• Judge • QC • DPP •
Wake up calls are sometimes subtle and sometimes obvious. A continent on fire, people dying, homes lost, wildlife decimated. To me, this comes into the obvious category. We have seen that a leadership vacuum cannot be filled by a part time pastor and that in these times sterner stuff is needed for our nation to see ...
When political parties seek the approval of the people to govern in Australia, they do so with the implicit if not explicitly stated promise that they will provide certain basic fundamental services that are expected in modern democracies. These include, amongst others, a decent health system, transport system, education system and an affordable legal system that ...
When the founder of the Liberal Party, Sir Robert Menzies said – “As the etymology of our name ‘Liberal’ indicates, we have stood for freedom … believing in the individual….We have realised that men and women are not just ciphers in a calculation, but are individual human beings … (and) to protect the individual from oppression….” he ...
The least surprising aspect of Senator Anning’s speech was that virtually every ‘fact’ he asserted in his diatribe was simply wrong. He did us all a favour not only by exposing the depths of his prejudices but of revealing his cavernous ignorance. The most disturbing aspect of his speech was the demonstration of how an individual ...
The phrase ad hominem doesn’t get a lot of airplay round the pubs and cafes of Australia these days. It literally means ‘to the man’ and perfectly describes the state of Australian politics today. It is used best to describe a fallacious argumentative strategy whereby genuine discussion of a particular topic is avoided by instead attacking ...
The resort to so-called ‘Cabinet confidentiality’ by Mr Malinauskas and the Labor Opposition concerning the report presented by former Police Commissioner Mal Hyde into carers working with vulnerable children, is as breathtaking in its arrogance as it is cruel in its effect. While cabinet members have traditionally claimed the right to keep differing opinions expressed amongst ...
The South Australian Department of Premier and Cabinet has published a document entitled: “CARETAKER CONVENTIONS AND PRE-ELECTION PRACTICES” The document explicitly recognises that after the dissolution of Parliament, the business of government MUST CONTINUE and that “ORDINARY MATTERS OF ADMINISTRATION” must be addressed. Government departments are expected to operate normally. The only restrictions on government during this period ...
If there was ever any doubt that our dismal crop of politicians act out of self interest rather than principle, it was removed today when we saw the final death and burying of any hope that an honourable application of the principle of ministerial responsibility might prevail in our parliaments. The PM's attitude has brought ...
The Theory: Ministerial responsibility is an oath taken by ministers that makes them accountable to the Parliament. It is central to the Parliamentary system because it ensures the accountability of the government to the legislature and so, to the people. This differs from the collective responsibility of Cabinet which demands that members of the Cabinet must publicly ...