Conventional wisdom suggests governments lose elections rather than oppositions winning them. So, in considering whether John Fahey deserves to lose, it might be useful to dwell on the merits of his team, the “Fahey bunch”, as they are called in the ALP election jingle.
On election night an ebullient, relieved Bob Carr looked every bit the victor. John Fahey looked like he felt – exhausted and disappointed at the prospect of defeat.
Is Bob Carr just kite flying or is he serious about a revamp of federal-State powers? Last weekend the new NSW Premier agreed with the proposition that the States were becoming like branch offices of the Federal government.
It is remarkable how a former Minister with a poor understanding of the personalities and factions in the ALP, nonetheless could write the most perceptive account of Labor in power over the past decade.
A few people might have felt cheated at the recent lunches in honour of the Second Deputy President of South Africa and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, F.W. de Klerk.
This week marks another anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacres in 1989. In Australia there will be fewer mourners and protests. In China any organised, public protest will be illegal and suppressed. At its most daring, there will be a few dropping of bottles by students outside of their cloisters.
Sometimes I have wondered what she was like when she was younger. For example, the fresh freckled faced girl aged 16, just out of school, boiling water for cups of tea in the accountants’ office in Townsville. Apparently it was Sir Artie Fadden’s old firm and the retired politician would sometimes drop in, flag his hat, and ask “how are you girlies?” to what we would now call the support staff.
The Industry Commission inquiry report, Work, Health and Safety, was signed on 11 September 1995 and subsequently released by the Commonwealth Government in two volumes, Volume 1: Report and Volume 2: Appendices.