Cardinal George Pell pleaded not guilty before a jury to child sexual assault charges in 2018. The public knew little of the proceedings because the trial judge had imposed a suppression order, prohibiting the media from publicising the evidence and court proceedings. Fr Frank Brennan SJ was asked by the Australian Catholic bishops to follow the proceedings and to offer commentary on the conduct of the proceedings once the suppression orders were lifted. The bishops asked that the commentary be seen, as far as possible, to be clear, objective and impartial. ...

From the Foreword: lt is clear that David Furse-Roberts has done a prodigious amount of work: researching, thinking, writing. It is hard to believe that he never met my father, or heard him speak. I wish he had. This book gives the reader a very good understanding of what Menzies was like, and what he thought. What it can't do is make it possible to hear him, and feel the atmosphere when he spoke. Menzies had the ability to get and keep the attention of his audiences. He looked at them, spoke directly to them, somehow created a connection. He also knew ...

The term “dissenting opinions” is normally used in the law to describe the judgments of those members of appellate courts who take a different view in a particular case from their colleagues who form the majority and effectively decide the question before the court. I have used it, however, in relation to this collection of articles and book reviews published over several decades because they proposed in the main a departure from what might be characterised as the conventional wisdom, that is, the views and values of those who preside over most ...

While the Catholic Church is languishing in much of the West, by contrast it flourishes across Africa. Despite this, most African Church leaders remain unknown in the West, even among better informed Catholics. Sally Ninham's timely book remedies this via her in-depth interviews with a cross section of Africa's senior Catholic churchmen. Their stories provide first-hand insights into the religious, political, social and economic situations in their countries. Some of these leaders have played key roles in the midst of political turmoil, civil wars, rampant ...

"...It is evident that there is a possibility that an innocent person has been convicted because the evidence did not establish guilt to the requisite standard of proof." - Chief Justice Susan Kiefel, High Court of Australia quoting from the judgment of all seven judges of the High Court - Chief Justice Susan Kiefel and Justices Virginia Bell, Stephen Gageler, Patrick Keane, Geoffrey Nettle, Michelle Gordon and James Edelman in George Pell v The Queen, 7 April 2020 *** The trial, retrial and conviction for historical child sexual assault of Cardinal ...

On becoming Prime Minister in May 2023, Anthony Albanese's very first commitment was that he would implement the  Uluru Statement from the Heart  in full. That statement encompasses a Voice to Parliament and Government, truth telling, treaty and some form of Aboriginal sovereignty or self-government. The Voice is the first and enabling step to these other demands.  It is not, as Albanese claims, a modest change and 'just good manners'. If this referendum succeeds, it will be the most significant change the Constitution has ...

In a no nonsense fashion, Asher Judah abruptly calls time on the Asian Century mindset by placing Australia's long term future front and centre. By declaring that Australia has begun the most important century of its existence, Judah outlines why and how Australia can change to become a more powerful global player. He illustrates a future in which Australia grows stronger amidst mounting international instability, and shows how the rise of the global middle class will drive the nation's socioeconomic evolution. Sparing few sacred cows, Judah challenges the ...

It was no ordinary conference. The catastrophic bushfires were still burning in Australia, a country tinder-dry with drought. First Peoples were saying that their land was tortured. Pope Francis was calling us to be aware of the interdependence of all of life, all of creation on this vulnerable planet. It seemed that every crisis had the greatest impact on those who had least. Always the most at risk were the least protected. The context of the time coloured everything. Participants, leaders in Catholic social services from across Australia and from New ...

"This is a very timely book, as it addresses not only why there is a deepening moral abyss in this country, but also considers what Australia needs to do to avoid the pitfalls of other Western countries.Unlike many armchair theorists or disheartened clerics, the author has spent a lifetime at the coal face. He is therefore uniquely placed to understand why many denominations seek the wrong zeitgeist solutions to the religious inertia, apathy and disinterest which are threatening to overwhelm both churches and communities."

Dillon's latest book investigates, with keen attention to detail, colonial Queensland's role in the development of British New Guinea. It reveals the rising importance of Torres Strait and its international steamship traffic, the contest with Germany in 1883 for the easterly or non-Dutch portion of New Guinea and the attractive islands of New Britain and New Ireland. Without the determination of Queensland, Britain would never have set up a government house at Port Moresby in 1888. Dillon reminds us that, in the eyes of some major politicians, the nearer ...