Australian politics Archives - Page 58 of 58

‘Ngurrju School, Ngurrju Pool’ (Yes School – Yes Pool) – Jenny Macklin finds a few friends at Yuendumu

Peggy Nampijinpa Brown & Jenny Macklin “I’ve found a friend!” Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin tells Crikey as she walks arm-in-arm across the dusty main street of Yuendumu with Peggy Nampijinpa Brown. Jenny and Nampijinpa have just been to visit the several hundred people who have come down from their sorry business [...]

By Bob Gosford|2024-02-28T13:49:33+09:30October 28th, 2008|Australian politics, NT local government, The Northern Myth, The NT Intervention, Yuendumu|4 Comments

Court day in Yuendumu Part 2 – The Community Court caravan rolls into town

When Stipendiary Magistrate John Birch’s Court caravan rolled into Yuendumu late last week he bought a new model of the law into town with him. Community Courts, as distinct from the regular Magistrates Court being held in a community, have been around in the Territory since 2005 but until last week had only been active [...]

By Bob Gosford|2008-10-23T16:49:59+09:30October 23rd, 2008|Australian politics, The Law, The NT Intervention, Yuendumu|1 Comment

How did Paul Toohey’s “Last Drinks” get it so wrong?

I really wanted to like Paul Toohey’s Quarterly Essay 30, Last Drinks – The Impact of the Northern Territory Intervention, and I did like it – on the first read, and at a sitting. It read like a punchy crime novel set in the NT and, while I had a number of moments for pause [...]

By Bob Gosford|2008-10-14T21:07:14+09:30October 14th, 2008|Australian politics, The NT Intervention|13 Comments

A birder in the gilded cage of politics

Greg Combet, member for Charlton in the Federal Parliament, the hard man of the Patrick’s wharf dispute…and of course much more, is apparently a big softy at heart – he breeds, and has special places in his heart for, birds. I had a vague memory of Greg’s name being mentioned in relation to birds a [...]

By Bob Gosford|2008-10-11T15:31:59+09:30October 11th, 2008|Australian politics, Birds|0 Comments

The NT goes to the polls (again) on 25 October

Local Government elections will be held in the NT on 25 October 2008 for the ten new Councils incorporated following the implementation of the recent Local Government Reforms in the NT. Further information is available at the NT Electoral Commission website. Nominations and ballot paper positions have been settled and are available here. [...]

By Bob Gosford|2008-10-06T17:01:23+09:30October 6th, 2008|Australian politics, NT local government, Yuendumu|1 Comment

The Northern Australia Land & Water Taskforce – growing pineapples in Antarctica?

“During the decade 1950-60, a great deal of research work was carried out in tropical Australia. It has been claimed in many quarters that this research has solved the problem of agricultural development north of the tropic…Yet it is easy to demonstrate that intensive farming in tropical Australia would only be possible if [...]

By Bob Gosford|2008-10-05T16:38:36+09:30October 4th, 2008|Australian politics, Northern development|1 Comment

Australia is so…boring

“Australia is so…boring!!” So said the Professor from the University of KwaZulu Natal when I was in South Africa recently. “How so?”, I asked, taking a mild and curious offense to his statement. He proceeded to explain that he’d been to Australia a few times over the years and that his views had been confirmed [...]

By Bob Gosford|2019-07-16T21:06:19+09:30September 28th, 2008|Australian politics|4 Comments

Mad Mal Brough – goodbye and good riddance

I gave up on hate as a waste of time many years ago and it is a very rare moment now that I can be bothered to even strongly dislike someone. Contempt and pity rise a little more easily but are still occasional pleasures. And I don’t like seeing small furry animals in [...]

By Bob Gosford|2008-10-05T16:48:23+09:30September 26th, 2008|Australian politics, The NT Intervention|5 Comments

The Northern Myth – a short introduction

B R Davidson's book "The Northern Myth" was first published in 1965 and set out to dispel the then popular belief that tropical Australia could be transformed into a magical land of milk and honey from which boundless agricultural wealth would flow. Davidson's book should be mandatory reading for any contemporary politician who puts "the [...]

By Bob Gosford|2008-09-28T10:13:44+09:30September 26th, 2008|Australian politics, The Northern Myth|0 Comments