July 18 – 24, 2020
News
Comment
Comment
Madeline Hayman-Reber
Remaking our newsrooms
“Australia is in the midst of a realisation, long overdue. It is a process, galvanised by the Black Lives Matter movement, that has revealed how deeply ingrained what could be called “unconscious” racism is in this country. Seemingly to the surprise of much of white Australia. A fight for diversity has been reignited, with many people of colour harnessing the moment, while we have the country’s attention, to highlight issues and push for real, meaningful change.”
Comment
Paddy Manning
Circling sharks and political distancing
“The first flush of success has faded into a pandemic pallor with Covid-19 hotspots breaking out in Melbourne and Sydney. And the worst, no doubt, is yet to come. As a second wave of infections takes hold, Scott Morrison’s performance in the top job is being questioned in a way it hasn’t been since the summer bushfires. The prime minister went out of his way to be seen watching his NRL team, Cronulla, get thrashed by the Penrith Panthers last Saturday at Kogarah Oval, surrounded by assorted fans and hangers-on. At a time when community transmission is ramping up, there was the predictable and immediate censure on social media.”
Letters, Cartoon & Editorial
Culture
Profile
Essie Davis’s honour roles
Actress Essie Davis made her name inhabiting charismatic women, from detective Phryne Fisher to The Babadook’s Amelia Vanek. She speaks about being born to act, breaking her ribs on set and learning piano for her new film, Babyteeth. “I do love going to the cinema and having a really good cry. It can be a really profound experience to be that moved in the darkness … It’s very hard not to feel sentimental about every scene [in Babyteeth] because they’re quite moving.”
Fiction
Winner winner (Part two)
“They were reading in the lounge when a large helicopter landed on the helipad. Phil looked up from his paper, over the rim of his reading glasses, and could just make out the figures. The man hopping down held his fedora on top of his head, battling the pressure of the blades whipping everything around them. How stupid for a man to wear a hat on a helicopter, Phil thought. His own work had seen him take a helicopter on three occasions. ‘That’s him, then,’ he said to Ellen, staring out the window. She followed Phil’s gaze and sat up abruptly. ‘Who are all those other people getting off?’ Two leggy assistants followed the man, themselves followed by five or six much shorter women, all clutching small bags, some helping others to step down off the helicopter. ‘Excuse me,’ Ellen said, raising an arm to summon a nearby staff member in a polo shirt, ‘who are these people coming onto the ship?’ ‘Oh, haven’t you heard? Mr Gross has been —’”
Books
Life
Puzzles
Quotes
CORRESPONDENCE
“I hope that, by making these records available to everybody, it will in fact improve Australia’s appreciation of its constitution and of our Australian democracy.”
The director-general of the National Archives of Australia celebrates the release of the “palace letters”, which the archives spent four years and $2 million trying to keep secret.
IDENTIFICATION
“Interesting that someone says we aren’t using it when we clearly are.”
Emails reveal internal discussions at the AFP about the controversial facial recognition software Clearview AI, which the law enforcement agency said it wasn’t using, even though it was.
PRECAUTION
“Blowers re-suspend small particles which remain airborne exposing those nearby to the polluted air.”
The state body of the Australian Medical Association recommends Brisbane City Council prohibit the use of leaf blowers due to concern about exacerbating Covid-19 symptoms. Masks still only need to be considered by those in virus hotspots, apparently.
EQUITY
“She has a Covid-safe plan, which is being managed by an independent third party.”
Queensland’s chief health officer explains why Dannii Minogue was exempted from hotel quarantine and will instead spend 14 days at a private Gold Coast residence. We’re all in this together, as the PM would say.
COMPLIANCE
“We have visited twice over the past two weeks and provided information and advice.”
The acting director of compliance for Liquor & Gaming NSW justifies giving The Star casino a $5000 fine for violating social distancing codes. Star Entertainment, which runs The Star as well as Brisbane and Gold Coast casinos, had an after-tax profit last year of $224 million.
WAR
“That happened on numerous occasions.”
A soldier tells the ABC that Australian Defence Force troops in Afghanistan often placed weapons on corpses and photographed them, in order to cover up unlawful killings. But of course it’s the journalist who reported on these crimes facing charges.
