By Sarah Capper 23 November 2013 In announcing his resignation from parliament last week, it seemed quite fitting that former Prime Minister and Member for Griffith Kevin Rudd quoted Shakespeare’s Hamlet – a tragedy about treachery and madness. Rudd referred to the “slings and arrows” suffered during his political career (and by his family in recent […]
Roo Poo and Who’s Who in the Senate Zoo
October 18, 2013
[clear] By Sarah Capper 18 October 2013 It was perhaps the moment in which I found myself googling “Ricky Muir” + “poo” that served as the final straw in realising the need for Senate reform. Not that I needed much convincing – the new Senator-elect from Victoria from the Palmer United Palmer Motoring Enthusiasts Party is just one […]
Sal Kimber on singing the @voiceforindi song, and getting Paul Kelly’s OK
September 20, 2013
[clear] Sheila’s editor and No Fibs columnist Sarah Capper interviews Sal Kimber, who re-wrote and sang From Little Things Big Things Grow for Cathy McGowan’s campaign launch. Sarah was at the Wangaratta Performing Arts Centre where Sal performed on election night, during which swings going against the tide of the rest of the country increasingly showed […]
The intellectual grunt behind @Indigocathy Indi victory: @sarah_capper report
September 20, 2013
Image by No Fibs citizen journalist Wayne Jansson taken on election night, of Alana Johnson, Cathy McGowan and Mary Crooks.By Sarah Capper Sheila’s editor 20 September 2013 When Jeff Kennett lost the “unlosable” Victorian election in 1999, the Victorian Women’s Trust’s Mary Crooks wasn’t overly surprised. In the years leading up the state poll, in her […]
Wake up. Roll over. Realise this could be the last morning before Tony Abbott becomes PM
September 6, 2013
By Sarah Capper 6 September 2013 Savour the moment, but only fleetingly – the incumbent PM is not exactly shaking the sauce bottle. Momentarily think about sex appeal. Come properly awake with a flurry of gag reflexes. Turn on the remnants of ABC Rage, but suddenly have painful flashback to last week and Julie Bishop’s music choices. Realise […]
Let’s excise western Sydney so the rest of us have a say: @sarah_capper column
August 23, 2013
By Sarah Capper 23 August 2013 During a candidates’ debate (a loose term) in the seat of Melbourne recently, an impassioned local resident rose during question time (again, loose term) and implored other local voters to send a message to Canberra – that voters in Australia’s “most progressive seat” should reject the major party policies […]
Three Gillard years zipped by a selfie
July 19, 2013
By Sarah Capper 19 Juy 2013 In the three short weeks since Kevin Rudd wrested the ALP leadership and title of Prime Minister from Julia Gillard, we’ve all been catapulted (some kicking and screaming) into a parallel universe. That of Kevin’s. National Party Senator Barnaby Joyce recently speculated what it was like to get […]
A week’s public debate on women: Sarah Capper review
June 20, 2013
by Sarah Capper 20 June 2013 A week in the life of an Australian woman, courtesy of public discourse, the news and media commentary. Tuesday 11 June Catch the late news. The first female Prime Minister Julia Gillard has given a speech to a fundraising group in Sydney called ‘Women for Gillard’ in which she warns of […]
The politics of ending violence against women
May 24, 2013
By Sarah Capper Sheilas editor May 24, 2013 A couple of months ago, I took a cab ride into Melbourne city. The conversation moved to what job I had – and when I mentioned the Victorian Women’s Trust, the young male cab driver looked a bit perplexed. I explained that the Trust funds projects addressing […]
Using Thatcher’s death to rewrite history, past and present
April 18, 2013
By Sarah Capper, Sheilas Editor Source: Sheilas 18 April 2013 When Germaine Greer penned a piece on the late “crocodile hunter” Steve Irwin for the Guardian shortly after his death from a stingray puncture, it was followed by howls of protest from all parts of the globe. Greer ended her ‘barbed’ take on the much-loved ‘Aussie […]
