March 25 – 31, 2023
News
Comment
Comment
Nyadol Nyuon
How News Corp captured the Liberal Party
“Australia’s political right is having another crisis. The Victorian Liberal Party is in the process of expelling one of its parliamentary members, Moira Deeming, over her involvement in an anti-transgender rally that attracted the support of neo-Nazis.”
Comment
Paul Bongiorno
Labor rift over submarine deal
“Paul Keating’s verbal torpedoes aimed at the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal have begun hitting their targets in the Labor Party. Keating – often and correctly described as a ‘Labor icon’ – has been joined by two of the party’s more influential figures in the area of foreign policy speaking out against the plan – long-serving Foreign minister Gareth Evans and former Gillard–Rudd era Foreign minister Bob Carr.”
Comment
John Hewson
Paul Keating has a point on AUKUS
“The bottom line of the AUKUS deal is that it locks us into the US military strategy even further, to the point where if the US again does something stupid, such as to support Taiwan in a military confrontation with China, it would be likely that we would join with the US, thereby exposing Australia to the risk of some sort of revenge or no-regrets attack from China. Where’s our sovereignty in all that? ”
Letters, Cartoon & Editorial
Culture
Profile
Designer Gaetano Pesce
Influential designer Gaetano Pesce is incurably optimistic, even as he takes issue with the contemporary world.
The Influence
Nicky Bomba
In 1979, The Specials recorded a cover of Jamaican–British artist Dandy Livingstone’s song “A Message to You Rudy” that changed Nicky Bomba’s life.
Fiction
Our story
“And truth be told I don’t mind him telling me my story. But I’m bothered that he tells other people, because that means I can’t ever tell that story again, in case they think, “Hmm… that’s not your story – that’s Brian’s.” And I may not even know they think this, because they might be too polite to say. I know I said they weren’t polite – but maybe they are, at least about this. He’s a friend but the fact is he’s stolen my story and may not even know it. Can you accidentally steal something?”
Books
Life
Puzzles
Quotes
Climate
“I know 14-year-olds want fossil fuel projects to stop overnight, but that’s impossible.”
The chair of the Carbon Market Institute outlines the path to next zero at the National Press Club. Our mistake: we honestly thought the scientists at the IPCC were older than that.
Food
“I’m not a sexist and that’s really … the bottom line.”
The food critic complains he has lost work after writing that a waitress’s outfit threatened to “expose more than just her inexperience”. For decades this man has been paid for his taste.
Symbols
“The priorities of government should be focused on cost of living and things that matter to people.”
The Nationals MP speaks out against banning the Nazi salute. For someone who frequently dresses up as a coalminer, it’s too slippery a slope.
Monarchy
“As far as I’ve heard, it hasn’t been decided yet.”
The royal commentator responds to leaked plans for King Charles III’s coronation. The official running order shows no role for Prince Andrew, but that’s probably because there’s doubt over whether Jeffrey Epstein could give him a lift.
Crime
“It shows he’s demeaning to my client, provocative, sarcastic.”
The lawyer for a neighbour of Guy Sebastian’s, who is charged with intimidating the singer, says his client is the actual victim. If any crimes were committed, they were against Shannon Noll in season one.
Acting
“All that sort of, ‘I think therefore I feel.’ Just do the job.”
The actor explains his contempt for method acting. It’s possible his Succession co-star Jeremy Strong might feel this is directed at him, but only because it is.
ISRAEL–HAMAS WAR
