Politics on Nick Perkins Archive

Hands off our super? But no one is putting their hands on our super.

Sun, 10 Feb 2013 17:43:21 +1000

ETA: Below I mention that interest is paid. To clarify, the ATO pays the account holder interest when an unclaimed amount is claimed.

This week I received an email from a family member asking me to sign a petition about superannuation. It isn’t a subject matter that I would normally be asked to look at but I thought that if they were convinced there was an issues that I should look into it. I’m not one to go and randomly sign petitions so I thought I should at least go and look into this a bit further.

People shouldn’t have to die to get here

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 10:34:06 +1000

I’m feeling a little conflicted. I firstly want to state that I’m not an expert on the question of refugees, asylum seekers or ‘boat people’. If I get something wrong, please point it out to me.

I hate the fact that people risk their lives to travel in boats that are rarely seaworthy, are overcrowded, with little food or water and a shambles of a crew to come to Australia to apply for asylum or refugee status. More often than not, people die trying to get here.

Fat people face supersized bigotry in “obesity” fight

Tue, 15 May 2012 13:48:46 +1000

I would like make a suggestion to local councils right around Australia. If the science is to be believed, using a sunbeds and visiting a tanning salon increases your chances of developing skin cancer. It damages the skin and can cause eye damage. I therefore recommend that they increase the rates for properties where sunbeds and tanning salons operate. This money can be funnelled into public health initiatives.

I would also point out that alcoholics buy their alchohol from pubs, clubs, liquor stores and (in some states of Australia) supermarkets. Alcohol can lead to increased violence, can cause health issues such as liver damage or damage to a person’s brain. Therefore pubs, clubs, liquor stores and supermarkets that sell alcoholic beverages (take home or for on-site consumption) should pay higher rates to local councils. This money can be funnelled into public health initiatives.

Hung like a parliament

Sat, 04 Sep 2010 11:18:23 +1000

Two weeks after the election and we still don’t know who will be the next Prime Minister of Australia. We’ve had the Green’s Adam Bandt and independent Andrew Wilkie side with Labor, giving them a 74-73 lead in the race for power. However there are three independents left to make up their minds. So what happens if they split and we end up with 75-75?

I can see a few things that could happen. The first thing that happens in a new parliament is that the speaker is elected. The independents would have agreed to vote with the government on supply and confidence votes, but they could still go against them when voting for the speaker. If a speaker is elected, then the side where the speaker comes from will be down one person, as the speaker only votes in the case of a tie. If there is a tie when voting for the speaker, there is no casting vote so they would have to try another candidate. This is the point that we may find that no speaker can be elected, and therefore parliament is borked and new elections required.

Stand up for your rights on Polling Day

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 00:10:00 +1000

It’s one day before the Federal Election here in Australia. I’d forgotten what that means until I saw a tweet just a second ago.

Tweet by @ben_hr

Whilst most politicians have been spending the last five weeks worrying about hitting a snag throughout the campaign, it’s Saturday when the focus is really on the snags. And the onions and tomato sauce. Don’t forget the lamingtons, other baked treats and even perhaps some jams or drinks. Polling day is a big money spinner for school Parents and Citizens (P&C) Associations across this big land of ours.

Marriage – why do I have the right, but not gay people?

Sun, 15 Aug 2010 01:25:54 +1000

There was an equal love/gay marriage march held in Brisbane today. Sadly I didn’t make it due to other plans, but from what I understand it received an excellent turnout. I’m not going to talk about the march, since I wasn’t there. However I do want to cover the topic of gay marriage.

The Marriage Act in Australia specifies that marriage is between a man and a woman. This clarification was added to the act by the Howard Government, which isn’t surprising really. I think it was in their last term in office as well. When the Rudd Labor Government came to power, much was done to bring many rights for gay people into line with those for straight people. This includes recognising gay couples as being the same as ‘de facto’ couples and therefore receiving basically the same rights as any heterosexual couple. The right to get married was not included in this though.

Australia Day is not Invasion Day

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +1000

January 26 is Australia Day for me, not Invasion Day. I don’t agree with the word ‘invasion’ and think it is divisive.

Over the Australia Day long weekend, Australia has been pulled kicking and screaming into community discussion on the day that we celebrate our country. For those not from this nation, January 26 celebrates the arrival of the First Fleet at Botany Bay and the British colonisation of Australia.