Perspectives

To Critique, Inform, Challenge and Entertain

Author: Daniel Stepniak

ACADEMIC WRITINGS

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List of Academic Writings

Reading Time: 7 minutesBOOKS Daniel Stepniak, Audio-Visual Coverage of Courts: A Comparative Analysis  Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2008, (ISBN: 9780521875271) First chapter, Index of contents etc PUBLISHED REPORTS Electronic Media Coverage of Courts: A Report Prepared for...

AUSTRALIAN POLITICS / CURRENT ISSUES / LEGAL MATTERS / OPINION / Uncategorized

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‘No will leave us nowhere. No recognition. No way forward’ says the PM – I beg to differ.

Reading Time: < 1 minuteA No vote victory on the Voice to Parliament proposal would not leave Indigenous affairs ‘nowhere’. Contrary to what the Yes camp wants us to believe, making the Voice permanent would not necessarily be a step forward. While governments have repeatedly appointed and Indigenous advisory bodies that governments appointed and abolished, the wording of the proposed constitutional amendment would allow Parliament to alter at will literally everything about the Voice apart from its existence.

Music Reviews - Rock

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The Dark Side of the Moon Redux – Roger Waters Reimagines the Original

Reading Time: 2 minutesWaters demonstrates creative genius in producing an album that is readily identifiable as Dark Side of the Moon, yet sufficiently different to not be regarded as merely a version of the original. On Dark Side of the Moon Redux Waters showcases his musical mastery, in a manner befitting a writer and musician who is 50 years older and performing for an audience that is not asked to compare or look up the original.

AUSTRALIAN POLITICS / CURRENT ISSUES

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Referendum 2023 – Indigenous Voice to Parliament and Government

Reading Time: 7 minutesThe looming 2023 referendum asks us to answer a single question about two distinct issues – the constitutional recognition of Australia’s Indigenous peoples as our nation’s First Peoples, and the constitutionally entrenched setting up of a Voice to Parliament (and Government).
By presenting the Voice as a means of recognising Indigenous people as our First Peoples, the referendum risks creating the impression that the majority of Australians reject the constitutional recognition of the status of our Indigenous peoples. At best, a narrowly victorious Yes vote would create the impression that we are divided on the issue of recognition. Such an outcome would also constitutionally entrench the perception that Indigenous people are disadvantaged and unlike other Australians experiencing similar disadvantage, will require specific and ongoing governmental assistance as recommended by a body called, the Voice to Parliament.

Hackney Diamonds Album Cover

Music Reviews - Rock

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Hackney Diamonds – Rolling Stones – 2023

Reading Time: 2 minutesOn October 20 the remaining three Rolling Stones will release their latest album, Hackney Diamonds, the band’s first studio album in 18 years. Two singles off this album have been released to date. The first, Angry, left me relieved that that these old rockers can still sound so good, but disappointed that this single foreshadowed yet another enjoyable, but not particularly great album. The second single, Sweet Sounds of Heaven, released today, has blown me away.

FILM REVIEWS

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The Lost King

Reading Time: 2 minutesOn the surface, The Lost King is a light-hearted comedy about a quirky woman who became obsessed with finding the remains of King Richard III, and in the process had hallucinations in which she saw and spoke with the King. Apart from Sally Hawkin’s outstanding acting, the attractions of the film are likely to be different for each of us. The issues tackled include research in the age of business-dominated universities, chronic fatigue syndrome, fractured families, and re-written histories. Above all, the story told by this gentle and entertaining film is based on real events and a tribute to the courage and determination of Phillipa Langley, who took on and defeated the authorities in her quest to find the remains of King Richard III.