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Recent Comments on Articles

  • Catehrine Gee, imagine if a woman was grown up enough to say "I could get pregnant if I have sex, therefore I won't have sex. Or jeepers, I'll be responsible for my contraception - not" conceiving. What about the mass femanicide - 51% of all babies... – Apr 11, 2:06 PM
  • MJSlattery "Imagine if all men who did NOT want to have a child insisted on using a condom every time he had intercourse?" Many a time a woman has pleaded for me to remove a condom because it diminished her pleasure and ability to orgasm. Men... – Apr 11, 10:54 AM
  • David I strongly believe that Julia will be judged to be one of the most incompetant Prime Ministers that we have ever had. This is not base on her gender.. I think Margaret Thatcher was an excellent PM.. but based of the legacy that her government... – Apr 11, 10:52 AM
  • Julie It's terrible the way Margaret Thatcher has been so vilely portrayed since her passing. We all know the reason why - because she was a woman who dared to lead. Oh the misogyny ....... – Apr 11, 10:15 AM
  • Earl Linda. I'm a bit confused, mere male after all. You start out correctly identifying the 100% safe proven, works in every case with absolutely zero unwanted pregnancies, therefore absolutely zero abortions needed free contraceptive device available to all males and females on the planet -... – Apr 11, 9:24 AM
  • Kel I feel ashamed of how PM Gillard has been pilloried in the press and how many lies have been told about her in general. However my real disgust goes out to that vile, perverse turd Pickering. How many people have sniggered at his evil scratchings... – Apr 04, 10:50 PM
  • Naomi Cartledge Imagine if all men who did NOT want to have a child insisted on using a condom every time he had intercourse? The need for a woman to have a safe medical non judgmental abortion would diminish markedly? Until then, self righteous men should support... – Mar 22, 10:43 AM
  • Ian I understand the sentiment, and the burden portrayed in arguments like this, and those below. But I do wonder why we never debate the issue from the perspective of the father willing to take responsibility for the unplanned pregnancy, and raise the child solo? Clearly... – Mar 20, 9:25 PM
  • Jim Anne , please get with the program . It's 2013 woman and men should decide on what is best for them . Why does a woman only get to decide to keep Or terminate a life . The father should have equal say . Women... – Mar 20, 6:28 PM
  • Anna ''There is no such thing as a safe abortion... Someone always dies.''I love that you included this quote. Thank you. It is so true. – Mar 17, 8:37 PM
  • Parandeye Kuchek Unless someone can guarantee full support and protection of mothers' & children's health, their safety, education & security; and can prevent each & every man from being violent towards women & children, or negligent of their responsibilities to them; and can prevent men from feeling... – Mar 17, 7:52 PM
  • Jude Hi Anne, What makes this issue so important today is that the only doctor in a country town I know of is still refusing to give girls and women the contraceptive pill on his moral grounds. In today's Age the nearest abortion clinic in Bendigo... – Mar 17, 10:42 AM
  • Linda Dom No contraception is 100% effective. Sure it's become more reliable than when my contraception failed but still not 100%. I know of pregnancies even after tubal ligation and vasectomies. But the real issue is women and their partners should have a legal right to abortion.... – Mar 17, 1:54 AM
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ARTICLES, SPEECHES, NEWS

High tide for women ministers

When she announced her new ministry last Monday, Julia Gillard made history. For the first time, women make up one-third of the Australian government. Although the cabinet remains unchanged, the promotion of three women into the ministry has radically altered the gender balance of the government.

There are four women, including Gillard, in the 20-member cabinet which in itself is a record (and the numbers were even better before the resignation of Nicola Roxon as attorney-general this year).

But it is the outer ministry where the radical change has occurred. Gillard promoted three women: Sharon Bird, Catherine King and Jan McLucas. This means that six of the 10 members of the ministry are women. That’s 60 per cent. That’s unprecedented in Australia.

Malcolm
Photo: AP

» Continue reading High tide for women ministers »

March 30th, 2013 | Leave a comment

Judgment of history will be kinder to PM than TV news cycle

While I was watching the ugly events of Thursday afternoon unfold, I was trying to remember the last time Australia had a perfect prime minister. Or even one who was universally popular.

Maybe our wartime leaders, John Curtin and the sainted Ben Chifley, deserve the mantle but it was before my time, so I can’t say. Certainly those men who have ruled us since have all been divisive figures whose popularity waxed and waned and whose competence was continually questioned – by their own side as much as by their opponents. But our memories of them become more benign the further away they are from having been in power.

Julia Gillard and Wayne Swan
Photo: Alex Ellinghausen

» Continue reading Judgment of history will be kinder to PM than TV news cycle »

March 22nd, 2013 | 3 comments

It’s a woman’s right to choose, not a man’s to try to control

If Tony Abbott was hoping he could tiptoe across the victory line on September 14 without having to take a definitive stand on abortion, he clearly wasn’t counting on the derring-do of some of his political bedfellows.

First, it was DLP senator John Madigan, who entertains high hopes of being Tony Abbott’s Brian Harradine.

Two weeks ago Madigan introduced legislation that would prohibit the Medicare rebate being paid on abortions decided on the basis of the gender of the foetus. Widespread as such gender-specific (and mostly anti-female) abortions are in countries such as India and China, there is absolutely no evidence that they are being performed in Australia. So, why the bill? Why indeed?

» Continue reading It’s a woman’s right to choose, not a man’s to try to control »

March 16th, 2013 | 20 comments
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