June 11 – 17, 2022
News
Comment
Comment
Mehdi Ali
Defending the dignity of refugees
“It’s like this. I speak to a friend who went through the hard times of Nauru. He is a refugee. For several years he has been in Australia. He can work but he has few other rights. He does not have a permanent visa. He does not know what will happen to him next.”
Comment
Paul Bongiorno
Albanese finds his balance on a bamboo bike
“Visual stunts – or picture opportunities, as they are called in the trade – are nothing new in contemporary politics. On Tuesday, Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo provided the visual metaphor of a bike ride, which neatly summed up the progress of the fledgling Anthony Albanese prime ministership: a shaky campaign but a much more assured and proactive performance now he is in the job.”
Comment
John Hewson
Never let a good gas crisis go to waste
“Can you imagine our governments encouraging our food producers to export all their product even if it meant Australians would go hungry? We have done this with gas, which is so important for household heating and cooking and as an input for many industries.”
Letters, Cartoon & Editorial
Culture
The Influence
Eryn-Jean Norvill
Eryn-Jean Norvill’s powerhouse performance in The Picture of Dorian Gray leans heavily on raw intuition emboldened by the unconventional works of German musician Nils Frahm.
Fiction
Unholy trinity
“At the entrance to the mental health unit, the nurse stood impatiently at the door, insisting she couldn’t let Susan pass. Sebastian had told the staff not to give any information to his mother and, because he was no longer a minor, his wishes had to be respected ‘for privacy reasons’. She craned her neck in an effort to peer through to the ward and catch sight of the son she hadn’t seen for months.”
Books
Life
Puzzles
Quotes
Politics
“Government ministers have – and must have – the discretion to step outside bureaucratic recommendations ...”
The former deputy prime minister explains his objection to an integrity commission. His view of democracy is quite like his view of marriage.
Gender
“Reading The Power, I gained a stronger and more visceral sense of the abuse and injustice many women experience today.”
The fourth-richest man in the world recommends people read Naomi Alderman’s novel. All the suffering on the planet is worth it if one billionaire becomes a better man.
Defamation
“Wake up to him. I have nothing to gain. I just believe you deserve to be treated with a bit more respect.”
The One Nation leader texts Brian Burston’s wife, telling her that her husband thinks she is becoming her mother and wants her to “drop dead”. Defamation trials are terrible except when they’re not.
Power
“It’s just a complete joke.”
The Energy minister rejects the Nationals’ suggestion that nuclear power be considered to ease costs. It’s not necessarily helpful, but it must feel nice.
Diplomacy
“Sebuah pesan untuk masyarakat Indonesia dari Menteri Luar Negeri yang baru Australia Penny Wong”
The Foreign Affairs minister speaks fluent Indonesian during a visit to the country. For contrast, Barnaby Joyce once told a story about how he tore his suit and his “red grundies” hung out on a high-level visit to the United States.
Art
“I’ll be quite honest … it was the misogyny.”
The former director of the Museum of Contemporary Art explains that she was yelled at “many, many times” by politicians during her 22 years running the gallery. She said this was “just a modus operandi for politics in this country”.
