Why a National Housing Strategy is a top priority

While government schemes to give aspiring home-owners a leg up into a difficult property market are welcome, precious little is being done for those trapped on the rental roundabout or…

Put the ‘trust’ back into the Trustee system

Imagine not being able to decide where and how you can live, afford an iced coffee at a café as an occasional treat, buy presents for your grandkids or replace…

Dodgy donations leave dark stain on democracy

There’s no escaping the fact that Australians’ faith in politicians is at an all-time low, but just how do we rebuild this dwindling trust? Overhauling our political donations framework would…

We can’t see the forest for the trees

Since the recent global climate summit in Glasgow, the argument for keeping trees in the ground has never been more compelling. And in Tasmania, our forests are an impressive case…

Let’s show our elders a little more respect

“Shocked, bullied and panicked” … that’s how Hobart octogenarian Jan* felt upon opening a letter from Centrelink demanding she supply financial records dating back an eye-popping 17 years. “I’m just…

Giving older Tasmanians a fare go on buses

Filling more Metro bus seats while cutting down on traffic could be as simple as offering travel incentives for older passengers, which is precisely what already happens in every other…

Spin the wheel on the poker machine deal

The Tasmanian Government already collects the least amount of revenue from gambling taxes of any Australian jurisdiction, both per head of population and as a proportion of gross state product,…

Digital divide discriminates

Opinion piece published in the Sunday Tasmanian 11 Oct 2020 It’s getting harder to find a real person to talk to these days at government agencies like Centrelink, Medicare and…

Stop the spin and address the human misery caused by pokies

Talking Point published in the Mercury newspaper 3 September 2020. Just as seatbelts and drink driving laws made cars safer, we need measures to make poker machines safer. The tragic…