There are currently 358 breaches of fundamental legal rights in federal laws. And it’s getting worse by the year: 34 new provisions that breached legal rights were passed in 2018 and none were repealed:
That’s from the IPA’s Legal Rights Audit 2018 which was featured on page 2 of The Australian last Friday:
If you live in Victoria, I hope you weren’t one of the 200,000 people who suffered power outages last weekend. After claiming blackouts “will absolutely not be a feature of today” hours before they commenced, Victorian Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio said “wind power came through today ” after it provided a whopping 4.2% of the state’s electricity as the temperature reached its peak.
NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has promisingly declared her “wellbeing” budget “not woolly“. She said the budget, which will incorporate social indicators as well as financial data, was “the beginning of doing things differently”. Having introduced a Gross National Happiness Index in 1972, Bhutan would beg to differ. Bad news for Kiwis – The Economist once described Bhutan as ” home to perhaps 900,000 people most of whom live in grinding poverty“.
For the full analysis on the “wellbeing” budget, Buzzfeed and the future of journalism, and a whole lot more, tune into this week’s edition of the IPA’s new podcast Looking Forward.
Humberside docker Harry Miller received a call from a policeman last week over a limerick he’d posted online. When he asked if he’d committed a crime, the policeman said no, but “we need to check your thinking“. For your reference, in Humberside last year, violent offences increased by 24%, sexual offences by 19% and robberies by 17%.
Alice Springs Town Councillor Jacinta Nampijinpa Price had her Facebook page suspended on Tuesday after she shared the vile online abuse she copped for having the temerity to express her support for leaving Australia Day on January 26. The left are great believers in giving greater voice to indigenous women so I’m sure they’ll rush to her defence…any day now…
Given the various recent calls from high profile Democrats for a wealth tax, the abolition of private health insurance and that being a billionaire is simply “immoral“, this piece from Kevin D. Williamson in National Review on Tuesday is timely – it describes how inequality is good for poor and middle class Americans and how the political influence of billionaires is wildly exaggerated.
Article of the week:
Joe Hildebrand thoughtfully deals with Australia’s history and reflects the views of 90% of the population in saying it’s “astonishing” that raising the issue of violence in indigenous communities is considered racist by social justice activists in this excellent piece on news.com.au yesterday.
IPA Staff Pick:
Each week an IPA staff member shares what they have enjoyed recently. Today: Deborah Sims
I saw Free Solo with the kids on Monday and it will almost certainly win the Oscar for best documentary! It is about Alex Honnold and his quest to become the first person to climb Yosemite’s 3,000 foot El Capitan wall without ropes. ”I like the simplicity of soloing. You’ve got no gear, no partner. You never climb better than when you free-solo.” National Geographic profiled Honnold’s inspiring story of courage and the apparently limitless power of individual will last October.
Here’s what else the IPA said over the break:
- John Roskam, Australians and their original sin – The Australian Financial Review
- Daniel Wild, Does the Morrison government have the strength to slash red tape? – The Spectator Australia
- Prof. Sinclair Davidson, Labor’s franking credits plan adds up to a nana tax – The Australian Financial Review
- Dr Bella d’Abrera, The writing on the wall – IPA Review
- Daniel Press, GFC lessons not learnt – IPA Review
