Ladies and gentlemen, I am most touched that Professor Klaus Schwab should have invited me to be with you as we mark the 50th anniversary of the World Economic Forum and its mission to “improve the state of the world”. It is this mission, and the urgent need to shape the next 50 years, that has inspired me to be…
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Tim Berners-Lee unveils global plan to save the web
An article by Ian Sample, Science Editor of The Guardian published 25 November 2019 ……………………………………………………………………………………. The inventor of the world wide web calls on governments and firms to safeguard it from abuse and ensure it benefits humanity. Sir Tim Berners-Lee has launched a global action plan to save the web from political manipulation, fake news, privacy violations and other malign forces that threaten…
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‘We keep men’s secrets’: sleazy politicians and crude bosses still plague us by Virginia Trioli published 9 November 2019 in the Sydney Morning Herald
Virginia Trioli is host of Mornings on ABC Radio Melbourne, and was a founding co-anchor of ABC TV’s News Breakfast. Generation F: Why We Still Struggle With Sex and Power (Simon & Schuster, $25) is an update of her 1996 book, Generation F, and is out 15 November 2019. It was a table for two, tucked down the back of a discreet and exclusive restaurant perched…
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Speech in Parliament by the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Albanese, on 1 August 2019
Just a few weeks ago we all stood in this House and debated the passing of Bob Hawke, a great Australian who stood for all Australians. Bob Hawke’s prime ministership was characterised by an understanding that together we are stronger. He looked for common ground. Nothing could stand in more contrast with that than what we’ve seen from this government…
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Did Israel Folau actually misquote the Bible? Hell, yes – by John Tait B.Sc (Ed), M.Theol
During the extended Israel Folau debate I have been waiting for a theologian or biblical scholar to come forward and address Folau’s misuse of scripture in his controversial post. The saga rolls on and I am still waiting. I have also been searching media reports curious to know what brand of church Folau attends. It is important to know this to understand…
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It is embarrassing to have ill-informed decision makers
Prime Minister Scott Morrison says it’s time to “rediscover” Captain James Cook because he gets “a bit of a bad show”. Mr Morrison plans to kick the “rediscovery” along with more than $12 million in projects to mark the 250th anniversary of Captain Cook’s first voyage to Australia and the Pacific. They include a circumnavigation of Australia by a replica of the Endeavour…
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BOOK REVIEW: A City Lost & Found by Robyn Annear: Whelan the Wrecker’s Melbourne –Black Inc 2006
Someone recently gave me A City Lost & Found as a birthday present. That is not a valid motive for writing a review of a book published more than a decade ago. But in this case there are good reasons for reviewing it now. One is that it is a remarkable historical work which is now available as an ebook. (The…
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High Salaries and Low Wages
The Oxfam Report Growing Gulf Between Work and Wealth shows wealth inequality in Australia has been on the rise over the past two decades, with the gulf between the amount of wealth held by the top 1% and the bottom 50% now the greatest at any time over this period. The richest 1% of Australians continue to own more wealth than…