Latest Articles
We are encouraged to rely more and more on government officials to do for us what we could equally well do for ourselves—and, maybe more importantly, not to do what might help us solve our own problems.
Sep 08 2024
10 mins
If we imagine a metric called the Pinocchio Scale, which measures the number of lies told by a politician as a percentage of his or her overall public statements, our current prime minister (for want of a better description), Airbus Albo, has moved well into uncharted territory.
Sep 06 2024
5 mins
As-best-os
They were not persuaded that enough people were dying or suffering an asbestos-related disease to find substitute materials or shut down and walk away. There was always an acceptable level of death.—plaintiff lawyer, Kieran May
A 1994 BBC documentary was titled An Acceptable Level of Death
There are three types in this industry:
Amosite (brown) amphiboles, the straighter
Crocidolite (blue) and Chrysotile (white) serpentine
—for fibre withstanding fire, frost and electricity,
when Scots James Hardie saw opportunity
And the building-boom needed cheap-and-easy.
Fibro-board, cement, paint, brake-linings from Hardie
Workers straight off the boats in a new country
Joining carefree mates in happy-go-lucky
Australia was rising on fibre money
Company-men, hard-working migrants adjusted
Asbestos loosed dust-storm—thick and gusted
Amid “Danger” reports, “stay cool”, unflustered
Until twenty years later, a lifestyle busted
Falling-down, can’t breathe, x-rays clustered
Sorry man,…
Madam: Archbishop Fisher (July-August 2024) does not resist the attacks on his church by the political, social or scientific atheists and those who insist on not being told what to do.
Aug 29 2024
6 mins
To claim Aborigines have the world's oldest continuous culture is to misunderstand the meaning of culture, which continuously changes over time and location. For a culture not to change over time would be a reproach and certainly not a cause for celebration, for it would indicate that there had been no capacity to adapt. Clearly this has not been the case
Aug 20 2024
23 mins
A friend and longtime supporter of Quadrant, Clive James sent us a poem in 2010, which we published in our December issue. Like the Taronga Park Aquarium he recalls in its 'mocked-up sandstone cave' it's not to be forgotten
Aug 16 2024
2 mins
