December 10 – 16, 2022
News
Comment
Comment
Barry Jones
The monarchy and the constitution
“The Australian Constitution dates from 1900 and although the product of referenda in the colonies and states, and beginning with the words ‘Whereas the people ... have agreed’ is in form an act of the British Parliament, a gracious gift to a distant child. In practice, it has proved almost impossible to amend. Only eight referendums have been carried, the last in 1977, all with bipartisan support.”
Comment
Paul Bongiorno
A Covid positive end to Anthony Albanese’s year
“Just when Anthony Albanese was set to finish the most successful year of his political life with another win, he was struck down by Covid-19. The acting opposition leader, Sussan Ley, sent her best wishes but little sympathy. She called for the national cabinet meeting scheduled for Wednesday to go ahead virtually, reminding the prime minister that ‘hundreds of thousands of Australians’ with Covid-19 have continued to work while isolating.”
Letters, Cartoon & Editorial
Culture
The Influence
Hannah Diviney
When writer and disability advocate Hannah Diviney first encountered the songs of Taylor Swift as a young girl, she discovered the power of storytelling and how to imagine a different future.
Fiction
Queue
“I have been in this queue my whole life. We can faintly hear the murmurs of the person at the front, talking to the person in charge of whatever it is we are queueing for. Sometimes, from a change in volume or tone, it seems as if the front person might be about to wrap up their business and then I and everyone else who has been in this queue their whole life will experience what it is like to move up one place.”
Books
Life
Puzzles
Quotes
Liberty
“If protesters want to put our way of life at risk, then they should have the book thrown at them and that’s pleasing to see.”
The New South Wales premier celebrates the imprisonment of a climate protester who blocked traffic on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It’s 25 minutes none of us will be getting back when Earth becomes uninhabitable.
Film
“They want to reinvent Marilyn Monroe as an empowered woman. That’s what they want to see.”
The Australian director blames audiences for the critical failure of his film Blonde. Even after he did some of the gratuitous nudity and abuse in tasteful black and white.
Money
“The bankruptcy system does not protect anyone who engages in … egregious attacks on others, as Mr Jones did.”
The lawyer for the families of Sandy Hook victims responds to news Alex Jones has filed for bankruptcy. If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at the people he takes it away from.
Music
“This is really hard for me to say but the police are shutting us down.”
The singer apologises after cancelling a show at the Sydney Opera House, with no refunds, due to an electrical storm. The decision was described as disappointing, but only by people unfamiliar with Jack Johnson.
Health
“We’re going to deal with the same legacy of nicotine addiction through vaping that we dealt with for many decades through cigarettes.”
The Health minister responds to the alarming rates of electronic cigarette use among children. It’s almost as if a huge and rapacious industry strategically repositioned itself.
Energy
“We need a plan. Where is the plan?”
The shadow treasurer criticises the government over energy prices. You’d hate to be the most recent past Energy minister at this point – you’d look like a real dunce.
