July 7 – 13, 2018
News
Comment
Comment
Paul Bongiorno
Tony Abbott’s latest demolition job
“Last Tuesday night, Tony Abbott was in his element. Surrounded by climate change sceptics and deniers he set about destroying Malcolm Turnbull’s signature energy policy. And he did so with panache, his opening line more a battle cry: ‘It takes character to do what’s right and it takes courage to disagree with your peers.’ It was a masterclass in undermining and made Anthony Albanese’s effort two weeks prior look like a glowing endorsement of his leader Bill Shorten.”
Comment
Alex Wodak
The long fight for safe injecting rooms
“When the world’s first official MSIC opened in Bern, Switzerland, in 1986, Australia was a world leader in pragmatic public health interventions. Faced with the serious threat of an HIV epidemic beginning among people who inject drugs then spreading to the general population, policymakers took action and introduced programs such as the needle and syringe exchange. But in the decades since, as almost 100 MSICs have been opened around the world, Australia has dragged its feet.”
Letters, Cartoon & Editorial
Culture
Profile
Gary Oldman on fame and his most famous roles
He trained for a career in British theatre, but Gary Oldman has since appeared in some of Hollywood’s top-grossing film franchises and played some of history’s most famous men. Here, the Oscar winner opens up about learning his craft and the value of insecurity. “It would be a sad day to really be able to sit there and watch yourself and go, ‘Wow, I’m fantastic in this.’ You should always be questioning and pushing yourself, and having doubt and insecurity is a good thing, but it can’t immobilise you.”
Visual Art
‘52 Artists 52 Actions’
A year-long curatorial project, involving new work from 52 artists, hosted principally on an Instagram account, raises questions of form and function.
Portrait
Game designer Skaidris Gunsmith
“When he suggests we meet at Holy Moly, I assume he means the minigolf place – so am surprised when I show up to find we’re actually at a pizza bar. The fact that either option would have made sense, however, does say something about the eclectic nature of Skaidris Gunsmith’s career. ‘Would it be fair to call you a full-time geek?’ I ask after we find a table. ‘Yeah,’ he says with a laugh. ‘Absolutely.’”
Food
Pickled quince with cime di rapa and bottarga
“When buying quinces, a few imperfections are a good sign that the fruit has experienced fewer chemicals and industrialised processes. Quinces, like apples, because of their varieties, have a fairly long season. By the time you work from the top of Victoria down to the foot of Tasmania, and through all the varieties, you should have almost three months of fresh fruit.”
Books
Life
Health
Hope for homebirths
While cost, regulation and an unsupportive healthcare system has marginalised homebirth in Australia, new hospital programs could see it become a viable option for women seeking alternatives to the traditional labour ward.
The Quiz
Quotes
DIPLOMACY
“Australia plays by the rules. If we sign an agreement we stick to an agreement.”
Julie Bishop reaffirms Australia’s commitment to the Paris climate accord. It appears this is a new rule, brought into effect some time after we violated the United Nations Refugee Convention, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the 1984 Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
FILM
“Tell them that they can be directed to Jeffrey Tambor, Jared Leto and Felicity Huffman’s reps for comment.”
The actress responds to criticism of her decision to take on the role of a trans man in the forthcoming film Rub & Tug, set in Pittsburgh’s underground sex industry. That list is a good indication of her approach to consulting trans voices.
FEMINISM
“Women are the weaker sex and I think it is outrageous to be demonising the very people who protect us.”
The News Corp columnist believes women should be nicer to the men who protect them. Who will protect Australia from Miranda Devine remains to be seen.
MINING
“The economic benefits of the mining industry are not limited solely to the ‘big miners’.”
The former deputy PM emerges to chair an investigation into the economic benefits of the mining industry. The economic benefits of Channel Seven interviews would perhaps be more in his wheelhouse.
LEADERSHIP
“I don’t believe in politically assassinating democratically elected prime ministers. I do not believe in that. He does, I don’t.”
The former prime minister explains why he is constantly undermining Malcolm Turnbull. He doesn’t believe in it but he does it: it’s like the premarital sex of political vices.
CRIME
“This was purely an attack on feminism, on mainstream media for hijacking a vaccine-causing issue and turning it into a men are bad, women’s rights issue.”
The former comedian and “Independent Scientologist” explains why he vandalised a memorial dedicated to Eurydice Dixon. He blames vaccinations for causing autism and cults for making him an idiot.
