September 15 – 21, 2018
News
Comment
Comment
Nayuka Gorrie
Abbott’s envoy appointment derisory
“Abbott explicitly believes white people and colonisation were good things for black people and this country. He subscribes to the terra nullius colonial fiction, describing Australia as nothing but bush before colonisation and the country as benefiting from British investment on ‘then-unsettled or scarcely settled great south land’. ”
Comment
Paul Bongiorno
The Morrison muppet show
“The stakes are extremely high in Wentworth. A loss there would see Morrison lose his majority in parliament. The prime minister is understood to have urged his state division to preselect a woman in what is an acknowledgement that he and the party have a “woman problem”. It is more accurately described as a “man problem” – too many men unwilling to share power.”
Letters, Cartoon & Editorial
Culture
Profile
Zoë Coombs Marr and her stand-in stand-up Dave
Comedian Zoë Coombs Marr created her male alter-ego Dave in order to critique the sexist culture of the stand-up scene, and it has taken years for her to feel ready to take the stage as herself again. “I never made Dave with the intention of being cruel or laughing at people, or going, ‘That guy sucks.’ ”
Film
The ‘whiteness’ of Crazy Rich Asians
Crazy Rich Asians is a breakthrough moment for Asian representation in Hollywood, but even in this rom-com the cloud of imperialism and colonialism is never truly lifted.
Portrait
Game of Thrones’ Deborah Riley
“Riley is passionate about the psychology of space, and how different spaces make us feel. What does it feel like to walk into a large empty space? Or a small enclosed space? How does walking into a forest feel different to walking onto a field? ‘It’s all the subtle, emotional cues that help you design space,’ she explains. ‘Depending on what the emotional thrust of a scene is, and how you think a character might be feeling, that often helps me design a space. The work of the art department needs to support the script and, if possible, even enhance it. Like the costumer designer tries to tell a story through costumes, we try to support the story through sets and props.’”
Food
Spring milk ricotta with honey and kunzea pikelets
“Even milk has seasonality. Developments in agriculture that have seen variation diminish can be seen in both a positive and negative light. However, the difference in a milk from a spring pasture should be celebrated. Ricotta is a very, very simple thing to make but there are tricks and much observation required in order to perfect the knack.”
Books
Life
Theatre
The Harp in the South
Kate Mulvany’s adaptation of Ruth Park’s still-resonant The Harp in the South trilogy for the STC boasts perfect casting for its darkly comic tale of gentrification and community.
The Quiz
Quotes
NEGOTIATIONS
“Fucking mendicant.”
The prime minister shares his view of Tasmanian treasurer Peter Gutwein during GST negotiations. Morrison denies the account, saying you can’t trust beggars.
PATRIOTISM
“I feel we should respect the Indigenous people and their culture.”
The nine-year-old explains why she won’t stand for the national anthem. Politicians despaired at the fact children are not born racist and in some cases it takes a while for them to become racist.
SPYING
“I think it’s time Downer is as exposed as Christopher Steele.”
The jailed Trump adviser speaks about his now notorious meeting with Australia’s former high commissioner to Britain. Given the conclusive proof they have met, it’s alarming Papadopoulos thinks of Downer as being that competent.
MUSIC
“It was good harmless fun. It didn’t hurt anyone.”
The musician describes a group masturbation session with John Lennon. He made very clear he was talking about actual masturbation and not late-era Beatles.
CARTOONS
“Open a history book motherfucker and then go fuck yourself.”
The American comedian gives advice to junior News Corp columnist Caleb Bond after he dismissed the controversy surrounding Mark Knight’s depiction of Serena Williams. Which is weird, because nothing is as erotic to Bond as visions of the past.
BLAME
“But they began the process that has led to this 10 years of instability in Australia.”
The minister for defence blames Labor for Scott Morrison. But who are we to blame for Christopher Pyne?
