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We need more than tinkering with our national anthem
Our PM’s call for Australians to embrace the change of a word to our national anthem from ‘young’ to ‘one’ is sensible. But it is hardly inspiring, nor does it give us a visionary anthem. The words ‘wealth for toil’ is another example of how irrelevant our anthem is. This phrase belongs in a bygone period. Ask any farmer today if their ‘wealth’ from this year’s crop was due to ‘toil’ and you would be told it had much more to do with technology, science and marketing. China for example has already abandoned ‘wealth for toil’ as its goal, prefer…
Time to take our nation beyond football, meat pies, kangaroos & Holden cars
Ross B. Taylor AM Yesterday was National Citizenship Day. A day when 2,500 people became Australian citizens, where multi-culturalism is now part of our foundation, and immigration has changed the face of our nation for the better. But as we celebrate this occasion, perhaps it is a good time to reflect on our journey as a nation so far and ask, ‘where to from here, and what is our collective vision for the future?’ Australia has certainly grown-up from the days when we defined ourselves by adopting that popular advertisement, ‘Football, meat …
Where's the playground Suzie?
Maybe only Glenn Campbell would have known the answer to this question, but here in WA we certainly know the answer: There is NO playground; they're all still closed. With no new cases of Covid-19 for so many days; empty hospital beds and no community spread-including infections at schools that the 'wet-my-pants' brigade were so terrified about-our leaders still can't bring themselves to let kids play. But then again, they will let people 'jam' into Coles and David Jones, whilst not even letting those who want t…
As China moves to 'rescue' Indonesia, time for Australia to step-up
UPDATED FRIDAY 8TH MAY 2020 Two critical issues now facing Australia, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, are firstly our deteriorating relationship with China, and secondly the USA and it’s chaotic political leadership during this crisis, and the dramatic economic implications. These two outcomes will coincide with China probably becoming more belligerent and aggressive in a post Covid-19 world, leaving Australia even more politically isolated and economically vulnerable. In this environment, Australia’s relationship with Indonesia…
Foreign maids can help reduce our child-care crisis in Australia
Last month Prime Minister Scott Morrison threw a desperately-needed $1.6 billion lifeline to Australia’s childcare sector. The emergency support from our government was desperately needed to ensure child-care centres are able to keep their doors open as parents withdrew their children due to the Covid-19 pandemic. But it needs to remembered that, in normal times, this is an industry that can only operate provided there is a massive subsidy from the public purse, already costing almost $8 billion per year. And the irony is that despite …
Ahhh Corona! You aren't all that bad!
Why am I feeling a bit 'strange' as I listen to government and experts tell us about 'our pathway back?' Pathway back.... 'to what'? More noise; more pollution, more cars, more rudeness, more road-rage and bad tempered drivers, more visits to the service station to fill up, more fuel price increases, less caring about our neighbours, less quiet lunches; less time with our families because we are 'busy' again, and more buying of stuff we don't even need, and les s walks around our immediate neighbour…
A little less Beijing; a whole lot more Jakarta the future for Western Australia
Two critical issues now facing Australia due to the Covid-19 pandemic are firstly our deteriorating relationship with China, and secondly the USA and it’s chaotic political leadership during this crisis, including the dramatic economic implications that are now emerging. These two outcomes will coincide with China continuing to expand its activities in the South China Sea and possibly becoming more belligerent and aggressive, leaving Australia potentially even more politically isolated and economically vulnerable. In this environment…
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