I have travelled to a great many homelands and communities throughout this continent. In the fog of my memories the deep cut through the mist is the connectedness, the meeting of people. One community I have had much to do with but had not been to until only recently is Beagle Bay. It is a beautiful sub-tropical […]
January 2016
Invasion Day protests speak of the sadness felt by Aboriginal people when Australians celebrate the date that the British laid claim to their land. For them this date also marks the beginning of Australia’s policies and practices of genocide against First Nations’ people. The Invasion Day protests confront the issue of ongoing disadvantage and oppression […]
Some weeks ago there was an article in The West Australian newspaper written by Dr Ameer Ali. The essence of the article was a suggestion from him that Mosques in Western Australia fly the Australian flag for Australia Day. This is a part of that article and it can be accessed in its entirety here: […]
Do you remember the time your mother said to you, ‘I feel so much grief and anger that I had you instead of the child I really wanted’? No, neither do I. You can’t talk about love and grief in the same mouthful and expect your child to buy it. What, you’d never say it […]
The Department of Fisheries has released the report of its investigation into the massive fish die-off that occurred in Cockburn Sound in late November and early December 2015. Over 2000 fish and 15 species died. An earlier piece I wrote on the environmental crisis is here and here. However, like many official reports, the Fisheries […]
“Disability is often framed, in medical terms, as the ultimate disaster and certainly as a deficit.” – Stella Young. I have written often of the sheer bastardry of the rules and regulations pertaining to migration into Australia and particularly in the disability sector. Many cases have been highlighted which demonstrate the hypocrisy we practice in […]
We feel His presence wherever we go, in whatever we do…because God is everywhere. Those of you who live here in Western Australia or who access The West Australian Newspaper online would have seen this story, (here) which ran last week. Unfortunately, I was away in Melbourne and Geelong and was unable to read the […]
Fremantle has long been enamoured by its reputation as a ‘progressive’ precinct but its Council’s shambolic treatment of the homeless puts an end to any presumption of the Council and the people of Fremantle who elected it as ‘progressive’. Reputations should be built on deeds and not words alone. On both the counts of deeds […]
In Kabul, where the Afghan Peace Volunteers have hosted me in their community, the U.S. military maintains a huge blimp equipped with cameras and computers to supply 24 hour surveillance of the city. Remotely piloted drones, operated by Air Force and Air National Guard personnel in U.S. bases, also fly over Afghanistan, feeding U.S. military […]
The homeless, particularly large homeless families, are seeking refuge at the homeless friendly precinct of Matagarup (Heirisson Island, Perth). There are now more than 100 homeless people at the island refuge. Many of the homeless are children. Perth should be right-minded and open their hearts to these families, to the children. The muddle-minded City of Perth […]
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