By Rod Benson In one of his many public addresses, Anglican Bishop of Durham N.T. Wright laments the fact that much of our art reflects either the sentimental or the brutal that lies around and within us. But genuine art, he said, takes seriously the fact that the world is full of the glory of …
Why we should not ban the burqa
By Rod Benson Last week Senator Cory Bernardi called for a ban on the burqa, the full-face Muslim head covering, as a security hazard, a symbol of “the repressive domination of women,” something that compromises “important aspects of human communication,” and is downright “un-Australian.” Many will agree. Even journalist Elizabeth Farrelly argued that the burqa …
Good news for some in the federal budget
By Rod Benson The Rudd Government’s third budget has many critics, as budgets do. Former federal treasurer Peter Costello called it futuristic but devoid of reality. Current Treasurer, Wayne Swan, was at pains to cast it as a “no frills” budget, and with good reason since we are looking down the barrel at a $40 …
Compassion, caution and asylum seekers
By Rod Benson There was a time when humanitarian concern guaranteed that the tensions generated by an influx of asylum seekers was not politicized by our leaders. Those days are gone. In a speech last week, federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott claimed that “millions of Australians feel less secure in their own country” due to …
Mr Rudd’s great big moral issue
When someone claims to be a Christian, and attends church every Sunday, and identifies climate change as “the greatest moral challenge of our time,” and then backs away from policies to address the issue, questions arise about their moral compass. Just last week the Prime Minister assured us that climate change remained on his government’s …
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