From protest laws to public commentary on writers and festivals, the NSW premier’s interventions reveal a troubling impatience with dissent and democratic restraint.
Tony Smith
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Rivers Flow: Reflections on the Songs of Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter curated by Kim Scott
A thoughtful collection of reflections reveals how the songs of Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter continue to carry truth, memory and responsibility across generations.
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Pitch perfect: the case for backing busking
The City of Sydney is restricting busking on some streets, but in doing so it’s losing the vibrancy that comes from a community of street entertainers.
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The defence myth
When opponents of the military build-up and critics of the genocide in Palestine went to protest outside the Indo-Pacific Maritime Exposition in Sydney, they were confronted by a huge force of New South Wales police. (more…)
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Randa Abdel-Fattah’s latest book outlines the battles others face
Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah is an author with great experience having written nearly 20 books over two decades. Most are for young readers, beginning with Does My Head Look Big In This? (more…)
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Stephen Stockwell 1975: The Ballads of the Whitlam Dismissal
The 50th anniversary of the dismissal of the Whitlam Government on 11 November 1975 should prompt all Australians to ponder the strength of our democracy. (more…)
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Who would be a carer?
Whether because of temporary disability or permanent need, the demand for accessible “holiday” accommodation is growing with our ageing population. (more…)
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Exposing the language of oppression: Debra Dank’s ‘Terraglossia’
At demonstrations about the genocide in Gaza, it has been encouraging to see that speakers have acknowledged the traditional owners of unceded sovereign lands. (more…)
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Palestine Action reaches beyond the capital cities
It was a common assumption during the darkest days of the US’ war on Vietnam that support for the war would dwindle once the body bags began coming home along “the low road” to small rural communities. (more…)
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The moral correctness of a conscientious ‘flotilla’
Lest anyone imagine that the recent attempt by a ship containing aid for distressed Palestinians was without precedent, they should consult a cartoon in the Sydney Morning Herald of 28 July 1995 by Alan Moir. (more…)
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Punishment, proportionality and principle
The reaction to the fire bombing on a Jewish establishment in Melbourne has been sadly predictable. (more…)
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Review: Perfect Victims
Mohammed El-Kurd is a poet, writer, journalist and organiser from Jerusalem in occupied Palestine. (more…)
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Samah Sabawi – Cactus Pear for My Beloved
This 2024 Penguin publication is a highly personal account of the history of Palestinian dispossession. (more…)
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Another trail of tears
While there is no mistaking the happiness on the faces of the displaced Palestinians who have been allowed to return to what remains of their homes as a result of the ceasefire, no sympathetic observer could fail to fear for their futures. At least one young woman on the march has been killed by a drone. (more…)
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The Sunbird by Sara Haddad
While it is perfectly legitimate and understandable to engage with books for relaxation, some works of literature leave us better informed but unsettled.
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Infanticides kill the future
While self-described experts might express surprise about the results of the elections in the USA, the signs of a likely swing to the right have been plain enough. Among many sickening images in 2024, the sight of Congress standing to applaud an Israeli leader responsible for the genocide in Gaza symbolised fascist sympathies. (more…)
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Genocidal attitudes masked in the trappings of patriotism
The decision by Australia’s federal Opposition leader to avoid standing by the Aboriginal flag is a dangerously divisive and cynical move. (more…)
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Thorpe unmasks the coloniser who visited genocide on Australia’s First Nations
Both Charles and Camilla are having their gilt edged fault lines exposed on their Australian tour. We should be thankful for Lidia Thorpe’s courage and outspokenness. (more…)
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Myths of the Referendum
One year on from the defeat of the ‘Indigenous Voice’ referendum of 14 October 2023, some myths have arisen about the process and the outcome. These deserve further discussion. (more…)
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Watch football on commercial television and take your chances
So the Australian Government has decided that one way to curb the disastrous level of gambling is to impose restrictions on television advertising during sporting programs. While we might all wish it luck, the saturation advertising of games of chance during football coverage suggests that it is being out-manoeuvred. (more…)
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SBS television and ‘distressing material’
It would be unfair to describe SBS television as the Australian media outlet most addicted to violence. It would be unfair unless every other outlet were scanned for their saturation with violence. At first sight however, it would seem extraordinary should any other television channel share the SBS preoccupation. (more…)
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Britain and the nuclear ‘option’
If the Tories’ plan for young people to serve in national service is not bizarre enough, we now find that the Labour Party will use nuclear weapons should they deem it necessary. The ideas raised by possession of nuclear arms are just as contradictory now as they have been throughout the nuclear age. They demonstrate the stupidity of the nuclear arms race very succinctly. (more…)
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Sunak forgets, you cannot force people to love their country
Let’s face it: the purpose of the military is to kill. Conscripts learn ways of doing this efficiently and in keeping with the collective ethos. If the UK Tories were really concerned about the state of society, they could show it by agreeing to the demands of GPs and tax the rich to grant medical officers the 35% pay rise they need rather than attempting to reintroduce conscription. (more…)
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The war on women
AUKUS and associated propaganda might make men feel safe but will do nothing for women. A recent Australian Institute of Criminology report showed an increase in the numbers of women being killed by partners, current or former. (more…)
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Children drumming in Gaza
I cannot even begin to understand how governments can fail to demand a ceasefire in Gaza. They know – absolutely know – that Palestinian children are dying in droves. The children are killed by bombs, maimed, traumatised, experience amputations without anaesthesia, and they are starving.
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Phoney secrets and scares about foreign powers
One thing is certain about espionage agencies. They are not averse to creating alarm in order to give the impression they are protecting us from threats by ideological fanatics internally or by hostile foreign powers. There is always a kind of self-fulfilling prophesy about their pronouncements and the most recent panic about an unidentified former member of parliament is typical. They expect us to be naive enough to believe their inventions and to feel grateful for them. (more…)
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Submarines then and to come
The multi-billion dollar expenditure on nuclear powered submarines as part of the AUKUS pact has attracted some attention. Perhaps it helps to provide historical context if it is remembered that Australia’s first submarines were of limited use in the defence of our shorelines. (more…)
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Submarines, stealth and STEM – stifling any AUKUS debate
The Australian government has decided to ignore critics of Aukus in parliament and the community. Rather it has moved to embed the idea of Aukus directly into the Australian psyche. (more…)
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A US Doctrine of Vengeance: Who has the right to punish?
The campaign to ‘punish’ enemies of the USA and Israel shows that states which argue from strength have no wish for justice – merely revenge. (more…)
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In Usman Khawaja’s boots: Silence is complicity
As usual, conservative commentators have damaged their own feet. They do not have any appreciation of the political stances adopted by people of conscience and their faux outrage provides the best publicity protestors can have. Latest to benefit from this narrow mindedness is the courageous Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja. (more…)