Tomorrow when the war began: Australia’s ‘national emergency’

By Noely Neate 25 July 2013 Source: Yathink.com.au It’s not the movie, the wonderful Tomorrow series written by John Marsden where Australia was invaded but we never knew or were told who invaded us.  Today’s coalition press conference was a bit like that – we are being invaded by a group of faceless people who we need […]

What will you do?

Margo: To me Rudd’s PNG solution resonates strongly with Howard’s pre-2001 Pacific Solution. Rudd is trying to do to Abbott what Howard did to Beazley with the Pacific solution. So here is my post 2001 election comment piece – is this Ground Hog Day?   First published 12 November 2001 By Margo Kingston Source: Webdiary  The election […]

Eleven years on nothing’s changed: @FranklyFeisty letter to Ruddock

By Michele Borghesi  (@FranklyFeisty) 19 July 2013 I can’t believe that almost 12 years after I wrote this to Ruddock and Howard, the same shit is still happening… @margokingston1 it's SO much worse than I imagined Rudd/Ruddock what's the difference? Guess my letter really is timely 12yrs on! — Michele Borghesi (@FranklyFeisty) July 19, 2013 May, […]

Let’s turn back the tide of media nastiness infecting our national psyche

By Noely Neate Source: Yathink.com.au 19 July 2013 What has happened to this country?  It’s the chicken and the egg scenario – are we drawn to sensationalism because it is handed to us by the media or do the media mete out the ridiculous hyperbole because the public demand it?  From the outside looking in, […]

Judi Moylan’s valedictory speech and her history of Australia’s boat people policy

The Hon Judi Moylan MP June 2013 How does one summarize 20 years in Parliament whilst doing justice to all those who have been so pivotal to that service? I have been deeply touched by the extraordinary generosity at every turn by a host of people too numerous to name individually. No member could have […]

Security storm surrounds convicted Egyptian asylum seeker

by Kevin Rennie Source: Global Voices Online June 11, 2013 Accusations of ‘jihadist terrorism’ against an Egyptian asylum seeker have fuelled political brawling in the lead up to Australia’s election on 14 September 2013. Sayed Abdellatif was kept in low security detention for nearly a year despite an Interpol red alert for convictions during the Mubarak […]

Bishop v Indonesian Ambassador Kesoema. Who said what and who is lying?

What the Indonesian Ambassador said about Coalition’s turn-back-boats policy: Ambassador Nadjib Riphat Kesoema said Indonesia would welcome Tony Abbott or whoever leads Australia after the September election. But he said asylum seeker boats should be turned back to other countries, not to Indonesia. “Indonesia is a transit country and also the victim of this situation. […]

Abbott-v-truth on ‘illegals’

By Tony Yegles April 24, 2013 Leigh Sales won a Walkley Award for her interview with Mr Abbott on the 730 Report in August 2012. Part of this interview dealt with the issue of using the term “illegal” when referring to asylum seekers. Below is a quick reminder. LEIGH SALES: Why have you referred repeatedly […]

Abbott’s fear and loathing advertising for his ‘trust me’ election campaign

Is this the road Tony Abbott has chosen to travel to get voters to trust him? Blast from past: Lindsay leaflet scandal in 2007 And now… Bendigo and Eden Monaro pamphlet Western Sydney letter-box drop Luke Mansillo deconstruction Liberal Party misinformation targets low educated anti-migrant Labor Party identifiers in Western Sydney Western Australia billboard https://twitter.com/TonyAbbottMHR/status/326168786598248448 Please […]

Morrison’s brick wall on how he’ll stop the boats

By Peter Clarke March 26, 2013 Yesterday, we published a detailed de-construction of an interview between the ABC 730’s Leigh Sales and Prime Minister Julia Gillard. It was a critique of Sales for what we opined were her inadequate interview techniques in that specific context and of Julia Gillard for her blatant refusal to answer questions […]