The killing of the plebiscite: @burgewords comments on #MarriageEquality

Our position, and the position the LGBTI community wants us to advocate, is very simple: no plebiscite under any circumstances, just a free vote. THERE has been no progress on marriage equality in Australia since long before former Prime Minister Tony Abbott tricked his moderate frontbenchers into a marathon joint party room meeting with the hard-right National Party in […]

Two books, one story: @burgewords reviews @RodneyCroome on #MarriageEquality

IN every writer’s life there comes a time when a piece written by someone else renders our own contribution unnecessary. After exploring the issue of marriage equality in my country for more than a decade, Rodney Croome’s new book has finally done this for me. From This Day Forward: Marriage Equality in Australia is an […]

Role-modelling workforce participation at #G20Brisbane: @Sarah_Capper comment

Female leadership has been on display in recent weeks – despite weeks saturated by coverage of the G20 Brisbane meet, with a city on partial lockdown, bar an explosion of Queensland Cops, and punters and photo journalists alike, quietly hopeful the PM would, in this instance, keep to his word, with the promise of a […]

Bruce Wilson testimony and Nowicki allegations at #TURC: @Boeufblogginon reports

Thursday’s Royal Commission into Trade Union … hearing (12th June) ended as it began with legal argument over the exclusion of a number of paragraphs contained in Bruce Wilson’s sworn statement. The paragraphs concerned dealt primarily with Wilson’s allegation that he was offered $200,000 by Harry Nowicki to alter his testimony thereby implicating Julia Gillard […]

Women’s Minister Tony helps myth-bust views on feminism, by @sarah_capper

By Sarah Capper  @sarah_capper 14th February 2014 International Women’s Day, on 8 March every year, is that time of year when we are able to celebrate, pause and reflect. And sometimes gasp. In the political sphere, we had our Minister for Women, our Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, declaring at an International Women’s Day event that having […]

Best Polly Ticks Quotes and Moments of 2013

by Sarah Capper 23 December 2013 A week is a long time in politics. A year is an excruciating amount of time, and as we near the end of 2013, our third prime minister for the year has just reached his first 100 days in office. Awww. In many senses, it’s been Tony Abbott’s year. So […]

Amanda Bishop, the UnReal Julia Gillard: @burgewords interview

As Julia Gillard made her way through parliamentary ranks before, during and after Kevin07, the political satirists of Sydney Theatre Company’s Wharf Revue recognised they’d need to find an actress to portray the woman who would become Australia’s first female Prime Minister. From her knockout live performances, to her starring and co-writing roles in the controversial […]

To Zip or Not to Zip … And Other Tragedies

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 […]

Labor’s downfall: @mattyhoran review of @apatrickafr book

By Matthew Horan @mattyhoran No Fibs political books reviewer 13 November, 2013 It’s hard to read Aaron Patrick’s Downfall – How the Labor Party ripped itself apart and not make comparisons with the ultimately disappointing The Stalking of Julia Gillard. Kerry-Anne Walsh’s book canvassed much the same period and will now be turned into a mini-series starring […]

Wake up. Roll over. Realise this could be the last morning before Tony Abbott becomes PM

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 […]