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…
Why I haven’t cancelled our June Bali holiday
Why I haven’t cancelled our June Bali holiday I had just finished a Skype-video interview with a major TV channel here in Perth, to warn West Australians that it will be ‘many months before we can sit on the beach in Bali again, and watch the sunset’, when my wife, Katherine challenged me: “But you still have not accepted Jetstar’s penalty-free offer to cancel our own Bali holiday planned for June, so what are you talking about?” It was confronting. And I had to confess to Katherine that I simply couldn’t bring myself to actually d…
WHY HARVEY WEINSTEIN WAS SO DUMB...
How stupid was Harvey Weinstein. What an idiot by abusing so many women? Didn't he realise that they were ADULTS, and adults can talk to authorities and eventually get-together and cause trouble? He should have gone after small children. Much easier, and a whole lot safer. Kids don't understand what is happening; they can't articulate as well as adults, and with some luck they will kill themselves anyway before they grow-up and cause t rouble like adult victims do. And as George Pell's lawyers have proven, that bec…
AT LAST SOME TRUE LEADERSHIP FROM AN AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL CODE
By Ross B. Taylor Richard Goyder, Chairman of the AFL, finally said last night what most 'thinking' people suspected: "The AFL has not even considered the Eddie McGuire plan to have a 'Hub' competition start soon, where six teams would be based in Perth." McGuire's plan was never a good idea anyway, and apart from the logistics of setting-up such a structure, the message to the entire population was one of arrogance and disregard for the 'social distancing' and quarantining rules now in place…
Social