Jacinta's Blogs

Why it’s better to be feared than loved if you cannot be both After the recent resignation of Malcolm Turnbull there has been much commentary surrounding his contributions or, more accurately, lack of contributions during his stint as Prime Minister. Leading up to his original appointment as Prime Minister he came with much promise and ambition as a strong Coalition leader. He represented a palatable ‘centre-right’ leader with moderate political beliefs. On the one hand approved by conservatives for being pro business and those to the left found him to be their preferred coalition leader for his stance on the Republic.  His political persona was a smooth negotiator and a successful wealthy business man in his own right.  Finding the balance between being a leader with conviction and one who played it safe and survived was the question for Turnbull. He chose the latter. Self preservation. Unfortunately in politics, it is cut throat, even choosing the saf...

With the rise of  inequality , some parents  feel pressured  to fork out $120k to keep up with ‘the Joneses’ by sending their kids to private schools. So is it worth it? As soon as a baby comes into the world new parents start thinking about their children's future.  Not what pre-school, day care or primary school they should attend but, in particular, which high school they should attend? and whether or not they should be sending their child to a private school. For a lot of parents this isn't even a question. As for those on average salaries, private schools charging up 20-30k per year is simply not an option. Even less of an option when you add more than one child to the mix.  You may be wondering why parents should worry about which high school their newborn baby should attend as it's at least 12/13 years away but alas, the race into private school has already begun. If parents want to 'keep up with the Joneses' they need to get cracking on ...

After the privacy scandal of facebook. I admit that I am still an amid user. Not through any real choice of my own but by the simple fact that facebook has way too much  inappropriate photos evidence against me. Before my generation,  photographs were much less accessible. You needed an actual camera (not just one attached to your phone). You would then have to print them out at a one hour photo specialised store. When I hit my early 20s photos were easily accessible and quickly posted online. Often at a time when my judgment had left me. Thank you, alcohol. Thank you, youth. Facebook has started to change it's public image from data stealing to privacy aware. It is also trying to play to our nostaglic side by enabling a section called 'memories'. After clicking on this memories section, I am bombarded by photos of my university days. Pictures of my face looking supple and fuller. I don't mind that. I know I'm destined to get older. We all are. I just don...

WHAT IF WILLIAM TYRRELL WAS BLACK? While we are still on the lookout for William, perhaps we have forgotten that 20,000 children are reported missing in Australia every year.  You'd be living under a rock if you didn't know who William Tyrrell is.  The smiley (then) 3-year-old boy in his spiderman costume captured the attention of the masses when he suddenly disappeared o n 12 September 2014 from the front of his parent's house while playing hide and seek.  Anyone who is a parent (or not) most likely has sympathy for the Tyrrell family. It would be heart wrenching, gut wrenching, full of sleepless nights wondering what on earth has happened to your chid. The family still do not have closure as William is still missing without a trace.  Police have grave concerns surrounding the disappearance. It is common knowledge that after the first 72 hours of a person's disappearance, if they are still not found, it is unlikely they will survive.  ...

The NSW Government passed a bill which seeks to enable 'safe access zones' for women visiting abortion clinics. The bill will mean that pro life protesters cannot harass women entering these clinics (at least within a 150m radius). This is a small victory for women who choose to access these services. What is surprising about the bill being passed was the lack of support from the NSW Minister for Women - Tanya Davies. Davies cited her reason behind the her decision was to give  protesters the opportunity to 'give information' to these women. That reasoning is unsatisfactory, for instance, if Davies is concerned about the 'information' that women need to have regarding abortions then she is misinformed about the actual procedure of abortion in NSW. The current procedure for women who choose to abort consists of counselling prior to making that final decision. At that counselling session they would be adequately informed of all their options. Therefore the ...

Markle's crimes include dating other men before marriage, being a 'gold digger' and not fitting the mould of being an english aristocrat. If you haven't been keeping track of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry you're forgiven. The news is currently saturated with the upcoming royal wedding which will be held on 19 May. People are waiting with baited breath for this wedding. It's a huge deal ...but not for me. Don't get me wrong I love weddings. I have nothing against Prince Harry or Meghan, I'm just a republican. That point aside, I usually gloss over the headlines on the royals but the recent news that has come out about Meghan Markle made me a little bit annoyed. In case you didn't know. Meghan Markle dated other men before Prince Harry (shocking right?). According to news.com.au she has a secret list of exes. Shh. Including one that used to work as a porn star before being an actor. We are supposed to find this shocking. I don't. The art...

This year has really been a whirlwind. I welcomed my first child into the world on 20 March. To say that it's been a huge change is an understatement. But I have an apology to make. That apology is to all the mothers out there who I did not understand...at least before I had my daughter. I'm sorry that I failed to understand why you could not be on time. I used to think that it was as simple as shoving your child into the carseat and starting the ignition. I mean what is so hard about that? You just grab the kid and go right?.... I did not understand that infants need to be fed on demand. That they can have a poo explosion at any time. A crying fit for no reason. All these things can contribute to punctuality. Not to mention the sheer amount of things you need to pack for simple outings that may last an hour or two. Have I got the formula? the bibs? the bottles? the plastic bags to put dirty nappies? the spare change of clothes (or two)? the change mat? not to mention m...