Rolf Harris CBE, AM is almost unique among Australian entertainers, in that he excels and is prominent in many different areas of the arts. He is a musician, singer, composer, television host, sportsman and painter, who has even painted an oficial portrait of the Queen. Rolf was born on 30th March 1930 in the Perth … Continue reading Rolf Harris: Master Entertainer
Tag: Australia
Waugh Returns To Wallabies In Wales Test (2008)
Phil Waugh will return as a starter for the Qantas Wallabies in Saturday's James Bevan Trophy Rugby Union Test match against Wales at Cardiff. Waugh, who returns to the Millennium Stadium where he led Australia during its 29-29 draw with Wales in 2006, is one of five alterations to the starting combination from that which … Continue reading Waugh Returns To Wallabies In Wales Test (2008)
Australian Labor Policies May Be Placed On Hold
The ambitious Australian financial rescue package, announced by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd last month, has been welcomed by most Australians. However, some key policies, such as the carbon trading scheme, may have to be placed on hold to pay for the rescue. Rudd has announced several measures designed to reduce the immediate impact on Australia … Continue reading Australian Labor Policies May Be Placed On Hold
HREOC Programs Diverting Young Indigenous From Incarceration
Federal Social Justice Commissioner Tom Calma, has released a new report which calls for the 'skilling up' of existing services that work with Indigenous young people with cognitive or mental health issues, in an effort to halt their slide into the juvenile justice system. The report is from the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission … Continue reading HREOC Programs Diverting Young Indigenous From Incarceration
Caroline Chisholm: The Emigrant’s Friend
Caroline Chisholm was known as 'the emigrant's friend', having earned the title for her work with poor migrants to Australia in the 1800's. But despite all her work and her fame today, she died poor and forgotten after such an amazing life. Caroline was one of this country's most outstanding women. Her portrait was on … Continue reading Caroline Chisholm: The Emigrant’s Friend
Sir Henry Parkes: Father of Federation
Sir Henry Parkes is known in Australian history as the Father of Federation, following his famous 1889 Tenterfield speech. Sadly, having worked so tirelessly to make Australia independent from Britain, he died before the dream became reality. Henry Parkes is considered one of the great men in forming Australia into the country it is today. … Continue reading Sir Henry Parkes: Father of Federation
FOI Cover Up By Immigration Department
A tribunal has found the Immigration Department was wrong in refusing to release 282 documents under FOI legislation, concerning Dr Mohamed Haneef. Only one document, about the Immigration Minister's actions, was exempt, as it might be "misinterpreted by the public". The findings are by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) under the Freedom of Information Act … Continue reading FOI Cover Up By Immigration Department
Scrapped Work Choices Legislation and Unfair Dismissal Laws
Australian law firms are expecting the Federal government's upcoming move to end Work Choices legislation, in favour of Labor's new industrial relations law, will bring an influx of employment-related work. Unfair dismissal changes have historically prompted a significant number of clients to seek legal advice, according to Baker & McKenzie partner Michael Michalandos. He expects … Continue reading Scrapped Work Choices Legislation and Unfair Dismissal Laws
Woollarawarre Bennelong: Bush Ambassador
The Sydney Opera House is located on Bennelong Point, named after the first Indigenous Australian to have intimate contact with Europeans. However, the story of Bennelong is also the story of a true statesman, diplomat and bush politician. The 25th of November 1789, almost two years after the landing of the First Fleet, was a … Continue reading Woollarawarre Bennelong: Bush Ambassador
Australian Soil Studies Question Effect Of Climate Change
Climate change may not be as severe as predicted, suggests an international study that shows current modelling of carbon dioxide emissions from soils are overestimated by as much as 20%. The view, reported in the latest Nature Geoscience journal, is based on a study of Australian soils that finds the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) … Continue reading Australian Soil Studies Question Effect Of Climate Change
Down Syndrome Family Wins Six Year Visa Battle
Perth midwife Tracey Robinson and her husband, Paul, have won a six-year battle against the Immigration Department to stay in Australia with their Down syndrome son. Immigration Minister Chris Evans has foreshadowed reform of the visa process for families with disabled children after using his discretion this week to grant the Robinsons permanent residency. Senator … Continue reading Down Syndrome Family Wins Six Year Visa Battle
Edmund Barton: Australia’s First Prime Minister
Edmund Barton was born in Glebe Sydney in 1849 to William and Mary Louise (nee Whydah). A clever boy with a love of literature, music and art, Barton was educated at Fort Street Model School and Sydney Grammar School. It was at Sydney Grammar that Barton first met Richard O’Connor. The lives of Barton and … Continue reading Edmund Barton: Australia’s First Prime Minister
ASIC Position On Short Selling
The continuing effects of the global financial crisis have resulted in what some have called unprecedented turmoil in financial markets. Some of the volatility in stock markets has been blamed on short selling. Short selling is an activity whereby an entity enters into an agreement to sell a security that it does not currently own. … Continue reading ASIC Position On Short Selling
Glass Ceiling For Women Lawyers
Just 90 years after winning the right to practice law, woman currently make up 68% of all law graduates, which is a remarkable achievement. However, females account for only 16% of partners, and less than 3% of managing partners and/or CEO's which raises questions of gender equality at the senior management level within Australian law … Continue reading Glass Ceiling For Women Lawyers
Child Obesity Checks Should Start From Birth, Say Experts
Children should be weighed and monitored for obesity from birth to stop them becoming unhealthy, fat adults, according to researchers. The experts argue the Federal Government's Healthy Kids Check plan to weigh all children from the age of four from next year is leaving it too late, given one in five children are already overweight … Continue reading Child Obesity Checks Should Start From Birth, Say Experts
One Quarter Of Law Firms Lose Confidential Data
About 24% of UK law firms have admitted to misplacing at least one mobile device containing confidential documents, a recent survey found. IT company CREDANT Technologies interviewed 100 UK small to medium sized law firms and revealed that lawyers were about as "clueless" as other professionals, when it came to respecting client confidentiality. Over 90% … Continue reading One Quarter Of Law Firms Lose Confidential Data
Tax On Diesel (2008)
There has been much debate recently about tax on diesel. This tax was introduced to fund the infrastructure for natural gas, but this infrastructure has never happened. So the question arises: why do we still pay the tax. When diesel first became popular, it was because it was cheaper. It was cheaper, because it is … Continue reading Tax On Diesel (2008)
Charities Helping Themselves
About 90% of Australian people donate an average of $400 per person to charity each year. But how much do the charities use to help others, and how much do they use to help themselves? A survey by Choice magazine last month showed some surprising results. Of the 11 major charities surveyed, all with exactly … Continue reading Charities Helping Themselves
Unjust Queensland Water Restrictions (2008)
The Courier-Mail in Brisbane today reports that there will be permanent water restrictions for households in Queensland, even after the drought has broken, and the dams are full again. Why do households get the raw end of the pineapple, when they only account for about 5% of all water use anyway? The pre-drought average use … Continue reading Unjust Queensland Water Restrictions (2008)
Westpac and National Home Interest Rates Rise (2008)
Westpac have raised their interest rates yet again. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the bank had raised its rate to 9.37%, following the National bank's rise to 9.36% on Wednesday. The fact that they went higher than the National seems to be an invitation for the other major banks to get on the bandwagon … Continue reading Westpac and National Home Interest Rates Rise (2008)
The Courier Mail, Brisbane Newspaper
The Courier Mail is Brisbane’s only daily newspaper, and is published Monday to Saturday, with the Sunday Mail on the seventh day. Once a broadsheet, it became a tabloid on March 13 this year, promising to continue the broadsheet style of in-depth journalism. The main reason for changing was to produce a more compact newspaper, … Continue reading The Courier Mail, Brisbane Newspaper
Report: National Council of Women (Queensland) – Psychiatric Homelessness
Psychiatric Homelessness Seminar National Council of Women Queensland Branch Part One A seminar on Psychiatric Homelessness was held in Brisbane on 11th August 2005, convened by the National Council of Women Queensland Branch. The issue was Psychiatric Homelessness. I have some first hand dealings with this issue, over many years in various positions, and was … Continue reading Report: National Council of Women (Queensland) – Psychiatric Homelessness
Essay: Discourse Theory and Black English Vernacular Amongst Australian Aborigines
To understand the Discourse Theory, it is first necessary to distinguish between the terms “Discourse” (with a capital letter) and “discourse” (all lower-case). The term “Discourse” refers to the ways in which social and political inequity is reproduced (or subverted) through the uses to which language is put; whilst “discourse” refers to the actual use … Continue reading Essay: Discourse Theory and Black English Vernacular Amongst Australian Aborigines
Craig Hill 