Inside the sick, sad world of the Q Society and the Australian Liberty Alliance
“‘You can’t just have a little bit of Islam. It becomes all-encompassing,’ says Debbie Robinson. ‘It will destroy whatever host country and democracy it can take hold of.’”
In the wake of their controversial fundraising dinners, the Q Society explain their roots and their paranoid vision of Australia’s future.
News
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Foreign policy in the age of Trump
“While Julie Bishop was not expecting any request for more in the Middle East from Australia, she added: ‘Our military deployments are always under review.’”
As Julie Bishop completes her first meetings with Trump’s key advisers, the alliance appears strengthened by Malcolm Turnbull’s heated phone call.
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Race, stereotyping and Melbourne’s Apex gang
The media’s reporting of gang crime across Melbourne has racial overtones, singling out Sudanese Australians and engendering fear and stereotyping in the community.
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Hazara refugee Nabi Zaher’s citizenship fight
“There is one thing I learnt, though the hard way: how utterly incompetent the Department of Immigration and Border Protection are. There is no doubt about it. ”
The case of a Hazara refugee whose Australian citizenship was arbitrarily delayed and vexatiously questioned serves to highlight the Department of Immigration’s continued administrative bungling.
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Gonski funding under threat despite positive outcomes
As the federal government shies away from the full funding of Gonski, the successes of the model are becoming clearer.
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New security adviser pro ‘hearts and minds’
Russian ties to US property deals; Benjamin Netanyahu's Australian visit
Opinion
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Susan Carland
Yassmin Abdel-Magied and the Australian crucible
“So often we hear the same bleating refrain, “Where are the moderate Muslims?” After the past fortnight, the answer is apparent. You just threw her, and every other Australian Muslim, in the water. ”
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Paul Bongiorno
Gaps in Turnbull’s Coalition and credibility
“Bennelong MP John Alexander says five years of being a team player and keeping his gripes in-house have got him nowhere. His burning issue is housing affordability. ”
Letters, Poem & Editorial
Culture
Malian singer Inna Modja on the activism in her music
As a model and fledgling pop star, Inna Modja kept her personal story to herself. But as her profile grew, so did her passion to speak out.
Sarah Goodes’ MTC production of John features two actors at the height of their powers, in a drama from the master playwright Annie Baker.
Bianca Hester and the Open Spatial Workshop
A walk through works curated by Bianca Hester and the Open Spatial Workshop team at the Monash University Museum of Art.
Food
Life
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Nights out in Glasgow, Scotland
Glasgow’s live music venues – from a pub built in 1792 to King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut – are testament to the unbridled passion of the locals.
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Christopher Esber at New York Fashion Week
In Christopher Esber’s debut show at New York Fashion Week, he continues his pursuit of the ‘alpha woman’, this time with an automotive edge.
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A life in waves: Cooper Chapman, 22, surfer
Surfer Cooper Chapman on the power and unpredictability of the sea.
Books
The Quiz
1. The H1N1 virus is commonly known by what porcine name?
2. Jenny Shipley is a former prime minister of …?
3. Exophthalmia affects which part of the body?
4. In Pride and Prejudice, what is Mr Darcy’s first name?
5. What does a cooper make or repair?
6. How many inches are in a yard?
7. Which film won last year’s Academy Award for Best Picture?
8. Jack Dorsey is the CEO and co-founder of which social media giant?
9. Which team scored the first goal in the new AFLW league?
10. What was Kylie Minogue’s first No. 1 single in Australia? (Bonus point for naming the year the single was released.)
Quotes
DEBT
“When a notice is issued and it appears to the person to whom the notice is issued a mistake has been made, they can contact Centrelink and sort out the problem.”
The attorney-general approximates in a single sentence a small part of the painful convolution of dealing with Centrelink’s robo-debts. The smug out-of-touch speciousness he threw in free.
SPORT
“I have spoken to Wayne and the guy is in tears ... It is a very sad situation.”
The manager of Sutton United FC describes the resignation of goalkeeper Wayne Shaw, who was involved in a betting scandal over the odds of him eating a meat pie. He ate the pie.
FOOD
“I do not have the power to make laws which forbid people to put pineapples on their pizza. I am glad that I do not hold such power.”
Iceland’s president backs away from a suggestion he would ban pineapple on pizzas. His approval rating would suggest cooked pineapple does not have strong backing in Reykjavik.
EMPLOYMENT
“I don’t really care that much, to be honest, about my own livelihood.”
The head of Australia Post announces he is resigning from his position. It’s probably quite easy to not care about your livelihood when you make $5.6 million a year delivering mail now and then when it suits you.
RATIONS
“Tonight’s the night I have my Tim Tam. Only one.”
The former politician details his life on Twitter. Elsewhere, he professed an almost poetic affection for hamburgers.
POLITICS
“The country that Australians want cannot even be imagined from these trenches.”
The former treasury secretary criticises the dugouts of populism from which “the whole dreadful spectacle” of politics is fought in this country. He knows trenches: his other key interest is the northern hairy-nosed wombat.
