September 2010

The National Gallery is one of those buildings people like to beat up on.

Since its open in 1967the building has been subject to hurtful and unfair sledges such as “pile of concrete poo” and “High Court off-cuts”.

Besides the fact the Colin Madigan building is one of the world’s best examples of brutalist architecture, it is also safely Australia’s coolest public building. In a city dotted with real piles of bureaucratic concrete the NGA is an oasis of unique design.

Continue reading "A look at our new and possibly improved NGA" »

MONDAY 27/09/10

First time in Parliament House since leadership spill.

Never thought I’d be back here. Had been in Pakistan doing media for an NGO. Was really thriving. My experience of NSW Labor factional warfare was the perfect apprenticeship for navigating Pakistan’s male-dominated, clan based society.

Then about ten days ago, ran into Rudd. He was on marathon tour of the region, trying very hard to write notes, listen, and look concerned simultaneously.

Asked Rudd where his staff were. He’d fired them three camps ago. Offered me a promotion, a pay rise, and the right to swear at him.

I couldn’t refuse.

Continue reading "Journal of a Rudd Staffer: Let the games begin" »

Yesterday’s first NPQT (new paradigm Question Time) kind of seemed a bit like the OOPQT (old, old paradigm Question Time - pre-Rudd) but with better ties. It was, however, the Prime Minister’s birthday. Perhaps today things could get a bit feisty again. Join us here from 2pm for live coverage.

What’s wrong with this picture?

Hint: it’s something on the stage and we’re not talking about the President’s pants.

The man who led one of the greatest campaigns in the history of western politics has resorted to this? Oh well, at least at the rally he was jamming on some other themes, such as: “Buck up, Democrats”. You can read about it here, here and here.

So people are forking out up to $50,000 so that the likes of Matt Moran, Neil Perry and Peter Gilmore can come over to their house and knock up dinner.

I’d like to see them try it at my place. If Peter Gilmore can find a way of turning a six-pack of Boags Draught, a couple of bananas, some bacon rashers and a jar of jalapenos into a snow egg, he’s welcome to the entire contents of my bank account.

Presumably the deal is that the chefs bring their own food with them, and all your fancy friends get to ooh and ahh as it is assembled. It’s all the go now among Sydney’s charity set, where the richest people in town bid obscene amounts of cash for what the marketing department likes to call “money-can’t-buy” opportunities.

Continue reading "Power parenting turning our food experience sour" »

Even the most ardent rugby league supporters couldn’t help but admit that some of their idols have an image problem. Whether it’s their talent, their huge paychecks, or their even bigger egos that often lead to galling indiscretions, the public relations side of the sport is like a recurring nightmare.

The testosterone-fuelled violence on-field is one thing, but it’s the all-too-often alcohol-sodden events once the game is over that has given rise to such a reputation.

Not being a fan, I nonetheless found myself watching a match recently and was surprised at how many players’ names were familiar. But then I realised why I knew them - from their court appearances around Sydney over the past few years.

Continue reading "Stewart’s acquittal also a big win for football" »

Labor has lost its majority but it would like us to believe that it has found regional Australia.

Well, at Labor’s election launch Bob Hawke said that you have to judge a horse by its form.

It was good advice. Labor ignored regional Australia through its first term in Government.

Continue reading "Labor still looks at the regions through metro eyes" »

I am 19 years old and last Monday night there was a party at my friend’s house.

Not just any party, but a holiday-launching, noise-polluting, parent-make-grumbling kind of party. There were girls too, lots of them. I didn’t go.

Instead I was stuck to the edge of my couch with my eyes glued to the television. They were going to talk about euthanasia on Q&A.

Continue reading "Gutless politicians don’t speak for me on ethics" »

A challenge from a former Howard Government spin-doctor on Twitter this week set me to thinking, not for the first time, about how journalists, especially ABC journalists, in the age of social media, can maintain and protect their impartiality.

You should know first that I use Twitter mainly to disseminate work by other people that interests me. I post links to articles, essays, video or audio, and jokes to leaven the mix, which reflect the fairly wide selection of reading I do on the internet every day.

A proportion of what I post is also breaking news. So for example, when the Deputy Speakership was decided this week, I posted three ‘tweets’ in quick succession, giving the vote numbers: one from @annabelcrabb, one from the political blogger @mfarnsworth, and one from @ABCNews.

Continue reading "Taking the twit out of Twitter and finding value" »

A year ago Barack Obama declared himself the first ‘Pacific President’ but so far his engagement with the region leaves a lot to be desired.

President Obama hosted the second US-ASEAN Summit in New York on Friday. Many are hopeful the insubstantial two-hour lunch meeting on the sidelines of the UN will signal a turning point in the Obama Administration’s approach to Asia.

So far the President has visited Europe six times and Asia only once. His European adventures have included spruiking a hometown Olympic bid and accepting the Nobel Peace Prize with one hand while saluting off more troops into harm’s way with the other. While some of his trips across the Atlantic have taken him to important gatherings of the G20 and NATO, declaring war on nuclear arms along the way, it is Asia – not Europe – that should be centre of the world’s attention right now.

Continue reading "Obama the Pacific President? Not so much" »