Great essay by outgoing Meanjin editor Sophie Cunningham in Crikey that discusses the effect of the web on writing and what, if anything, constitutes “Australian writing”: The Australian voice became more in fashion after WW2, in a shift that was aided and abetted by Australia’s (well-founded) sense of itself as finally being a player on…
Showing all posts tagged Australia
Why is war backer Peter Cosgrove given a pass over Iraq?
The following guest post is written by reader Jim Dodrill: It was announced today that Iraq war apologist General Peter Cosgrove has been appointed the new chancellor of Australian Catholic University. This is an interesting development considering that Cosgrove, former head of the ADF during the Howard era, would have been well aware of warnings…
The very murky legal world when Australia wants to kill the “enemy”
My story in Crikey this week that alleged Australian soldiers are involved in the targeted killings of “terrorists” in Afghanistan and beyond has already drawn predictable hysteria from men who can’t think of anything better than a long and glorious “war on terror” against “them”. A more mature response has appeared by Ben Saul, Sydney…
Hello, I’m an Australian politician/journalist and I’m desperate to be romanced by Israel
This site has previously reported on the upcoming visit to Israel by a number of senior Australian politician and journalists. The message? Warm, cuddly embrace of Israel in all its authoritarian ways. The following letter was sent yesterday by Australians for Palestine to all members of parliament: Dear Senator/Member of Parliament, The reported visit of…
How dare anybody accuse Australia of acting illegally in war?
Following my lead story in Crikey yesterday on the role of Australian troops in US-led assassination squads, the following responses appear today. For the record, a number of people have contacted me since publication and confirmed the allegations in the story. Much more in the coming years: Neil James, Executive Director, Australia Defence Association: As…
Speaking on ABC News24 about gay marriage, politics and refugees
I was again invited onto ABC TV News24’s The Drum last night (video here… and my previous appearance is here.) The guests were New South Wales Liberal politician Pru Goward and lobbyist Simon Banks. We discussed a range of issues including the imposition of a detention centre in a small South Australian town (and people wonder…
Australian troops involved in covert and deadly operations for the US
My following lead article appears in today’s edition of Crikey: Elite Australian soldiers are involved in covert operations for the Americans in the “war on terror”, co-ordinated through the top-secret, Paris-based centre Alliance Base. There has been no public discussion about these missions, but Crikey understands the soldiers are involved in targeting, interrogation and assassinations…
Australia should consider why we’re selling our precious soil
Food security and the selling off of Australia’s farmland to the highest bidder is finally starting to get some mainstream media attention: Much of the dairying industry, from farm gate to supermarket shelves, was carved up by Japan, Europe and New Zealand over the previous decade. It all suggests that other countries are far more…
We love to privatise everything and make the world a better place
Key Australian opposition figure George Brandis proudly stated on Friday on ABC TV that his side’s 12 years of power led to this: What we were doing in Government was we were privatising Government businesses. We weren’t creating new Government monopolies.