SALLY McMANUS is secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions. In this week’s SPEAKER’S CORNER, she calls on people to attend a May Day rally for Change the Rules, a campaign fighting for more secure work and fairer pay for Aussie workers. THERE’S a conservative government in Canberra that’s walking hand-in-hand with big business…

BAYSWATER councillor BRENT FLEETON is furious that the WA government is considering taking planning decisions away from local government. In this week’s SPEAKER’S CORNER he argues there is no substitute for local knowledge. AS my favourite footy commentator says, “Boy, oh boy!” A whole new front just opened up in the planning battle in Perth.…

DR TOM VOSMER is a maritime archaeologist who lived and worked in the Middle East for decades. Grappling with a refugee crisis of boat people after the end of Vietnam War, the Fraser government was offered some options for dealing with it: 1.Reprovision and refuel all boats, tow them beyond the three-mile limit and encourage…

JEREMY PEREY is a Perth local. In this week’s SPEAKER’S CORNER, he raises concerns about bauxite strip mining in the Jarrah forest encroaching on areas of high aesthetic and recreational value. IT will likely come as news to many that jarrah forest has already been completely cleared from parts of the southwestern hillside of Mt…

ON February 16 the Perth district court sentenced a woman to six years in jail for transmitting HIV to a man—a sentence longer than that doled out to some one-punch killers in recent years. The transgender woman, who told the court she did not know she had HIV, will have to serve her time in…

IN this week’s SPEAKER’S CORNER Voice journo DAVID BELL argues that arming more Perth police with AR-15 rifles will make them more violent, and is another step towards militarisation. It follows outrage in the US after a SWAT team member was acquitted of murdering an unarmed man. IN November, new WA police commissioner Chris Dawson…

IN the wake of several showbiz figures being accused of sexual assault and harassment, this week the New York Times revealed allegations comedian Louis CK disrobed and masturbated in front of women, who felt paralysed because of his sway in the industry — allegations he’s admitted. In this week’s SPEAKER’S CORNER, Voice cartoonist JASON CHATFIELD,…

RON McLEAN is a farmer from Newdegate, a town in the Great Southern agricultural region of WA. In this week’s SPEAKER’S CORNER he argues that the McGowan government should start charging royalties on gold and rare minerals mined in WA before they run out. I BELIEVE the man in the street, that is, the majority of…

Reverend professor DAVID SECCOMBE is an ordained Anglican minister, former rector of St Matthew’s Church in Shenton Park, and Locum Tenens at St Albans Anglican Church, Highgate. In this week’s SPEAKER’S CORNER he argues against changing Australia’s marriage laws. MARRIAGE was here before Australia’s laws and will be here when they’re gone. Change requires thought…

]MICHAEL SUTHERLAND was speaker of the WA Legislative Assembly from 2013-17 and Mount Lawley Liberal MP from 2009-17. He is a candidate for the City of Perth at the upcoming local government elections. In this week’s SPEAKER’S CORNER he tramples the corn around MPs behaviour in parliament, in the wake of the federal government announcing…