Opinion pieces, speeches & transcripts

Zero Tolerance Vital: Racism In Any Forum Just Isn't Cricket

January 13, 2021

This week at the Sydney Cricket Ground Indian fast bowler Mohammed Siraj set the standard Australia must follow and adopt when it comes to racism. Subject to racist abuse, he showed great courage to pause the game – to highlight the fact of this abuse, and that it must be regarded as utterly unacceptable. It’s pleasing to see a strong statement in response from Cricket Australia, and that those apparently responsible for the abuse were removed...

January 04, 2021

I'm concerned that too many of us think that COVID ends when someone's discharged from hospital and that's clearly not the case. There is an increasing body of evidence that suggests for many people, they suffer long COVID which may be one syndrome or perhaps a number of syndromes, that can be incredibly debilitating and it's something we just don't know enough about.

January 02, 2021

I think what we've seen through the pandemic it's been a decision of Anthony Albanese made as Labor leader, to be constructive wherever possible, to act in the national interest and that's why we've had things like JobKeeper, things that Labor have called for and other vital supports. But what's also clear as we start to think about life beyond this crisis is that there are very different visions of Australia's future...

December 07, 2020

Well, look, I mean we're deeply concerned about this Bill, no case has been made, the Government commissioned the University of Adelaide to do a review of this and haven't released it. We're concerned that there are issues of racial discrimination underpinning the approach, and I listened to the Prime Minister during Question Time talking about how its Australians who are best placed as to how to spend their money. What an extraordinary thing...

November 24, 2020

But what we've seen time and time again, for this government, particularly this area, is a complete aversion to transparency, and a failure to treat people in our care with the decency that they're entitled to, and indeed, the dignity as well. I heard Dana, I think it was, speaking about the need for human connection that refugees and people seeking asylum need as all of us do, and I hope, the Minister or one of his staff was listening to that...

October 24, 2020

Well, I'm shocked and I think all Australians should be shocked by this. These are people who are personally selected by the government for these critical corporate enforcement roles, and yet we're seeing - I mean staggered by this, $118,000 spent on tax advice by the taxpayer for Mr Shipton. This is absolutely extraordinary. What's even more extraordinary, though, is that it seems that this was reported by the ANAO...