In 1942, American composer, Aaron Copland, produced a musical work that he titled a Fanfare for the Common Man. This was an attractive concept for me because such tributes as fanfares are normally the preserve of kings and queens, emperors and presidents and those of popular high repute. I was reminded of this because of […]

It has always intrigued me how different things look when viewed from different perspectives. One of the different ways we can look at things is to examine them in detail or look at them holistically. In my youth I studied economics and found out there were two major ways of coming to an understanding of […]

My previous essay was about the so-called Voice to parliament. The good (self-indulgent) thing about writing my essays is that it always stimulates my own thinking causing me to question and try to reconcile my own beliefs. After writing about the Voice and the seeming attempt to ensconce a race-based bias in our constitution, it […]

I grew up in a regional country town with quite a large indigenous community. In each of my primary school classes there were quite a few indigenous children. In general they were quietly spoken and well-behaved. While I can’t remember any of them being high achievers academically, I do remember that some had exquisite handwriting […]

I noticed an article in the press the other day where the university research community is lobbying the new Labor government not to interfere in the disbursement of ARC grants.  They resented the fact the previous government had intervened and refused to fund 6 out of the recommended 587 proposed for funding on the basis […]

We are constantly bombarded and consequently confused by superficial stuff. The media thrive on it. Most news bulletins spend inordinate time on the marital tribulations of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, the latest gossip about the Royals and what the Kardashians have been up to. It is surprising how we are titillated by such inconsequential […]

Before I lay out my concerns about the pursuit of net zero I need to reiterate my own position on renewable energy. In my capacity as CEO of an electricity generator, I was a strong advocate for renewable energy and commissioned quite a number of renewable projects. However my vision was for an orderly transition […]

A human being is part of the whole…….a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few […]

Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity.   The […]

My father, who was both a loyal unionist and a staunch supporter of the Labor Party (and for a time a Labor Alderman in the local council), was quick to point out to me that the “Tories” (as he called the Liberal and the, then, Country Parties) were only interested in lining the pockets of […]