February 23 – March 1, 2019
News
Comment
Comment
Jennifer Robinson
Palace letters highlight undemocratic secrecy
“Despite narrow legal grounds for concealing documents under our freedom of information laws, government agencies routinely refuse to release them. Appeals are long and costly. Final decisions may take years and challenging decisions to refuse access to documents – as in this case – can run to many, many thousands of dollars. The cost is too high for most, and so the information remains hidden and unpublished.”
Comment
Paul Bongiorno
Helloworld, this is free
“No longer confident it controls the parliament of Australia, the Morrison government has shut it down for the next six weeks. And no wonder: it is reeling from revelations of cronyism, incompetence and profligate, unaccountable spending. Scott Morrison’s only defence was to accuse Labor of having its head in the “chum bucket”. If he is right, the bucket is his and he will have to do a lot of hard work to expunge the stench before the May election.”
Letters, Poem & Editorial
Culture
Profile
Kristen Roupenian on short stories and viral success
Amid the spectacularly divisive response to Kristen Roupenian’s short story about a relationship gone wrong, the author’s conception of “Cat Person” as horror fiction was often overlooked. Here, she talks about reasserting her genre credentials with the release of her debut collection. “The temptation would be to turn the book into 11 stories about dating from the perspective of young women. So I was grateful that editors recognised it was a weird, dark collection of essentially horror stories. They let it be what it was.”
Visual Art
Just Not Australian
Curated with an eye for slogans and messaging, the new Artspace exhibition Just Not Australian interrogates the mythic language of nationalism that continues to permeate the art world.
Portrait
Filmmaker Elizabeth Pepin Silva
“I walk with Elizabeth Pepin Silva, documentary filmmaker and photographer, down the steep steps to the beach at Point Addis on the surf coast of Victoria. We pass a solo, older woman with her hair wet, slicked back, longboard under one arm. Further down the path, two teenage girls with boards, and towels slung over their shoulders, are stumbling against one another and giggling. Closer to the beach we pass a woman and her kid. She has a longboard under her arm and her boy walks up the stairs with her.”
Books
Life
Puzzles
Quotes
ANIMALS
“Transfer from the Endangered Category to the Extinct Category.”
The environment minister announces the first extinction directly attributable to climate change, the Bramble Cay melomys. The transfer was noted in a table at the foot of a media release entitled “Stronger protection for threatened species”.
MODERATION
“It is astounding that Australians waste over $9.3 billion a year on drugs.”
The chief executive of the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission expresses his shock at the findings of a recent wastewater drug survey. According to anyone who’s seen the Portaloo lines at the Melbourne Cup, the figure is far too low.
ROYALTY
“He’s very… charming. And, um, he’s quite good looking, like… he’s got very beautiful eyes.”
The registered nurse opens up about life, love and family now her husband, Scott, is the prime minister. Here, though, she is actually talking about Prince Harry.
PARLIAMENT
“They have to give birth in Perth!”
The shadow attorney-general laments the lack of medical services on Christmas Island. Unlike denying someone asylum, making them go to Perth is a true human rights abuse.
VILIFICATION
“Who is this supposed to have caused people to think bad thoughts about?”
The lawyer unsuccessfully argues a free speech defence against Blair Cottrell’s conviction for inciting hatred, contempt and ridicule of Muslims. Definitely not his client, who chose to protest against a Bendigo mosque by beheading a dummy.
COURTS
“I didn’t think it was a big deal.”
The Kookaï co-founder pleads guilty over an incident in which she crashed into a house, causing an estimated $200,000 in damage. To be fair, someone going on an alcohol and Valium-fuelled Range Rover joyride isn’t exactly a rare occurrence in South Yarra.
