Here in Australia we are going through a mining boom. iron ore is worth Billions to our economy, as is coal and many other resources.

With the financial turmoil the world has been witnessing of late, the gold price has soared, making gold mining a very good business to be in. This has also made things a little more exciting for the weekend prospector.

In 2006, the late Tom Bingham - then Britain's most senior judge - gave a seminal speech on the rule of law at Cambridge University. He divided the broad principle of the rule of law which underpins democracy into eight ''sub-rules'', many of which are being undermined by the Gillard government's extraordinary proposal to excise the whole of the Australian mainland from the migration zone.

from politicoz ….

Parliament resumed this week. The polls have shifted, giving the Gillard government breathing space, but if anyone was expecting that to alter the parliamentary dynamic they were sadly mistaken.

from Crikey …..

by my friend, Vacy Vlazna

The powers of Australia's domestic spy agency, ASIO, are rotten at their core, could be used against innocent Australians by an unscrupulous government and should be repealed, the law professor George Williams has warned.

from Politicoz ….

David Marr put the cat amongst the pigeons with his Quarterly Essay on Tony Abbott.

from Crikey …..

The dead entertainer haunting the BBC and the UK government

from politicoz …..

Tax is much in the news of late. Treasurer Wayne Swan has been telling us the Minerals Resource Rent Tax is working precisely as it should - not raising any tax. The hospital in Yes Minister worked perfectly too - it didn't have any patients.

doubtless another issue that bob will be keen to pursue at the UN security council …..

The Labor Party has exploded into open warfare at the highest levels following the defeat of the senior cabinet minister Penny Wong to the number one Senate ticket in favour of one of the lesser known faceless men who helped install Julia Gillard to the Prime Ministership in 2010.