August 8 – 14, 2020
News
Comment
Comment
Osman Faruqi
Policing as part of the national psyche
“There are two striking aspects of Australia’s response to coronavirus: the first is that it’s being increasingly led as a police issue, and the second is that this is happening while the rest of the world works to reform and curtail police powers. As other democracies talk about abolition, we’re sending armed officers into housing blocks and calling it public health.”
Comment
Paul Bongiorno
Morrison backtracks on WA border closure
“Scott Morrison keeps misreading the mood of a nation gripped by fear. Nowhere is this more obvious than his now-abandoned legal case against state border closures – or, to be more precise, against the lockouts in the Labor-governed states of Western Australia and Queensland. The Liberal-governed states of Tasmania and South Australia escaped his censure.”
Letters, Cartoon & Editorial
Culture
Profile
Wiradyuri conceptual artist Amala Groom
For Amala Groom, making art is a collaboration between herself and her Wiradyuri ancestors. Drawing on her history and culture, as well as her legal training, she seeks to subvert the colonial project. “Colonialism affects all of us … To be change agents we have to be inclusive, and Aboriginal culture is inclusive.”
Books
Life
Puzzles
Quotes
Welfare
“No. I do not accept that people have died over robo-debt.”
The head of the Department of Social Services denies people have killed themselves while being pursued for robo-debts. Presumably some old Tax Office data has been averaged out to say they’re still alive.
Rites
“Maybe you use Zoom or whatever it is, social media, to do Schoolies like that from home.”
The Gold Coast mayor suggests a new look for high school graduation celebrations in 2020. Toolies will be using Google Hangouts.
History
“It’s impossible to reconcile. What we saw at the time was a wedding venue on Pinterest. What we saw after was a place built upon devastating tragedy.”
The actor apologises for marrying Blake Lively at a former slave plantation. At least the marriage wasn’t to his first wife, Scarlett Johansson, who would have insisted on doing it as a Black character.
Shipping
“Human health is not the responsibility of the ABF.”
The agency releases a statement denying that a senior officer allowed 2700 people to disembark the Ruby Princess cruise ship. Border Force’s indifference to human health is well established.
Vision
“I want my Boyer Lectures to inject a healthy dose of optimism to Australians that our best times are still ahead of us.”
The mining magnate announces he will give this year’s ABC Boyer Lectures. As always, the answers to the country’s problems are buried in the earth.
Celebrity
“They would rather let fear control the people and let the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.”
The singer claims a cure has been found for coronavirus but is being hidden from the public. If they’re keeping it in the same place they keep her acting talent, we may never see it.
