Values

Over its 122-year history, the Labor party has suffered three major internal cataclysms. In 1917, the issue of conscription saw leader Billy Hughes take many Labor members with him across to the Liberal party. It took years for Labor to recover.

In 1930, the depression saw Jack Lang leave the party, form his own, and wreak havoc with Labor support for a decade. In 1955, the issue of communism saw many Catholic members of the Labor party defect to the DLP. This kept Labor out of office for a generation.

The Gillard versus Rudd affair reached a preliminary climax on Monday. The 71-31 vote appears conclusive. But the word “preliminary” is necessary, as some fundamental issues are left hanging.

Continue reading "This isn’t the first time that Labor has blown up" »

Well, what did anyone expect? Facebook removes harmless pics of Aussie mums breastfeeding, and what, we’re surprised? Gee, who’d a thunk that a massive corporation that exists to profit from banner ads wouldn’t share our values?

Facebook’s moral universe is admittedly rather haphazard. Its automatic boob-detecting software got onto those breastfeeding Mums much quicker than the site had on other occasions removed pages dedicated to hate and vilification, or pages that cruelly mocked the innocent dead.

But here’s the thing. Facebook is not an arbiter of values, nor should it be. It has its own rules and its practices, and anyone who uploads content onto Facebook cannot reasonably expect its editorial policy (or lack thereof) to align with their own values.

Continue reading "Stop expecting Facebook to be your friend" »

Outstanding leaders successfully integrate authenticity, authorship and authority, giving them a triple A rating for leadership.  When we apply the paradigm of Triple A leadership to Julia Gillard we find that she falls short on all three counts.

Julia Gillard’s authority was weakened, rather than strengthened, by the manner in which she came to power.  She was installed by “faceless men”, with little input from those with considerable investment in the Labor Party, in what appeared to be an overnight coup. 

She is on record as being reluctant to step up to the top job, believing she was not quite ready.

Continue reading "No Triple A rating for Gillard" »

Generally we like to put our politicians into neat categories. Conservative/modern, God bothering/loony leftie, compassionate/hard arse, hawk/dove.

The ones who put their Christianity on display, for instance, generally aren’t big on gay marriage or abortion. Those who advocate harm minimisation over zero tolerance on drugs, generally take a softer line on boat people.

But Julia Gillard has confused people a little since she got the top job at the end of last month. As a bit of a blank canvas, some have given into the temptation to project their own positions onto her, and have been disappointed when the end result wasn’t what they expected.

Continue reading "The new Prime Minister is a hard one to pin down" »

The depth of the distress revealed by members of the ‘forgotten children’ this week should be a wake-up call for all Australians to ensure we adequately protect and nurture our children’s emotional development.

Like most other Australians, I have been shocked by the heart-breaking stories of the brave souls who have come forward over the course of this week talking about the abuse they suffered while in the care of government institutions, foster care and church organisations in our country. 

It is clear that the feelings of abandonment, coupled with sexual, physical, and emotional abuse have left indelible, intergenerational scars, with many finding it difficult to trust or love others throughout their adult lives. 

Continue reading "Learning to empathise is the key to healing hurt" »

A news report on the wireless last week about a decision taken by the local council at Liverpool, a satellite suburb in Sydney’s west, first to approve - then to reject - a planning application for the construction of an Islamic school in the nearby area of Hoxton Park promoted some interesting listener discussion.

One caller, a father who identified himself as a Muslim, indicated a sense of generalised disappointment with the decision. He said it had always been his intention to send his children to either a Catholic school, or Jewish school because he wanted them to have a “values-based” education.

Dad went on the explain that he had, in fact, enrolled his kids in as Islamic school, so his own wishes for his children’s education had been fulfilled - but the point remained; Liverpool Council’s decision would probably mean many parents in the area would be denied the chance to exercise the sort of “choice” this particular father had wanted for his children.

Continue reading "What are values and where do you get them" »

KELLIE from Hi-5 has always been a favourite at our place. The kids also seem to like her. But at the risk of sounding like the Reverend Fred Nile, I’m a bit disappointed with her semi-clad efforts on the pages of Ralph.

Not angry. Not suggesting the photos should be banned, nor pretending that I didn’t have a discreet squizz at them like many other dads. Not questioning her right as a 34-year-old woman to engage in some entry-level eroticism to avoid being pigeon-holed as a cheesy children’s entertainer. Just annoyed that I might find myself having a conversation with our six-year-old daughter which begins: “Dad, isn’t that Kellie from Hi-5?”

The woman shouldn’t be crucified for doing what she did and the reaction from family groups and feminists to her shoot has been over the top.

Women’s Forum Australia spokeswoman Melinda Tankard Reist described the photos as an “abuse of her position with tens of thousands of little girls looking up to her”, as if from here to eternity Kel should be quarantined to a life of G-rated entertainment despite no longer being a member of the children’s group. But Tankard Reist was on the money when she said the problem was that Kel’s appearance on the cover was “particularly problematic because magazines like Ralph are on shop shelves at kiddy eye level”.

Continue reading "Dad, isn’t that Kellie from Hi-5? What’s she wearing?" »