Category: Australia
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Untold story of Canberra’s first coup: the political assassination of PM John Gorton – Part 1
Part 1: Gorton steps onto the world stage London, Monday, 6 January 1969 It was a typically freezing winter’s day. In the outer London suburbs misty rain was falling steadily. People rushing to work were forced to open their umbrellas and wear raincoats to stay dry. In the city, the rain was more like sleet. It…
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The Weekly Notebook – Murdoch poised to raid ABC
Rupert Murdoch poised to raid the ABC Media oligarch Rupert Murdoch believes that the ABC is the best training ground for reporters and technicians. It is a lesson he learned from his fellow tycoon, the late Kerry Packer. When the ABC created “stars”, Packer would swoop with his chequebook. Packer preferred the national broadcaster to…
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The Weekly Notebook – Brexit and Trump change the world
How Brexit and Trump changed the world Two unrelated events on either side of the Atlantic – Britain’s referendum vote to leave to European Union (Brexit) on June 23, 2016, and Donald Trump’s presidential election victory five months later on November 8 – have changed the face of global economic and politics. Commentators have treated…
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The Weekly Notebook – Climate clock is ticking
Climate clock is ticking away Mort Rosenblum, aged 74, is a prolific American author, award-winning journalist, editor of the International Herald Tribune (1979-1981) and ex-bureau chief for Associated Press (AP) in Congo, Nigeria, Malaysia, Indonesia, Argentina and France. He has furiously condemned those world political leaders who failed to take a stand against climate change…
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The Weekly Notebook – Hillary Clinton craves a shot in 2020
Hillary Clinton craves another shot at the White House in 2020 Maureen Dowd, the accomplished columnist for the New York Times, has just returned from Australia where she was drumming up support for Clinton Inc to capture the White House at the next US Presidential election. But she herself appears to be conflicted about the…
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The Weekly Notebook – Sydney Modern: how not to build an art gallery
Sydney Modern: A case study of how not to build an art gallery Ask anyone with any knowledge of the arts in NSW and you will discover an almost unanimous view that the Art Gallery of NSW in Sydney’s Domain needs major renovation and upgrading. Everybody agrees with the proposition that the dear old 19th…
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The Weekly Notebook – Morrison shifts Australia’s foreign policy
Scott Morrison shifts Australia from Pacific “Minder” to Trump’s anti-China “Deputy Dawg” Prime Minister Scott Morrison has placed Australia at the centre of Washington’s anti-China military alliance and signed up to underwrite the failed state of Papua New Guinea. These dramatic changes were agreed by Morrison in his first overseas foray as PM – to the…
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The Weekly Notebook – Politicians behaving badly
Politicians behaving badly Luke Foley has resigned as NSW Labor leader after a right-wing Liberal MP named him in parliament over allegations of sexual misconduct with a female ABC reporter. The incident occurred at a Christmas drinks party at a swish CBD wine bar just down the street from Parliament House in November 2016. The…
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The Weekly Notebook – Latham the One Nation rat
Mark Latham: from Labor hero to One Nation rat Mark Latham, leader of the Australian Labor Party (2003-2005), has joined Pauline Hanson’s One Nation and will lead her team in the March 2019 NSW Election. Surprised? From becoming the 18th leader of the Federal Labor Party to the leadership of NSW One Nation is a…
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The Weekly Notebook – beginning of the end of Trump
The beginning of the end of President Donald Trump Next Tuesday, November 6, is Melbourne Cup Day which Australians know as “the day that stops a nation”. This year, the following day, Wednesday, November 7, is when we start receiving results from the US mid-term elections and thus becomes “the poll that stops the world”. I’ll…