Talking Point
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Hard times out on the verge
I counted 24 of them on the way to work. All different shapes and sizes, some stacked haphazardly three high. Checked or floral, lurid purple or dirty white, they had all had their day - consigned to that great pile of human detritus better known as the...
Tue, March 27, 2012, 1:02 pm WST -
Just a moth to some, but still worth fighting for
The mayfly has an adult life of about 24 hours, giving such a spectacular display of life in that short time that it has resulted in some of the most dramatic wildlife footage to be seen. In contrast, the graceful sun-moth has an adult life of almost a...
Mon, March 26, 2012, 11:01 am WST -
Let's make banana's and orange's history
It is probably something to do with my line of work, but I am one of those people who feel affronted personally by grammatical, punctuation or spelling mistakes on signs, in advertisements - or even in this publication.Walking past greengrocers'...
Thu, March 22, 2012, 2:15 pm WST -
Protecting an age of innocence
The recent discussion in State Parliament and the media about the sexualisation of children and young people highlights an important issue for the community.In my consultations with people around the State, the sexualisation of children has been raised...
Tue, March 20, 2012, 10:57 am WST -
No harm done but Assange faces real risk in the US
Last year, I travelled to London and Sweden at my own expense to improve my understanding of the situation faced by Wikileaks founder, Australian Julian Assange.I attended Mr Assange's High Court hearing in London and met Swedish justice and police...
Tue, March 13, 2012, 1:32 pm WST -
Too many dying, long after the smoke alarm
Fifty years ago tomorrow - on March 7, 1962 - the Royal College of Physicians of London published a report that changed the world of health. The report, Smoking and Health, brought together for the first time the evidence then available on smoking as a...
Tue, March 6, 2012, 12:55 pm WST -
Big councils have big problems
The City of Stirling’s announcement that it cannot undertake the $53 million redevelopment of the Scarborough beachfront without State Government assistance brings into question the Government’s claim that creating larger councils will...
Thu, March 1, 2012, 12:34 pm WST -
People power works, if persistent and true
In a world where instructions to just about anything can be googled, it comes as little surprise that there are websites about how to run a protest rally. What is surprising is the number of people who could do with such a Protest 101 run sheet to...
Wed, February 29, 2012, 6:51 am WST -
Invest in teachers, not laptops
The take-home message the Federal Government was selling with the release of the Gonski report into school funding on Monday was that Australian schools are not performing as well as they used to compared with the rest of the world, and the only way to...
Wed, February 22, 2012, 8:58 am WST -
Schools do not exist just to fill universities
The claim by WA public universities that high school students are not ready for university, as reported recently, demands a response. The stated position of the universities, and their entry agency the Tertiary Institutions Service Centre, demonstrates...
Thu, February 16, 2012, 12:30 pm WST -
Tour reveals detention policy harmful and costly
Indefinite mandatory detention for asylum seekers is a flawed policy in urgent need of reform.The despair and isolation that I have seen at detention facilities in WA in the past few days is symptomatic of an untenable system for people waiting for...
Wed, February 15, 2012, 12:14 pm WST -
Let's treasure our wrinkles
A good friend celebrated her 50th birthday last week. And I mean celebrated.None of that, "Oh my God, where did my life go" navel-gazing stuff. No obsessing about wrinkles, grey hairs or other not-so-welcome natural reminders of the ageing...
Tue, February 14, 2012, 12:16 pm WST -
WA's regrowth forests thrive
Even after 35 years working in the State's forests and plantations, I never tire of standing on the edge of Caves Road near Margaret River admiring the majesty of the Boranup karri forest, its tall trees gleaming in the dappled sunlight, the rich smell...
Mon, February 13, 2012, 11:11 am WST -
Fair play to give a break to low-paid women
If you or a member of your family became disabled, unemployed, homeless or a victim of domestic violence, would you want vital services to be delivered by the lowest paid people? There’s an old Czech saying: “I’m not so rich that I can...
Thu, February 9, 2012, 9:20 am WST -
Sex guide a sign of changing times
It's not easy being a parent, with so many decisions to make. Do you smack or not? Is using controlled crying for grizzling babies cruel or clever? At what age should children have a mobile phone?The decisions start before children are born, even...
Wed, February 8, 2012, 12:13 pm WST -
Meeting the challenge of a changing China
This year promises to be a year of significant change in China. As Australia's largest export market and trading partner, and as an emerging power that continues to buck the trend of the global financial downturn, developments in China will bear...
Tue, February 7, 2012, 1:23 pm WST -
Logging is a crime against nature
The madness of logging our forests. It is anyone's guess why the State Government wants logging in native forests to continue. Against all the evidence, it claims that logging is sustainable.So let's turn the question round and ask: why should we stop...
Mon, February 6, 2012, 11:09 am WST -
Parents need to make sure children are at school
As I have travelled around the State, it has been obvious that successful schools benefit from supportive communities. Particularly when it comes to student attendance.Where communities come together to support their school and develop innovative ideas...
Fri, February 3, 2012, 12:56 pm WST -
More police not the answer to social strife
Every Monday morning the WA community wakes to hear the stories of violence from the weekend.Heartbreakingly, it often involves a young one-punch or stabbing victim fighting for their life in hospital, and the young perpetrator facing time in jail after...
Thu, February 2, 2012, 10:12 am WST -
Skyworks more than just dazzle
The Perth Lord Mayor appears to have split the city by questioning whether the Australia Day Skyworks should continue in all its current glory.It is a legitimate debate given the obvious frustrations of the event but it would be wrong to cancel or scale...
Wed, February 1, 2012, 2:19 pm WST
Our choice
Opinion
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Gary Adshead
May 24, 11:57 amA question of trust and clarityConstruction company boss Gerry Hanssen was quick to shoot the messenger when a report appeared on the front page of The West Australian yesterday ab...
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Andrew Probyn
May 25, 12:31 pmThomson inquiry in contemptDown in the bowels of Parliament there are remnant reminders of how seriously it takes punishment. In the southern end of the basement there were onc...
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Ben O'Shea
May 24, 12:32 pmSpam filterFrom: William DouglasSent: Wednesday, 16 May 2012 7:35 PMTo: Ben O’SheaSubject: Attention: Ben O’Shea, Please contact meAttention: Ben O’Shea,I’m Mr ...
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