My New Year's resolutions for others

Can they just give it a rest? How about all politicians putting their hands on their hearts and promising – make it a new year’s resolution – not to make political capital out of David Hicks during 2008.

I for one don’t want to know about Mike Rann and his vote-motivated calls for David Hicks to apologise for the deaths of Australian soldiers in Afghanistan.

What a load of rubbish. Australian soldiers are dying in Afghanistan because the Australian government determined that it was in our interest for them to be there. It’s got nothing to do with David Hicks.

If there is going to be any apologising, where are the apologies for the 700,000 Iraqis killed since we invaded that country?

And why not let him sell his story? I would be interested to hear a full account from him.

It certainly would be better than listening to Alexander Downer prattle on about how he thinks Hicks is evil and treacherous.

If I want simplistic appellations I’ll watch a Batman movie, or listen to a G.W. Bush speech.

I thought the voters had told the former foreign minister to go away. It really is a bit late for him to be conceding that the United States mishandled the Hicks case.

NOOSA negotiators are impatient for the festive season to end so they can get back to the table to test Queensland Premier Anna Bligh’s “I’ll give them what they want” guarantee in relation to iconic legislation meant to protect Noosa’s planning scheme.

May the good premier’s resolution be to honour that commitment.

We all appreciate that what Noosa really wants is to be left alone, but given that there is absolutely no likelihood of that happening, the best outcome is surely a planning scheme that is unambiguous in its intent, defendable in the courts and loophole free.

Give us that Anna and just maybe there will be a set of core values that are not based solely on growth, growth and more growth to inform planning for the future of the entire Sunshine Coast.

FORMER treasurer Peter Costello may have lost his smirk but fast bowler Brett Lee has ensured that this most irritating of facial expressions is not lost to us. It’s been his least appealing characteristic since he entered the test arena.

With annual earnings of more than $2 million I know Lee is pleased with himself.

I get it Bing, you’re a deadset legend. Now could you just get over yourself and make a resolution to lose the smirk?

PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd’s election resolution was to fashion himself as the “Education Prime Minister”.

It’s a noble goal. Unless we start making ourselves a whole lot smarter with some of the profits of the ground under our feet we could find ourselves in a very deep hole.

Small populations need highly-educated citizens. Whether they be high-level tradespeople or world class research academics our education system needs to be geared to outcomes that ensure every Australian reaches their maximum potential.

That will require a massive investment over a sustained period of time.

If the Prime Minister is fair dinkum about his resolution we will need to see smaller class sizes, better-trained and more plentiful teachers, a massive boost to university funding and a return to apprenticeship systems that produce graduates equipped with the full tool kit of trade skills.

The better educated a society we become, the better future we can create with fewer social problems, lower crime rates and stronger national values.

The pundits may be demanding that the new prime minister show fiscal restraint, but education is about investment in the future, value-adding for all of us and he should follow his resolution with zeal.

And while he is at it I hope he does not leave Australia’s intellectually challenged out of the equation.

The Sunshine Coast’s special schools are wonderful institutions that set out to maximize the potentials of our most disadvantaged citizens. But after school comes a huge void which leaves the kids with few options and their parents in despair.

A commitment to finding all of these very special people meaningful employment that fits the skills they do have would not only immeasurably improve their quality of life but would reflect a set of national values of which we could all be proud.