World watch

ClimateChange: The NSW government gazette reports that energy companies will be required to pay money into the Climate Change Fund as follows: Ausgrid, $133 million, Endeavour Energy, $86 million and Essential Energy $56 million. This is yet just another 'tax' that inflates our electricity prices. COVID: Lockdown continues across multiple cities in Australia whilst the Prime Minister has created a furore by advising that under 40-year olds can have AstraZeneca vaccine if they wish. Labor state Premiers have accused the PM of not following health advice. The PM's team instead says that health advice has not changed and that Phizer is the preferred vaccine for under 40s where it is available. Either way, it seems unconscionable to say on one hand that AstraZeneca is going to be withdrawn in October because of the blood clot risk, only to then promote it to under 40s who reportedly have an even higher risk of clotting. Again, the question of equality before the law has been ra...

COVID:   Lockdowns abound across Australia with a mix of lockdowns in parts of WA, NT and NSW and other restrictions and border closures in other states. Originally, lockdown was justified as a means of ensuring hospitals were not overloaded; however, there seems to have been a definite shift from suppression to an elimination strategy. We would never support an elimination strategy as a means to solve the road toll problem (lockdown all vehicles would work), so why is it being implemented with COVID. The fundamental classical liberal freedoms on which our democracy was built are being rapidly jettisoned in favour of the politically popular mandatory vaccinations and lockdowns. Government Secrecy continues with the rejection of a Freedom of Information (FOI) request for the Rural Fire Service (RFS) report into the backburn at Wilpin in the Blue Mountains. The NSW Government claims that the report will be probative in the upcoming coroner's inquest and has refused to release th...

COVID: Two new cases in Victoria have led to a housing complex being placed in isolation ( news.com.au ). Italy has reportedly banned the use of AstraZeneca in under 60-year-olds (The West Australian). The NSW Premier is reportedly opposing the Prime Minister's push for covid vaccine passport (dailymail.co.uk). Medical information, including vaccination status, should be confidential. Medical treatment should be by choice, not by compulsion. A vaccine passport would only require a small change to link it to other forms of 'social misconduct'. Welcome to #1984 or the Chinese social credit system. Free Speech: The producer of FriendlyJordies has been charged with stalking the NSW Deputy Premier. It would be concerning if the government were using anti-stalking legislation to directly target political communication (ABC) Biloela Family: The rumour mill is running hot this afternoon suggesting that the asylum seeker family currently detained on Christmas Island could be release...