ACL unleashes Anzac tweet firestorm

By Rod Benson This morning I was enjoying a quiet Anzac Day at home after watching the ABCnews24 coverage of the various civic gatherings over breakfast. Then, just before midday, several journalists contacted me via Twitter, seeking to verify the genuineness of the Twitter account @JimWallaceACL, since an interesting and newsworthy tweet had just appeared on its timeline. As it …

We need more conviction politicians

If I were to say to you that politics is an honourable and worthwhile vocation, you might think I'm mad, or simple, or you might just say, "Not in NSW!" But the fact remains that we need government, and laws, and regulations, and even politicians and elections, to maintain a prosperous, free and well ordered …

Switch off for Earth Hour 2011

At 8.30 pm on Saturday March 26, electric lights and appliances will be switched off for one hour across Sydney, and around the globe, to celebrate Earth Hour, now in its fifth year. Earth Hour is a community event to raise awareness of the need to take action on climate change. Yes, there are the …

Quake, tsunami and nuclear crisis in Japan

We have all been overwhelmed by images of the massive earthquake that hit Japan on March 11, and the resulting tsunami, in some cases up to ten metres high and sweeping ten kilometres inland. And there is the Fukushima nuclear power plant, severely damaged by the disaster and at risk of partial meltdown and large …

Action needed on alcohol and gambling

In a state election campaign in which the lack of policy differentiation between the two major parties is matched only by the intensity of voter boredom, or disengagement, there are two significant social issues on which, if the parties could break the stranglehold of industry lobby groups, some real policy alternatives could emerge, and some real …