March 27 – April 2, 2021
News
Comment
Comment
Tristen Harwood
Dark Mofo and Union Flag
“I felt elation and deflation in equal parts when a friend messaged me that the Dark Mofo festival in Tasmania had cancelled the controversial performance Union Flag by artist Santiago Sierra. Like so many other First Nations peoples exposed to Dark Mofo’s promotional material, I’d been vexed, stressed and upset by the advertisement announcing: ‘WE WANT YOUR BLOOD’.”
Comment
Paul Bongiorno
Government’s bailout scuppered
“The Morrison government resembles a sinking ship in one of those pirate movies where practically everything, including the cannons, is thrown overboard in an attempt to stay afloat. And there has been a good deal of ballast unloaded in this sitting fortnight of parliament.”
Letters, Cartoon & Editorial
Culture
Profile
Performance artist Rakini Devi
Performance artist Rakini Devi’s first solo exhibition brings her classical dance training to a multilayered investigation of how women are erased by misogyny and violence.
In Progress
Ben Salter
Musician Ben Salter is ensconced in a studio at MONA, making music in front of the museum’s patrons as a kind of performance art.
Poetry
anneal this breath
“mine and refine this float of molten
landscape raw silica-sand and
limestone sites sliced and stirred
and hot-shop forged we
witness excavations of targets and
melts a redaction of origins of
lives of lands
see what a breath can do
flux and bubble rise to fever-
point and sweat hot flesh on
flesh so carefully laid rested
and hung body-broken
to sway see their shadows cast
low in the sun just what they
wanted what a breath what
breath
see what her sorrow can do”
Books
Life
Puzzles
Quotes
Empathy
“This is the difficult part of this. You understand it in a way only you could ... I have a very different experience.”
The prime minister fields a question from A Current Affair’s Tracy Grimshaw about why he didn’t understand what women experience before the Brittany Higgins case. He also set the record straight for women who thought the difficult part of this was being sexually harassed and abused.
Recollection
“That bloke, I demanded to be sacked years earlier for disloyalty, for lying, for leaking against his boss.”
The Sky News presenter says during her time in politics she sacked the staffer who this week was revealed to have masturbated on a female MP’s desk. Fellow Liberal Warren Entsch says he had fired the staffer, for leaking to Credlin.
Awareness
“The senate’s listened, the house of representatives has listened, and now it’s up to the prime minister to show he’s listened, too.”
The Tasmanian senator calls on Scott Morrison to announce a royal commission into veteran suicide. Unfortunately, no one in the PM’s office has told him about the unanimous vote in both houses of parliament.
Covid-19
“Today I’m pleased to announce the New South Wales government will be easing restrictions. You will be able to dance and sing in any environment.”
The NSW premier announces the relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions. No word yet on whether NSW residents are now allowed to resume secret affairs with backbenchers facing corruption allegations.
Platform
“If I’m prime minister, I will ban fruit being put into beer.”
The alternative prime minister offers his first policy idea since stepping into the Labor leadership. Please, no one ask if he’s got any ideas for improving the treatment of women in politics.
Doppelgangers
“Sorry – Norman Gunston is not the PM’s chief of staff. It’s Philip Gaetjens! Easy mistake to make.”
The broadcaster turns to comedy as our nation’s politics turns into a farce. Although anyone who has watched Gaetjens in senate estimates would much prefer talking to Gunston.
