There has been an outcry this week both in Australia and in many other parts of the world. It concerns the pack rape of a ten year old indigenous girl. This is not news in itself since about 80 child protection cases are reported in just one North Queensland indigenous community every month.

But as I said, that wasn’t the news. What really upset the entire nation, except for one aboriginal activist, who is my subject today, is that the judge did not give a custodial sentence to any of the nine males involved explaining that the ten year old girl probably agreed to it. Continue reading →

It wasn’t that long ago that grey hair meant your job was in jeopardy. Anyone over forty, in fact, had trouble finding a job again once he lost it. As for women over forty getting a job, well, there were plenty of domestic positions around for them, but not much else.

How times have changed! Continue reading →

In Australia it is illegal to both take drugs and deal in drugs. So it came as a surprise to me to learn that there is an organisation for drug users in Victoria which is funded by the government to the tune of $800,000 a year. This organisation, which goes by the name of Vivaids, doesn’t aim to cure the drug problem. Far from it. Continue reading →

In our everyday life we have to handle situations that are mundane but frustrating. Yes, we can discuss world peace and famine with friends, but in reality our daily life revolves around the ordinary. Continue reading →

Australians love to break records. They love to be faster, drink more beer at one go, stay awake longer and score more runs in cricket than the rest of the world. Not all at once, admittedly, but they would love to if they could. Continue reading →