Not a Day to Celebrate 2022

Fiona Uncategorized

The wonderful PatriciaWA and I have been discussing for some weeks about what to do about “Australia Day”.

She sent me some of her poems, and with her agreement I’ve done this. Dipping our lids to Scott Morrison and his justifiable pride in his convict heritage:

Australia Day at Fremantle Arts Centre
This garden where birds are singing,
Was once a place of sadness.
Here trees whisper to me, bringing
Sighs of despair and madness.
Women for whom this now sweet sun
A century and half ago
Was so harsh they came undone.
Lost entirely in their woe.

For them it seemed so hot that hell
Was already there upon them.
What judge, condemning them to die
in pain like this for petty felonies,
If here today, could justify
this ‘settlement’ of the colonies?



311 thoughts on “Not a Day to Celebrate 2022”

  1. It is about time that Invasion Day was not celebrated.

    Australia Day should be celebrated on date that has nothing to do with anything.

    There are some practical criteria.
    It should always be a Monday, so we have an AD long weekend, very Aussie!

    In the nice weather, away from all the New Year and Xmas holidays.

    It should incorporate and celebrate our First Nations, with stuff like The Smoking Ceremony being held on AD morning by Aboriginal Elders in Adelaide, this year.

    Anyone who works on AD has to get Public Holiday loading on their pay, NO exceptions. That is the best way of celebrating Aussie ideals.

    February might be a good month for it except it could mess up back-to-school for the kids.

    Or make it the 3rd Monday in January.

    Don’t tie it to any particular historical event. Whatever date picked will be the historical date of some massacre of the original inhabitants of this continent, somewhere, so let us reflect and acknowledge our real history, and our current challenges, and celebrate Australia if today.

  2. Puff, I agree with you the holiday should be a moveable feast with as little inconvenience as possible to all concerned. Long weekends make sense to businesses, pubs and resorts etc, and we plebs get more time at the beach with our kids or to spend money in the shops. As to the ‘Celebration’ of Australia Day I don’t know that changing the date will make a difference to how we ‘Australians all’ feel about it. If we want to change that we need to educate ourselves about the best and the worst of what I always think of as a ‘Downunderland’ which should be a Wonderland.

    Transportation of convicts to Oz was happening well before the Swan River Colony was declared a penal settlement by Royal Decree of Her Majesty Queen Victoria in 1849! Much research has been done and many books written about it. Non-reading visitors have Wiki and other sources to quickly inform themselves of the facts; they can read the story of Cook’s ‘Discovery’ voyage to our continent and the subsequent bloody horror of British colonization in a few minutes on their mobiles.

    My thoughts, penned in a nice tourist cafe, set in a green and flowered garden, within the heavy limestone walls of what was once Fremantle’s women’s prison are simply a reflection on how easy it is to forget the horrors of our nation’s history. Importantly the story lines from millennia past need telling, not forgotten. So, the ‘Celebrating’ of an Australia Day as a public holiday for all states and territories does give the nation an opportunity for real truth telling about ourselves, young and old, new chums and the original inhabitants of our island home.

  3. Good morning Dawn Patrollers. I have tried to avoid the annual culture warrior stuff.

    Our nation is growing together, not apart, writes Scott Morrison on Australia Day. See if you can keep your breakfast down.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/our-nation-is-growing-together-not-apart-20220125-p59r3y.html
    Paul Karp and Josh Gordon review Albanese’s NPC appearance.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/jan/25/australian-labor-will-always-be-better-than-coalition-on-health-anthony-albanese-says
    The editorial in The Age says that not being Morrison won’t be enough to get Albanese over the line.
    https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/not-being-scott-morrison-won-t-be-enough-to-get-albanese-over-the-line-20220124-p59qug.html
    Here we go. Josh Frydenberg has accused Anthony Albanese of preparing “new taxes in secret” after the Opposition Leader refused to rule out tax hikes on family trusts to help pay for Labor’s growing list of election promises.
    https://amp.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/anthony-albanese-accused-of-secret-tax-plan-to-pay-for-election-promises/news-story/0600275abd4e51980bd422a8f40fea43
    John Lord begins this contribution with, “People need to wake up to the fact that Government affects every part of their lives and should be more interested. But there is a deep-seated political malaise that is counter to representative democracy. Less informed voters, unfortunately, outnumber the more politically aware. Therefore, conservatives feed them all the bullshit they can. And the menu generally contains a fair portion of hypocrisy and lies.”
    https://theaimn.com/the-longevity-of-conservative-bullshit-clogs-their-veins-with-hypocrisy/
    Here’s Jack Waterford’s follow-on from yesterday’s examination of Albanese’s chances at the election.
    https://johnmenadue.com/slow-and-steady-albanese-may-not-outdistance-that-wily-hare-morrison/
    Australians are being denied a chance to use a rapid test approved by the UK’s health authority and issued free to millions of people over the past year, writes David Crowe.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/rapid-tests-denied-to-australians-despite-millions-being-used-in-the-uk-20220125-p59r1z.html
    A nice contribution from Jacqui Maley on Grace Tame’s snubbing of Morrison.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/history-has-shown-activists-and-revolutionaries-tend-to-prioritise-messages-over-manners-20220125-p59r5k.html
    Young women like Grace Tame weren’t socialised to shut up when authority figures speak – and it feels like progress, says Katherine Murphy.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/jan/25/young-women-like-grace-tame-werent-socialised-to-shut-up-when-authority-figures-speak-and-it-feels-like-progress
    The SMH editorial says that Australian of the Year is a public role that has a unique ability to focus attention on an important issue. The panel should choose someone who is not afraid to advocate for their issue.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/australian-of-the-year-should-feel-free-to-speak-out-loud-and-clear-20220125-p59r6b.html
    Scott Morrison’s government has cranked up Australia Day funding tenfold in two years to promote a celebration of which we can be proud. Pride means different things to different people. Callum Foote investigates the National Australia Day Council and find it hard to find.
    https://www.michaelwest.com.au/culture-wars-morrison-government-big-spend-on-australia-day-hidden/
    Households are confronting the sharpest inflation spike in years, fuelling the case for an early interest rate rise, amid warnings soaring prices for petrol, new homes and clothes are squeezing budgets ahead of the federal election.
    https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/inflation-outstrips-expectations-with-biggest-jump-since-2014-20220125-p59qz8.html
    Peter Lewis look deeper into yesterday’s essential poll and opines that Slo-Mo’s summer of missteps means Australian politics has ceased to be a game.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/commentisfree/2022/jan/25/slo-mos-summer-of-missteps-means-australian-politics-has-ceased-to-be-a-game
    Efforts by major political parties to engage with young voters range from patronising to plain embarrassing, writes Jenna Price.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/young-voters-are-leaning-in-but-politics-as-usual-grosses-them-out-20220125-p59r24.html
    The Aged Care Services Minister defended his decision to go to the cricket on the same day he refused to front a Senate hearing on the government’s handling of the Omicron wave. He’s not too good at sniffing the wind, this bloke!
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/richard-colbeck-declined-to-front-senate-hearing-went-to-the-cricket-20220125-p59r52.html
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/jan/25/aged-care-minister-richard-colbeck-went-to-ashes-test-on-same-day-he-declined-to-appear-at-covid-committee
    Meanwhile, an aged care provider says it has “no faith” in the commonwealth’s supply of rapid tests after deliveries failed to show for almost three weeks after an outbreak, forcing it to withhold them from essential visitors and scramble unsuccessfully to procure its own.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/jan/26/aged-care-provider-says-it-has-no-faith-in-federal-promise-of-rapid-antigen-tests
    Research shows that when the state government opted against imposing a lockdown as infections rose in December and January, Victorians took matters into their own hands and are emerging from a “shadow” lockdown in which people have limited their movements to levels seen only under stage-four restrictions in a bid to counter the spread of the Omicron outbreak.
    https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/victorians-emerge-from-self-imposed-shadow-lockdown-20220125-p59r0o.html
    Epidemiologists have questioned the NSW decision to keep QR codes in places people are unlikely to catch COVID-19, such as supermarkets and large retail stores.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/qr-codes-to-stay-in-nsw-amid-concerns-about-usefulness-20220125-p59r3t.html
    NSW has extended its pandemic restrictions for another month, as high case numbers and COVID-19 hospitalisations continue.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/nsw-records-18-512-covid-19-cases-and-29-deaths-as-icu-admissions-drop-20220125-p59qy8.html
    In a worrying sign, Australia has plummeted in Transparency International’s latest Corruption Perceptions Index – the world’s most widely cited ranking of how clean or corrupt every country’s public sector is believed to be.
    https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/world/2022/01/25/australia-global-anti-corruption-rankings/
    Josh Gordon tells us that the Andrews government is facing growing pressure to impose tough new rules on Crown’s poker machines.
    https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/labor-accused-of-going-soft-on-donor-mates-at-crown-20220125-p59r31.html
    Wavering Tory MPs considering knifing Johnson had been waiting to see the outcome of a civil service report before making their decision, so while the police inquiry exposes the Prime Minister on yet another front, it also buys him more time, says Latika Bourke.
    https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/london-police-open-investigation-into-downing-street-parties-20220125-p59r85.html
    The backlash against right wing evangelicals is reshaping American politics and faith, explains Ruth Braunstein.
    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/25/the-backlash-against-rightwing-evangelicals-is-reshaping-american-politics-and-faith

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  4. I am NOT going to get the day off to an abysmal start by reading Scovid’s waffle.

    He is a failure as a man, a politician and as a Christian. (Or should that be “cult member”?)

    I have never come across anyone, in all my 76 years (and I can assure you I have met some very unsavoury characters) who lies so often and who expects everyone to accept his lies because HE said them. What an enormous ego he has. it seems he opens his mouth only to tell another lie.

    Shame on the Liberal Party for inflicting this oaf on us as PM, and shame on Clive Palmer for his machinations that enabled Scovid to win in 2019.

    Scovid should admit he has a serious mental illness and seek treatment, but his over-inflated ego will never allow that. Instead, when he leaves parliament, we will spend millions on supporting him. There’s a cheerful thought.

    • Leonetwo, of course Scovid needs ‘doctoring’ and I am sure there are medical specialists in the Cronulla electorate who would willingly perform that service for free, with no holiday loading required. .

  5. Is this why the media keep telling us we have peaked and are over the worst? Is it also why the government didn’t bother ordering RATs until they were forced by public pressure just last week?

    No tests = no infections = over the worst? How very Trumpian! And we all know just how much Scovid is still in thrall to Trump.

  6. repost of micheal west Australia day funding

    Yes I am sickened by the quasi religiousity surrounding SYDNEY SETTLEMENT DAY and would like it to be changed to a Monday at the end of January to denote start of school year

    More than half the invaders were there under sufferance

  9. Van Badham

    Cold,” one news outlet reported of the young woman’s expression. “Frosty,” said another. “Visibly uncomfortable,” ran a subheading, describing the manner that affected her obliged pose beside the man – hung back, unsmiling, eyes hooded with mistrust.

    Yes, the scene described was of outgoing Australian of the Year, survivor advocate Grace Tame, obliged into a photo event with prime minister Scott Morrison. The occasion was a formal morning tea to commemorate the end of Tame’s eventful year in the AOTY role.

    “Tense,” explained the copy under the published photographs.

    Twitter, of course, is under no such expectation of equanimity or politeness as old mastheads. “Iconic behaviour,” said Brisbane artist @nordacious of the resulting photograph. “Dear @TamePunk, I do believe you have unlocked a new level of legendary status today,” echoed trade union leader @SallyMcManus. “Fuckin Lolllllllll,” wrote performer @ChristieWhelan.

    Tame herself did not make a comment at the event. There was no ruckus and she did shake the prime minister’s hand – yet one imagines the prime ministerial advisory circle need only have seen the look in Tame’s eyes to know the damage was done.

    …

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/26/a-prime-minister-who-lives-by-the-photo-op-dies-by-the-photo-op-and-grace-tame-owes-scott-morrison-nothing

  11. Geez – if you keep your kids home from school in NSW because you are afraid of them catching The Plague and developing life-long illnesses as a result you could be taken to court!!!!

    Even worse – if you are immune-compromised and do not want your child bringing home an infection then your requests for an exemption will be denied.

    NSW – still The Police State.

    Parents in NSW threatened with court action for keeping children home from school
    Despite the premier saying parents wouldn’t be punished for keeping kids home, the NSW education department told one parent it may consider legal action
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/jan/26/parents-in-nsw-threatened-with-court-action-for-keeping-children-home-from-school

  13. The Good news , we can gain ‘super immunity’ to Covid . The Bad news, it involves catching Covid-19

    …… breakthrough infections following vaccination or natural infection followed by vaccination – provide roughly equal levels of enhanced immune protection.

    “It makes no difference whether you get infected and then vaccinated, or if you get vaccinated and then a breakthrough infection,” said co-senior author Fikadu Tafesse, PhD, assistant professor of molecular microbiology and immunology in the OHSU School of Medicine……….”In both cases, the immune response measured in blood serum revealed antibodies that were equally more abundant and more potent – at least 10 times more potent – than immunity generated by vaccination alone,” the authors wrote.

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/covid-19-omicron-outbreak-scientists-say-a-covid-infection-after-vaccination-triggers-super-immunity/MRTMRO73NMUUXNWVI6337NTMQU/

  14. Grace Tame has greatly offended the nuttier parts of the Liberal fan base, especially the truly vile Amanda Stoker.

    Well, Mandy Jane, or whatever fake name you go by now, I would never hug Scovid, nor would I shake his hand, although Grace did. Anyone doing either could catch a nasty infection. I hope Grace washed her hands well after that handshake.

    Meanwhile I loved this tweet –

  17. Cripes, Amanda Stoker really is something else. I hope someday people start nicknaming her “Senator Draymella” since she really takes that caricature of a heartless Liberal party ghoul Draymella Burt from Mad as Hell to another level.

    That is if my bigger hope that she loses re-election next year doesn’t happen.

  18. This is a very good thread, and damning of Scovid.

  19. sorry for the late posting, places to go, people to see, things to do, you know the story.

    Stephen Colbert –

    Jimmy Kimmel –

  21. Good morning Dawn Patrollers

    The SMH editorial says that rising inflation is about to change the economic debate.
    https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/rising-inflation-is-about-to-change-the-economic-debate-20220126-p59rgi.html
    The 2022 federal election campaign is already well under way and when we vote in May, one of the major parties will come out ahead but what will the nation get out of it, wonders Sean Carney.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/australians-will-pay-the-price-of-politics-for-politics-sake-20220126-p59rap.html
    Independents are running strong at this year’s federal election, putting a hung parliament into play. The challenges they face for a successful candidacy remain high, however, writes Bob McMullan.
    https://johnmenadue.com/its-a-tough-road-but-minor-players-look-like-having-a-major-role-in-2022-poll/
    The immediate backlash from conservative men in power in response to Grace Tame’s photos with the Prime Minister has exposed how they are the gatekeepers of Parliament’s sexist culture, writes Yasmin Poole who tells us why young women aren’t smiling for you any more.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/why-young-women-aren-t-smiling-for-you-any-more-20220126-p59rd2.html
    A prime minister who lives by the photo op dies by the photo op – and Grace Tame owes Scott Morrison nothing, says Van Badham.
    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/26/a-prime-minister-who-lives-by-the-photo-op-dies-by-the-photo-op-and-grace-tame-owes-scott-morrison-nothing
    “Thank you, Grace Tame. Smiling doesn’t start national conversations”, says Channel Contos.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/thank-you-grace-tame-for-not-smiling-for-the-pm-smiling-doesn-t-start-national-conversations-20220126-p59rcn.html
    Kirstie Clements writes about Grace Tame’s fashion lesson in speaking volumes without saying a word.
    https://thenewdaily.com.au/opinion/2022/01/26/kirstie-clements-grace-tame-fashion/
    Grace Tame, the 2021 Australian of the Year represents a generational baton-change for the women’s movement, in which neither generation really gets the other, writes Pru Goward.
    https://www.afr.com/politics/grace-tame-s-year-as-an-angry-young-woman-20220126-p59ra1
    What is required of a woman if she wants a seat at the powerful men’s table, asks Jennifer Wilson. “That she smile!”, she says.
    https://theaimn.com/what-is-required-of-a-woman-if-she-wants-a-seat-at-the-powerful-mens-table-that-she-smile/
    This week’s unexpectedly high inflation figures put Philip Lowe in the hot seat over his rejection of any prospect of a rate rise in 2022, says Jennifer Hewett.
    https://www.afr.com/policy/economy/lowe-s-predictions-in-the-firing-line-20220126-p59rgp
    The market thinks rates are about to go up because of inflation. The market could be wrong, declares Greg Jericho.
    https://www.theguardian.com/business/grogonomics/2022/jan/27/the-market-thinks-rates-are-about-to-go-up-because-of-inflation-the-market-could-be-wrong
    Doctors are urging Australians to report positive COVID-19 tests to ensure they do not “fall through the cracks” and miss out on life-saving treatments.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/gps-fear-at-risk-patients-missing-out-on-crucial-covid-treatment-20220125-p59r23.html
    This is a very good explanation of how we should interpret and act upon RAT test results.
    https://theconversation.com/how-accurate-is-your-rat-3-scenarios-show-its-about-more-than-looking-for-lines-175515
    Three Coalition senators have joined growing calls from the crossbench and Labor to hold a royal commission or similar inquiry into Australia’s Covid pandemic response.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/jan/27/coalition-senators-join-growing-calls-for-inquiry-into-australias-covid-response
    David Crowe and Emma Koehn report that, according to industry leaders, Australia could make more than two million rapid antigen tests (RATs) each week with an outlay of about $20 million on new production lines.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/make-more-here-industry-pitches-plan-to-manufacture-millions-of-rapid-tests-20220126-p59rf6.html
    The NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association said six out of 10 NSW ICU nurses in a recent survey said they had “no intent of sticking around” once the Omicron outbreak subsides. The New Daily tells us that National cabinet will discuss the capacity of Australia’s health system to handle the Omicron wave as these exhausted nurses prepare to protest to voice their “despair”.
    https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/coronavirus/2022/01/27/coronavirus-nurses-protest-health-system/?breaking_live_scroll=1

    Four Sydney aged care homes have recorded at least 170 cases each during the Omicron surge, as operators say a lack of access to timely testing for staff and delayed booster clinics sparked some of the biggest outbreaks. Bloody hell!
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/outbreaks-exceed-170-cases-in-four-sydney-aged-care-homes-20220126-p59rbn.html
    Graham Readfearn writes that experts are casting doubts on the green credentials of coal-based hydrogen.
    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jan/27/coal-based-liquid-hydrogen-pivotal-for-green-energy-the-experts-doubt-it
    Carbon offsetting is not warding off environmental collapse – it’s accelerating it, argues George Monbiot.
    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/26/carbon-offsetting-environmental-collapse-carbon-land-grab
    Finding a common ground between both sides of the political spectrum is key to saving democracy in Western cultures, writes Sue Arnold.
    https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/saving-democracy-bridging-the-leftright-divide,15975
    Having completely destabilised its property sector last year, China’s authorities now appear to be doing anything and everything they can to put a floor under it, explains Stephen Bartholomeusz.
    https://www.smh.com.au/business/banking-and-finance/china-ignited-a-property-implosion-now-it-is-trying-to-engineer-a-soft-landing-20220126-p59r9n.html
    “Arsehole of the Week” nomination goes to the Melbourne GP who doled out 149 dodgy child vaccination exemptions and doctored a letter from the then-Deputy Chief Health Officer has been banned from practising for at least six years and stripped of his title.
    https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/former-melbourne-gp-cops-six-year-ban-over-dodgy-child-vaccination-exemptions-20220126-p59rib.html

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  22. Remember that Grace Tame did two terrible things, she didn’t smile for Morrison but she did for Albanese.

    • In Liberal World women must be smiling and pleasant all the time, must keep silent, must never voice an opinion, and must be able to produce cups of tea/coffee and sandwiches within 1 minute of their male masters demanding same.

    • Grace Tame has spoken (by voice and action) to both the women and the men of Australia. One would have to be deaf, in mind and spirit, not to have heard and to have appreciated those messages.

    • Only lately have the Australia Day Honours been commandeered by the Prime Minister

      Previously they were a Vice Regal duty, but the current incumbent has demonstrated the irrelevance of the post

    • Grace Tame. A woman for our time! “I’ll smile at anyone I like. I won’t pretend to like just anyone…….particularly not anyone I don’t like! Not even anyone who seems to think they’re someone!” Grace! You’re an inspiration! Back soon…….

  25. Love the picture of Grace with Albo, and her lovely smile, except for all that lipstick! Why do most girls and women of all ages feel they have to paint their lips in various shades of red? They are better off without it, save perhaps for a protective swipe of facial cream containing sunscreen which all sensible women wear to face our brutal climate. Men use that too, I hear. No lipstick for them, I guess.

    For women cosmetics on top of sun cover for everyday costs a bomb, and then of course, even more time and money is wasted on cleaning the stuff off before going to bed! The makers market these lotions as ‘cleansers’ necessary before the more important regenerating ‘night creams’ which seems to me an admission that sometimes their ‘cosmetics’ really are muck, i.e somehow dirty! A sun hat outdoors is an extra help perhaps? And cheaper too! In WA, of course, our climate lends itself to hats. Long before moisturising regenerating sun creams had evolved we ‘sandgropers’ had long known how to stay cool, in the shade and out of the heat.

    PS Just heard the suggestion that face cleansing at nights was a good delaying strategy. Long term for our skin? Short term for what?

    • There is some evidence that ‘red lipstick’ in particular, is a signal to males that a female is amenable to copulation. Even ancient Egyptian ladies seem to have titivated themselves in a similar manner.

      My late father used to call it “war paint” when I got so titivated to go out with my early boyfriends. Given the commentary about “nice girls” this week, I’m not sure who is wearing the larger quantity of “war paint” any more. Those who are looking for a mate, or those who are advertising their dangerousness to the status quo.
      And yes, I’ve worn it in both contexts, but for the most part it is too much effort for everyday. Even when I was working. After all, I was there to work!

    • Grace Tame would look wan without the mascara and bright lipstick

      Pale lips suit women wearing brown

    • Eric, Appreciate it, yes! Ennaughty ‘little girl’ – I’m going to save that, to savor! I’ll come to comment in more depth asap.joy it, no! Brilliant, but all too true! So glad now, that I was once a very

    • Gravel, sorry my reply to you didn’t seem to find its way to you! That ‘naughty little girl’ shot right into my old heart, or perhaps she’s been there since I was born! I’m so glad I was born a girl and raised amongst four fine brothers, but almost a century ago girls weren’t expected to behave like boys – if we did we were told not to be naughty by neighbors et al. I never did learn to be quiet and hold my tongue. Now, looking back I can see how that has helped me have a great life, always feeling strong and able to fight for myself and others, with the support of women like my mum and men like my brothers. I left my family and home many decades ago but I still think about all of them, sense them around me, all the time. Good instincts about what is fair and right are born and nurtured everywhere – in slum tenements or fine houses.

  27. Seth Meyers –

    Rachel Maddow –

    Chris Hayes – (contains ads as seen on US tv)

    Brian Tyler Cohen –

  32. Australia doing its very best to spread The Plague across the Pacific.

  33. Some good guys and reformed bad guys (Schmidt) using the justice system to fight back against the Fascists. Contains great line “The line between fascism and farce is often difficult to parse”.

  34. Watching the Wheely tennis, which we do every time they televise it, which is not often, the cameras honed in on Grace Tame in the audience, and the crowd cheered and applauded her. It was wonderful. The young fella that Dylan is playing has some tennis shots that we’ve only ever seen from biped players. The first set was great, the second set, on behalf of Dylan, is not going as well as we hoped.

  35. WA’s Aus.Day Sky Show fireworks display . Could this be the “Super Spreader of Doom” event in Perth ? The mayor Basil bloody Zempalis called having the event “courageous” . I wonder if he ever watched ‘Yes Minister” ?

    City of Perth Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas praises ‘courageous’ Skyworks show
    City of Perth Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas has lauded the Skyworks show and hit back at critics who wanted to cancel the event
    The WA nursing union had urged people to boycott the Skyworks, held on the Swan River foreshore, fearing it was a COVID super-spreader event.

    “Ideally, we’d like to see the Skyworks cancelled,” Australian Nursing Federation WA secretary Mark Olson said on Tuesday.
    ………………………….Previous Skyworks have attracted up to 250,000 people but this year’s show was a much more subdued affair, with Omicron making itself felt in the community.
    However, by 8pm last night a reasonable crowd had turned out for the event, with many saying it was one of the best they had seen.

    https://www.perthnow.com.au/news/perth/city-of-perth-lord-mayor-basil-zempilas-praises-courageous-skyworks-show-c-5463495

  38. Scovid has managed the pandemic so well

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/28/sydney-pharmacies-in-areas-hit-by-omicron-struggle-to-provide-concessional-rapid-tests

    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/jan/28/pushed-to-the-edge-australian-aged-care-workers-under-incredible-stress-say-unions

    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/jan/28/catastrophic-failure-covid-out-of-control-in-the-nt-say-aboriginal-groups

    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/audio/2022/jan/28/how-the-morrison-government-failed-to-plan-for-rats

  40. Good morning Dawn Patrollers

    According to Tom Rabe and Lucy Cormack, the Perrottet government has increased pressure on the Commonwealth to help rescue the NSW economy, citing the importance of unity as the state teams with Victoria to develop its new JobSaver-style economic support package.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/perrottet-puts-pressure-on-commonwealth-to-help-rescue-nsw-economy-20220127-p59rt8.html
    Victorians will be encouraged to spend up at businesses suffering lockdown-lite conditions and staff scarcity could be alleviated under an economic support package being prepared by the Andrews government. Ailing businesses and industry bodies have been lobbying the government for aid throughout January as people stayed home due to widespread transmission of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 that also sparked workforce shortages.
    https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/vouchers-business-relief-on-cards-as-andrews-government-prepares-support-package-20220127-p59rnk.html
    Michelle Grattan puts it to us that a royal commission into COVID’s handling would serve us well for the future.
    https://theconversation.com/grattan-on-friday-a-royal-commission-into-covids-handling-would-serve-us-well-for-the-future-175845
    States and territory leaders did not get an answer on whether three COVID-19 jabs should be required for full vaccination status, despite Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews pushing for the decision to be resolved by national cabinet yesterday.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/national-cabinet-makes-no-change-to-two-dose-definition-of-fully-vaccinated-20220127-p59ro8.html
    Anthony Albanes has written an op-ed for the AFR in which he says that Labor will tackle wage stagnation.
    https://www.afr.com/policy/economy/labor-will-tackle-wage-stagnation-20220126-p59rge
    David Crowe writes about political leaders facing the “rapid voter test”.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/leaders-face-the-rapid-voter-test-20220127-p59rl2.html
    The SMH editorial is concerned that most vulnerable are still left behind in the fight against COVID-19.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/most-vulnerable-still-left-behind-in-the-fight-against-covid-19-20220127-p59rsi.html
    Michael Pascoe joins the dots for the country’s housing policy failure.
    https://thenewdaily.com.au/opinion/2022/01/28/michael-pascoe-housing-policy-fail/
    This economic fad is riddled with hypocrisy. The ‘government off our back’ brigade is quick to put their hand out to government when in trouble, writes Robin Boyle in this article headlined, “Neoliberalism, risk management and government failure”.
    https://johnmenadue.com/neoliberalism-risk-management-and-government-failure/
    Michael Koziol tells us that Liberal Party officials were battling to salvage a cross-factional deal last night that would protect sitting MPs from preselection challenges and install candidates in key NSW seats ahead of the federal election.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/liberal-officials-battle-to-salvage-deal-to-settle-nsw-preselections-20220127-p59rnw.html
    Kirstie Clements explains that Grace Tame’s fashion was a lesson in speaking volumes without saying a word.
    https://thenewdaily.com.au/opinion/2022/01/26/kirstie-clements-grace-tame-fashion/
    Ronald Mizen reports that The West Australian Attorney-General has raised a long list of concerns with Treasurer Josh Frydenberg about the Commonwealth’s controversial class action reforms but has received silence from Canberra.
    https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/wa-anger-over-frydenberg-class-action-reforms-20220127-p59ron
    House price growth in pockets of regional NSW is outstripping gains seen in Sydney, as ongoing demand from sea and tree changers pushes prices to record heights.
    https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/sydney-s-sea-and-tree-changers-push-regional-house-prices-to-record-highs-20220127-p59rm9.html
    Politicians, predominantly on the right, have repeatedly been caught lying in direct contravention of video evidence. The falsifications aren’t minor, explains Lucy Hamilton who says the Coalition must confront its decision to pursue the American right into a focus on culture wars and spin.
    https://johnmenadue.com/lies-lies-lies-and-the-lying-liars-who-tell-them/
    Aged care advocates and unions have lambasted the minister for aged care and sport, Richard Colbeck, for attending the Ashes cricket on the same day he declined to front an inquiry about the federal government’s Covid response, writes Paul Karp as the backlash grows.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/jan/27/backlash-grows-over-aged-care-minister-attending-ashes-cricket-instead-of-government-inquiry
    Meanwhile, as Christopher Knaus reports, unions are claiming that aged care workers are being “pushed to the edge” amid a worsening Omicron crisis, a lack of rapid tests, dire staffing shortages and effective bans on essential visitors.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/jan/28/pushed-to-the-edge-australian-aged-care-workers-under-incredible-stress-say-unions
    Qantas can turn a profit while flying far emptier planes than its rivals thanks to its aggressive pandemic cost-cutting drive, which analysts say will help shield it from its local competitors, explains Patrick Hatch.
    https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/half-empty-planes-are-bad-news-for-qantas-but-worse-for-its-rivals-20220127-p59rqq.html
    Elizabeth Knight says panic selling while markets are falling is a mug’s game.
    https://www.smh.com.au/business/markets/panic-selling-while-markets-are-falling-is-a-mug-s-game-20220127-p59rr6.html
    Covid is “out of control” in central Australia, representing a “catastrophic failure” by the Northern Territory government to carry out its own emergency plans, according to the three biggest Aboriginal organisations in the NT.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/jan/28/catastrophic-failure-covid-out-of-control-in-the-nt-say-aboriginal-groups
    COVID-19 has shown us that the four-day working week is a sensible, exciting and well-established idea whose time has finally come, proposes Fiona Patten, leader of the Victorian Reason Party.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/let-s-give-the-four-day-working-week-a-try-in-victoria-20220124-p59qsm.html
    A former top ACT and Commonwealth public servant quit the board of a prominent health organisation over its refusal to repay JobKeeper, The Canberra Times can reveal. Mark Cormack relinquished his position on Capital Health Network’s board after it decided against repaying any of the almost $1 million it received through the wage subsidy scheme, despite rising revenues.
    https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7589328/former-top-public-servant-quits-board-role-over-jobkeeper-stance/?cs=14350
    Governments around the world are targeting public broadcasters for daring to hold the powerful to account – the Coalition here is no exception, laments Alan Sunderland who says it is seeking to punish the ABC for doing its job.
    https://johnmenadue.com/the-morrison-government-seeks-to-punish-the-abc-for-doing-its-job/
    An extra $1 billion will be poured into saving the Great Barrier Reef from climate change and growing environmental threats as the federal government moves to protect tens of thousands of tourism jobs and bolster its green credentials in an election year, reports Rob Harris.
    https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/morrison-promises-extra-1-billion-to-save-the-great-barrier-reef-20220127-p59rot.html
    A re-elected Coalition would pour $1bn into Great Barrier Reef conservation projects over the next decade, the government says, just months after campaigning to prevent the reef being listed as “in danger” by the world heritage committee, write Josh Butler and Graham Feadfearn.
    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jan/28/morrison-government-announces-1bn-pledge-for-great-barrier-reef-over-the-next-decade
    The gap between Australian climate policy and the science is closing far too slowly – we have to keep up the pressure, urges Lenore Taylor.
    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jan/28/the-gap-between-australian-climate-policy-and-the-science-is-closing-far-too-slowly-we-have-to-keep-up-the-pressure
    A team of researchers who followed more than 200 patients for two to three months after their COVID diagnoses report that they have identified biological factors that might help predict if a person will develop long COVID.
    https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/the-four-factors-that-could-lead-to-long-covid-20220127-p59rs1.html
    The US and Germany say they are prepared to halt the multibillion dollar Nord Stream 2 pipeline project if Russia invades Ukraine.
    https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/hope-is-the-last-thing-to-die-waiting-for-war-or-peace-in-eastern-ukraine-20220127-p59rj2.html
    Geoff Winestock posits that peace in Ukraine may hinge on yielding some reward to Putin for his aggression.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/why-peace-in-ukraine-may-hinge-on-yielding-some-reward-to-putin-for-his-aggression-20220126-p59rfw.html
    Amid tensions between Russia and Ukraine, a display of unity is being achieved between European countries and the US, writes Dr Lee Duffield.
    https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/usa-and-europe-react-to-russian-moves-against-ukraine,15983
    The 83-year-old US supreme court justice is stepping down – and allowing Biden to choose a successor before the midterms. Thank God for that, writes Moira Donegan,
    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/27/liberals-relief-justice-breyer-retirement

    Cartoon Corner

    Peter Broelman

    Jim Pavlidis

    Cathy Wilcox

    Matt Golding

    Andrew Dyson

    John Shakespeare

    Glen Le Lievre

    Simon Letch

    Leak

    From the US










  41. Anthony Albanes has written an op-ed for the AFR in which he says that Labor will tackle wage stagnation.

    The prospect of paying the peons more will have AFR readers hurrumphing.

  43. The Liberal Party is now so on the nose that even their own MPs are reluctant to admit they belong to the party –

    Rob Molhoek is a Queensland state MP, but I think we will see a lot more of this as the federal election gets closer.

  45. Open the below tweet and see the thread

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