Act
Today marks the centenary of the launch of the competition to design the national capital city of Australia.
On May 24, 1911, Minister for Home Affairs King O’Malley announced an international competition for the design. In 1899, the Colonial Premiers had decided that the permanent capital would be in New South Wales, not less than 100 miles from Sydney, and a Congress was held in Melbourne four months after Federation in 1901 on the planning of a capital.
Dalgety was first chosen as the site of the future capital in 1904, but four years later the Canberra Yass region was selected as a replacement. The site for the Australian Capital Territory was transferred to the Commonwealth of Australia in January 1911.
Continue reading "Canberra: A bastardised version of the ideal city?" »
Prime Minister Julia Gillard has been confronted by concerned members of the Labor Right over legislation that would restrict the ability of the Commonwealth to overturn territory laws.
Their fear is that it would allow the territories to introduce their own laws on same-sex marriage and euthanasia, and the Prime Minister has been forced to delay her support for the bill. Wayne Swan this morning has said the concerns are “legitimate.” It’s a statement of the obvious that Julia Gillard is squeezed from the left by her coalition with the Greens, and from the right by the Labor party’s right wing concerned it will lose touch with increasingly angry base.
Perhaps what is less clear is what the territories’ legislation will actually allow. Legally it doesn’t actually allow gay marriage or euthanasia, but there is a divergence between legal and political realities which would open up the door to their legalisation.
Continue reading "Gillard’s gay marriage and euthanasia minefield" »
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Alexander says:
I cant resist… History shows that your church definitely accepts ‘pedaphillia’ among it’s more important members. Does that mean they have already gone past the point of accepting gay marriage. As for your views on the IVF waiting list they are simply embaressing. IVF services are vastly overloaded, they always… Read more »
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Mat says:
Travelling through Asia is fine if you are a mature adult. But our youth are so impressionable! They must be protected. Read more »
If Ralph Waldo Emerson was right when he said: “a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds,” then the Australian Greens must hold the bragging rights to having the biggest brains.
For no other political Party has the ability to be so inconsistent when it comes to public policy than the Greens.
Two recent incidents, which received huge media attention, demonstrated this perfectly.
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Disaffected says:
So that’s your best shot, Daniel. Put words in a bloke’s mouth, eh. Hows that for sleaze. Tough luck. Did I so much as mention NSW politics? No. Kindly don’t pass off your words as mine, you poxy shill. Read more »
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DWest says:
I thought the Liberals got their political / internet censorship inspiration from the #1 Nanny State, Communist China. I love how just the mention of greens makes the conservatives lose their sh*t. Hilarious. Read more »
Canberra just got a whole lot more boring.
With their Jedi Council-like wisdom, the ACT Government has banned the social evil that is fireworks from private sale and use in the capital.
While this decision kills off one of the few uniquely Canberran outlets of fun, it’s a pretty interesting ban from a Government that presides over laws that have enabled nobody to be convicted of murder in the last 11 years.
Continue reading "Murder’s okay, just don’t let off crackers in the ACT" »
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FARLEYAna34 says:
This is understandable that cash makes people disembarrass. But what to do when somebody doesn’t have money? The one way is to get the personal loans or sba loan. Read more »
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Melanie says:
Good point Leo and an interesting analogy, but I do think you downplay the effect fireworks have on animals! It’s a good thing that they’ve banned them, but you may be right that the legislators have their priorities scrambled in a variety of areas, and that this is partly due… Read more »
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