July 8 – 14, 2017
News
The fight after marriage equality
“Rugg believes that a greater focus on transgender rights will organically become the next step after marriage equality is passed. ”
As a resolution to the debate on marriage equality draws closer, activists worry about how to maintain momentum after a win.
The people defending Cardinal George Pell
“The royal commission has yielded so much data that we might confidently answer the question of whether Catholic institutions were disproportionately abusive. The simple answer is: yes, they were.”
The criminal charges brought against George Pell have seen his defenders come to the fore.
George Soros’s university under fire in Hungary
Michael Ignatieff, head of the Central European University in Budapest, is fighting an attempt to have the George Soros-funded private institution thrown out of Hungary by its authoritarian prime minister, Viktor Orbán.
PaTH and intergenerational theft
“What I find is that even though they remained in the same class socioeconomically, the grandparent was almost always better off than the grandchild.”
While a new government program claims to boost youth employment prospects, the reality is that a different kind of intergenerational theft is at play.
North Korea’s missile tests expand horizons
North Korea’s missile tests; Iraq and Syria after Daesh; Obama in Indonesia; Malaysian fraud case.
Comment
Comment
Richard Ackland
The Coalition’s legal appointments
“The process of selection is utterly foggy. No public advertisements, no need to be interviewed and no due-diligence panels. One recently appointed member just wrote to Brandis asking whether any jobs were available because he was out of work at the moment. Bingo, he secured an appointment worth up to $275,000 a year.”
Comment
Paul Bongiorno
Tony Abbott keeps up the fight
“Again we are seeing Abbott the pugilist, rejecting bipartisanship as a false mantra. Labor’s Mark Butler, in a thoughtful book released this week, unsurprisingly called Climate Wars, spells out the enormous price the country is paying for Abbott’s no-holds-barred approach. Foremost is the collapse in power investment thanks to the lack of a political consensus.”
Letters, Cartoon & Editorial
Culture
Profile
Angourie Rice on staying real in Hollywood
As an actress on the rise, Angourie Rice is determined to find roles beyond the cookie-cutter teenage girls. Here, she talks about the importance of female representation, working with Kidman and Coppola, and frocking up for The Beguiled.
Food
Spiced roasted pumpkin with pine nut cream
“One of the most practical things to do with a pumpkin, I believe, is to simply roast it. This is the best way to bring out its flavour. Roast pumpkin is simple but can be easily spoilt, and some varieties work better than others. ”
Books
Life
Food
The best wines of winter
A guide to the season's top wines, from the buyers at Cutler & Co, Supernormal, Cumulus Inc, the Builders Arms Hotel and Meatsmith.
The Quiz
Quotes
LEADERSHIP
“The last thing I want to do is be difficult.”
The former prime minister defends his long-running campaign to undermine Malcolm Turnbull. He must mean difficult in the sense of requiring skill.
SPORT
“I’m going to play another 10 years, and I know after my career I won’t have to work again.”
The Australian tennis player describes losing inspiration while playing at Wimbledon. There is a good chance 10 years seems like a generous window to his sponsors.
POLITICS
“He did not get any sun. He had a baseball hat on.”
The spokesman for New Jersey Governor Chris Christie explains why his boss lied about being photographed on one of the beaches he closed for political reasons. He’s not a crook, either; he’s just very petty.
MUSIC
“The head-fuck for me has been trying to work out why people dislike me so much.”
The singer explains that a plethora of mean comments has caused him to quit Twitter. There’s no one answer as to why people dislike him, but the song “Shape of You” is as good a place as any to start.
WELFARE
“There is no indication this is widespread.”
The minister for human services plays down news that Medicare cards can be bought illegally online. There’s no indication welfare fraud by the poor is widespread, either, but that doesn’t stop ministers pretending that it is.
TOURISM
“It’s very simple really. We like building stuff.”
The MONA founder unveils plans for an enormous luxury hotel and what he calls an “anti-casino”. It’s just like a casino, except it refuses service to locals even before they start drinking.
