Know Thy Enemy
We all love to hate politicians, understandably so, and the last thing I want to do is advocate that we start treating politicians nicer. But it is important to identify the true threat to liberty. STARRY-EYED BEGINNINGS Whether we agree with them ideologically or not, it is true that most politicians begin their career with a genuine desire to improve their...
Knee-Jerk Laws Are Bad Laws
Flag-ban laws should be repealed immediately, and let sunlight be the best disinfectant Let’s be clear, here: as a free speech advocate, I don’t believe that states should be banning flags, symbols or slogans of any group. Whether it’s the Nazi hakenkreuz, the communist hammer-and-sickle, a Che Guevara icon or the Hezbollah flag. Not only because the same state that can ban the iconography...
No Books, No Wisdom, No Future
The ancient story is told of Tarquinius, the last of the seven legendary Kings of Rome. When the pagan goddess Sibyl offered to sell Tarquinius the nine books containing all the world’s wisdom for a high price, Tarquinius refused. Sibyl then promptly burnt three of the books in front of Tarquinius and offered to sell the remaining six books for the...
Enemy of the state
The clothes we wear may change, but the virtues and vices of mankind do not. As a historian of ancient Rome, I am in awe of the vast and rich sourcebook of knowledge it offers to guide us on what to heed and what to avoid. Yet it appears that those we elect, rule over us with no regard for...
What is at Stake in Religious Freedom
Religious freedom is poorly understood in Australia. This has a lot to do with the fact that it is not really a freedom per se, so much as a collection of more fundamental individual freedoms with which people are much more familiar: freedom of conscience, freedom of thought, freedom of speech, freedom of association and freedom of assembly. What makes...
How much should we pay our pollies?
Among the many criticisms of politicians that I heard during my time as a Senator, the accusation that they are only in it for the pay and perks, looking after themselves rather than the country and voters, was one of the most common. Sometimes this arose from dissatisfaction with certain politicians, but more often it reflected disdain for them all....
We are Family
The family unit is a core tenet of a functioning free society. A strong, stable family environment provides a much-needed buffer against the encroachment of government dependence – a difficult bond to break. As mainstream media finally begins to report on the potential impact of falling birth rates around the world, the blame is laid squarely at cost of living...
Use a VPN, but don’t stop there
The socialist government of Anthony Albanese is, once again, proposing legislation to de-anonymise, monitor and censor the Internet. From across the Tasman Sea in New Zealand I can smell the American eKaren Julie Inman Grant’s enthusiasm for this sort of authoritarian crackdown. As always the justification amounts to “Please! Won’t Someone Think of The Children!”, along with misdirections concerning child...
Why We Should Oppose Government Efforts to Age Restrict Social Media
There are increasing efforts to mandate age restrictions for social media. These efforts have occurred at federal level with a proposed minimum age of 16, and in Victoria with a proposed minimum age of 14 with parental consent for 14- and 15-year-olds. My home state of South Australia is also considering something similar. This legislation is motivated by concerns about...
Whose Ethics make it Ethical
When I started my business 35 years ago, very few investment funds were describing themselves as ethical investors. Some years later I joined an organisation of CEOs, business owners and senior executives that meets to share and discuss their challenges. I enjoyed our meetings right up until my group was required to listen to a speaker on ethics. When I...
