LEFT RIGHT CENTRE

LRC 90.10

1. What does the removal of On Dit’s democratically elected editor Habibah Jaghoori mean for the state of our independent media?

2. Should Australia become a republic? Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II how should Australia move forward especially in terms of its First Nations people?

3. What has been your party’s proudest political moment this year?

Socialist Alternative | ANA OBRADOVIC

1. It is a disgraceful attack on student democracy, freedom of speech, and (importantly) pro-Palestine politics. It continues what has become a tradition by the Progress and Young Liberal factions of kicking out elected students from their positions, and will undoubtedly give campus Zionists around the country a boost of confidence.

2. Of course. Irish socialist James Connolly put it best: “Monarchy is a survival of the tyranny imposed by the hand of greed and treachery upon the human race in the darkest and most ignorant days of our history. ” It is absurd that a relic of feudalism and bloodline superiority remains our head of state. Aboriginal people live with the legacy of the murderous British Empire to this day. And our Governor General (the monarchy’s representative) bears undemocratic powers, infamously mobilised to depose democratically-elected Prime Minister Gough Whitlam in 1975. But only social revolution, not simply a republic, can rid Australia of the deep inequality and racism that the British monarchy represents.

3. A highlight was definitely calling and chairing the massive Roe v Wade abortion solidarity rallies in Adelaide, pissing off SA Liberal leader David Spiers and making the right flee to an “undisclosed location” for an anti-abortion conference the day after.

2. First and foremost becoming a republic does not undo the colonial atrocities that have taken place in this country. The legislation that allowed for the continued disenfranchisement of indigenous Australians was constructed and led by every Australian government including this current Labor government. Here in Australia, Indigenous Australians are the highest incarcerated group of people in the world, whilst only representing less than 1% of the population, they make up 30% of the prison population. We had a Royal Commission into Indigenous deaths in custody 30 years ago and since then a further 517 Indigenous Australians have died at the hands of the justice system. The closingthe-gap framework developed in 2008 has seen a lot of its targets not met and many metrics have regressed, some targets have even had to be revised downward because they were doing so poorly. Our government needs to reconcile and genuinely act on the atrocities they commit here before they try to wash their hands of our colonial past. Greens Club | CAITLIN

BATTYE, MICHAEL PETRILLI, 1. The removal WILLIAM PINCOMBE of Habibah from her elected role as On Dit editor blatantly signals that we do not have an independent student media, and showcases the extent of the right-wing’s authoritarian control over all facets of campus culture. Progress and their cronies have once again undermined democracy to further their own “a” political agenda. This is not new for them, and certainly shouldn’t come as a surprise, however, what truly makes this instance stand out is the vile amount of vitriol and condemnation hurled towards Habibah, who has received everything from racist abuse to death threats to condemnations in Parliament. The removal of Habibah is a continuation of Progress’ long-standing trend of removing people from democratically elected positions due to differing political opinions, and of silencing dissenting views, and it showcases that a truly independent media is not possible under a right-wing rule. Greens Club wholeheartedly stands with Habibah Jaghoori’s statements on Palestine and is grateful for both her tireless work as an activist and an On Dit editor. We also would like to take this opportunity to echo her pro-Palestine sentiments now and every day.

3. Firstly, I might qualify that a political party might have policies but not feelings, so I do not speak for “The Greens” exactly here. Nonetheless, I would have to say that many Greens feel justifiably proud of their involvement in the successful campaign to defeat the destructive and corrupt Morrison government at the May Federal Election. As well as new Greens MPs (including South Australia’s wonderful Barbara Pocock), we now have a parliamentary majority that promises: actually doing something about climate change, steps towards reconciliation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and an anticorruption commission. This, after one which was happy to destroy the world for short-term profits, gave huge sums of money to their business mates and prosecuted continuous divide-andrule culture wars to distract from their general malfeasance. 1. As journalists, On Dit editors, must engage with critical theories and cutting-edge research about the state of our world. Sometimes this results in an uproar from those who do not agree with the views being shared. Under ideal circumstances, the student union and student media would have a mutually beneficial relationship. But sadly YouX seems reluctant to bear the costs of certain risks to do with free speech, and this deferential thinking— the desire to reinforce existing power structures and not rock the boat—has troubling implications for the reporting of public interest issues. Moving forward, we urge that “independent committees” getting involved in student media be held to the highest standard of scrutiny, rather than merely being post hoc rationalisations.

2. Now that the government’s mournography has expired, it’s time

breathtaking display of compulsory to talk about a republic. Unfortunately, we don’t have the numbers needed for a referendum, but this usually happens after a major royal event. The monarchy is a weird drug, and we’re all doped up on it. Many people treat them like deities, channelling their latent religious faith into devotion to the royals. Others are attracted to the constancy, dignity, and sense of belonging that they offer, and that democratically elected officials have been unable to provide. I’m not convinced, though. It’s bad enough that we publicly fund the hero worship of people who have zero material or political interests in common with the average Australian, but the monarchy serves as a reminder of centuries of colonisation, death, and dehumanisation. This argument is sharpest coming from First Nations people, wherein the crown isn’t merely foreign, but dispossessing.

3. It’s hard to choose. Albanese and his colleagues hit the ground running, travelling to meet with the Quad leaders just 24 hours after being elected. They’ve smoothed over diplomatic relations with China and France, while Penny Wong has been spearheading discussions surrounding climate change in the Pacific Islands. Then there’s the Uluru Statement from the Heart, which is one step closer to being delivered under Labor; giving those most vulnerable under the existing system direct input into decisions that affect them. But perhaps most famously, Labor released the Murugappan family from immigration detention and helped them resettle in Biloela this year. Unlike the coalition, Albanese has taken a firm stance against the “publicly funded cruelty” of offshore detention, as well as against other regressive and inhumane social policies—banning cashless debit cards, implementing domestic violence leave, and increasing the childcare subsidy rate. Liberal | TAYLOR WESTMACOTT

1. The fatalistic language used by Habibah in the article ‘For Palestine, there is No Ceasefire’ is sufficient cause for reprimand, not removal. However, Habibah’s behaviour towards Jewish students on the 1st of September, in addition to this article, absolutely justifies her removal. (Further, it is my understanding that Habibah was removed by the YouX board, which is also a democratically elected student organisation.) 2. Eventually, yes. My Australian Utopia recognises sovereignty is never ceded. Such a recognition, we have long now heard, in incommensurate with Australia-as-Commonwealth.

3. For the Party—the Budget. For me? The Marshall government’s COVID-response, whose lasting effects still permeate the State.