BOO HOO?

This week in Australia there are two things I need to comment on, Bronwyn Bishops retirement and SALA.

Starting with the positive, SALA. Some may say Bronwyn's retirement is positive news and I personally will be glad to see the end of the helicopter meme's, but I don't think it is a proud moment for Australian politics. 

SALA provides a range of opportunities and initiatives that celebrate and promote South Australian visual artists, locally, nationally and internationally. Initiatives include the annual SALA Festival, an innovative, community-based State-wide festival

I personally am going to hit some of the local shows, in particular at Semaphore Library - with Brad Morris Photographic exhibition "The Beauty of Historical Port Adelaide" and Moana Colmer's "Vox Pop Jewellery". 

At the British Hotel, take the time for a beer a great meal and to enjoy the awesome photographic displays where my friend Mark is exhibiting.

The South Australian Living Artists Festival is an amazing opportunity for all artists and lovers of art to come together in celebration and to share their works. I have been housebound this weekend and missed the opening but as soon as I'm able I will be out enjoying the amazing art that life in South Australia inspires. 

So now on to Bronwyn Bishop standing down as the speaker of the house. I can't help but wonder if it was all a plan for Mrs Bishop to get her retirement fund early, surely she doesn't want to work to 70, I sure as hell don't!

Mrs. Bishop's over indulgence at the expense of tax payers couldn't be tucked under the rug, the Australian people were like a dog with a bone, we weren't accepting her sorry. Mrs Bishop you have been over entitled since the day you sat in the speakers chair. The role of the speaker is to be non partisan and unbiased but time and again you threw labour ministers out of the house over 100:1 times against a coalition member.

The resemblance is uncanny but at least the Dame travels on her own money and is more in touch with the average Australian woman. Thank you for making a farce of women in Australian politics Bronwyn, your pompous arse is no longer required.

 Thank you for being the last of a dynasty of out dated women in politics, good bye and good riddance. If nothing else I hope other politicians start to see the days of over spending and luxury at the expense of the tax payer is not going to be accepted!

Say G'Day Mate

Australia is notorious for being settled by English convicts, but the majority of Australian immigration occurred between 1945 to 1975 when it's population almost doubled from 7½ million to 13 million, mostly immigrants and refugee's. 

Immigration to Australia is a much tougher process now and some of our citizens want to tighten the rules even further. This weekend Australians forgot where they came from. A group of Australians, who are clearly the offspring of immigrants, came out in protest of immigration. 

We have only two constitutional rights in Australia, one is the right to a trial by a jury of our peers, the other is the right to practice or not to, practice the religion of our choosing without persecution. I am ashamed by the behaviour of some of my countrymen, protesting against that constitutional right and race based immigration.
Another group confronted the protest - an anti-racist group, the two groups collided resulting in a violent out burst and several people in multiple states being arrested by police. 
I always believed that one of the richest assets of Australia was its diversity of people and their culture. This is not the Australia I know and love, how can we bounce back from this? What are these racist groups so afraid of? My heart weighs heavily with these recent outbursts and I fear that we may never recover from this insidious virus of hatred that is rapidly spreading nationwide.