2020

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Jun42020

Royal Commission wilfully ignored Pell evidence

NATIONAL AFFAIRSJune 4, 2020

by Peter Westmore A careful examination of the “findings” of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, which accused Cardinal George Pell of covering up sexual abuse when he was a priest in Ballarat, and when an Auxiliary Bishop of Melbourne, shows that the Royal Commission wilfully ignored the overwhelming weight of evidence that contradicted its opinions. Further, it failed in its duty to inform Cardinal Pell that it intended to make adverse findings against him, and failed to give him an opportunity to respond to them, contrary to long-established practice and the principle of procedural fairness,…

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Jun42020

Beijing move threatens Hong Kong’s freedoms and rule of law

FOREIGN AFFAIRSJune 4, 2020

by Peter Westmore The action by the Chinese Communist Party to ram through a resolution at the rubber-stamp National People’s Congress, authorising the Standing Committee of the CCP to propose a law to “prevent, stop and punish” acts of secession, subversion and terrorism in Hong Kong, as well as a law criminalising any action that disrespects the Chinese flag, has reignited protests in which thousands of Hong Kong people have been arrested. The language used in the Congress resolution reflects Beijing’s description of pro-democracy advocates who have conducted public protests to support freedom of speech, freedom of association and the…

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Jun42020

Technology Roadmap will put us on a road to nowhere

ECONOMICS, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGYJune 4, 2020

by Chris McCormack Technology Investment Roadmap prioritises emissions reduction First goal is to reduce hydrogen production costs to $2 a kilogram Priority should be to lower power costs, not speculate on technology With low-cost, reliable energy the key to Australian manufacturing reversing the economic damage inflicted by the forced covid19 shutdown, will the Federal Government’s Technology Roadmap help? The “Technology Investment Roadmap Discussion Paper: A framework to accelerate low-emissions technologies” released in May prioritises reducing carbon-dioxide emissions over low-cost, reliable energy. The paper says: “Technology will underpin the long-term emissions reductions required in Australia and globally.” The first specific goal…

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Jun42020

Labor in box seat for Eden-Monaro by-election

POLITICSJune 4, 2020

By conventional political wisdom and precedent, Labor should be a shoo-in to win the Eden-Monaro by-election on July 4. It will definitely be an electorate mood test, and also happens to be Anthony Albanese’s first as leader of the party. Eden-Monaro is a classic bellwether marginal seat, regularly going with the government of the day at general elections, always difficult to win, and hard to hold. The electorate is large (almost 42,000 square kilometres) and very diverse, ranging from the Snowy Mountains to South Coast NSW and is made up of many small towns each with its own issues often…

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