The Australian general election of 2013 has raised, again and again, the idea that each of the major parties in Australian politics has to be tough on "boat people" or "illegal immigrants". In every televised appeareance of the party leaders - Kevin Rudd (Labor) and Tony Abbott (Liberal/National) the word tough must, apparently, be used at least a dozen times. And that's without considering the number of paid adertisements. The policies of Mr Abbott's side are partcularly bitter: he wants no such people allowed to settle in Australia. Such pests can buzz off to Papua New Guinea, where they can be left in the hands of one of the poorest countries on the globe. The extraordinary feature is that Tony... | Continue »

The Advocate is delighted to have found, today, an essay by our friend, Chris Wallace which appeared first in The Australian on 21 Feb, 2012. Don't let that put you off. Australia has lived, relived, and is apparently bound to relive again, the story of Kevin Michael Rudd, Prime Minister. Chris's story will survive any vicissitude, because it was written well, with great consideration, and Chris's personal commitment to political reporting. It reminds the Advocate of the greatest lines of them all: "Was this the face that launched a thousand ships and burned the topless towers of Ilium? Sweet Helen,make me immortal with a kiss" Yes, it's from The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus, by Kit Marlowe, and everybody in... | Continue »

WERE IT NOT FOR THE DAILY TELEGRAPH AND ITS NSW POLITICAL REPORTER, ANDREW CLENNELL, THE ICAC INVESTIGATIONS OF 2013 MIGHT LOOK REAL. THEY ARE ACTUALLY VERY FAR FROM IT, AS THE FOLLOWING CITATIONS FROM THE TELEGRAPH SHOW: The Daily Telegraph 16 JUNE 2013 CORRUPTION IN THE LOOKING-GLASS 1. Premier Barry... | Continue »

Labor elder statesman John Faulkner has a reputation for stark candour. Even so, the speech he delivered to a private gathering of the Left faithful at a Chinese restaurant in the Haymarket two years ago left his audience gasping. The event was a farewell for Luke Foley, the bespectacled, somewhat cherubic-looking party functionary who was leaving his post as the party's assistant state secretary and migrating to the state upper house. Foley was taking the place vacated by Ian Macdonald, who'd been forced to fall on his sword - finally - by then premier Kristina Keneally over an overseas travel rort exposed by the Herald. The full, breath-taking panorama of Macdonald's alleged misdeeds had yet to be laid before the... | Continue »

The Colonial Secretary’s building in Sydney took six years to complete, from 1869 to 1875, but the building was worth it, thanks largely to the Colonial Architect, James Barnet. There are two things about stone buildings which we should all note: they last a long time; and, if they are... | Continue »

Reference Prepared in support of John Miner I am very pleased to write a testament to the abilities and character of John Miner. Key Insights is a socio-economic research and planning company that undertakes major projects locally, nationally and internationally. Over the past 10 years John Miner has contributed to... | Continue »

The Hon. D.W. Simmons: Statement in support of application by Mr John Miner I met John Miner when I was Member for Calare – the area around Bathurst- in the Federal Parliament. John worked as a media adviser in the highest-ranked office in politics: the Prime Minister’s Office. His experience was already wide. He had been a journalist for The Sydney Morning Herald for more than seven years; been a media adviser in the Wran government in NSW; worked in a similar position in John Cain’s office when Cain was Premier of Victoria. In Melbourne, he met Don Watson and they became friends. He left Melbourne for personal reasons, and short-term health reasons, hoping to find a position in his... | Continue »

It is more than 30 years since I talked my way into a free ride on the original version of the TGV, the Very Fast Train, in France. I told the rail authority that NSW had plans for a fast train, the XPT, and I wanted as a journalist to assess the relative benefits of the XPT and TGV (which was true). The French, being French, did not hesitate to let me see how fast their train was. They gave me a day-return ticket to Lyon. I learned, just from watching, that the SNCF (National Railways Company) was not interested only in railways. The whole concept was basically a real estate deal. TGV trains run on routes that avoid major... | Continue »

If the train from Paris to Tours had not made its first stop at a station called Meung, I would not, perhaps, have noticed the rest of this story. Tours (don’t sound the S) is in the valley of the River Loire. So this Meung had to be the Meung-sur-Loire... | Continue »

Journalism in 8 easy steps By Chris Wallace Fantastic news this week that our own ANU is equal fourth with Princeton for the arts and humanities according to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings. Only Stanford, Harvard and the University of Chicago are ahead of us. That’s a big deal. Canberra’s population is about as big as ancient Athens at its height. Those Athenians turned out some pretty reasonable pots, plays, poetry and philosophy in their time and there’s no reason we shouldn’t too. ANU’s arts and humanities ranking gives us one less excuse for less than lofty cultural ambitions. One thing ANU doesn’t have is a journalism school but that hasn’t stopped a lot of ANU students aspiring... | Continue »

John Miner: CV PERSONAL John Ellis Miner, B.A., M. Litt PO Box 88, Charlestown NSW 2290 mobile 0409 56 46 37 e-mail jem.fivers@gmail.com alternative e-mail johnminercommunication@gmail.com Australian citizen (Born Waratah, NSW 31/01/1956) Memberships & Affiliations MEAA Member since 1977 Australian Labor Party Member since 1985 The Newcastle Institute Foundation member... | Continue »

CALENDAR: 10:30 AM SAT 17 JULY - GOVERNOR-GENERAL RECEIVES THE PRIME MINISTER http://www.gg.gov.au/announcement.php/view/id/10/title/governor-general-receives-prime-minister 12 NOON SAT 17 JULY - PRIME MINISTER ANNOUNCES GENERAL ELECTION DATE http://www.alp.org.au/federal-government/news/speech--julia-gillard,--opening-statement-at-press/ 4:59 PM MON 19 JULY- PROROGATION OF THE PARLIAMENT http://www.gg.gov.au/announcement.php/view/id/11/title/media-alert-proclamation-to-prorogue-parliament [FOR FURTHER DETAILS OF SPEECHES, PRESS CONFERENCES, MEDIA RELEASES, ETC FROM THE PRIME MINISTER, SEE http://www.alp.org.au/federal-government/news/?page=4; official government transcripts cannot be produced while the Parliament is prorogued. The Opposition Leader's office suffers the same handicap; see http://www.liberal.org.au/ for Liberal news] MON 19 JULY EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEETS - ISSUE OF WRITS FOR A GENERAL ELECTION BY THE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE COMMONWEALTH, H.E. MARIE BASHIR http://www.gg.gov.au/program.php/view/id/2363/title/federal-executive-council-issue-of-writs-for-the-2010-federal-election-battle-of-fromelles-94th-commemoration-and-wreath-laying-ceremony-sydney-opening-of-the-bible-society-of-nsws-heritage-bible-display-book-launch---rare-and-curious-the-secret-history-of-governor-macquaries-collectors-chest-by-elizabeth-ellis-re-interment-ceremony-at-fromelles-pheasant-wood-military-cemetery-reception-at-cobbers-school-fromelles-relatives-reflection-period-at-fromelles-pheasant-wood-military-cemetery-reception-and-investiture-ceremony-for-mr-hubert-huchette-am... | Continue »