‘Do you know how many LGBTIQ+ folks live in Australia? It turns out no one does, and we’re not about to find out in the upcoming census.’ Courtney Act, an Australian drag queen and television personality, made this point on Facebook last week as part of Equality Australia’s push to have LGBTIQ+ people counted in…
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There’s a rookie female politician who is gaining the ire of her colleagues and the way she’s coping with her newfound platform is particularly interesting. Her name is Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, or AOC as the US media often refers to her, and she is refusing to be another notch on the sexist media’s belt. Indeed,…
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Brazilian Carnivale Addresses Political Issues The Brazilian festival ‘Carnivale’ has taken a turn for the political this year, with the raucous celebration usually turning a blind eye to current and international events. Organisers of the festival and revelers alike tackled big topics of sexism, homophobia, Donald Trump and the impeachment of Dilma Rousseff. Some…
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On 8 November 2016 I found myself watching the Clinton—Trump showdown from a remote town on the Pacific Coast. In its aftermath I joined the masses in experiencing a carnival of emotions, namely, the overwhelming sensation that I had been sucker-punched. I’m now sitting in a sandy cafe listening to a blonde with a drawling accent…
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Rohingya. When you hear this word, does it spark any thought in your mind? Does it spark any segment on the news you’ve seen recently? Anything you learned in class? Does it sound familiar… at all? When I asked some of my friends if they’ve heard the word “Rohingya”, the answer was “no”. And this…
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Dear Mr. Trump, I’d like to start by saying this letter does not come from a strongly political place. These days, I find myself heavily disillusioned with politics in my own country, let alone yours. I have no interest in taking sides and my decision to write this letter was not politically motivated. I felt…
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There is no space of time more intense for Australian party leaders than the weeks leading up to the day of the federal election. We know this, because there seems to be very little practical work going for the rest of the year. Though it seems that during this week of hand shaking and baby…
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Campaign 2016 closes up for Australia’s political hopefuls in just two days. Recent research based on Twitter users suggests young people and women are the group most undecided – or more aptly, weighing up their options – about how to exercise their democratic right. As the federal election’s vote grows nearer, sometimes a…
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The federal election is now less than a month away, and in the past week or two, the issue of women’s participation in sport has managed to make its way onto the mainstream agenda. It appears that the two major parties are vying to demonstrate who is better committed to women’s sport. With…
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Winners and losers: it’s a dichotomy Treasurer Scott Morrison wants to ditch when Australians discuss the Turnbull Government’s Federal Budget for 2016-17. He’d prefer to talk about jobs and growth. But Scott Morrison has too much privilege to tell us how to speak about this Budget. The fact of the matter is, if you are…
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As the 2016 bid for the Democratic nomination moves forward, Bernie Sanders has proven to be a continuous complication in Hillary Clinton’s otherwise shoe-in nomination. Her victory over Bernie Sanders in this month’s Iowa caucus was slim, and her loss in New Hampshire was profound. The lack of support for Clinton’s campaign from younger generations…
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It has been said that in a clash between rhetoric and aggression, the pen is mightier than the sword. But in today’s society, there are very few among us who have not traded in the Stabilo for a Samsung or the Artline for an Apple. We have entered into an age where the thumb is…
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Since the time of Julius Caesar, politics has had the profound ability to polarise the members of a community. Even in our relatively peaceful contemporary era, allegiant political supporters have their back-stabbing daggers at the ready – and for much less than the subjugation of the Roman Republic. In the months leading up to the…
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The Turnbull Government has made it clear that ‘all options are on the table’ when it comes to tax reform. With a constant re-assurance that fairness is the most important element, is this really achievable? There has been recent media hype surrounding the proposal by South Australia Premier Jay Weatherill, regarding his proposal to…
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