rodjohnstonaus@gmail.com

In the words of singer Kenny Rogers in “The Gambler”, “You’ve got to know when to hold ’em, Know when to fold ’em, Know when to walk away, And know when to run” Now is the time to ‘fold and run’, before it is too late.  AUKUS is not just about the cost of a few … Read more

AUKUS  is not just about the cost of a few submarines. It is the vortex sucking Australia into perpetual war on behalf of the superpower. Korea, Vietnam, Iraq 1, Iraq 2, Afghanistan … and now Iran? Australia is at another “All the way with LBJ” moment … war or peace, in or out, AUKUS or … Read more

I am honoured by my many Australian friends of Indian ancestry, whom I have been able to assist in settling in Australia during the last three decades. They are part of my inspiration to write the novel, “Queen’s Pawn to D4”. Following is a direct quote… ” …. Most Australians are irresponsibly ignorant of history, … Read more

With the transition of NCC 2025 from 1 May 2026 to 1 May 2027, we will see an important step forward towards a modern building code. The National Construction Code, for the first time, will specify simple, achievable, verifiable quantified performance requirements for structural performance. This enables various deemed-to-satisfy solutions to be developed, verified and … Read more

There is no such thing as a “free lunch”. To continue the food metaphor, Canadian PM Mark Carney’s comment that if you are “not at the table, you are on the menu” is prophetic. By now, Australians should realise that “Make America Great Again” can only be achieved at the expense of the independence of … Read more

The “Resource Curse” is the economic equivalent of alcoholism … where our society becomes dependent on wealth generated through others taking our raw materials and leaving us just sufficient payment for subsistence and complacency. I have travelled widely in Papua New Guinea and can affirm that this modern version of the “Cargo Cult” can sap … Read more

While we still have our climate sceptics, and those with tunnel vision (who complain about short-term power prices), the increasing majority of Australians are slowly embracing the new reality … that the future of our planet and the prosperity of our country are both inextricably linked to embracing renewable energy sources, particularly solar and (in … Read more

Australians should learn from Norway … bold taxes coupled with equity (joint ownership). “… Norway leads the field … It levies a massive 78 per cent effective tax rate against the energy giants, partly through joint ownership of the projects, amongst the highest on the planet. That has helped it build a $US2.2 trillion sovereign … Read more

An insightful ABC Big Ideas discussion between Professor Michael Wesley (University of Melbourne and Lowy Institute +) and Geoff Raby (former Australian ambassador to China and author) explored how Australia is being drawn by the United States alliance into North Asian conflicts (with China) rather than concentrating on building strong relationships with Sout-East Asian neighbours … Read more

AS 4678 is modern limit-state design standard, that employs partial load (action) factors and partial resistance factors (rather than global factors of safety). This approach allows for greater flexibility and better understanding of the behaviour of retaining structures and their design for factored loads from supported structures. When considering the relevant limit states (aka failure … Read more