News
Comment
Comment
Dhanya Mani
Remembering my lost friend Kate
“It was a Saturday when I found out Kate was gone. I was about to pick up the phone to call her, because I had not heard from her during the week … I knew something was wrong, but my mind tried to minimise the weight of any worry. Kate was and will always be the strongest woman I know.”
Comment
John Hewson
The politics of the greater good
“It’s taken a long time but the concept of the ‘greater good’ – the sense of a shared destiny, of shared interests, collective purpose, a common future – is finally returning to our politics. Largely this is the result of the need to build community support for lockdowns, various other restrictions on our lifestyle and for vaccinations in response to the Delta strain of Covid-19.”
Letters, Cartoon & Editorial
Culture
The Influence
Tina Havelock Stevens
Tina Havelock Stevens says Gimme Shelter, the classic 1970 documentary about The Rolling Stones, shows her something different every time she watches it.
Fiction
Brisbane
“As befitted such a place, we coexisted there with other creatures: translucent geckos in the corners of the rooms; fat grasshoppers on the deck; fruit bats in the dusk fig tree; brush turkeys skidding across the road; and George the white cat, slinking in with something not-quite-dead between her dainty teeth. If we left the louvres open, a big brushtail possum climbed in to share our food, crouching like a squat grey Buddha in the fruit bowl, a banana clutched between his sharp front claws, a contemptuous expression on his toothy face. He would only clamber out when we shook the furry end of the broom at him.”
Books
Life
Puzzles
Quotes
Policy
“Now it’s like that movie ... The Croods
The prime minister explains that his plan to open up the country is based on the plot of a children’s film made in 2013. Similarly, his welfare policies are based on watching Annie a few times with the kids.
Entertainment
“The Wiggles are free to do what they like. It was nice while it lasted. But you go woke, you go broke.”
The former Resources minister expresses his concern about diversity in the new Wiggles line-up. Wait until he hears one of the Teletubbies was gay.
Media
“It even started with historic footage of Rupert Murdoch with his two sons … setting up the whole dynasty schtick complete with dramatic music.”
The News Corp columnist writes the first of dozens of articles complaining about Four Corners’ series on Fox News. Given Kenny had previously sued the ABC to prove he hadn’t had sex with a dog, you could say Sarah Ferguson was kind to his boss.
Disease
“Covid ‘vaccines’ are not fully tested ... I will not take Covid injections.”
The One Nation senator continues to raise his objections to Covid-19 vaccinations. For a man with a head that shape you would think he’d be more excited by the scientific breakthroughs that followed phrenology.
Food
“I am deeply concerned about the promotion of plant-based proteins over genuine meat.”
The minister for Agriculture writes to the CSIRO after a “plant-based burger patty” was included in education material on nutrition. Presumably this was top of his list of priorities after working out how to clip on his tie.
Investment
“It will simply align the treatment of the Future Fund under the FOI Act with that of other entities that deal regularly with commercial information.”
The Finance minister defends legislation to protect the Future Fund from having to disclose its investments. The future is more exciting that way.
