This is edition 2025/80 of the Ten@10 newsletter.
Welcome back. It's 2025 and 20 years since I started writing about politics and anything else that took my fancy. Thank to my VIP members for making this site what it is today. In July we will be having a 20th birthday celebration. Stay tuned for more announcements.
This is the Ten@10, where I collate and summarise ten news items you generally won't see in the mainstream media.
Enjoy!
1. Pay equity urgency and vested interests
Bryce Edwards
- ⚖️ The Government's pay equity changes were rushed through using parliamentary urgency, bypassing scrutiny and accountability.
- 🏛️ This abuse of urgency fosters an "elective dictatorship," where laws can be passed hastily without proper checks and balances.
- 💼 Vested interests benefit, while public trust in democracy suffers due to lack of transparency.
- 🌐 Urgency sidelines public input, favoring lobbyists and insiders who influence legislation behind closed doors.
- 🚫 Lack of scrutiny under urgency undermines democratic principles and allows for biased policies that favor powerful interests.
- 📉 Public support for urgency stems from a desire for swift action, overshadowing procedural concerns.
- 🗳️ Reforms like requiring a super-majority for urgency could restore balance and integrity to legislative processes.
- 🔄 Cross-party commitment is crucial to addressing urgency misuse and ensuring democratic accountability.
