April 30 – May 6, 2022
News
Comment
Comment
Paul Bongiorno
Everything is going up, except Morrison’s chances
“Unfortunately for the prime minister, he himself is a known known, with a record over the past three years that he is having great difficulty defending or explaining. How sweet must be the memory of the blank page that he presented the last time he faced the voters.”
Comment
John Hewson
Morrison focuses on the economy at the expense of workers
“Morrison can argue that Albanese has never held an economic portfolio and can’t recall key economic data. However, Morrison would have to concede that his opponent is better able to manage industrial relations, with a Bob Hawke-like capacity to pull employers and unions together for accord-style discussions and pathways forward.”
Letters, Cartoon & Editorial
Culture
The Influence
Richard Tognetti
A viewing of Solaris as a child introduced Australian Chamber Orchestra artistic director Richard Tognetti to the power of music in film.
Fiction
Skiva
“At 15 Sebastian didn’t see himself as a vandal, as the law did. He saw himself as a writer. The secret language of tags and symbols, the liminal space of tunnels and railways, the argot of street writers, the underground camaraderie of the graffiti gang – all these things gave him something to commit to. So, it was only a matter of time before the cops caught up with him.”
Books
Life
Puzzles
Quotes
Defamation
“He didn’t do anything wrong that I saw.”
A witness for Ben Roberts-Smith defends the soldier in his defamation trial. In the same evidence he explained that he dressed as a Klansman at a party in Afghanistan because the costume was easy to make and it complemented his friend, who was going in blackface.
Tech
“I trust his mission to extend the light of consciousness.”
The co-founder of Twitter expresses his support for Elon Musk’s takeover of the platform. It turns out the light of consciousness is worth about $A62 billion.
Defence
“The only way you can preserve peace is to prepare for war.”
The Defence minister shares his view on China. Other possible techniques all involve voting out the Coalition.
Preferences
“We’re not letting them get away with this dirty deal with the devil.”
The One Nation leader says she will direct preferences to Labor in key seats after the Liberals put Jacqui Lambie’s candidates ahead of her own in Tasmania. Hanson hasn’t trusted the devil since he started doing deals with Black guitarists in the 1930s.
Corruption
“It is grossly inappropriate for me to be talking about these matters before a final report has been tabled.”
The Victorian premier responds to a leaked report into alleged corruption in Labor’s state branch. It’s this kind of respect for proper process that the report is almost certainly not about.
Climate
“It’s not about whether you believe the science or not.”
The Nationals senator says climate change is really about costs rather than science. In reality, it’s not about either: it’s about the destruction of the planet while backwards politicians hedge on whatever petty self-interest might keep them in parliament.
