Happy New Year and best wishes for a successful 2023. I think it will be a hold-on-to-your-seats ride in 2023 with a packed political agenda. An early 2023 mover was Agriculture Minister Murray Watt who has the important job of landing the Australia/United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The FTA was agreed last year when […]

There’s an old saying that Australia does not go back to work until after Australia Day. With Federal Parliament not resuming until February 6th, Australians may have been confused to see Prime Minister Albanese firmly back in the spotlight in recent days. He met billionaire Bill Gates at Kirribilli House in Sydney on January 21st, followed […]

Brace yourself – I have some good news on aged care. With deepest sympathy for anyone who has suffered due to failings in aged care, I dare to venture there’s been sparse measurement or discussion of the good things that occur daily in this much-maligned sector. We’ve had nothing but bad news: The Royal Commission […]

In normal circumstances, apart from natural disaster response, January is a quiet period in the political cycle. Usually it is a time for politicians to take leave with family and plan for the year ahead. Australia Day has often been the day when the political new year begins and the contest resumes. The Queensland State […]

On Saturday the 25th of March, the people of NSW will cast their vote in the state election. A recent YouGov poll points to a comfortable win for Labor, which is currently leading the Government 56-44 on a two-party preferred basis and is ahead by 6% (39% versus 33%) on first preferences. The same YouGov poll […]

The end of 2022 was a goldmine for political enthusiasts as three key reviews of the 2022 Federal Election were released. The first was the independent study conducted by the Australian National University and the other two were the Labor and Liberal reviews respectively. In total, I have scanned through 325 pages of research and […]

There are very few high schools that invoke overwhelming praise from students, parents and teachers alike but, during the recent graduation period for 2022, this was the case for The BUSY Schools. The BUSY Schools is an initiative of The BUSY Group, a not-for-profit organisation offering a range of apprenticeship, employment, training and career support […]

With a nasty leadership poll, a scathing report into the State’s DNA and forensic services, an admission about cultural issues within Queensland Health and an ongoing fight with the resources sector, it is reasonable to speculate that some members of the Palaszczuk Government can’t wait for 2022 to end.   However, the new year is […]

In the 1960s, Donald Horne’s book title ‘The Lucky Country’ became a nickname for Australia. It referenced how fortunate Australia (as a continent blessed with natural resources and an abundance of prosperity) was doing well because of luck rather than the strength of the nation’s people, politics or economic system. As 2022 ends, one wonders […]