Spicer Communications

The Punch – The C Word

Are you offended by the C-word? Had I asked that question a decade ago, the answer would probably have been “yes”. But the C-bomb has been blowing ...

The Punch – Warm Regards

Please, don’t regard me warmly. I’m not that nice. And why are you offering your best wishes? It’s not my birthday. I enjoy ‘cheers’, but it makes ...

The Punch – Walk the Plank

Ahoy there, me hearties! As you may know, Saturday was International Talk Like a Pirate Day. In honour of this important occasion, I have compiled a list ...

The Punch – The Tibetans we don’t care about

The Uyghurs need a good spin doctor. These forgotten people of northwest China are the Tibetans the world doesn’t care about. It might be because they’re Muslims. Or ...

The Punch – Talk-like-a-pirate-day

Arrr, me hearties! In honour of International Talk Like a Pirate Day on the weekend, I’ve compiled a list of federal pollies and their … alter-egos. Feel ...

The Punch – Save the endangered apostrophe

It’s tiny but powerful. Its incorrect insertion could mean the difference between life and death. And it’s fighting for its very existence. I’m referring to the apostrophe; specifically, ...

The Punch – Our own worst enemies

Once again women are proving to be their own worst enemies. With Chris Bath likely to be named the first solo female primetime newsreader on commercial ...

The Punch – Mobile phones are the new cigarettes

Mobile phones are the new cigarettes. Not when it comes to cancer, of course. That’s still unproven, according to mobile phone companies which have much deeper pockets ...

The Punch – Living Wills

The term ‘good death’ seems to be an oxymoron. But for those who’ve cared for a terminally ill loved one, the ancient Greek definition of the ...

The Punch – Dry July

I enjoy a drink as much as the next person. Unless that next person happens to be Fiona O’Loughlin. Or Andrew Symonds. But the Australian Hotels Association’s ...

The Punch – Come out, come out, wherever you are

My name is Tracey and I am not a lesbian. Well, except for 15 minutes in 1987. At university. Does that count? Everyone is at risk of ...

The Punch – Bainimarama

If there was an award for ‘most popular military dictator’ Commodore Frank Bainimarama would win hands down. Muammar al-Gaddafi came close by hugging the Lockerbie bomber ...

The Punch – When is a foetus a human life

The first story I covered as a court reporter was about the point at which life begins. It was a big question for the tiny Moe ...

The Punch – Universities

There’s a hidden epidemic of bullying in Australia – and it’s not in the schoolyard. The corporatisation of universities has led to an increase in students ...

The Punch – Up, up and away!

Next year, airlines plan to charge passengers to breathe. It will be 36c for a short, sharp breath – the type taken by those who fear ...

The Punch – Illeism

Is it just Tracey Spicer, or are there a lot of people referring to themselves in the third person these days? Illeists abound in sport, politics ...

The Punch – Radical Atheism

If there is a God, he’d be rubbing his hands with glee at the rise of radical atheism. The pompous pronoucements of Professor Richard Dawkins reinforce ...

The Punch – Mark Webber, you are a nob

Memo Mark Webber: Go back to the Motherland. We don’t want your insensitive, ignorant and thoughtless comments here. Webber tipped the bucket on his homeland after fellow ...

The Punch – Joe Hockey

If Joe Hockey wins the leadership of the federal Liberal Party, the biggest loser will not be Malcolm Turnbull. Nor will it be the government’s Emissions ...