NewsBite

Amanda Stoker

May

America’s largely unified political left is sustaining momentum.

How the US Supreme Court became a political organisation

When judges make decisions that should be left to politicians, they undermine democracy.

February

 Premier Steven Miles is not considering any changes to the status quo,

Queensland’s youth crime and no punishment crisis is no beat-up

Premier Steven Miles’ glib line is to “throw the book” at young offenders, but “the book” – the Youth Justice Act – that Labor wrote is part of the problem.

October 2023

Wind farms may not be needed so quickly if the real cost of them is factored in.

The high cost of climate alarmists

It’s not climate deniers who are a problem. It is those who deny the cost of excessive policy trade-offs.

Jacinta Nampijinpa Price and Nyunggai Warren Mundine at a press conference in Brisbane on Saturday.

Jacinta Price has turned conventional political wisdom on its head

The Nationals senator has restored in the minds of Australians the value of the truth that equality is about the human dignity of all, and not about race.

Woodside, the largest Australian gas producer, runs the Pluto LNG plant in WA.

The Voice will add to the energy logjam

With tens of billions of dollars’ worth of projects sitting in limbo awaiting approval, it is ironic that the industry is among the most enthusiastic supporters of a Yes vote.

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August 2023

Despite the crisis at home, the Premier has  nevertheless headed overseas on a holiday; a move that Labor politicians were happy to crucify former Prime Minister Morrison for just a few years ago.

Queensland Labor’s problems don’t start and end with Palaszczuk

The premier’s departure could very well leave an untalented and incompetent team without even the veneer of non-threatening warmth that has carried the government though many a scandal.

Anthony Albanese at the Garma Festival earlier this month.

As the leading Yes man, PM barely knows what he is advocating

Anthony Albanese hasn’t even read the Uluru Statement in full, yet is more focused on constitutional change than on rebuilding tourism or reducing costs for Australians.

Jim Chalmers

Labor hasn’t done any heavy lifting to help tame inflation

To give credit where it is due, Jim Chalmers is resisting the many calls to spend the first surplus, but this is where Labor’s assistance for Australians ends.

July 2023

Yes campaigner Professor Greg Craven has said he is “beside himself with rage” at having his public comments critical of the voice cited in the No pamphlet. But what did he expect?

Yes and No Voice pamphlets pit ‘the vibe’ against a veto

In quoting academics and activists from the Yes campaign, the No case verifies the widely held suspicion that the Albanese government has not been upfront with Australians.

The ICAC findings against Gladys Berejiklian could deter single women from seeking political careers.

Gladys’ texts are not ‘seriously corrupt’

The point at which the disclosure of a romantic relationship is necessary must now be clarified to avoid deterring women from contributing to politics while searching for love.

June 2023

Amanda Stoker made a statement about Senator Van on Friday night.

Why I said #MeToo about David Van

Given that Senator Van has now denied the behaviour, even though it was promptly reported and documented, it tells me something. It tells me that speaking up was the right thing to do.

May 2023

The government’s Economic Equality Taskforce wants single mothers to be entitled to welfare for up to 16 years.

Labor’s childcare and welfare policies at cross-purposes on working mums

To spend heavily to incentivise one cohort of mothers to work while spending heavily to disincentivise another cohort to do so defies logic.

April 2023

Jim Chalmers is skating on very thin economic and geopolitical ice.

Jim Chalmers is skating on very thin ice

Short-term subsidies for household energy bills will have a high long-term price that this government will not face up to.

If Peter Dutton had supported the Voice, it would not make the Liberals more electable.

Liberals avert disaster on the Voice

The Liberal Party is offering a practical way of getting the input of Aboriginal people without allowing permanent and constitutional division.

March 2023

Dominic Perrottet would be the most consequential NSW Liberal in decades if he managed to pull off government.

A NSW minority government will be hostage to the radical fringe

The Liberal left has been mistaken in trying to reclaim ground held by federal teals at the expense of core party values.

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Senator Katy Gallagher didn’t say much about the host of former people with Labor links who also had roles on the AAT.

Labor’s ‘jobs for mates’ narrative lacks integrity

Rather than shift responsibility for appointments to unelected bureaucrats, isn’t it better to have the politicians in charge of decisions for which they can be held accountable?

February 2023

Our nation has never tried harder or spent more on women’s safety.

Justice system must be blind to #believeher good intentions

Justice for victims of sexual crimes won’t be achieved by dismantling protections for all against the serious scenario that we might be falsely accused of a crime.

Health Minister Mark Butler’s reforms are being undercut.

Queensland’s sick state of health

The Albanese government’s Medicare shake-up will be undercut by the Palaszczuk government’s GP payroll tax grab.

January 2023

The Productivity Commission report did not extend to problems from beyond the shcool gates.

Schools need right culture, not more dollars

All the Gonski money in the world can’t help teachers compensate for broken families and disengaged parents.

Hydrogen installations could be perversely discouraged by caps in the price of fossil fuels.

How gas price caps blow up investment

Labor’s intervention tells investors in hydrogen that policy can change on a whim if the politics suit it.

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/by/amanda-stoker-p4yw2j