February 17 – 23, 2024
News
Comment
Comment
Bill Kelty
The need for Labor tax reforms
“The federal Labor government has reached a vital crossroad in its journey to success or failure at the next election. It has a real opportunity to win not only the next election but at least one more to meet the average term since 1975, about nine years. A government heading in the right direction is a good place to be. There are, however, still challenges.”
Comment
Paul Bongiorno
Question Time and political pointscoring
“Zali Steggall is not the only independent in the House of Representatives to be frustrated by the fact Question Time has become a largely boring exercise in political pointscoring, something exacerbated by the looming byelection in the Victorian seat of Dunkley. Some of the independents have written to the speaker, Milton Dick, and the leader of the House, Tony Burke, asking for reforms in standing orders to restore the exercise to its original purpose of holding the government to account and eliciting responses that would serve the national interest.”
Comment
John Hewson
The benchmark for good government
“Is it too much to aspire to, that our elections might be decided by which party will deliver the better government? The benchmark against which voters assess parties and candidates should be their capacity to govern well, not short-term political pointscoring, or some politically clever remark or slogan, or the outcome of competing scare campaigns.”
Letters, Cartoon & Editorial
Culture
Profile
Filmmaker Molly Manning Walker
Molly Manning Walker’s debut feature, How To Have Sex, an unblinking look at teenage hedonism, consent and rape, has made her a major force in international cinema.
The Influence
Kutcha Edwards on Joe Geia’s beloved song ‘Yil Lull’
For Kutcha Edwards, ‘Yil Lull’ brings hope that rises past anger and pain.
Fiction
Three poems by Damien Millar
“Physical pain is like a pillar of cloud and fire in the desert.
It leads me and salts the ground of my pilgrimage self.
Physical pain is tender. It is infection, blood, skein-linked and knotted.
Alex checks my catheter, grins: “Fucken nightmares, hey.” I provide
material evidence of my concurrence.”
Books
Life
Puzzles
Quotes
Marriage
“She said yes.”
The prime minister announces he is engaged to partner Jodie Haydon. Depending on the length of the engagement, and the next election, he will be the first prime minister to marry in office.
Money
“I will stand here and you’ll accept this legal tender. If you don’t, you’re breaking the law.”
The country independent claims the parliamentary cafe is breaking the law by not accepting his cash. It’s not true, but then we also have doubts about how many people were torn to death by crocodiles during the marriage equality debate.
Consultants
“We took too literal an approach to our response.”
The chief executive of KPMG Australia explains his firm did create maps of public servants that might support the firm’s work. His version of “too literal” is saying that they didn’t.
Politics
“I came back, I sat on a planter box, I fell off, and I was videotaped. There you go. What else can you say?”
The former deputy prime minister explains the circumstances that led to his being filmed on his back, swearing into his phone. It’s very simple when you think about it.
Fire
“At the time it felt lovely as it was so hot.”
The Bullsbrook resident describes being doused with water from a firefighting helicopter. Firefighters later confirmed it was sewage.
Inquest
“There was a point where I went, ‘I don’t feel good about this.’ ”
The psychic testifies at an inquest into the death of Jarrad Antonovich. He died after using Amazonian frog poison in a purging ritual.
