Why political parties can spam without penalty

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I should feel miffed, being one of the 14.4 million Australian mobile phone owners who did not receive an unsolicited text message from the political party led by the aspiring Member for Herbert, Clive Palmer. Some of my Facebook friends, and even those not on Facebook, let the world know in no uncertain terms what they thought of receiving an unsolicited text from the United Australia Party (UAP), previously known as Palmer United Party (PUP)….

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I’m not dead yet

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The world’s media has a poor track record when it comes to reporting the deaths of celebrities, going early often enough to invoke the classic Python-esque protest, “I’m not dead yet”. Singer and actress Olivia Newton-John was the latest victim of tabloid hyperbole, when reports described her as ‘clinging on to life’. The star of Grease took to Facebook to cheerily confirm her existence, even though it is known she is ‘battling cancer’ for the…

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One person’s rubbish another’s treasure

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During a recent stay in a Brisbane bayside suburb, a kerbside rubbish collection was in the offing. You could tell by the untidy piles of trash lining the footpaths of suburban streets. On my daily dog walks, I became aware of a steady stream of cars with trailers doing the rounds, beating Council trucks to the treasure. Scavenging from kerbside collections is a time-honoured tradition. Whole generations have furnished their share houses with the kerbside…

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Revisiting a New Year call for compassion

Here’s a look back in time to my first New Year blog, January 2, 2015. I was eight months into writing the weekly essay and feeling brave. What’s ironic about this New Year call for a little more compassion among Australians is that four years later (in government at least), nothing much has changed. This is the first edition of Friday on My Mind to link you to my website, www.bobwords.com.au. All mailing list subscribers…

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