To Critique, Inform, Challenge and Entertain
by Daniel Stepniak · Published 19 August 2019 · Last modified 4 October 2022
Reading Time: 2 minutesAs the film’s name suggests, it recounts a tale set in 1969 Hollywood. For his last feature film, Tarantino has cast actors of the highest calibre. Anticipation and dread of the historically violent ending of the story, builds up ithroughout the film. Tarantino does not disappoint, delivering extreme violence, but on his terms. Whether you love it or not, you’re unlikely to regret seeing it.
by Daniel Stepniak · Published 13 August 2019 · Last modified 16 August 2019
Reading Time: 2 minutesThis Scandinavian noir series tells the story of a Chechen suicide bombing mastermind, who had been thought to be dead, but resurfaces seeking asylum in Finland. The central figures are personally troubled members of the secret service and police force. This series delivers ample believable and entertaining bleak tension and suspense. The ever present tension and non stop developments make this a perfect series to binge-watch.
Reading Time: 3 minutesBoasting a stellar Australian cast, Palm Beach is a thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining film with a distinctly Australian, but not cliched, character.
It is the story of a reunion of old friends flown in to Palm Beach to celebrate a birthday.
The uncontrived dialogue and dry laconic sense of humour allows the script to entertain while dealing with often real and confronting issues.
CURRENT ISSUES / OPINION / RELIGION
by Daniel Stepniak · Published 22 July 2019 · Last modified 15 October 2022
Reading Time: 5 minutesThe beliefs expressed by Folau are also held by a number of Australian Christian denominations. In particular, there is absolutely no doubt that some Christian beliefs may incite hatred and even violence. However, religious belief does not legally justify the breaking of the law. For that reason, an appreciation of what the expression or exercise of some Christian religious beliefs can entail is required in order to understand why the expression of some religious beliefs needs to be curtailed.
CURRENT ISSUES / GENDER EQUALITY
by Daniel Stepniak · Published 18 July 2019 · Last modified 25 August 2019
Reading Time: 2 minutesBri spoke engagingly about her book, her time as a judge’s associate, as well as her experiences as a complainant in a sexual assault case. She also spoke about her current advocacy to reform Queensland’s outdated rape law. This law allows a person accused of sexual assault to rely on the defence that ‘they had a mistaken but honest and reasonable belief that sex was consensual’. Bri Lee came across as a very bright, eloquent, committed and brave young woman. I was particularly impressed with her capacity to see the big picture.
AUSTRALIAN POLITICS / CURRENT ISSUES / OPINION
by Daniel Stepniak · Published 12 July 2019 · Last modified 13 July 2019
Reading Time: 2 minutesThe Australian constitution should be amended to recognise the historical and current place of our Indigenous people.
Flowing from this recognition of cultures predating European arrival, I propose that Indigenous people should be guaranteed 12 seats in the Senate and every other protection guaranteed to inhabitants of an original Australian State.
Reading Time: 4 minutesThis series tells the story of the demise of the Romanov dynasty under Czar Nicholas II. The presentation of this story is unique in that it is told simultaneously in three different ways – predominantly as a superbly cast and acted, and beautifully presented, television drama, through regular brief documentary segments, and as an additional aspect of this story, told dramatically in the bookends of this series and in short instalments throughout.
Reading Time: 6 minutesThe Australian government‘s claim that it has a mandate to implement specific promises it made during the election campaign leading to its election simply does not add up. No one knows why an elector casts a vote for a candidate, unless the candidate is running on one issue only. At most a successful candidate has a general mandate to represent the electorate and pursue their or their parties’ policies. Successful candidates aligned with the party or parties that make up a majority in the House of Representatives may also be said to have the electors’ mandate to form a government. It is simply not possible to determine whether electors’ votes for a candidate or party were an endorsement or authorisation of government action.A clear mandate for government action on a particular issue can only be clearly secured through a plebiscite and less clearly from a survey. An election win can never produce a mandate of anything other than who should be elected and who forms government.
CURRENT ISSUES / LEGAL MATTERS / RELIGION
by Daniel Stepniak · Published 28 June 2019 · Last modified 25 August 2019
Reading Time: 5 minutesAn outline of the the legal situation in Folau’s action against Rugby Australia, and the most relevant sections of the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth).
Reading Time: 2 minutesThere is a belief that, when we have a choice to make, there is only one correct decision. Being convinced that it is within our control to make choices that will always prove right, we regret making choices that do not, at some stage, prove to be right.
On the other hand, we can accept that it can never be guaranteed that a choice will prove to be what we want and need. In doing so we will be more likely to not see a choice that is no longer working, as an opportunity to see what it was that stopped it being right, or as a recognition that our needs or circumstances have changed. Dare I say “I wish I had taken this on board many years ago”.
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