Following are links to some items I’ve had published on other sites Please like & share:

Federal Labor’s proposal announced recently to help address the crisis in housing affordability is as strong an indication as any that the housing issue is finally having a political impact. We have suffered through years of worsening statistics and pleas for political action from the groups who work daily with those under extreme housing stress,…

The atrocious treatment of Dr Mohamed Haneef has drawn much comment on the fairness of our anti-terror laws and the performance of Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews. Less attention has been paid to the inherent unfairness of provisions of the Migration Act which so easily enable precisely the type of injustices meted out to Dr Haneef….

I have been one of many people, black and white, who have been calling on governments for a long time to make child abuse and Indigenous issues national priorities. As was noted in the foreword of the recent Northern Territory Inquiry into the Protection of Aboriginal Children from Sexual Abuse, it was via my motion…

For a country of just 21 million, Australia has a huge impact on the global ecosphere. Domestically, the CSIRO have just estimated that our less than one third of a per cent of the world’s population produces 1.43 per cent of its CO2 (more than 4 times our share proportionally) and there is much we…

People often ask me: How do Senators find the time to properly look at all that legislation? Fortunately, you don’t have to be a speed-reading, all-knowing, uber-expert. The Senate Committee process allows us to ask other people who have knowledge and expertise in the areas in question, and to seek responses from government Departments to…

It is uncertain how long the current drought will continue, but both climate change and a global economy are with us for the long term. It is past time for us, as a country, to start making some hard choices about the future of the bush. First, we must recognise that the drought hurts many…

Sundays announcement that Democrat Senator Natasha Stott Despoja will not be recontesting her seat in next year’s federal election has once again brought the doomsayers out in force predicting the demise of the Democrats. It is a bit hard to see how this announcement really could be the fatal blow for the Democrats, given that…

The problems experienced by Australians with disabilities have been years in the making and things are set to get worse if governments of all levels do not act urgently to tackle the deprivation experienced by this relatively powerless section of our community. The Institute of Health and Welfare recently announced findings that Australia is looking…

Don Chipp, founder of the Australian Democrats, has passed away after a long battle with Parkinsons disease. Although he had been experiencing deteriorating health in recent years, he still maintained an active public profile, recently celebrating his 81st birthday. News of his passing came as a tremendous shock for members of the Australian Democrats and…

In a 1993 Industry Commission Report, housing was described as a basic human need: I would go further and argue that it is basic human right. I also believe that it is a right which is consistently overlooked, when it should in fact be the starting point in any consideration of housing policy. It is…

Two weeks ago I attended a hearing of the Parliament’s Migration Committee which heard clear evidence that Australian businesses in many areas are still finding it difficult to find available workers, for unskilled as well as skilled and semi-skilled work. This situation not only inhibits earnings for those businesses, it costs all Australians by keeping…

In his speech to the Menzies Research Centre on Tuesday night, the Prime Minister effectively ruled out tax reform and opted instead for political point scoring dressed up as tax relief for low and middle income earners. With the exception of the Treasurer and now the Prime Minister, virtually everyone, from the progressive to the…

The Prime Minister’s plans for change to the Senate tackle a problem that doesn’t exist. The Senate is not obstructive. In this Parliament alone, the Senate has passed 271 bills. Only a little more than 2 per cent of bills have been rejected. Contrast that to 1975, when more than one in four bills (27…

PM's plans to neuter the Senate show he's lost touch by Senator Andrew Bartlett The Age, 10 June 2003 It is a brave nation, equally a remarkably gullible one, that would put complete power in the hands of a cunning politician. History has taught all mankind that those they should fear most are the Executive….