DEAR News Of The Area, WHILE the Greens have long been accused of putting ideology before pragmatism in our federal political sphere, the recent behaviour of the Nationals and their Coalition partners in scuttling progress towards ‘Net zero’, illustrates just how far the conservatives are prepared to go to hold up Australia’s energy transition and […]
Letter to the Editor: Free energy
DEAR News Of The Area, A NUMBER of correspondents to these pages are of the opinion that so-called ‘renewables’ are the cheapest form of energy. They’re technically wrong; energy from the wind and sun is actually free. It’s the superstructure that supports this generation that is costing Australians billions of dollars. We don’t actually know […]
Legal Hypothetical: A Claus for concern
SANTA Claus, a citizen of Scandinavia, applied for a temporary partner visa to the North Pole after marrying Mrs Claus, a citizen of the North Pole and a local gift-wrapping virtuosa. Between them, they had five elfchildren under twelve. The youngest had just learned to waddle in curled shoes; the eldest could turn any mention […]
Letter to the Editor: MP removed from parliament
DEAR News Of The Area, STATE Member for Coffs Harbour, Gurmesh Singh, has been promoted to the leadership of the NSW National Party. Meanwhile, our National Party Federal MP for Cowper, Mr Conaghan, is getting attention for another reason – being removed from parliament due to interjections. Hansard reports that during question time on 27 […]
Letter to the Editor: The intergenerational opportunity of Net Zero
DEAR News Of The Area, Achieving net zero by 2050 is considered necessary to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, as outlined in the Paris Agreement. The world is already moving towards net zero with more than 84 percent of global GDP covered by net zero commitments. “We (Nationals members) just don’t believe […]
OPINION – Unregulated labour hire: A magnet for modern slavery
A RECENT Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) blitz in Queensland’s Gatton region should serve as a wake-up call for New South Wales. Operation Topaz uncovered systemic labour rights breaches among labour hire firms, with every single provider investigated demonstrating some non-compliance. Contraventions included failure to pay minimum and overtime rates, withholding pay slips, and poor record-keeping. […]
‘On the couch’ with Jasminda
DEAR Jasminda, FOR five years, I have been minding a friend’s dog (Minty) while they go on holidays. This is usually no problem; the dog and I get on very well. This time, though, I was left with instructions that Minty (who is 15) now eats breakfast at 4.30am and dinner at 3.00pm every day, […]
Legal Hypothetical: Painted into a corner
MARY is interested in purchasing a unit in a local housing development. The unit is yet to be constructed, so she proposes to purchase the unit “off the plan”. Mary negotiates a price with the real estate agent and a draft contract is soon sent to her conveyancer of choice. The contract states that Mary […]
Stargazing: The secret star maps of moths
ON a moonless night, when the world goes quiet and even the gum trees seem to hold their breath, something small is commuting through the darkness. Not a drone. Not a late-night bird. Just a moth, humble, silent, and roughly the size of your thumb flying with the confidence of a seasoned pilot. Inside that […]
