Update on recent events....

A selection of current issues....

Queensland - abortion

A Queensland woman, who is 19 weeks pregnant and is seeking a 'medical abortion', is calling for the Queensland government to change the law to allow her to have an abortion using RU486 in Queensland.

Queensland abortion law change is woman's best hope
The Australian, August 31, 2009.
"THE pregnant woman at the centre of Queensland's abortion law standoff is pinning her hopes on legislation being fast-tracked into state parliament to allay doctors' concerns about performing drug-induced terminations.
Shay, whose unborn child is so severely malformed as to have no prospect of survival, has been told the pregnancy must be aborted for the sake of her health.
But with medical abortion services suspended due to the impasse between doctors and the state government over the legality of the procedure, no hospital will admit her..."

Climate change legislation

The federal government's 'carbon trading' legislation is in doubt after the Liberals and Nationals voted against it in the Senate.

However the government plans to bring the legislation back in a month or two for another vote.

Senator Nick Minchin, Liberal Senator form South Australia, gave an excellent speech when the ETS Bill was debated in the Senate. It is posted on his website.

Stimulus package and election signs

The Rudd government has announced that the signs at public schools announcing the stimulus package spending on buildings will stay up until the end of March 2011 - which is AFTER the next federal election.

Complaints have been made that most primary schools are used as polling booths and this could be considered 'advertising' for the Labor Party.

The Liberals' Christopher Pyne has now said that the signs could be in breach of the electoral legislation, which prohibits political advertising near polling booths. He has written to the Australian Electoral Commission seeking a ruling.