerous socio-economic dysfunctions which have left the world’s economic and financial systems dangerously exposed
CHRIS OVERLAND
ADELAIDE - As an historian I am very wary about trying to predict the future based upon what has happened in the past or even what is happening in the present.
The record of those who predict the future with confidence is that they have been almost invariably wrong.
Continue reading "A rough guide to a challenging future" »
Marape is as power hungry as O’Neill. They're just two Highlands egos preying on the emotions of uncritical voters
Peter O'Neill and James Marape - "Papua New Guineans, don’t be fooled by these two power hungry guys"
MICHAEL KABUNI
| Academia Nomad
WAIGANI - When addressing a crowd of Pangu Pati supporters in Morobe Province a week ago, prime minister James Marape issued a challenge to his predecessor, People’s National Congress (PNC) leader Peter O’Neill, and his supporters.
He invited O’Neill to a debate and dared him to explain to the country what he had done for Lae and Papua New Guinea during his eight years in office (2011-19). Marape.
Continue reading "Don’t be fooled by the two bother brothers" »
The people of Milne Bay have a point. They have the makings of prosperity and connectivity. But a road from the capital would not necessarily bring them anything but strife
JOHN GREENSHIELDS
ADELAIDE – Not long ago, Papua New Guinea’s prime minister James Marape convened a stakeholder meeting to discuss Connect PNG – a 20-year plan to increase strategic road connections across the country.
Australian high commissioner Jon Philp told the meeting that Australia continued to support strategic and high-quality infrastructure projects as a tool to promote economic prosperity.
Continue reading "Progress often needs more than a road" »
We cannot build a decent Papua New Guinea when extortion and bribery are the starting points to acquire political power
Dulciana Somare-Brash with the late Sir Michael Somare - "We don't have female representation in parliament and that is a huge motivator. I work in the political space as a technical advisor and I’m hoping to have success at the polls this time"
DULCIANA SOMARE
ANGORAM - I’m the only female candidate contesting the Angoram Open seat in East Sepik Province – one of the 72 candidates who have nominated so far.
That may seem like an anomaly, however the underlying truth is that the steps involved in mounting an election campaign through all its processes up until the final count are complex, exclusive and expensive.
Continue reading "Another Somare seeks to rebuild a nation" »
East Sepik Governor Allan Bird MP - "Behave in ways that best represent our values"
GOVERNOR ALLAN BIRD
| Academia Nomad
Good behaviour is not a sign of weakness, it is a sign of great strength. Let the ballot box speak
WEWAK – I’ve seen a number of strong comments from young Sepiks and other coastal citizens in support of electing a coastal prime minister.
So let me share my observations on whether this outcome is possible and what it would take to achieve it.
Continue reading "Advice to a young, ambitious politician" »
Anthony Albanese has to prove himself capable of sorting out the considerable mess that Scott Morrison has left behind
KEITH JACKSON
If Albanese exercises democracy and wisdom in the cabinet room, we will have the best government we can have - and nobody can hope for anything more than that
NOOSA - Yesterday’s man under pressure has survived to become today’s hero – and I’m going to explain why.
For many Australians, the Labor Party’s win in Saturday’s national election seemed an unlikely victory.
Throughout his period as opposition leader, Anthony (Albo) Albanese had sought to present a target so small that nobody could take clear aim at it.
Continue reading "The timely end of a dangerous government" »
Governor Gary Juffa - a formidable politician and not someone an inexperienced candidate would want to take on
MICHAEL KABUNI
| Academia Nomad
WAIGANI - I once listened to a talk on a case study drawn from the Oro provincial election of 2017.
It dealt particularly with the challenges women face in elections.
Being from Oro, I listened with interest but was disappointed when I heard the findings, which were not a good reflection of Oro politics.
Continue reading "Note to candidates: Avoid unwinnable seats" »
Anthony Albanese - "A critical component of progress is engaging with people you don't agree with - everything else is the status quo"
CHRIS OVERLAND
ADELAIDE - The demise of Australia’s Morrison government hopefully spells the end of nine long years of inertia, incompetence and corruption.
The incoming Albanese government inherits a sea of troubles: unprecedented public cynicism about politics; a degraded Federal public service; an economy about to be smitten by inflation; mountainous debt and fragile asset bubbles; an incredibly destructive European war; and a Chinese economy teetering on the edge of disaster.
This is a grim outlook indeed.
Continue reading "Can Albanese end the great regression?" »
Parliament House, Canberra
KEITH JACKSON
NOOSA – Throughout April and May, John Menadue’s blog, Pearls & Irritations, published a series of expert essays on policies a new Australian government should adopt to improve its performance and effectivendess.
Here are synopses of each of these articles. Follow this link to read them in full.
Continue reading "How Albanese could rewrite the script" »
Scrutineers at the national election in 2017 (Johnny Blades RNZ)
KEITH JACKSON
Democracy was hijacked with the vote undermined by brazen electoral fraud and unprecedented violence and insecurity - PNG Election 2017
NOOSA – China is offering assistance to curb election violence in Papua New Guinea, according to a report in today’s The Australian newspaper.
The story by Ben Packham, the paper’s well-connected foreign affairs and defence correspondent, comes ahead of PNG’s five-yearly election starting on Friday 9 July and finishing on Wednesday 22 July after a two-week delay for reasons that are unclear.
Continue reading "China lines up to support PNG’s late election" »
Members of Parliament wait to greet a foreign leader. How many are corrupt?
MICHAEL KABUNI
|Academia Nomad
It’s not just a few people doing the wrong thing. It’s most people doing the wrong thing
WAIGANI - The average turnover of Papua New Guinea’s elected politicians is 50%; at each national election about half of the incumbents lose their seats.
This is one of the highest rates in the world and has been the case without exception since the first post-independence election in 1977.
Continue reading "Tok stret ia: Is PNG thoroughly corrupt?" »
Sam Basil. The 'belsori' vote following his death increases the prospects of ULP candidates winning seats.
MICHAEL KABUNI
| Academia Nomad
WAIGANI – Many tributes have been written about the late deputy prime minister Sam Basil MP, who died last week after a motor vehicle accident.
In this article, I will write about the impact of Basil’s death on the political party he formed in 2020 - the United Labour Party (ULP) - and its situation leading into the 2022 elections before the tragic accident that took his life.
Continue reading "Basil: distrusted in life; praised at ‘belsori'" »
Scott Morrison - political abuser reaches the bargaining stage of grief
NICK FEIK
| Editor | The Monthly
MELBOURNE - On Friday, prime minister Scott Morrison came as close as he’ll ever come to conceding that most people don’t like him.
He also said that “there are things that are going to have to change with the way I do things”.
Continue reading "‘I’ve changed!’ Scomo’s big last lie" »
KEITH JACKSON
NOOSA - The south-east coastal Queensland seat of Wide Bay comes up for grabs again next Saturday when Australia holds its federal election.
Given the wobbly state of my health, a couple of days ago I cast a postal vote at the very desk where I sit writing this. So I'm in for getting rid of the Morrison government.
Continue reading "MPs stick around up here in Wide Bay" »
Frank Jordan - "To invite New Zealanders to work in Australia but exclude Papua New Guineans shows a deep lack of respect"
FRANK JORDAN
| Reason Australia Party
Reason supports giving Papua New Guinea citizens the same rights to live and work in Australia as New Zealand citizens and offering them legislative protections for fair and safe working conditions
BRISBANE - Papua New Guinea is a nation of nine million people just 10 kilometres north of Australia.
Most Australians will have met someone from New Zealand which has a population two thirds that of PNG. How many can say they have met someone from PNG.
Continue reading "Reason wants equal rights for PNG visitors" »
STEPHEN CHARTERIS
CAIRNS - In Abraham Lincoln’s time, messaging was limited to horse and rider and, as electronics became better understood, the telegraph.
News slowly developed as a commodity but, back then, it was largely confined to industrialised countries.
An event of significance happening in mid-19th century India might have appeared as a footnote in the London Times many weeks after the event.
Continue reading "A most desperate need for good leadership" »
Frank Bruni
FRANK BRUNI
| The New York Times
DURHAM, USA - Imelda Marcos’s sandals lived better than I did. I just discovered that.
I was reacquainting myself with that whole sordid history — with the unfathomable extravagance that she and her dictator husband, Ferdinand, indulged in before they were run out of the Philippines in 1986 — and found an article on Medium that said that her hundreds upon hundreds of shoes occupied a closet of 1,500 square feet.
Continue reading "Lies have power in age of political fiction" »