Controversial bioethicist tops Queen's honours

[MrBurns]

The other Australians awarded the AC today are:

former Victorian premier Joan Kirner
former Queensland premier Peter Beattie
former foreign affairs minister Gareth Evans
medical researcher Ian Frazer
former federal frontbencher Robert Hill
biologist Stephen Hopper
Western Australian Chief Justice Wayne Martin

Joan Kirner ? what was that for, total management and fiscal incompetance ?

If thats the case Gillard will get Knighthood

Gareth Evans ????? for being a complete waste of space at taxpayers expense his entire political life.

I think the Palace has been ill advised.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-06-11/queens-birthday-honours-revealed-2012/4057484

 

[Miss Hale]

I heard an interview with Joan Kirner and she said that this is a great boost for equality for women and addressing the imbalance (paraphrasing), she then said how she was encouraged by all the women in parliament these days and listed a whole string of them (about 10 I think) and not one was a liberal MP. Seems female liberal MPs don't count - another case of Labor living in their own little world.

 

[Calliope]

Three Labor to one Conservative.

Kirner and three other retired politicians - former Queensland premier Peter Beattie, former foreign minister Gareth Evans and former defence minister Robert Hill (the token Liberal) - received the AC.

What a farce :321:

 

[Julia]

Gareth Evans ????? for being a complete waste of space at taxpayers expense his entire political life.

The ABC report I heard on this made clear it was for his services to the international community following his departure from politics.
I'd agree that those services have been extensive and useful.
His biggest mistake was that silly affair with Cheryl Kernot.

Peter Beattie???? Hard to know what that is for.
On that basis, Anna will get a similar award next time around.

 

[MrBurns]

The ABC report I heard on this made clear it was for his services to the international community following his departure from politics.
I'd agree that those services have been extensive and useful.
.

If he handled that better than his political life fair enugh.

Joan Kirner also has done a lot of charity work apparently.

These awards make it appear it was given for service as a polititian, and I dont think they deserve that by a long shot.

 

[Calliope]

It seemed like a good idea at the time.

Appointed as Attorney-General, Evans undertook a large agenda for law reform on a range of issues. He immediately ran into controversy, arranging for the Royal Australian Air Force to take surveillance photos of the Franklin Dam project in Tasmania. The Hawke government was pledged to (and ultimately did) stop the project, over the objections of the Tasmanian Liberal government, on the ground that it endangered a World Heritage listed area. The Hawke government was accused of misusing the RAAF for domestic political purposes, and Evans's use of RAAF planes led to his earning the nickname "Biggles", after Captain W. E. Johns's fictional aviation hero ¬– a self-inflicted wound, following his remark to journalists at the time ‘whatever you do, don’t call me Biggles’. This incident also led to Evans coining the expression ‘streaker’s defence’ (i.e. ‘it seemed like a good idea at the time), which has entered the Australian vocabulary

Wikipedia

 

[MrBurns]

It seemed like a good idea at the time.

Wikipedia

Yes Gareth Evans, who's specialty is looking terribly serious and speaking accordingly.

How these parasites creep into the system and onto the gravy train is a mystery, but it's not uncommon, look at our PM.

 

[Miss Hale]

Joan Kirner also has done a lot of charity work apparently.

I heard that she was given it for services to women but I don't know what service she has done for women. Certainly in the interviews I heard she focussed on her political career.

 

[Julia]

After leaving politics, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of the Brussels-based International Crisis Group from 2000 to 2009. On returning to Australia he was appointed in 2009 honorary professorial fellow at the University of Melbourne. He has served on a number of major international commissions and panels, including as co-chair of the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty (2000-01) and International Commission on Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament (2008-10). Evans has written extensively on international relations and legal, constitutional and political affairs, and has been internationally recognised for his contributions to the theory and practice of mass atrocity and conflict prevention, arms control and disarmament.

Since 2010, he has been the Chancellor of the Australian National University.

Maybe don't let the fact that Mr Evans was a Labor politician negate the good work he has done since leaving politics.

After leaving politics, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of the Brussels-based International Crisis Group from 2000 to 2009. On returning to Australia he was appointed in 2009 honorary professorial fellow at the University of Melbourne. He has served on a number of major international commissions and panels, including as co-chair of the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty (2000-01) and International Commission on Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament (2008-10). Evans has written extensively on international relations and legal, constitutional and political affairs, and has been internationally recognised for his contributions to the theory and practice of mass atrocity and conflict prevention, arms control and disarmament.

Since 2010, he has been the Chancellor of the Australian National University.

I have heard him participating in various interviews and panel discussions and have been impressed with his remarks.

 

[Calliope]

I heard that she was given it for services to women but I don't know what service she has done for women. Certainly in the interviews I heard she focussed on her political career.

Her main service to women is that by comparison she makes the vast majority of women seem decent - And that is an achievement.

 

[Glen48]

Kirner most likely encouraged Gillard to have go a PM the whole thing is a joke there are a lot more harder working ask for nothing people out there running Bingo or selling raffle tickets 52 week a yr for yrs all at their own expense, the decent ones being lumped with these professional parasite is an insult.
Wonder how long be for Anna Blight gets the nod.

 

[Calliope]

Like Rudd, Evans had aspirations towards becoming UN Secretary-General in the early 90s, such that a joke went around about him wishing to be S-G so much that he should be called 'Gareth Gareth Evans' after Boutros-Boutros Ghali, S-G at the time.

The coalition had a ball at the expense of the pompous ass on this one.

 

[Miss Hale]

In fact it would be better to separate (time wise) the awards for ex-pollies, entertainers etc. from those for the unsung heroes because the media tend to focus on the well known people and the quiet achievers don't get the recognition that these awards are designed to give them and we are none the wiser about their fantastic contributions to the community.

 

[Miss Hale]

Like Rudd, Evans had aspirations towards becoming UN Scretary-General in the early 90s, such that a joke went around about him wishing to be S-G so much that he should be called 'Gareth Gareth Evans' after Boutros-Boutros Ghali, S-G at the time (lol)

Yes, I remember that well and whenever I think of Gareth Evans I always call him Gareth Gareth Evans in my mind

 

[Glen48]

Evans was also having an affair with Cheryl Whatshername the leader of the Democrats maybe that's why the award.

 

[Julia]

In fact it would be better to separate (time wise) the awards for ex-pollies, entertainers etc. from those for the unsung heroes because the media tend to focus on the well known people and the quiet achievers don't get the recognition that these awards are designed to give them and we are none the wiser about their fantastic contributions to the community.

Yes, good idea.