“Adani referred to it as a ‘violent protest’. It is a direct attempt to play workers and environmentalists off against each other in the effort to maintain the lie that the Carmichael mine will be good for regional Queensland.”
Last month, protesters locked themselves to the Abbot Point coal terminal, shutting down its operation. One of the group explains the action.
News
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“If enacted, the National Security Legislation Amendment (Espionage and Foreign Interference) Bill 2017 would have had the effect of preventing the media and their sources from telling people what the government didn’t want them to hear. ”
As the government looks for easy votes in national security, clumsy legislation finds an unexpected enemy in the News Corp tabloids.
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Bernardi and Shelton’s perfect match
A year on from Cory Bernardi’s defection, his political union with Lyle Shelton is founded on Joh-era popular conservatism and a shared ability to attract attention.
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AFP identifies cabinet files’ owner
“Some of those familiar with handling cabinet-level documents believe it was a carefully curated set of records touching on issues that might be problematic for individuals or the government in future.”
As police discover who originally owned the two safes full of cabinet-level documents obtained by the ABC, the prime minister calls for heads to roll.
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Winning as a non-binary person
The author has written extensively about gender nonconformity and not identifying as a man or a woman. But a recent award win and the misunderstanding and trolling that followed has highlighted how much society still has to learn.
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Trump’s FBI claims aided by Russian bots
US and Russia developing new short-range nuclear weapons. Democracy wobbles in Africa. Timor-Leste and Australia close to treaty. Theresa May in trouble a year out from Brexit.
Opinion
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Natalie Cromb
The case for treaty
“Simply put, we are not asking for the current generations of non-Indigenous Australians to apologise for the acts of their ancestors. What we are asking for is that they join us in dismantling the power structures that reinforce the oppression first started by their ancestors and help us create a future where Australia can live up to the narrative it tells about itself.”
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Paul Bongiorno
Brandis departs amid LNP pessimism
“‘Why would he quit his career pretty well at the top of his power and influence if he didn’t think the odds were against us winning the next election?’ was the wry comment of one Liberal.”
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Another little beetroot-bundle is a treat for a treat-starved nation. Thank God family values are on the up and up. The odds are great that a Christian politician of the calibre of the deputy prime minister, who enthuses on the sanctity of family values, will have more than one family
An insider’s outside view
A new podcast from Schwartz Media
Join Richard Denniss, The Australia Institute’s chief economist, as he tackles Australia’s most important political and economic issues in a new weekly podcast.
Find The Lucky Country on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts.
Letters & Editorial
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Editorial
Derision and contempt
When Malcolm Turnbull walked out on the release of a new report into Indigenous disadvantage this week, he walked out on a decade of failures. He walked out on the appalling disparity between black and white Australia, on education, employment and health. He walked out on a report that found First Australians had been “effectively abandoned” and that targets for betterment had been destroyed by budget cuts and political myopia.
Culture
A firm believer in the importance of understanding the ‘grammar’ of visual arts, Helen Maudsley is celebrating her 90th birthday with a solo exhibition at National Gallery of Victoria. “Art is a language like literature is a language and music is a language, and you have to learn it.”
Rembrandt and the Dutch golden age
At an exhibition of the Rijksmuseum’s Dutch masters, the viewer is captivated by the care and penetration in the work of Vermeer, Rembrandt and Hals.
“She talks about the co-operation between her own vision and that of the orchestra members. She favours a collaborative approach, recently asking the musicians to provide a list of 15 works they would most like to perform. She was gratified to realise that 10 were already on her own list. ‘This is chemistry. We work as a team; we must think alike and trust each other.’ ”
Food
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“There is something about the process of making coeur à la crème that I find unashamedly romantic. The joy of the processes becomes a sort of food alchemy to get lost in. The ultra-fine pattern the muslin leaves on the set cream. The little one-purpose-only ceramic heart moulds with their perforated bottoms. They are all redolent of the love I have for the processes that create a finished product.”
Life
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While there is growing support for teaching children about physical intimacy and consent, some educators want it discussed at school, while others think it best left to parents.
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Swimwear labels Rye and Camp Cove Swim are taking their memories of Australian beachside holidays to the world, adding modern techniques to nostalgic design.
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High-flyer: David Morris, 33, aerial skier
Aerial skier and Sochi Winter Olympics silver medallist David Morris sets his sights on PyeongChang.
Books
The Quiz
1. Who wrote the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Grapes of Wrath?
2. Which city is home to the Spanish Steps?
3. Rikishi is the Japanese term for what?
4. Which film received the most Academy Award nominations last month? (Bonus point for naming its director and how many nominations it received.)
5. Who was the first female leader of a Muslim-majority country?
6. How many steps are advocated in the Alcoholics Anonymous addiction recovery program?
7. How do you write 1/100th as a decimal number?
8. Who painted The Persistence of Memory?
9. Which three countries border Mexico?
10. In computer language, what does the “HT” stand for in HTML?
Quotes
RACE
“He doesn’t have a racist bone in his body.”
The prime minister defends new senator Jim Molan, who refuses to apologise for posting anti-Islamic videos online. As Jim’s supporters might remind Turnbull: Islam’s not a race, mate.
CRIME
“He was lying around in just a towel with no underwear. Like one of those Egyptians.”
The alleged jewellery thief describes sharing a cell with property developer Salim Mehajer. The image is terrifying and oddly steamy.
SEX
“It was the ’70s. Drugs were still good, especially quaaludes. If you did enough cocaine, you’d fuck a radiator and send it flowers in the morning.”
The widow of comic Richard Pryor confirms her husband’s affair with Marlon Brando. And his chivalry towards electrical appliances.
FOOD
“They don’t like to crunch too loudly in public. And they don’t lick their fingers generously.”
The chief executive of PepsiCo explains how women respond to Doritos, fuelling speculation a women-only chip was being developed. The company later clarified it was not developing any such chip; it was just working on other ways for women to feel judged and excluded by male behaviours.
THUGS
“There you go, mate. Throw your arm up. Out on building sites, breaking arms, carrying on.”
The home affairs minister mocks members of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union, who were seated in the public gallery during question time. Quick reminder that this is the same Peter Dutton who presides over the torture of hundreds of refugees.
ABUSE
“Three words – I believe you – coming after years, decades, of authorities’ denial of responsibility.”
The prime minister announces an apology to victims of child sexual abuse will be delivered before the end of the year. It cannot come soon enough.
