The Mercury | Op-Ed | 21 September 2022THE introduction of universal pre-commitment cards could be the first time Tasmania has a pokies policy that hasn’t been dictated by the gambling industry.Given this state’s dark history of bowing to the wishes of the industry,...
Talking Point | Mercury Newspaper | 14 July 2022With reviews of political lobbying underway, we now have rare chance to improve transparency, writes Meg Webb.TASMANIA has been dogged for decades by the perception that close relationships and backroom deals give...
Talking Point | Mercury Newspaper | December 28, 2020 When the world faced the Global Financial Crisis in 2008, Rahm Emanuel stated “you never want a serious crisis to go to waste”. The Barack Obama chief of staff and later Chicago mayor urged public and private...
Homelessness can touch the lives of almost anyone. The unexpected combination of only a few life events – the loss of a job, a serious health crisis, family breakdown or family violence - can lead to someone facing homelessness.This year, the global COVID-19 pandemic...
Parliamentary democracies are not generally in the habit of handing over untrammelled power to non-elected individuals. However, recent events seem to suggest that is precisely what has happened in Tasmania.The State Controller, Police Commissioner Darren Hine,...
HOMELESSNESS can touch the lives of almost anyone.The unexpected combination of only a few life events – the loss of a job, a serious health crisis, family breakdown or family violence – can lead to someone facing homelessness.We also know that there are structural...
The COVID-19 crisis has reconfirmed some fundamental truths.Health and wellbeing take precedence over literally everything. All other policy areas, including the economy, can be bent in service of health.Leaving anyone behind hurts us all. The more we support those...
COVID-19 has put a spotlight on older people in our Tasmanian community. They have been more susceptible to the worst effects of the virus, and the enforced restrictions have also created a higher risk of elder abuse and neglect.Elder abuse in our community is a...
