Category: Australia

Australia

Why bet on a loser? Australia’s dangerous gamble on the US – » The Australian Independent Media Network

China is quite adept at utilising sentiments such as these. Major Franz J. Gayl, a retired Marine Corps infantry officer has regularly written for Chinese online news outlet Global Times. Last year, a number of his contributed articles to GT were published as a book, “The United States Will Lose the Coming War with China” which is available on Amazon.

Australia’s Liberal-Labor pro-US coalition has placed a $368 billion bet on the ability of the US to prevent the expansion of Chinese influence in the South Pacific or its recovery of the island province of Taiwan.

It is an expensive way to be taught the African proverb that when the elephants dance, it is the grass that suffers.

Source: Why bet on a loser? Australia’s dangerous gamble on the US – » The Australian Independent Media Network

Australia

We reconstructed landscapes that greeted the first humans in Australia around 65,000 years ago

We reconstructed landscapes that greeted the first humans in Australia around 65,000 years ago

The myths of Israel will prove to have been a scam

Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – approximately 65,000 years ago – the first humans arrived in Sahul, a place previously devoid of any hominin species.

Source: We reconstructed landscapes that greeted the first humans in Australia around 65,000 years ago

Australia

Where ‘wisdom’ reigns: Rethinking the right to vote

Now, half the population resents having to vote. And half of the other half cannot see through the avalanche of propaganda thrown at them. They just “vote as they are told” by whoever has the most money and column inches.

Source: Where ‘wisdom’ reigns: Rethinking the right to vote

Australia

The AUKUS Cash Cow: Robbing the Australian Taxpayer – » The Australian Independent Media Network

Ultimately, this absurd spectacle entails a windfall of cash, ill-deserved funding to two powers with little promise of returns and no guarantees of speedier boat construction. The shipyards of both the UK and the United States can take much joy from this, as can those keen to further proliferate nuclear platforms, leaving the Australian voter with that terrible feeling of being, well, mugged.

Source: The AUKUS Cash Cow: Robbing the Australian Taxpayer – » The Australian Independent Media Network

Australia

Issues Changing the Nation: Never Ending AUKUS Submarine Policy Sagas – » The Australian Independent Media Network

However, cheering on the military is historically a dangerous practice. During the reign of Queen Victoria, the British Empire was once united around the need for Freedom of Navigation to advance its economic diplomacy against China in the two Opium Wars. The US and France joined Britain in the second round in the Opium Wars (1856-60)

. Britain once had a balance of payments problem with China during the Days of Empire. It authorized the export of opium to China to address this imbalance.

Imperial China rejected Britain’s efforts against China in the two Opium Wars.

Source: Issues Changing the Nation: Never Ending AUKUS Submarine Policy Sagas – » The Australian Independent Media Network

Australia

Labor rebuilding Australia’s international integrity decimated by the Coalition

IT HAS BEEN a good few weeks for decency, decorum and democracy. Voters in Dunkley gave the Albanese Government a solid vote of confidence in Saturday’s by-election.

Source: Labor rebuilding Australia’s international integrity decimated by the Coalition

Australia

Curing Australia’s dependent personality disorder – Pearls and Irritations

Hands holding sad face hiding behind happy face, bipolar and depression, mental health, split personality, mood change,

 

Until power is distributed equitably through peaceful means; and checks and balances are put in place through common multinational consensus, the problem will continue to plague us. Meanwhile, the problems of climate change and environmental pollution would still have to be solved if our children and grandchildren were to inherit a habitable world.

Source: Curing Australia’s dependent personality disorder – Pearls and Irritations

Australia

All the King’s Horses: GG’s mysterious Australian Leaders’ charity vanishes like the King’s Cup itself – Michael West

Governor-General Hurley

Things that go KaChing in the Dark

Once the Governor-General’s proud pet project, the controversial Australian Future Leaders Foundation has vanished from the charity register. Jommy Tee reports the latest on the elusive charity … even a recent sighting of the mysterious King’s Cup itself!

Source: All the King’s Horses: GG’s mysterious Australian Leaders’ charity vanishes like the King’s Cup itself – Michael West

Australia

What does it mean to be Australian? – » The Australian Independent Media Network

This Australia Day, as we pull out the flags and thongs we bought last year, and head out to enjoy the fireworks and homegrown Aussie music, we could probably think about our origins, what brought us here, us or our parents or grandparents, or for some, remembering those who came as convicts, banished from Britain because their forebear stole a rabbit from the King’s forest so he could feed his starving family.

Or for some, who look at the immigrants and see what they have lost, and yet are Australians too, remember that despite the best efforts of the immigrants that culture which dates back over 60,000 years survives still, and makes up another chapter in what it means to be Australian.

Source: What does it mean to be Australian? – » The Australian Independent Media Network

Australia

Future Fund profits from bombing of Gaza thanks to Elbit investment – Michael West

Elbit Systems

What’s the scam with war profiteering, with the Future Fund investing in Israeli defence contractor Elbit Systems? The scam is they are making a killing, literally.

Elbit Systems’ share price has gone up. The Future Fund has made a profit on its investment in Elbit Systems. Elbit supplies the IDF with bombs to kill civilians in Gaza. Death toll is now more than 20,000, almost half of which are children. The beneficiaries of the Future Fund are retired and existing politicians and public servants. Ergo they are benefitting from war crimes.

Source: Future Fund profits from bombing of Gaza thanks to Elbit investment – Michael West

Aboriginal Australia, Australia, Australia Alone, Australia's Shame, Australian Constitution

What happened to Indigenous Rights? The world will judge Australia harshly – Pearls and Irritations

Sunrise in Australia; a dramatic contrast of red and black behind the gold disc of the sun; the image is reminiscent of the iconic Australian Aboriginal flag.

The World viewed Australia as Voting No to Indigenous Rights and Voting No to Palestinian Rights. That makes us unique and exceptional assholes even among colonizing nations.

We should not be surprised if as a consequence of the defeat of the referendum the world judges us harshly, accusing us of bad faith and hypocrisy. The extraordinary fact that our international commitments were rarely, if ever mentioned, in such a consequential debate suggests, at least, that the face that we turn to the world is very different from the one we present to the domestic electorate, and that international documents we sign up to are kept from sight rather than explained and publicised.

Source: What happened to Indigenous Rights? The world will judge Australia harshly – Pearls and Irritations

Australia

Australia’s vicious constitutional cycle needs to be broken

When you hear LNP politicians Like James Patterson speak of Israel being a Liberal Democracy you know it’s time to become a Republic and change our Constitution. James Patterson echoes the sound bytes of the 19th Century Squattocracy who while expressing their loyalty to laws of the  King and Country were simply ignoring them and refusing to be dictated to as a British Colony. Australia stood alone ruled by the Sqattocracy whose loyalty was purely to themselves because they believed they sat here on the top of the food chain and were more needed by Britain than they were of it. The small contingent of governors and military largely based in the cities were simply a gesture to the King and were complicit in ignoring the laws and this became reflected in our Racist no-recognition Constitution of 1901 along with no treaties as was required by British Law.

Surely, this is an additional reason why Australians urgently need a new constitution. The idea of a treaty can be incorporated into that. It would also be entirely desirable if Australia is to become a republic. It has been almost impossible to change anything in this colonial Constitution for over 123 years. The vicious cycle needs to be broken. In the meantime, measures aimed to improve the situation for the Indigenous people should be legislated as soon as possible.

Source: Australia’s vicious constitutional cycle needs to be broken

Australia

Australia has shown itself to be a selfish nation that lacks empathy – Pearls and Irritations

The Australian and Australian Aboriginal flags.

The myth of being a nation with the mostest on the planet has been busted by the LNP and any human recovery can’t even begin to see a horizon.

As an Australian with First Nations and coloniser blood running through my veins, I’ve always believed in the promise of a fair and just Australia, one that can celebrate our 65,000 years of history, reconcile our colonial past and build a better future for all. But the Voice referendum has cast a shadow on that vision. It has revealed a darker side of our nation – one driven by selfishness and fear. And one where we allow ourselves to be sucked in by misinformation and social media algorithms.

Source: Australia has shown itself to be a selfish nation that lacks empathy – Pearls and Irritations

Australia

Australian politics has reached a dead end – Pearls and Irritations

The Australian Aboriginal flag on a flagpole at Bondi Beach, Sydney.

“No” will do wonders to attract the sort of immigrants Boomgate Dutton has always hoped for and detract the asylum seekers he didn’t want. Will Nigel Farage and his ilk rush to become Australian Citizens? The Monarchy is secure for now and any hope for a Republic is over. Will there be another push for Knights, Dames, the return of Abbott, and even more teachings from News Corpse?

What the whole debate about an Indigenous Voice to Parliament demonstrated, with brutal clarity, is that Australia is a morally backward society.

Source: Australian politics has reached a dead end – Pearls and Irritations

Australia

Treasured Possessions – » The Australian Independent Media Network

That a majority of Australians might vote no to something so graciously proposed by a majority of Indigenous people is a depressing prospect. That such an opportunity for healing through a constitutional enshrinement of the voices of Aboriginal people (so that those voices will no longer be subject to the political whims and agendas of successive governments) could possibly be rejected by the rest of us who are so enshrined, or that we might simply slam the door on such an extraordinary gesture of peace and reconciliation, hardly bears thinking about.

Source: Treasured Possessions – » The Australian Independent Media Network

Australia

Heart To Heart – » The Australian Independent Media Network

Final thoughts 

As was explained to me by a voter that changed their mind about voting, No: “Who am I to stand in the way of a chance for Aboriginals to make their lives better?”

Indeed, how can we deny an opportunity that does not affect the vast majority of our lives in the slightest? Voting No will ensure more of the same, which clearly has not worked. Voting Yes will finally allow Indigenous Australians some control over their destinies.

Source: Heart To Heart – » The Australian Independent Media Network

Australia

For the Australian Far Right, Aboriginal Rights Have Always Been Synonymous With Communism

As the referendum over a First Nations Voice approaches, the No campaign is turning to deranged conspiracies that link Aboriginal rights with communism. But it’s not just paranoia — they’re drawing on a long history of racism and red-baiting.

Source: For the Australian Far Right, Aboriginal Rights Have Always Been Synonymous With Communism

Australia

House prices smash records, fully reversing 2022 lows

Property downturn

Whose got the Money?

National prices recovered to reach peak levels from 2022 lows after climbing 0.38 per cent in September and by 4.31 per cent this year, according to PropTrack’s Home Price Index report released on Sunday.

Buyer and seller confidence is on the rise with a significant increase in choice in the major capitals, PropTrack senior economist Eleanor Creagh said.

“Home price growth has been driven by record levels of net overseas migration, tight rental markets and a housing shortage,” she said.

Source: House prices smash records, fully reversing 2022 lows

Australia

“In the simple request to be heard – The Fiberal Party of Australia – Lies & Misdemeanours | Facebook
The state of the ‘No’ campaign
One small step for a white Australian one huge step for mankind and Human Rights. Yes, Australia “It’s Time” to undo our Colonial and Inglorious past and move forward together as the Multicultural Nation we are.
Dutton said he would prefer to see the money spent on practical outcomes for children in remote areas. It’s a pity that in the nine years the Coalition was in government, and with Mundine as a key adviser, it ripped $500 million out of Aboriginal programs. Many of those programs, according to Warren Snowdon, the former long-time member for the NT seat of Lingiari, were achieving real results in remote areas.
For her part, Price is consistently offensive. She punches down on her own people and, as Tony Wright wrote in The Age, “she is a weaponised conservative woman who can say things out loud that white conservatives haven’t dared to say since the early 1960s”.
It is not race that makes First Peoples special but their prior history on the continent and their bloody dispossession of it.
The British built Australia on their land 250 years ago and we remain tied to that Crown. Indigenous Australians have been here for 65,000 years and our short history has shown they haven’t been listened to.

Source: “In the… – The Fiberal Party of Australia – Lies & Misdemeanours | Facebook

Australia, Australia's pride, Australia's Shame, Australian Constitution

No means no – » The Australian Independent Media Network

Help yourselves Australia. We have had a problem for 250 years and it has never been Black. Indigenous People have had a Voice on previous occasions like ASTIC but it was removed. Ripped away by the Howards and Abbott’s. It’s time to change direction and “Fix It”! Cuban Global Voulteers came to teach and be health workers in remote Indigenous communities and were shocked with what they saw the worst living conditions of any people ever seen on the planet. White Pride and privilege is Australia’s Shame and Dutton simply says what’s been said for 10 generations by white colonisers “There’s really no problem other than that of their own making and it’s a “lifestyle choice.” Listen to Jacinta Price she’s “their (my) voice.

Voting ‘no’ is essentially a vote to not change anything because there might be something we didn’t think about that happens down the track. As countless people, including the former Spanish Football President have found out to their cost – no means no – there are no excuses. Your ‘no’ vote is the same as Dutton’s, Price’s or Mundine’s – regardless of how you try to justify it to yourself or others. And if you don’t know – do the research. Here’s a link to help you start.

Source: No means no – » The Australian Independent Media Network

Australia

It was all a con – » The Australian Independent Media Network

I met, on my journey through life, many who were once the enemies of my Sovereign and when times were good, we became friends. It’s funny how you can wake up, feel the rising sun and see the blue skies above and then, in an instant, you find your mind’s eye looking at a cenotaph. If we had all been honest at the start, accepting of the fact that there was no more holy oil that created rulers and that all of this was in essence an arrangement by mutual consent, maybe we could have built farms and houses instead of cenotaphs.

Source: It was all a con – » The Australian Independent Media Network

Australia

The Republican Party has a White Nationalism Problem that Isn’t Going Away

Does this remind you of anyone?  “No Australia” you should feel ashamed for yelling “Reverse Racism” It simply doesn’t exist.

Donald Trump is then shown at a rally (with several Black people behind him wearing “Blacks for Trump” T-shirts) saying about Covid treatments, “If you’re white, you have to go to the back of the line. Discriminating against white people!” Again, there’s a cut to Duke stating, “There is racial discrimination going on right now in this country against massive numbers of white Americans.”

Source: The Republican Party has a White Nationalism Problem that Isn’t Going Away

Australia

Pushing the boat out a bit … – » The Australian Independent Media Network

No political party in power is ever going to sacrifice the status quo and ‘void’ itself, but we do need political parties to be dissolved sooner rather than later, and Independents to be elected to represent the views of their constituents. You know. Like in a democracy. The world is in extremis. Yesterday’s solutions just won’t cut it.

Everything is at stake and we’re sleepwalking into extinction.

Source: Pushing the boat out a bit … – » The Australian Independent Media Network

Australia

Amending Australia’s shame through a unified Voice

The Voice Referendum gives Australians a chance to right the decades of injustice towards the First Peoples and a Constitution tarnished by bigotry, writes Gerry Georgatos.

Source: Amending Australia’s shame through a unified Voice

Australia

How I decided to vote in the upcoming Voice Referendum

Before voting in the upcoming Referendum, it’s vital to be educated on arguments from both sides to make an informed decision, writes Dr Abul Rizvi.

Source: How I decided to vote in the upcoming Voice Referendum

Australia

Evidence that Gas and Oil are Bad for Our and the Planet’s Health is Piling Up, but Governments turn a Blind Eye

It’s incomprehensible, then, that many of our politicians support “unlocking the Beetaloo Basin” in the Northern Territory and developing another 48 oil and gas projects across Australia.

Source: Evidence that Gas and Oil are Bad for Our and the Planet’s Health is Piling Up, but Governments turn a Blind Eye

Australia

Why I am voting ‘Yes’ – » The Australian Independent Media Network

The federal legislative and administrative history regarding the treatment of First Nations in Australia has still been unsatisfactory since 1967. That is why we have an average life expectancy for non-First Nations exceeding the life expectancy of First Nations in the case of males by 8.6 years and females by 7.8 years. #TheVoice is a positive step forward to cure the CC and socioeconomic disadvantages First Nations face. A legislative voice alone can be easily torn down by the vicissitudes of either opportunistic or knee jerk politics. The former Howard Government Indigenous Affairs Minister Amanda Vanstone has admitted it was a mistake to have abolished the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (‘ATSIC’) in its entirety (source The Australian). Notwithstanding any internal administrative problems with ATSIC, it was delivering regional solutions for First Nations disadvantage. The tearing down of ATSIC sufficiently illustrates the inadequacy of there being only a legislative voice.

When I read the data about life expectancy alone, I know there is a federal legislative and administrative problem

#TheVoice is a positive step forward for Australia, and #TheVoice unifies us a nation. #TheVoice is a small step for non-First Nations Australians, but it is a major step for the hearts of First Nations.

8.6. That is why I am voting #Yes.

 

Source: Why I am voting ‘Yes’ – » The Australian Independent Media Network

Australia

Sixty-three per cent of Chinese-Australians report mental anguish from English-language media’s “biased reporting” – Pearls and Irritations

The Chinese community of Melbourne celebrates the Chinese New Year with lion dances, drums and loud crackers in the Chinatown district of the city.

63% of Australian Chinese feel anguish add to that the number of Southeast East Asians who feel the same and without a leg up that white Australians have. It’s why they place a far greater importance on education. There is still a Melbourne Club attitude to who the “Real Australians” are and they haven’t been here for 65,000 years.

New survey results from the Australia-China Relations Institute at UTS find that 91% of Chinese-Australians are concerned by the Australian English-language media’s tendency to engage in speculation about war with China, because they believe such speculation could become a self-fulfilling prophecy; and about six in ten (63%) respondents reported feelings of emotional and mental anguish in response to the media’s “biased reporting” on PRC related issues.

Source: Sixty-three per cent of Chinese-Australians report mental anguish from English-language media’s “biased reporting” – Pearls and Irritations

Australia

Governments face the quandary of an ageing nation

The number of Australians aged over 65 will more than double, and those aged over 85 will triple in numbers, according to a Treasury forecast of the economy in 2063, the Intergenerational Report, to be published on Thursday.

Source: Governments face the quandary of an ageing nation

Australia

What the Voice means for Australia’s reputation – Pearls and Irritations

The Australian and Australian Aboriginal flags fly at Bondi Icebergs Club, Bondi Beach, Sydney. This image was taken from the coastal walkway at sunset on a cold, sunny winter day on 17 June 2023.

Pride or Prejudice

The outcome of the Voice referendum will affect Australia’s reputation – a fact voters should consider, writes John McCarthy.

Source: What the Voice means for Australia’s reputation – Pearls and Irritations

Australia

Death of Sovereignty: everyday Australians will pay the cost of US kowtowing, AUKUS, inevitable war – Michael West

Military strategy

The spiralling cost of our alliance with the United States goes way beyond the $368B AUKUS deal and joined intelligence and communications facilities. Australia is paying the price of reduced independence, as Rex Patrick reports.

Source: Death of Sovereignty: everyday Australians will pay the cost of US kowtowing, AUKUS, inevitable war – Michael West

Australia, Australia's pride

Voice Referendum a step closer to an Australian republic

With Australia boasting one of the world’s most progressive societies, the upcoming Voice Referendum is a chance to make history, writes Kaijin Solo.

Source: Voice Referendum a step closer to an Australian republic

Australia

Racism, the ‘No’ campaign and the Americanisation of Australian politics – Pearls and Irritations

Culture war between right and wrong.

There may be some Coalition politicians and Murdoch employers who are motivated by genuine racism to oppose the Voice to Parliament. Some might believe First Nations Australians are unworthy. Some probably believe in “reverse racism.” That, of course, is the belief that there is a correct direction for racism to travel.

Source: Racism, the ‘No’ campaign and the Americanisation of Australian politics – Pearls and Irritations

Australia

Why the housing crisis is here to stay

Australia’s reliance on property development and real estate speculation has led to a housing crisis that will continue to worsen, while our cities and towns continue to sprawl and densify. This can end in only two ways: either through economic/environmental collapse or massive systemic change to a form of post-growth society.

Source: Why the housing crisis is here to stay

Australia

Diluted Sovereignty: A Very Australian Example – » The Australian Independent Media Network

All written and mythologised as greatness,

Australian concepts of sovereignty have always been qualified. First came the British settlers and invaders in 1788. They are pregnant with the sovereignty of the British Crown, bringing convicts, the sadistic screws, and forced labour to a garrison of penal experiments and brutality. The native populations are treated as nothing more than spares, opportunistic chances, and fluff of the land, a legal nonsense. In a land deemed empty, sovereignty is eviscerated.

Source: Diluted Sovereignty: A Very Australian Example – » The Australian Independent Media Network

Australia

Why the world is turning away from the US dollar

The crippling sanctions on Russia have been a stark reminder of the world’s dependency on the dollar.

Will Australia go down with the dollar? Why are we AAA-rated but only valued at $0.66 cents?

Earlier this week the BRICS nations asked the bloc’s specially created bank to provide guidance on a how a potential new shared currency might work, including how it could shield member countries from the impact of sanctions such as those imposed on Russia.

Source: Why the world is turning away from the US dollar

Australia

Australians’ satisfaction with life is at its lowest level in two decades

Australians’ satisfaction with life as a whole is at its lowest level in 21 years, according to the latest Australian Unity Wellbeing Index survey, a collaboration between Deakin University and mutual company Australian Unity.

Source: Australians’ satisfaction with life is at its lowest level in two decades

Australia

A tale of two fossil superpowers: what Australia can learn from Norway – Michael West

Norway vs Australia in the petroleum income stakes

The Australian Government doesn’t appear to be the body able to do the job

The pressure is on the Government to address a near $1 trillion debt and spiralling cost of living when it presents the Budget on May 9. How different things would be if we had the sense to make multinationals pay properly for the billions they make mining and drilling Australia’s natural resources. Daniel Bleakley reports.

Source: A tale of two fossil superpowers: what Australia can learn from Norway – Michael West

Australia

Experts sound Gong on Chinese money-laundering in Australian property market – Michael West

AML-CTF, money laundering, Xiao Hua Gong

Global pariah Experts agree that the government’s lack of action risks turning Australia into a global pariah.

Source: Experts sound Gong on Chinese money-laundering in Australian property market – Michael West

Australia

First Among Equals: The Voice – » The Australian Independent Media Network

THERE’S NO US WITHOUT THEM

THE VOICE in NINE POINTS and a PREAMBLE By Paul Smith PREAMBLE – Addressed to serving military personnel and veterans Reconciliation with former enemies ought to be prominent in the ethos of the Australian military – serving personnel and veterans alike. What greater example is there of such mutual generosity than the existence of Turkish…

Source: First Among Equals: The Voice – » The Australian Independent Media Network

Australia

Australians Under 40 Must End Neoliberalism for Good

Australians under 40 face an uncertain future and lower living standards than their parents or grandparents enjoyed. To bring us back from the brink, Australia needs to end the neoliberal consensus.

Source: Australians Under 40 Must End Neoliberalism for Good

Australia

Could this one reform stop Australia from going to war with China? – Michael West

War Powers reform

The drums of war are banging as the debate over the AUKUS submarine deal reveals deep divisions about what Australia’s role should be in a US conflict with China. But what does the people of Australia think? And should they have a say? War Powers reform remains just talk but is more urgent than ever, Zacharias Szumer reports.

Source: Could this one reform stop Australia from going to war with China? – Michael West

Australia

AUKUS cements U.S. interests and endangers Australia’s security

The deal does nobody any good. It heightens tensions in an already dangerous part of the world.It weakens the Australian economy and places our people at great risk. It consigns millions of Australians to continued waiting lists for basic services because there will be no fat in any budget any time soon.

All this to stave off an enemy that is still to be proven to be anything but a mirage and to prove fealty to the United States.

Source: AUKUS cements U.S. interests and endangers Australia’s security

Australia

thenewdaily.com.au- Jim Chalmers and Defence

Budget balance: Spending like Europe means taxing like Europe

“Morrison says that to accommodate the AUKUS submarines deal, Australia’s defence budget will need to increase to 2.5 per cent of GDP, and there’s not much doubt he’s right. That’s an extra $10 billion or so per year, on top of a structural deficit of $50 billion a year, already rising to $70 billion. Make that $80 billion. So where is the money coming from? Tax increase or spending cuts?

Source: Budget balance: Spending like Europe means taxing like Europe

Australia

On war with China, Australia Is caught between a rock and a Pentagon – Pearls and Irritations

US Australia and China Chess pieces Image: iStock (cropped)

Locked in and Loaded

“This locks us in with the United States for decades to come; is there a risk, as the smaller partner in this deal, we’ll just have to do what the US tells us when it comes to future wartime engagements?” host Patricia Karvelas asked Hockey.

Source: On war with China, Australia Is caught between a rock and a Pentagon – Pearls and Irritations

Australia

Voice and Treaty Must Happen Hand in Hand – » The Australian Independent Media Network

Asking Indigenous peoples to simply elect one of their own democratically to sit in an extra chamber advising future government irrespective of what party wins elections. Isn’t a hard task to ask. I think it would be more productive to have more Indigenous advising State Governments via a Treaty in QLD and nationally through the Voice then having none at all in the room which could only make situations worse and a continual revolving door of post generational trauma that persists for another 235 years. Perhaps we could have a civil discussion about what many call Australia Day then, closing the gap, and improving living standards for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Having a voice might also increase the chances of more First Nations people becoming engaged in politics and see aspire to see perhaps a First Nations State Premier or Prime Minister one day?

Source: Voice and Treaty Must Happen Hand in Hand – » The Australian Independent Media Network

Australia

We are not America – Pearls and Irritations

Planet Earth globe. Australia, Oceania and Southeast Asia.

Australians must see the culture war distractions for what they are: a protection for a profoundly broken system. It is time we reclaimed our proud social democrat past. Those with the levers of power must look accurately at what neoliberal ideologues have done to the US and Britain, and reject both colonial masters for our own healthier path.

Source: We are not America – Pearls and Irritations

Australia

AUKUS and B-52’s stand in the way of a treaty with Indonesia – Michael West

Two plus two meeting in Indonesia

A recent meeting of ministers generated a swag of the usual cliched statements, but also some hope of strengthening our relationship with our closest neighbour. But there are obstacles on both sides of the Timor Sea, reports Duncan Graham from Indonesia.

Source: AUKUS and B-52’s stand in the way of a treaty with Indonesia – Michael West

Australia

A Parliament of Landlords Will Not Solve Australia’s Housing Crisis

The overwhelming majority of Australian Labor Party federal MPs are landlords. Maybe that’s why they can’t solve the housing crisis.

Source: A Parliament of Landlords Will Not Solve Australia’s Housing Crisis

Australia

Rex Patrick: as US-China tensions rise Australia remains pitifully unprepared for war – Michael West

 the issue is serious.

It’s not just about wasting money, as Defence has so often done in the past. It’s now very much about making sure we can deter conflict, and deal with it if deterrence fails. When it all goes bad you take what you’ve got to the fight, and a handful of contracts with blown schedules and budgets are not much of a weapon.

Source: Rex Patrick: as US-China tensions rise Australia remains pitifully unprepared for war – Michael West