Issue 87.5

On Dit

ISSUE 87.5 JULY 2019

Adelaide Uni’s

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RIAL ED O T IT DI

TORIAL EDI E

One thing I can definitely say about my time at University is that it has been colourful. So far, I have attempted four degrees with no avail, not because I was receiving bad marks or anything, just because I wasn’t interested in what they had to offer. Attempting multiple degrees has taught me a good number of things. Business and Hospitality management taught me what I didn’t want in a degree. I didn’t want classes that amounted to nothing, I didn’t want to deal with private properties and I most certainly did not want to work in hospitality.

Economics and International Relations taught me I can do maths, as long as I put my mind to it and try I can do it. Honestly, walking out of that exam was the greatest feeling of my life. Not because it had finished, but because for the first time in my life I had put an answer next to each question. Health and Medical Sciences taught me to love the human body and all of its quirks and mysteries.

I remember sitting in PE during high school, the teacher lecturing us on the functions of the liver and me sitting there, almost asleep bored out of my brains.

Now the liver is one of my favourite organs, mainly because it helps me out most Sunday mornings, but also because it has such a vital role in the distribution of nutrients around the body, a function that, if slightly impaired, will result in many horrible side effects all over the body. Finally, nursing taught me that the easiest and most obvious option isn’t necessarily the right one. Maybe one day I’ll help people who can’t help themselves, but I’ll leave nursing for people who are better equipped than I am. So beginning this semester, I’ll be going back into Health and Medical Sciences, a degree I truly feel comfortable in. One thing I kept consistent with every degree I attempted was that I would finish the semester’s work I had and finish it to the best of my ability. I never saw the point of just dropping out and starting again. Why would I invest so many hours, just to drop out and have nothing to show for it. This is exactly the attitude I will be taking with On Dit. I have a job to do, and that job is to continue the work of the editors who have come before me. So please, sit back, relax, and enjoy another semester’s worth of great content curated by myself, Sam, Emily and Imogen.

Maxim

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TORI A L EDI E

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RIAL ED O T DI

EDITORI A AL

EDITORIAL

IAL EDITO R O

R L EDITORIA IA

Radio Correspondence What's On State of the Union SRC President Left, Right, and Centre Sustainabilidit Vox Pop EconDit

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The Art of Scare Campaigning Election Outcomes: Anthony Albanese and Labor’s Right Wing Swing Trimesters: the next attempt to milk the cash cow dry Deep South (Australia): The Abortion Battle on Home Soil The Great Australian Twang Jack River's 'Special Mountain Tour'

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Cast Out Beyond the Black Stump Westeros' Women Problem Film Review: 2040 Are You Being 'Greenwashed'?

Death and Tax Cuts Learning Te Reo MÄ ori Whistle-Blowers and the War on Democracy The Misgivings of the Political MiddleGround: Why Centrism Can't Save Labor Artist Feature: Henry Stentiford

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White Silence That Kid Mercs Interview They Speak Gig Guide

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EDITORS Imogen Hindson Sam Bedford Maxim Buckley Emily Savage SUBEDITORS Clare Dekuyer Felix Eldridge Ella Michele Stasi Kapetanos DESIGN Emily Savage COVER ART @angvs

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We would like to Acknowledge that the land of The University of Adelaide is the traditional lands for the Kaurna people and that we respect their spiritual relationship with their Country. We also acknowledge the Kaurna people as the traditional custodians of the Adelaide region and that their cultural and heritage beliefs are still as important to the living Kaurna people today.

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Look, we’ll be the first to admit Student Radio has been MIA this year. Apart from this column we’ve hardly spoken this year, Adelaide University. And you know what? It’s definitely more of a ‘it’s not you, it’s me,’ thing. For that, we apologise.

However, behind the scenes your pals at Student Radio have been busy, our space is nearly ready!

We’re very keen to get into our brand-spanking new studio and start producing student driven content for you guys! On the topic of moving in, a housewarming usually goes hand in hand with that, and, who knows, there might be a housewarming party on the horizon (hint, hint).

Student Radio, is just what the name says it is- radio, produced by and for students. With our new studio setup being finalised, we are of course on the hunt for more students to get involved with SR! We’re being

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ambitious this year and are extending our running time, meaning more opportunities to get involved. If you think radio production is something you might be interested in, hit us up! The possibility of shows stretches as far as your imagination does! So if you’ve got something you have always wanted to get out in the world, be it your favourite tunes, cultural oriented discussion or just a yarn about what you had for dinner, let us know!

If you want to get in touch with us, you can find us on Facebook by searching Student Radio, emailing us at studentradio2019@gmail.com, or hunting us down on campus (this one is not as encouraged)

Love Austin, Ellie and Jade xoxo

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WHAT’S ON

JULY20th

2nd

9th

Girls Rock! Adelaide Showcase Where: Adelaide Unibar When: 20th July

Adelaide University Union, Fri-Yay Member Lunches Where: Adelaide University Union When: August 2nd, 12-2pm

Adelaide University: Climate Walk Out Where: Bonython Hall When: August 9th, 1pm

10th

18th

21st

AMSS (Adelaide ANSS Mid Year Ball Where: The Griffins Hotel When: August 10

Open Day Where: The University of Adelaide When: August 18th

Adelaide University Rotaract Club, Cultural Night 2019 Where: Estonian Hall, 200 Jeffcott Street, North Adelaide 5006 When: 21st September, 7pm - 10:30pm

-AUGUST 7

STATE OF THE UNION Words by AUU Board President Oscar Ong

Welcome back to (another!) semester of uni. For those who’ve just started uni, I am the President of Adelaide University Union (AUU), representing 27,000 students. I am currently studying aerospace and mechanical engineering.

To find out more about our info and services, you can read our previous editions of On Dit. Setting the stress of knowing that you’ll be sleeping at 3am every night after week 4 aside, I came to realise that I am already more than halfway through my term as your AUU President (I feel old!). I just wanted to take this chance to reflect on what I’ve achieved so far as your President: a. I’ve engaged with students by having board presence in AUU events & Overheard UofA- I’ve heavily prioritised student engagement in my term and I think this is the best way to engage with students. I have received a lot of feedback from students about what can be improved in the AUU and University. I appreciate your feedback and I encourage you to tell me more about what you think! b. Advocacy around the RCC issue- We’ve collaborated with the SRC in an RCC survey targeted to get your views around the issue. Through the results, I represented you, regardless of whether you are in the Anti-RCC or Pro-RCC camp, in numerous consultations and meetings based on what you have told us. I will continually work with the University to ensure the best outcome for students. c. Greater and bigger clubs events- I am sure you saw Sustainability Week and Evolution Week, where a larger number of our clubs came together to organise a week-long event for our students and it was well attended not only by students but also the wider general community. Stay tuned for more student-led events! d. Improving the relationship between the AUU and the University- I have attended countless meetings to rebuild and form new relationships within the University. One of the biggest achievements through

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my meetings is that, the AUU and our clubs are listed in one of the main pillars of the new strategic plan of the University- the Beating Heart of the Adelaide. This ensures a continuous engagement with University in developing different events, again, ensuring a better outcome for students. e. Student welfare advocacy- I have made your voice heard regarding metro fines for not bringing your student cards (this will be roll out in the new UofA app), myuni issues, better Medical Students representation, Muslim students now being able to use Rumours Café for Friday prayers instead of having to bear the cold on the balcony, discretion given to religious students to attend prayers, new carpets for the prayer rooms etc. f. Clubs advocacy- I have set up consultation meetings with clubs and University representatives to address important issues like limited space. g. Student Media Directors Depoliticisation- With the support of the board, the Student Media Directors elections are now moved away from the AUU Annual Elections, reducing the chance of politicisation. h. For more information and things I have been working on, check out my monthly AUU President’s Report here: https://www.auu.org.au/about/board-meetings.

Oh, if you ever want to spot me around campus, I am the Asian guy with a red T-shirt. Feel free to come up and have a chat with me (I don’t bite often)!

Oscar Zi Shao Ong President, Adelaide University Union auupresident@auu.org.au

SRC PRESIDENT Words by SRC President Ali Amin

Last SRC Meeting, your SRC unanimously adopted a motion that stands against the implementation of trimesters as they directly hurt students and staff. We are deeply concerned about the possibility of a trimester model being proposed or implemented.

I understand that discussions are being held at senior levels of University administration about replacing the current semester-based learning model with a trimester-based one.

While there has been no decision yet made and no specific model proposed, experiences across the country in recent years show exactly why this is a bad outcome for students.

Trimesters could see you lose a tuition free week each semester as well as the study week before exams.

It is important that students understand what these changes could mean and how similar changes have impacted students at other universities.

Trimesters would see you under more pressure with less time for study and assessments and less time to work.

It even puts students receiving Centrelink and other concessions at risk. The SRC has put together a fact sheet to explain what trimesters are and the multitude of issues associated with them that can be accessed at bit.ly/ AdelaideTrimesters The trimesterisation of our University would not be a move to improve the quality of education, rather it would be part of a broader plan to increase revenue by squeezing staff and students.

Trimesters will mean the University will be able to churn through students as quickly as possible and deal with the growing lack of space, services and infrastructure issues.

This is reflective of the increasingly corporate nature of universities and the higher education sector. And just like in the corporate world, it is those who work at the university and who consume its product that pay the price.

Forget going overseas to visit family for international students, who pay full fees mind. Internships and clerkships in Australia are also mostly run to a semester schedule.

Students will have less time to work in the holidays to save up for the term, while also having less time to work during the term itself. Industry is certainly not going to reschedule itself around Adelaide’s trimester model and you’ll have fewer opportunities than Flinders and UniSA. The concerns we have heard raised from the University regarding addressing student desire to accelerate their degree, the availability and use of learning spaces and other infrastructure on campus are legitimate. We know well the deep flaws in current funding models for Universities across the country, particularly regarding research funding. But we do not believe the solution to these issues can lay in measures which would have such a negative impact on students.

It is unacceptable to us that these impacts on students, current and future, would come about because of concerns not directly related to the needs of students. Such significant change needs to be undeniably in the best interest of students’ educational outcomes, learning experiences, welfare, and satisfaction.

The SRC, Undergraduate and Postgraduate Faculty Board Representatives, and Faculty Clubs and Societies have sent a letter to the Vice Chancellor outlining our position and concerns. We will continue advocating on this, meeting and consulting with the University, and providing more information as we get it. While the SRC has taken a stern position, we encourage all students to actively research, understand the issue, and make up their own mind.

Ali Amin President, Adelaide University SRC To stay updated like our Facebook page: facebook.com/adelaidesrc/ Email me at: srcpresident@auu.org.au Tweet me @le_hashimi

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LEFT RIGHT & CENTRE Left Sage Jupe Socialist Alternative 1. In this year’s election campaign Labor didn’t seriously attempt tackle inequality.

They proposed small tax reforms, halfheartedly taxing some high-income earners but refusing to touch the top 1% in Australia. Had Labor argued for a more radical program to actually tax the rich, and propose programmes to lift living standards and challenge climate change in a serious way, they might have actually appealed to people.

The conclusion the Labour party has drawn from their loss is to not to move to the left but to jag to the right. Queensland Premier Palaszczuk is pushing to fast track the Adani Coalmine. Kristina Keneally has promised party devotion to boat turn backs and has attacked Peter for not being harsher on immigration.

As new Labour leader Albanese says, “Where we can reach agreement, we will do so. I want to be known as the Labour leader, not the opposition leader."

2. Violence against women in Australia, especially sexual, is a horrific conclusion to the nature of sexism in our society more generally. A portion of the blame lies with the public housing cuts we are seeing from state governments across the country.

Government cuts to public housing, to welfare and single-parent payments, push many women into homelessness, or in an alternative to that: relying on an

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abusive man for a place to stay because she has no other choice.

Reports from Courtney Herron’s friend say that Courtney had attempted to enter public housing, to access a way out of homelessness, and a way out of the highly vulnerable position she, and a lot of Australian woman live in. She was denied.

3. The growth of islamophobia and cracking down on immigration put forward by the mainstream centre parties creates fertile ground for the far-right to grow. This along with the centre-left’s inability to relate to the discontent many people in Europe feel with lowering living standards creates a space for the right to relate to this discontent.

The key lesson for anti-fascists is that the left needs to build a political alternative that confronts not just the far-right but the conditions that social conditions that create it.

Centrists are definitely not equipped to tackle fascism. They laid the ground for it.

Centre Henry Armfield Adelaide University Labor Club 1. Labor tried to beat the Liberal party at neoliberalism and lost.

Labor’s policy platform gave little incentive for its traditional workingclass base to vote for them. Instead, the campaign focused on tax policy and tepid environmentalism.

In the process of losing his seat, Tony Abbott said it best; “Where climate change is a moral issue, we Liberals do it tough. Where climate change is an economic issue, as tonight shows, we do very, very well.”

The truly sad thing about this is that the Adani mine will only create 100 permanent jobs. The people rightfully disenfranchised by Labor’s ‘inner-cityleftie’ climate rhetoric will be worse off economically because the Labor party failed to make their climate campaign about workers.

Negative gearing and Franking credit changes are complex, and even when explained correctly only resonate with a small, already politically engaged group.

It was incredibly effective for the Liberals to just call it a tax or “The bill Australia can’t afford”.

Labor shouldn’t back away from big ideas, as the best labor leaders have won elections through big ideas. To win in the same manner they need to make them more inspiring for their base, and campaign on them more effectively.

2. The murder of Courtney Herron was yet another act of senseless violence perpetrated by a man who saw a woman’s life as lesser than his. I don’t think this issue needs any more men making hot takes about ‘not all men’, it needs to be legitimately addressed.

The root of this issue is education. Sex education in school touches on issues like STD’s and protection, but never really go into how partners, or strangers for that matter, should treat the opposite sex. Until that happens, the government should harshen the penalties for all domestic violence and sex crimes. I doubt there would be any opposition.

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How did Labor lose an “unlosable election”?

2.

The number of women murdered in 2019 so far recently reached 20 with the death of Courtney

Herron. Why is femicide and violence against women such a crisis in Australia?

3.

In the recent European Parliament elections, Marine Le Pen beat Macron’s centrist party amidst a

right-wing populist surge; seeking an alliance with Matteo Salvini, leader of Italy’s right-wing League Party, Le Pen called for a 'powerful' group of far-right parties to join forces. What do you believe has impacted the success of nationalist parties? Is centrism equipped to tackle creeping fascism in Europe?

3. European centrism, and the European Union are both doomed to fail in the next decade. Europe’s major parties are also doomed if they fail to adapt.

The biggest story coming out of the election is the Brexit party receiving 30.5% of the vote in Britain. Labour and The Conservatives received negative swings of -10.8% and -15.1% respectively.

If the UK had a general election today, the Brexit party would win, and Nigel Farage would be Prime Minister.

Unless Macron rebuilds Notre Dame with his bare hands, he’ll be out by next election, leaving a vacuum for far-right Le Pen, socialist Mélenchon, or a republican moderate to take power. If Le Pen or Mélenchon win in 2021, they will try to leave the EU, which would leave only Germany as a major economy in the sinking EU. The Right is becoming prominent in Europe because they are willing to not only adapt to, but also encourage these fundamental changes. Europe is becoming increasingly right wing as a result of political polarisation. The Left could garner the same support if leftist parties had genuinely left-wing policy, which means abandoning neoliberal institutions such as the EU.

Right Angus Heaton Adelaide University Liberal Club 1. Labor won every single Newspoll since September 2016. Labor lead 52-48 in Nine’s exit poll at 6pm on election night.

If you believed the polls it was absolutely inconceivable they would lose, and yet

they did. This is for a number of reasons that are glaringly obvious in hindsight.

First and foremost was Bill Shorten, who never once led the preferred Prime Minister poll, who was unable to answer basic questions about policy costings or what his Adani stance was, and who was generally a miserable, uninspiring, unrelatable robot on the campaign trail. Second was elevating Serial Loser Kristina Keneally to a senior role in the campaign. Her snarky sarcastic soundbites might play well for a Facebook video, but she’s a bottler who has now lost a NSW state election, Bennelong by-election, and the unlosable Federal election. Thirdly was Labor trying to have their cake and eat it, in that they tried to maintain the façade of being the party of the working class while also appealing to inner city latte sipping liberals with feelgood climate rhetoric and progressive social policy. The ALP is at an identity crossroads, and whether they follow their UK counterparts in selling out their base in favour of affluent Londoners/ Sydneysiders, or return to representing the (largely conservative) working class will be fascinating to see over the next 3 years.

2. There have been 93 people killed in Australia in 2019, 63 were men, 24 were women, 6 were children (Red Heart Campaign). Of the 24 women, 16 of them are alleged to have been killed in relationship/domestic violence related attacks. From these numbers, we clearly have a problem with domestic violence against women in Australia, and while tackling overall murder rate is something governments and the police can try to solve, stopping violence against women is something that I believe we as men can do ourselves. Changing behavior begins with changing attitudes, and the best

way to remove the frankly sexist and inappropriate “blokey” culture we too often turn a blind eye to in Australia is to call it out where you see it. Next time a mate makes a gross comment about a girl or is being inappropriate pull them aside and explain that what they’re doing is wrong. We don’t need Clementine Ford to tell us that all masculinity is toxic, or patronizing ads from woke corporations like Gilette. We need to take responsibility ourselves, as men, and teach our peers what is acceptable behaviour, so that sexist comments and verbal abuse doesn’t escalate into physical violence at home.

3. The nationalist/populist surge stems entirely from the existence of the ever increasingly overbearing paternalistic super-state that is the European Union. Who would have thought that the erosion of state sovereignty, the destruction of state borders, and the inability for state legislatures to make their own laws would have resulted in a wave of parties standing for these principles? I for one welcome the rise of Eurosceptic parties across Europe, and I look forward to the day that Merkel, Junker and Verhofstadt’s political project comes crashing down. Marine Le Pen and Matteo Salvini aren’t “fascists”, nor is Nigel Farage, whose Brexit party WON the British EU elections after existing for just 45 days. For too long the populations of Europe have been ignored by the political elites who claim to represent them, and given that both Macron and the pseudoBlairite Europhile “Change UK” party both just got smashed in the elections, it is laughable to suggest centrism is capable of doing anything to stop the political revolution currently happening across Europe. Long live Prime Minister

Farage.

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SUSTAINABILI-DIT Given that the editors here at On Dit are particularly passionate about campus sustainability, we’ve introduced a new column highlighting the work of the Adelaide Sustainability Association. Here, you can find out about the good work the ASA is doing on campus, and read about some #trending sustainability topics.

As a 1st year, fresh from high school, I didn’t really know what I was doing at Uni or where I wanted to be by the end of it when the Semester began – in truth, I still don’t! But one thing I was certain about was my desire to contribute to the world, and that’s why I joined the Adelaide Sustainability Association. Since joining, the ASA has coordinated a number of events – Sustainability Week, Living Sustainably’s event “Am I Being Greenwashed?” in conjunction with the AUGDS, and more.

At every event I’ve learnt something new – whether from experts in the field, local business owners, or even politicians – and I’ve made some positive changes, ranging from writing letters to MP’s voicing concerns, or something as simple as purchasing second-hand clothing. Being a member of the ASA committee, I see how much hard work and time goes into providing these opportunities to grow and make a difference for everyone, and having experienced them myself I can only implore you to take advantage of them and get involved.

This can be joining the club and volunteering your time, or something as simple as attending any events which interest you - I can guarantee that you won’t regret it! Expect more from the ASA in the future in On Dit about what upcoming events and opportunities to expect – such as the 24-hour Hackathon event we are running with the Adelaide University Entrepreneur Club, ADEPT Adelaide and other clubs in Semester 2, 2019. More details will be released soon, so don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram @instainable!

Harry Hall, First Year Representative of the ASA

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Bachelor of Engineering/Bachelor of Computer Science 1. It’s hard to choose between Exchange specialty coffee and Larry and Lads. Can I say both? I’ve got the whole list of the best coffees though 2. Depends on what consequences will follow on from this. If it’ll increase the quality of the service and bring about new buses and trains then yes that’d be awesome. If it’ll cause increase in rates - nah thanks.

3. No, as I heard it’ll make holidays shorter and this especially inconvenient for international students like myself to go home during the summer break. It takes about 25 hours of flying for me to get home. Currently we have 13 teaching weeks of uni, and for my program 10 weeks seems to be too short to fully understand and learn the material. Unless they decrease the study load it’s really hard to squeeze everything in trimester periods.

4. Full penalty rates were fairer because people are sacrificing their weekends and public holidays. Now I guess it’ll drop the motivation of workers to get weekend shifts because that was the main reason to work in the beginning.

5. Hard. Can’t explain why. Maybe it seems to be safer/healthier?

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Bachelor of Nursing 1. CIBO 2. I believe that the privatisation of public transport in SA will prove as a disadvantage and a disappointment for many commuters. Being a student and a daily commuter and full-time student, the low cost and sometimes even no cost tram/ train rides we’re something which I didn’t have to worry about. However due to the privatisation, the community and its people are well aware of the surge in the prices of commute fairs in the near future which many students and employees will have difficulty facing along with the price rise in everything else.

3. No, I think that having trimesters would confuse a lot of people; especially international students as universities and colleges abroad have the semester structure as well. This makes it easier for them to integrate into the different learning styles.

4. Too much to express :( 5. Soft

1. Best coffee in Adelaide?

2. What do you think about the privatisation of public transport in SA? 3. Should the University of Adelaide implement trimesters?

4. How much do you miss your penalty rates?

5. Yolk: runny, soft or hard?

Michael

Law/International Relations

PAXTON

DECLAN

Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering/ Bachelor of Finance

Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Arts

1. Cibo North Adelaide 2. Not the biggest fan as it will likely lead to an increase in fare prices 3. I feel like it’s a pretty good balance at the moment so no, keep it as semesters 4. Didn’t have a job that paid penalty rates before they were cut 5. Runny

1. HARK! on Duthy Street in Malvern is by far the best coffee I've had, Melbourne included.

2. Depends on the consumer. I don't regularly use the public transport system and am therefore going to be affected little either way. In saying that, reducing efficiency in all departments and areas of public spending is a tick from me.

3. No, I don't think there is a reasonable case based on increases in academic results and student well-being to support this idea. Works great for the uni in pumping out degrees and money though, so I can see their incentive.

4. I work in the Public Sector so I have not been affected by the changes. I am sure its missed by long suffering hospo employees!

5. Runny, what’s the point of eggs if you can’t have runny, yolk porn instagrams…

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EconDit Alcohol Tax: The Incentive for Goon Words by Connor Butterfield

The price of alcohol is of great importance to many uni students, but little is spoken about how it is taxed.

At present, alcohol taxes (other than GST) are largely inconsistent; beer & spirits are taxed under a volumetric system, and wine is taxed under what is known as the Wine Equalisation Tax (WET). A volumetric tax applies a CPI-indexed amount of taxation to the volume of alcohol, whereas WET applies a fixed 29% charge to the wines wholesale price.

The principal objective of alcohol taxation is to correct market failures, not to raise revenue. These market failures come in the form of chronic disease, lower productivity, crime and road accidents, all which can be induced by binge drinking. A study into the social costs of alcohol consumption estimates an impact of

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$3,087m in road accidents, $2,772m in health, $2,258m in crime, $5,150m in lost productivity and $7,221m in mortalities and morbidities.

Tax design aims to reduce these considerable social costs by adjusting alcohol consumption behaviours.

Research has shown that tax is generally good at this, however, WET is considerably less effective than that of the volumetric tax.

Firstly, WET favours cheap alcohol as it applies a considerably lower amount of tax per standard drink than higher-end beverages. This lower tax per standard drink means that wines like ‘goon’ are cheaper to obtain. The Distilled Spirits Council research reveals that cask wine pays only 7 cents in non-GST tax per standard drink, whereas bottled wine pays 31 cents. It is no

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surprise then that Australia’s heaviest drinkers are more likely to consume cheap wine and beer. Given this, the lower tax per standard drink compared to other beverages does not work to discincentivise dangerous consumption. Instead it penalises products of higher value, such as ‘fine’ wine, which are less likely to be consumed in large volumes and therefore, having a lower risk.

This inefficiency is not seen in the volumetric system because it targets the alcohol, not the wholesale price.

quality wine producers which have a higher cost base, as now they are not being penalised for their naturally higher prices. Lastly, it minimises the biases caused by inconsistent taxation policy, meaning that consumption choices better reflect what people actually prefer.

In saying all this, tax is merely one tool that is used to address the aforementioned market failures, but if it is to be done most efficiently, movement away from the WET system is essential.

Data: Distilled Spirits Industry Council The transition of wine to a volumetric tax poses considerable benefits. First, it removes the ‘blunt instrument’ approach, where all wine drinkers regardless of their risk are materially impacted, and instead it targets key products that are associated with suboptimal behaviours and outcomes.

Secondly, it removes the burden from

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18

THE ART OF SCARE CAMPAIGNING: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

Words by Felix Eldridge

T

he effectiveness of scare campaigns as an invaluable electoral asset was one of many lessons learned by the major parties at the last federal election.

on franking credits and other tax benefits. This rhetoric was helped by Clive Palmer’s self funded campaign labelling the Labor Leader as ‘Shifty Shorten’.

In the 2019 Federal Election, there were several scare campaigns that were successfully run. These campaigns were run locally, regionally and nationally.

The effectiveness of scare campaigning is by no means a new phenomenon, but a wellworn path by several victorious governments in the past, mainly, but not exclusively, by the Coalition.

An example of a regional scare campaign was the pro-Adani campaign run in Northern and Central Queensland. This campaign focused on Labor’s vacillation on the question of building, or not building the Adani coal mine. This issue bitterly divided the nation, with Victoria strongly against the construction of the mine and Queensland strongly in favour of it. Attempting to bridge the gap between inner city progressives in Melbourne and regional working class seats in Queensland, the Labor Party failed to come to a firm decision one way or another. This indecision was exploited by the Coalition, which stated that they were firmly in favour of it and that Labor was doing a deal with the Greens to prevent the mine, and the jobs, from eventuating. This clear explanation benefited the Coalition immensely, especially with working class families who believed Adani would help them.

An example of a national scare campaign run by the Coalition was ‘The Bill Australia Can’t Afford’ advertisement, targeting Bill Shorten’s perceived inability to manage the economy. This advertisement was particularly effective because it associated his name ‘Bill’ with that of an economic detriment, and this played unconsciously into people’s assumptions that Labor was going to increase taxation as per the claims made by the Coalition. In addition to a general perception of mistrust of Labor’s economic credentials, the Coalition exploited Labor’s complex economic policies regarding closing the franking credits loophole. This policy, whatever its merits, was an easy target because it was difficult to understand and therefore easy to misrepresent.

Advertisements featuring ‘death taxes’ and ‘hitting retirees’ allowed the Coalition to tap into the fears and insecurities of those relying

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s the Coalition hyped up fears about communism in their election campaigns. In 2001, the Coalition fought the election on the topics of immigration and national security. While not successful, the Labor Party ran a brutally effective campaign in 2016 focused on ‘saving Medicare’, infamously dubbed ‘mediscare’.

When you think about it, mild scare campaigns are the backbone of political battles. The ability to gloss over your faults as being less poor than your opponent’s is a mainstay, as is the issue of trustworthiness, which also featured in this election. In a way, the success of the Coalition scare campaign is less of an innovative campaign strategy and more akin to an annual celebration.

The most fundamental of all scare campaign tactics is simplicity. The best scare campaigns are centred on phrases between two and five words. The slogan “Stop the Boats” is a testament to this.

Scare campaigns work because they exploit fear. A good scare campaign channels pre-existing fears into one avenue like a party, leader or policy. But in essence, the tactics can be applied to almost anything.

Psychologically, fear is a powerful driver.

People can become incredibly motivated if they feel threatened or attacked, and this is why, despite the constant complaints about them, scare campaigns work and will continue to be used in the future.

If there is one lesson to take away from this election, it is that being the lesser of two evils means little, being the lesser of two fears means everything.

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ELECTION OUTCOMES: ANTHONY ALBANESE AND LABOR’S RIGHT WING SWING WORDS BY EDGAR DANIEL-RICHARDS

The narrative being pushed by both Labor and the Coalition in the wake of the results of the May 18th Federal Election is one of right-wing values, something Australia desperately needs to reject.

The ascension of the ‘left’ Anthony Albanese to the leadership of the Labor Party is having a polar opposite effect, signalling a jag to the right.

Despite commentary stating that Albanese is a leftist figure, the now opposition leader has spent the previous two years criticising Bill Shorten from a right-wing standpoint, arguing that he has been scaring away the ‘business community’.

With Labor’s loss in the election, the ALP leadership is concluding that the problem with their campaign was that it was too left-wing and too ‘big picture’.

The ALP’s shift to the right is based on an erroneous analysis of the election outcome, one that only helps the Coalition. This is the idea that the Coalition won victory on the back of a surge of support from ordinary ‘Aussie battlers’, what Matt Canavan calls the “hi-vis revolution”.

However, a Sydney University study shows that despite a surge of support from low income earners being inspired by Morrison’s inspirational “if you give a go you get a go” slogan and his promise of “Australia to all Australians”, lowincome earners were still far more likely to vote for Labor. The Coalition’s base of support is still amongst the wealthy and middle class. The data from the study showed that those who owned a business were much more likely to vote for the Coalition and those on pensions were still

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more likely to vote for Labor. This reflects the continuing class-based voting patterns that have characterised previous Australian elections.

Polling continues to show that the majority of people oppose cuts to public services, instead wanting more funding for health and education.

On top of this, most Australians want to see action taken on climate change. We can’t sit back and despair about the election result, we need to organise a grassroots fightback against any attacks coming from the Coalition, but also pushing for action on the climate emergency that we are facing across the world.

We need to mobilise the dashed hopes of the #climateelection out onto the streets and raise the politics of taking on the fossil fuel businesses, if we want to see things start to change.

Scott Morrison is not in as strong a position as Murdoch triumphalism might suggest. The Coalition’s total vote was actually lower than the 2016 election, even after the swing towards them in Queensland. That election was widely considered a disaster for Malcolm Turnbull’s leadership. This time around, the Coalition only have a majority of federal MPs in 2 states in the country. The fact that they rely on Queensland for one third of their lower house representatives means that they are very vulnerable if that state turns against them.

Business and industry groups are lobbying the government to go on the offensive against unions and workers’ rights. But these kinds of attacks

will be extremely unpopular, and the Liberals undoubtedly still have the experience of Abbott’s 2014 horror budget in the back of their minds. The massive unpopularity of this budget led to Abbott and Co. being unable to get through the majority of items on their agenda.

If current talk from the ALP is anything to go by, we cannot look to parliamentary forces to halt the right-wing agenda of the Coalition.

The right-wing stance Labor is going to take in ‘opposition’ is being signalled by the rhetoric from Albanese and other Labor MPs. Albanese has now brought into question Labor’s opposition to Morrison’s regressive tax plan and has toyed with the prospect of helping it through the Senate. Albanese has criticised Shorten’s anti-‘big end of town’ rhetoric and said Labor needs to stop alienating the boardrooms of big business.

On top of affirming that Labor is lockstep with the Coalition when it comes to locking up and torturing refugees on far-off Pacific Islands, Kristina Keneally also said she is going to attack Dutton for not being anti-human enough, criticising him for not cracking down on asylum seekers arriving by plane. This is just after Labor had campaigned almost solely in the marginal seat of Boothby against the sitting Liberal MP for supporting the evil, heartless Dutton. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. On the environment Labor is just as bad, with Albanese giving “the market” blessing to decide whether it wants the Adani coal mine, putting profits over environmental concerns.

In Queensland things are even worse.

Palaszczuk’s state Labor government has responded to the election by fast-tracking the Adani Coal Mine, opening the Galilee Basin for other coal mining projects, including a mine by Clive Palmer right next to Adani’s. The whole narrative from Labor and some powerful sections of the trade union leadership, is that Labor wasn’t supportive enough of the Adani mine. Labor was never against coal mining of any kind, and Shorten’s proposals to expand coal seam gas fracking would have pushed us further towards climate disaster. Joel Fitzgibbon, leading Labor MP in the party, lamented on Q&A that Labor had lots of procoal policies but was just not loud enough about them during the election.

If we want to prevent Liberal attacks on students and workers living standards, we’ll need to organise ourselves on our campuses and in our workplaces. The climate action protests we saw across Australia in the aftermath of the election are a start, but we will need to build on this anger and frustration that young people feel at the lack of action being taken. No, we can’t wait for ‘better’ MPs. Yes, let’s strike for climate. We should look to successful campaigns like the protest movement for marriage equality in Australia as a model for how we can win and, crucially, even under a Liberal government.

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trimesters: the next attempt to milk the cash cow dry

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Words by David Elliott

F

ollowing the implementation of trimesters at UNSW, our University quietly announced during the exam period it too was looking into implementing a trimester model. This would see the majority of courses condensed from 13 weeks to 10, a reduction of summer and winter holiday periods and the loss of mid-semester breaks. Having taken part myself in the recent student protests at UNSW calling to end this model, it’s clear students are dissatisfied with how it has affected their lives and learning.

The arguments for trimesters have centred upon ‘accelerated’ degrees, cramming threeyear programs into two, fast-tracking entry to the workforce. In an increasingly mobile, global and dynamic labour market, this sounds great for someone eager to get their dream job. However, there’s a lot of reasons why students should be seriously concerned about trimesters.

Slashed Federal funding under successive Labor and Liberal governments, coupled with the Liberals aggressive agenda of deregulation and market-orientation have transformed our universities into little more than businesses with an incidental, reluctant obligation to educate.

We’ve seen no indication that decreased course duration equates to cost efficiencies and lower fees, meaning students could potentially be required to pay three annual student services and amenities fees (SSAF) instead of two, and three rounds of course fees per year. Where students don’t qualify for HECS or are already dissuaded by costs, there are potential increased financial barriers to university, especially international and lower SES students, and people with existing financial obligations.

The loss of time outside of study is an important factor influencing student welfare and poverty. The University’s own 2016 student welfare figures showed one in seven (~1900) students regularly skip meals in order to afford their tuition and life expenses.

This is despite 85% of students working casual, part-time or full-time jobs alongside their studies. In an economic climate of stagnant wage growth, decades-long freezes on welfare payment rates, attacks on penalty rates and increasing casualisation, trimesters stand to exacerbate extant financial

pressures; simultaneously requiring students to conduct more paid work whilst also taking time from them to do so. Adopting trimesters would demonstrate outright apathy for student welfare.

According to the University’s own statistics, there has been a net loss of 36 research staff and 32 teaching staff since 2014 with overall annual downward trends. There is little indication trimesters will avail more positions or funding to cope with the increased workload and tempo, especially considering the increasing rates of staff casualisation and departmental budget cuts reducing the capacity to employ tutors and markers. While this will inevitably be experienced differently across the faculties and departments, students will likely receive less (if any) feedback and coaching to improve. We run the risk of becoming nothing more than a tired, uncritical degree factory.

Meanwhile, staff themselves are unlikely to receive (meaningful) pay rises for their increased workload and will additionally lose time to conduct their own research, which contributes to an increasing proportion of the University’s revenue ($181.6 million in 2018).

Trimesters unequivocally are a business model, not a learning model. The move towards condensed course content, and reduced study and work time is symptomatic of a failing corporate university system desperate to cut costs and wring students and staff dry without addressing the source of their financial woes. Unsurprisingly, the University has decided not to consult students on implementing trimesters and we as yet don’t know how students’ concerns will be side-stepped this time.

As one of a shrinking number of Australian Vice Chancellors from an academic background, VC Peter Rathjen—for once— needs show some real leadership and use the Group of Eight platform to pressure the Government for increased funding and a better deal for students and educators. Go earn your million-dollar pay cheque.

David Elliott sits on the Geography and Development Society committee. He is undertaking a Bachelor of Arts (Geography, Environment and Population) (Honours) and holds a Bachelor of Social Sciences.

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DEEP SOUTH (AUSTRALIA): THE ABORTION BATTLE ON HOME SOIL WORDS BY ANNABELLE MCKINNON Last month, the Alabama Senate sent women’s minds and safety into turmoil. With heavy hearts we watched the SouthWest state outlaw abortion with no exception for rape and incest. The doctors who go against the law will be threatened with a 99-year prison sentence, and the women carrying unwanted pregnancies are facing a cruel assault on their rights, security, and bodies.

It has become a political debate that is both emotionally and morally charged. It is men with power and political motive who saying women should have no rights over their own bodies, their own wombs, or what their futures will look like.

Almost without exclusion, suited up men are the ones turn women’s reproductive rights into a battleground. This is not to say that this moral conflict doesn’t include pro-life women like Kay Ivey, the female governor who signed off on the Alabama Human Life Protection Act. However, the people they tend to exclude from their own personal fight are the women caught in the crossfire.

Research shows that women and from all walks of life have abortions, including those who are already mothers. In fact, one in six Australian women have had an abortion by the time they have reached their mid-30s. So why is their pursuit for bodily freedom still considered a criminal issue in South Australia?

Last year, Greens MP Tammy Franks commissioned the South Australian government to look into our own laws dating back to 1969. Right now, in order to be eligible for an abortion you must receive the all-clear from two doctors, and both must be convinced that carrying out a pregnancy would entail “risk to the life of the pregnant woman,” or that the unborn child will be “seriously handicapped” with “physical or mental abnormalities”.

This means that although it is legal to access and provide abortions in certain circumstances, it is still a criminal offence under the Criminal Law Consolidation Act (1935) for an individual to try to procure their own miscarriage. A person found guilty of this ‘offence’ will be “liable to be imprisoned for life”.

A spokesperson for LifeChoice Adelaide, a recently approved pro-life group on the University of Adelaide campus, says there are both positives and negatives to take from the current laws; “They provide protection for women through regulatory processes such as the requirement for the approval of two doctors”, which “creates a safeguard against potential abortion coercion”.

LifeChoice Adelaide concedes that the laws are outdated according to modern science, but believe the move “to completely deregulate abortion places vulnerable women at risk, with no support before or after abortion”.

However, the SA Abortion Action Coalition (SAAAC)

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says the narrative that women who seek abortions need counselling is a myth. The group states that the “overwhelming majority of women requesting abortion services are confident in their decision” and “pregnancy counselling is better able to provide support when the woman makes the choice to access counselling”. If you venture to our own abortion clinics in Adelaide, you may see protesters congregating outside the centre as patients walk through the front door.

Tammy Franks’ proposed legislation would not only remove abortion from the criminal code, but also create “safe access zones”, banning protesters from within 150 meters of abortion services. Individuals who face these restrictions elsewhere can face up to 12 months in jail and $16,500 fines.

LifeChoice Adelaide says safe zones are “a solution in search of a problem”.

They claim that “the last prosecution, about 4 years ago when 2 people held a model of a baby, was abandoned and the police paid costs. Currently there are no protests as such, mainly those who silently pray”.

The spokesperson also said that due to council regulations, the protesters must remain about 40 metres from the clinics.

They go on to claim that this unwelcome proselytizing comes from a place of beneficence; “sidewalk counsellors also have nothing but love and respect for women and therefore offering women who ask information about an alternative choice should not be a crime”.

SAAAC strongly disagrees, countering that “protesters regularly assemble and harass those attending” the clinics; “The interference is distressing for patients and staff, and at its most extreme compromises the safety of those accessing and/or providing abortion services”.

The potential amendments made by Tammy Franks will be considered after the South Australian Law Institute finishes their review of the laws in August. Then the 7 women and 15 men who make up the legislative council will be able to make a conscience vote.

Every other state and territory have changed their laws, besides SA and WA, leaving many Australian women seeking reproductive care facing outmoded legislation typical of the United States’ bible belt.

While many have shunned the recent abortion ban in Alabama, women in Australia continue to face similar reproductive injustice.

Let’s hope this vote doesn’t shadow Alabama.

Free for Members #AdelUniUnion #getmore

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CO-WRITTEN BY MELISSA GRIFFIN AND IMOGEN HINDSON Over the past few years the Australian music scene has been edging its way onto the world stage, with musicians like Courtney Barnett, Tame Impala, and Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever dominating festival lineups around the world. However, back home a subculture has been growing out of small pubs and live music venues across the country. Soundtracked to local bands singing in an Aussie twang about the streets we grew up on, this subculture is growing traction among the youth of Australia, but it isn’t an entirely new scene. The original participators of this culture were named ‘Sharpies’ and they paved the way for a unique Australiana genre of music back in the late 60s and early 70s.

The style has changed only slightly, but the music seems to be more of a reinvigoration of what began, as audiences both at home and globally are more accepting of what Australian music has to offer.

The Sharpie culture grew from a rebellious movement to remove the music industry from American and British influence during the 1970’s. Theorised as Australia’s only true home grown culture stemming from working class Melbourne, you can find distinct parallels between the Australiana gang and current subcultures flourishing in our pub scenes. The ‘sharpies’, named for their sharp sense of style, dressed in Levis, cardigans, tucked in T-shirts, and sporting a series of home job tattoos; not unlike what you see within youth culture attending local gigs today.

The Sharpies were uniquely Australian, reclaiming what was otherwise considered

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barriers intended to limit the working class. The mullet, often shunned in current Australia, was at the forefront of style. However, this individual style, stemming from isolation from the American and UK scenes, was not limited to fashion. The Sharpies focused heavily on Aussie boogie rock; they had all of the elements of growing glam-rock without the bravado. The Sharpies had a conscious intention to reclaim what it was to be a working class Australian through their in-your-face production of sound.

We can see such strong correlations between the Sharpies and the growing Australiana local low-fi sound, however the strongest is the unnecessity to don a faux American accent to please a habituated audience. The thick Australian accent may sound crass to some, but it’s finally having its moment in the music industry. Maybe this is because the youth are searching for an identifiable voice, especially given how unrelatable the commercialised American industry is becoming. In the pressing reality of a hyper-consumer society, the youth are looking for something real, something relatable. While Courtney Barnett’s Depreston struck a chord with young house hunters in Melbourne’s northern suburbs, local bands like Ricky Albeck and the Belair Line Band have created familiar favourites with songs about Midnight Spaghetti at the Crown and Anchor. The new sound growing

from our local scenes is providing that for young Aussies, and creating a unanimous sense of united culture and pushback against this palatable music industry.

This type of familiarised music has paved the way to a resurgence in a subculture, one that is not constrained by a specific genre, but rather a fusing together of different influences to create something uniquely Australian.

It may be a concept that’s been around since the late 60s, but with each new generation it has adapted and grown. One thing however will always stay the same. It is a subculture that allows the youth of Australia, from big cities to small towns, to gather and socialise around a shared love of music and be a part of a community. In this technology driven age we lose the chance to have face-to-face connections on a daily basis, but music continues to bring us together as it always has.

Only now, we’re seeing a new generation come through with their own unique sound; one that’s relatable at this point in time because of our shared experiences.

Sometimes it’s easy to feel like nobody’s listening to what we, as the youth of our society, have to say.

But it’s encouraging to see a crowd nodding along in agreement.

The music industry has always been heavily influenced by the US, but with a growing subculture behind us, Australia’s gaining traction. The voices of our youth are being heard loud and clear in pubs and live music venues across the country.

Perhaps it’s finally our time to take the lead.

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JACK RIVER’S ‘SPECIAL MOUNTAIN TOUR’ Review by Imogen Hindson

Jack River’s Adelaide leg of her ‘Special Mountain’ Tour, held at the Gov on June 14th, was like stepping back in time and straight into a cheesy romantic comedy.

As Jack River walked on stage into a stream of pink light, dressed head to toe in silver sequins, the Gov transformed from Adelaide’s charming live music venue into the American prom we’ve all dreamed of. Upon announcing her tour, Jack River explained “I made

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this album to be a grand and brilliant sparkly ballroom, where you pour your whole heart out on the dancefloor to heal and cry and become strong.” Her ballroom dream certainly came to life, and with flowing curtains drooping from the ceiling and faux flowers tied to the instruments, River set the teenage pop tone of the night with her opening song, ‘Fields’.

The magical opener was followed by ‘Confess’, as River greeted everyone in the room. Her engaging stage presence has to be noted, as she truly interacted with the audience in a personable and engaging way. She followed up with the iconic ‘Limo Song’, and as everyone started to settle into the set, you could see a wave of bodies moving from side to side.

As River struck the opening cords of ‘So High’, one thing was obvious: this gig was a clear reclamation of femininity, in a way that was tapping into old school stereotypes and flipping them on their head. With the sequins, the floral arrangements, the feeling of teenage celebration of love, I expected the event to feel cheesy and focused on the longstanding trope of structured femininity.

However, River’s ‘So High’ was emotive and mesmerising, with femininity taken into her own hands and spun to reflect the individual artist. As River leapt into her charismatic chorus, I couldn’t help but throw my hands above my head and sway.

We felt an upbeat change as River delved into ‘Fault Line’, the audience belting the lyrics back at her. As she grinned ear from ear, the bright and fun energy in the room was overwhelmingly contagious.

As River dropped the tempo and opened ‘Talk Like That’, River perfectly set a theme for the next few songs: romance.

To the audience’s surprise, she followed with ‘Truly Madly Deeply’, a live version of her Triple J Like a Version. After the entire audience scream-sung back at the artist, she commented and said that Adelaide were the loudest and most engaging on tour. Moving to ‘In Infinity’, I wanted to slow dance with a lover;

with the following song ‘Head to Stars’, I felt like I stepped into an iconic scene in a romantic comedy, where the main character locks eyes with someone from across the room in a crowded bar.

River’s setlist choice is commendable, and set a strong romantic, prom-like feeling that was a brand new experience for everyone in the room.

She brought back the energy, however, with ‘Bedroom’. River’s vivacity was so clear, as she danced across the stage while the audience mimicked her moves.

Despite the line “all these people in the room, I just wanna be alone”, the carefree ambiance was in the air as the audience sung. River followed with the gritty ‘Adolescent’, only to be contrasted with her popular and playful ‘Sugar’.

Finishing up with ‘Fool’s Gold’, it was an iconic set to remember.

As she walked off stage, the audience cheered for an ‘encore’. River and her band came back and played the ethereal track that started it all, ‘Nothing’s Gonna Hurt You Baby’, followed by roadtrip classic ‘Palo Alto’. As people finished the final sips of their drinks and wildly cheered, River bowed and blew kisses at fans.

River’s performance was one of energy, of romance, and of love for an era long gone. She tapped into the nostalgic feeling of clean, cheesy teenage pop, and modified it in a way that was relevant to us all. As we left the prom that was the Adelaide Gov, I felt like I’d experienced the romantic comedy I’ve always dreamed of.

This is a review of Jack River’s ‘Special Mountain Ball’ tour, with special guests Eves Karydas and San Mei. Jack River played at the Gov on Friday June 14th.

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CAST OUT BEYOND THE BLACK STUMP: An extrovert’s overly dramatic account of their placement Words by Emma Mustaca

Like many degrees, education has a placement.

Placements are essentially an unpaid trial of the job your degree prepares you for, to dip your toes into the true horror of the profession you’re about to walk into. The first practical placement for teaching takes place in the last year, and makes up the majority of your final marks.

For the last three years, I had been starryeyed about the prospect of a rural placement somewhere nice and quiet in the country, egged on by tutors telling us that there were no jobs for teachers in Adelaide and a quiet desire to set myself apart from my peers. Literally, very far apart, as I asked to go to Mount Gambier to a school where I had previously done volunteer work.

Now, if I had put any thought into this decision whatsoever, I would have immediately realised this idea was dumb as shit because a) The University of Adelaide, God bless her, offers zero financial support for students who voluntarily go on rural placement. Or any placement. You can go to the welfare office and cry poor for a $500 scholarship, or apply for a scholarship with the School of Education, with no certainty that you will receive either. This is despite how strongly encouraged it is, and the very real possibility of having to quit your job to fulfill the responsibilities of your placement. Figure that one out. b) I am painfully extroverted, Mount Gambier is a four hour and forty minute drive away, and my friends are all gay and can’t

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drive. Going four weeks without seeing my friends sounded like a bad time, but I trusted myself to be okay. What a beautiful fool I was.

Clearly, I made some oversights, and I can’t say for sure that I didn’t immediately doom myself to fail. But there were other factors at work, too.

Anyone who knows anyone in the education degree will have been subjected to some yelling about the fact that the structure of the degree very poorly sets up students for the reality of teaching. In fact, it’s a fairly common complaint of our university overall that our graduates have great subject knowledge fit for research, but limited practical experience. For teaching, this rings especially true. I knew a lot about Zones of Personal Development and the arrangement of Bloom’s Taxonomy and both of these things were really helpful to me as an educator when I had students refusing to participate in a lesson because they would rather play CoolMathsGames.

To give the university some credit, every four to five students was given a “liaison” to deal with matters between the university and their mentor teachers. One liaison was allocated to all the country kids, most of whom were sane human beings and chose places along the Yorke peninsula where they already lived. My liaison was fantastically blunt with me.

“It’s just too far to drive, so you won’t get a visit from me.”

Understandable, there are times when I also don’t want to do my job. This was the only official support we were given before starting.

I didn’t exactly set out with confidence.

This placement gave us a half-time load of teaching. In the education degree as it stands, we’re taught Senior Curriculum and Methodology, which essentially teaches you how to teach Year 11 and 12.

I was given Year 8 and 9 classes to teach. I told my mentor teachers I had no idea what I was meant to teach, as the course hadn’t gone through the Year 8-10 curriculum at all.

“Oh well,” one of my mentor teachers said to me, “Year 12 is too important a time for them to be a guinea pig for a student teacher.”

With limited experience making lesson plans and unit plans, I stood in front of a class of Year 8s on the first day, voice shaking, uncertain, and for the first time in my life, truly panicking.

I was in an unfamiliar place, with no one to talk to, saddled with a workload I had no idea how to tackle at all, and two mentors who were lovely, but far too busy to deal with a clueless young person’s nonsense. This panic lurked in the background of my non-stop exhaustion like the Jaws theme growing louder and louder for six long-ass weeks where all I could do was learn to tread water and wait for the end.

Some days were fine. Students would listen.

An idea would work. Things went according to plan. Most days were terrible. Students would be uncooperative, I didn’t feel prepared, and everything would go to shit.

Every night, I would go back to the two star motel I could afford to stay at, exhausted from a 8am to 4pm day and take an hour to myself.

Then, because the motel wifi only worked intermittently, I’d have to drive across town to the Maccas where one of my students worked to steal some wifi and actually get work done; create lesson plans, worksheets, find resources

for students of all learning abilities and styles.

Then I’d get home at 8:30, put myself to bed by 9:00 and get ready to do the whole thing over again the next day, resisting the ever-tempting urge to throw myself into one of the many craters in the area, and go to sleep.

My weekends off were marred by being cat-called literally every time I dared exist as a woman-shaped person in a public setting, instances of misdirected homophobia (a barber asked if I kept my hair so short because I was a “lezzer”), and extreme loneliness. Every time my phone struggled to load Instagram I’d see friends going out partying and enjoying their lives, or worse; a Game of Thrones spoiler.

Curled up on a mattress that felt like it was stuffed with half-bricks and handguns, I ached with sadness. All I wanted was to go home.

I think placement is a great idea to prepare you for the reality of your post-uni career. All degrees should have a practical placement element. I learned more about teaching on my six weeks of placement than I did in the previous three years of my degree.

It’s a steep learning curve for the people who have their peers with them to share ideas and commiserate. Then they got to go home and sleep in their own beds each night. For me, on my own, in an unfamiliar place, it felt absolutely impossible to conquer.

Not everybody’s placement will have been or will be as miserable as mine was, but I offer no illusions about the benefits having outweighed the drawbacks. They didn’t, and it was an unnecessarily hard, unsupported time.

Now that I’m home, back amongst the loving warmth of my friends and family, people have asked me frequently how placement was, and I keep telling them the same thing; “I don’t want to talk about it.”

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Trigger/content warning: discussion of sexual assault

Words by Alexandra Karstens

Art by @angvs

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D

avid Benioff and Dan Weiss, first of their names, objectifiers of women, wasters of potential, bad writers: how two white male dudebros ruined fantastic female characters from the very beginning.

If you’re like everyone I know who watches Game of Thrones, you’re probably disappointed and underwhelmed with the season finale that ended a eight year run of a television series that sparked a pop culture phenomenon. If you’re like me, you saw disappointment coming a mile away.

I started watching the show back in high school as a blossoming young feminist who hadn’t yet learned about objectification, but I still felt pretty uncomfortable watching scene after scene of naked women that seemed to serve no purpose except to persuade young male viewers to keep watching through the bits that are heavy on dialogue and light on the action.

But even as the nudity seemed to decrease as the seasons passed, one thing didn’t change; the blatant misogyny. While it has been evident since the beginning, season eight displayed D&D’s poorly hidden sexism more than ever. Varys, The Spider, plotted for Jon to take the throne because “he’s a man,” and “cocks are important.” Values that Varys hadn’t expressed the entire running of the show.

That was just the beginning. Though I consider Danaerys’s spiral into madness and her subsequent death poorly executed plotlines anyway, it reeks of sexism. Danaerys, a character who overcame being sold into a different culture by carefully adapting and proved her worth as a leader by surviving starvation in a desert, used her accumulated power to free thousands of slaves is somehow less qualified to rule than a man who was betrayed and stabbed by the very men he commanded. For her to be dubbed “mad” evokes images of the classic “madwoman in the attic” trope first devised by Jane Eyre, in which a mentally ill woman is incarcerated by a man who married her to obtain her wealth.

And that’s just season eight.

D&D, as they’re known, have demonstrated a habit of erasing and mistreating female characters for years, and it’s noticeable early on in Game of Thrones.

In season one, we see the removal of mother and daughter duo Chataya and Alayaya who run and work in their own brothel.

Many of Alayaya’s roles from the books are replaced by Ros, a character created for the TV show, who is the sex worker eventually tortured and killed by Joffrey in season three.

Around season four, the Lady Stoneheart story arc was expected to appear, yet was mysteriously cut out. Season four also sees Jamie rape his sister Cersei in a scene that was consensual in the books. This begs the question, for what reason?

In season five, Sansa is married to Ramsay Bolton - a storyline that originally belongs to non-existent character in the show, Jeyne Poole - and the audience is subjected to another unnecessary rape scene. The viewers already know Ramsay

is a horrible person, and the only purpose it seems to serve is giving Theon motivation to drive the plot, which takes away any respect and sensitivity from Sansa’s character. The fact that this scene coincided with Sophie Turner turning eighteen also raises the question about whether the writers were simply waiting for the actress to turn eighteen so they might write a rape scene for her.

In comparison, take Outlander’s handling of rape scenes.

When a major character in the show is raped, the show spends a long time focusing on the character’s trauma and subsequent healing and survival. The sexual assault itself is not sexy nor is it over quickly. It’s uncomfortable and horrific to watch. As is should be, if rape is included in a television series, though it is never a necessary plot device. It emphasises how traumatic the event is and sympathises with the survivor. Not like Game of Thrones, which barely remembers the event and disregards any trauma the character might experience.

While I understand that similar events of sexual assault are also prevalent in the books, I have to argue that at least we don’t have to visually see them. They don’t include actual naked bodies available to be objectified or actresses who have to endure these pretend acts.

Game of Thrones is a fantasy where dragons exist, people have violet eyes, old dudes in caves that can literally see the entirety of all time (Bran knows what’s West of Westeros, Arya, just ask him.), and red-haired ladies give birth to literal demon spirits. While George R.R. Martin may argue he’s grounding his story in medieval realism, but I take issue with that. Where are the examples of people dying of dysentery, the infestations of lice, the strange medicine practices? People online pointed out how odd it was that a wildling woman, Osha, would sport a shaved vagina despite being a Wildling. Not to mention that war would see not only the rape of women, but also of men.

But of course in Game of Thrones, assault against men isn’t sexualised - Theon’s castration is almost played for laughs, in which Ramsay humorously eats a sausage not long after castrating him.

Game of Thrones can’t argue that sexual assault is just a sign of its times. While the series takes heavy inspiration from the War of the Roses, the big difference here is that the War of the Roses didn’t have dragons.

I’m not saying you can’t enjoy Game of Thrones. Heck, some of you might even be pleased after the finale of season eight. All I ask is that you acknowledge that the show - and the books don’t have the best track record when it comes to the treatment of women. I could go on and on about various problematic tropes in the show; white saviour complexes, ableist language (Bran the Broken, anyone?), making light of genital mutilation (just count how many times Tyrion had to mention Varys’s lack of testicles), dehumanization of sex workers, homophobia (Loras’s arrest is due to his homosexuality), glorification of violence, and POC generally being secondary in the show.

D&D have never respected women. I knew Danaerys was never going to end up on the Iron Throne because D&D would never allow a woman to rule the seven - ahem - six kingdoms.

I shiver at the thought of what they’re going to do with Star Wars.

33

Film Review: 2040 Directed by Damon Gameau

Review by Owen Selby Adelaide University Film Society In a year that has both Avengers: Endgame and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Damon Gameau’s documentary about climate change is perhaps the most important film to be released in 2019. Inspired by a desire to create a healthy and sustainable future for his four-year old daughter, Gameau presents to us technology, currently existing in the world today, that can help us create a bright future, and a 2040 that makes worries about human extinction a thing of the past.

As someone who is growing increasingly concerned by the likelihood that it is too late to save ourselves, it was extremely refreshing to be provided with something hopeful and optimistic, and not in a dreamy, unrealistic way. This film uses facts and climate experts to demonstrate how humanity can lead itself towards a bright future, and this means that when Gameau shows us what looks like an almost utopian version of our future, it doesn’t seem far-fetched or unattainable. This is a grounded future, one that doesn’t focus on flying cars or living on Mars (although Elon Musk does appear to think that should be humanity’s priority), but rather takes a look at the fairly big changes society will have to make to achieve its goals.

This is a very well-produced film, with some clever visuals and editing tricks which help to add some flair and sparkle. Structurally, it is segmented into five different tools at our disposal that we can immediately start using. After explaining each of these strategies in detail, the documentary will

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then flash to the future, focusing on a grown-up version of Gameau’s daughter, Velvet. During the middle, I did get a touch bored of the same structure over and over again, but this may simply be because the main focus became agriculture and farming techniques, which isn’t exactly my area of interest. But what this film taught me is that whether or not I enjoy gardening isn’t actually the point, along with everybody else, I need to embrace it if I want to be part of a sustainable community and be a contributor towards a healthier world.

Overall, I highly recommend seeing this film, simply for the sheer importance of its message and because it contains information useful to all of us in the universal fight against climate change.

This is an idealist’s version of the future, and therefore you could describe it as a bit too sugarcoated, but in my opinion it’s not a bad thing for us to know what the best possible outcome could be. If we aim for the best and only achieve something a bit below that, it’s better than aiming for something average and achieving worse. This is a film that had my interest from the beginning, lost it in the middle but reclaimed it before the end, and it’s message has literally changed my outlook on some aspects of our society. It’s not often I can say that watching a film will be genuinely informative and has the tools to help save our species, but this time I can.

Verdict: 4/5

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35

ARE YOU BEING 'GREENWASHED'?

WORDS BY JUSTIN MCCULLOCH

“Palm Oil Free” “Organic” “Made from 100% recycled materials” “Biodegradable” “Profits go to people in need” Labels such as these appear alongside the food we eat, the cosmetics we buy, and the business we support. We see governments and businesses pledging to go “carbon neutral” and “support sustainable production” as part of their advertising. But what does it actually mean?

These are examples of ‘greenwashing’, a tool in public relations and marketing which proposes that an organisation’s products, aims, or policies be environmentally and socially conscious.

Do you think you might be a victim of greenwashing?

As conscious consumers, we choose to believe that the choices we make are the right ones - that they contribute to social, economic, and environmentally sustainable choices. These might be smaller choices such as using a bamboo toothbrush or reusable keep-cup, or bigger lifestyle changes such as leaving the car at home whenever you can or living off a plant-based diet to reduce your carbon footprint. However, these things won’t save the world. Or at least, not on their own.

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1BP Logo before and after the 2000 Rebrand, Canny Creative The global fuel giant BP is the textbook example of corporate greenwashing. In 2000, the petrol giant sought to start the new millennium with a new image by beginning to explore energy options in natural gas and solar alongside petroleum.

This also involved rebranding from ‘British Petroleum’ to ‘Beyond Petroleum’ - complete with a change in their image from the distinct, authority invoking shield of old, to the helios design we know today; even the change in capitalisation of BP appears friendlier. While BP has invested heavily in alternative forms of energy, they are still dwarfed by their interests in petroleum exploration across the globe.

To many, BP remains synonymous with ecological catastrophe, especially after the Horizon Deepwater disaster in 2010, the largest oil spill in the world.

While we often think about greenwashing in the context of capitalism and business, we should also consider how governments may be guilty of greenwashing. For example, take the City of Adelaide (CoA) and its goal to be the first Carbon Neutral City in the world, backed by Carbon

Neutral Adelaide. This huge endeavour seeks to reduce the emissions from buildings and infrastructure in CoA, to work towards zero-emissions transport to and within the city and offsetting any remaining emissions. While a worthy goal, and one I wholeheartedly support, it is possible to argue that CoA’s quest is an example of political greenwashing. In Australia, transport is the third highest source of CO2 emissions at 19%, second only to electricity, and is steadily rising due to population growth and an increase in car ownership. While alternative transport options such as ride-sharing, electric vehicles, public transport and cycling are available in Adelaide, we are also recognised as one of the most car dominated capital cities in Australia, exemplified by the State Government pledging to improve intersections for driving commuters into the CBD after slashing public transport options.

This isn’t to say that all organisations who promote sustainable change through their policies and projects are guilty of greenwashing. While businesses such as Who Gives a Crap or Australian Ethical Super use their environmental and social policy positions in their marketing and PR, they also actively promote and participate in positive change. Not only does Who Gives a Crap make and sell environmentally sustainable products, they donate 50% of their profits to help build toilets in developing communities, improving health outcomes for those in need. On the other hand, Australian Ethical Super aim to contribute to a lowcarbon economy through divesting from fossil fuel and companies who exploit

workers, asylum seekers, or animals, instead investing in environmentally and socially conscious businesses involved with renewable energy. Even Adelaide Uni’s own Ecoversity promotes conscious sustainable action in students and staff across our campuses.

While corporate giants such as BP, or even the Federal Government, might give the impression that there isn’t a lot you can do to change things, and where the term ‘greenwashing’ might make it seem that even the most environmentally sustainable options are not what they seem, hope isn’t entirely lost. The world is on the precipice of change with global movements such as the School Strike for Climate and Extinction Rebellion fighting for change in climate policy and regulation. While consumer goods such as reusable coffee cups and other zerowaste alternatives becoming increasingly commonplace in our homes, offices, and backpacks.

It’s a damn cliché but try to be the positive change you want in the world.

Ride a bike to uni, give your classmate a KeepCup, or even avoid animal products one or two days of the week.

Or by doing these things, perhaps we are greenwashing ourselves.

Justin is a PhD student in the School of Social Sciences, and a committee member of the Adelaide Sustainability Association and the Adelaide Uni Geography and Development Society. He has definitely been greenwashed in the past but he’ll strongly deny it.

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Death and In the wake of a re-elected Morrison government, three things are certain. Dumping Malcolm was a good power move from the men in Blue/Black. Deaths are still certain and so too are tax cuts.

D

Words by Anonymous

uring the election campaign (and first flagged at the 2019 Budget), the Morrison Liberal Government said income tax cuts would result in soaring economic growth, surpluses, and a little something for taxpayers. After the election result, it is evident that Australians are in favour of having more money in pockets.

The policy would see tax payers on low incomes receive a rebate of up to $1,080 per person. Dual-income families would be entitled to approximately $2060. Not everyone will get this amount, though. The rebate will be based upon the tiered taxing system in Australia. Basically, the more you earn, the more tax you pay. Therefore, the more you earn, the more you’ll get back under this policy.

Expansionary fiscal policy is generally well-received by voters and governments alike. In theory, the income tax cuts should stimulate growth through increased consumer spending. Tax payers have more disposable income because they will not have to pay that amount to the ATO. They are then able to spend this extra money however they choose.

A few Rio Tinto stocks? A new AJE frock? A cheap getaway to Bali? Taxpayers ultimately hold the power to either invest or save their money. Keep in mind though, that to stimulate economic growth, this money will have to go back into the Australian economy.

the Senate. The End of Financial Year is June 30. Australians may not see this money until next year’s budget. But even if this postelection hot-take is wrong, there are some other worrying signs worth addressing.

The ABS has shown that Australia’s inflation rate remains unchanged and is close to zero.

Usually, wages grow with increasing levels of inflation to accommodate for rising prices.

The unchanging rate of inflation has seen that neither wages or prices (of let’s just say, food) increase by much, and in retrospect, stable prices for food is not necessarily a bad thing. RBA governor, Phillip Lowe cites concern for those who borrowed a heap of money, and now might not have the means to meet their accrued debts without real wage growth. This issue could also be extended to those at risk of employment insecurity.

Additionally, wage stagnation means that your superannuation and future savings will be consequently lowered. These things all signal low levels of economic activity and can further entrench inequality. Some inflation is better than none.

So all this for in a return of $1,080 in liquid assets? (or more if you already have heaps of assets).

If we spread the amount over a year, this would equate to an additional $20.76 per week for the taxpayer. Double that if you’re a dual-income household. Realistically, the rebate will be enough to pick up a few extra groceries, pay off some bills, fill up the car with a schooner’s worth of petrol. Maybe a few cheeky bevs (or just one) at a pub with So far, the tax cuts do sound quite rosy, the boys? but in reality, the outlook is quite bleak.

Perhaps a broader approach in fiscal The government will not reconvene until the policy would better stimulate household AEC finishes counting and the election writs consumption and the economy. If you want are returned before Parliament, which is expected to be sometime in mid-June. Then, a Australia to spend, then give them the means bill will need to pass through the House and to do it. In addition to tax cuts, there should

38

d Tax Cuts be significant investment into social security and a commitment to increase wages and secure employment.

nice to have during a recession, however, when people are currently hungry, dying and struggling to make ends meet,

Those on casual, part time wages are unlikely to see any rebate if they are earning $18,000 or less. They’re also likely to be relying on penalty rates to supplement wage stagnation and make ends meet on odd hours. An increase in wages will give all workers a greater sense of financial security and set them up well for the future.

economic uncertainty is even more acute.

It is important that fiscal policy aims to benefit the greater public. The tax rebate empowers taxpayers which is a great thing.

Simultaneously, the Morrison economic plan punishes low income earners by reducing their purchasing power. Those on low-income, unemployed, or in receipt of welfare payments will receive little to nothing through these policies. Giving people the agency to make choices about their lives is good for the economy. In the long run, investments in social security and securing employment would perhaps be more beneficial to the public than just tax cuts alone.

We must also remember that GPD growth is not the best indicator for happiness and well-being. The Guardian recently reported that an elderly citizen with Cancer on Newstart and NDIS payments died before their process claims were completed.

There appears to be a causal link between financial insecurity and poor mental health amongst young people. Furthermore, Food Bank Australia has reported growing number of regular clients approaching their services, which may indicate that the number of Australians doing it tough is on the rise. A wealthy country that is becoming increasingly reliant on charities should speak volumes about the way our systems are currently treating people.

It is high time to raise the rate of social security payments because this money goes straight back into the Australian economy.

Considering the fact that this demographic is most likely to spend their money on daily essentials, it seems unfathomable that they will not be seeing any benefit from this policy or the Liberal budget, which on a whole, reeks of austerity. Revenue will be raised, as per usual, through taxes while investments in infrastructure, social services, hospitals and education will flatline.

We are likely to see an increase in GDP growth from this policy. Budget surpluses are

Quiz: What does $1,080 get you now days? Now circle what purchases are good for the Australian economy! ½ a return flight to Europe (~$2300 to flying with Emirates in July) 2 Camilla gowns from David Jones seasonal sales 2 pairs of R.M Williams Comfort Craftsman (you might be $100 short depending on styles/sizing) A fuck tonne of printing credit from Access Adelaide that probs will last for the duration of your degree.

310 St Raphael’s cart coffees.

72 Schnitzel + Chips meals from the New Unibar (with AUU membership, of course) A booking for 10-person banquet at Africola Approximately 9 Law ball tickets for next year’s event, if you can get your tax returns in on time #aulsslawball2020 All your semester 2 textbooks from the coop (or, save a bit of dosh getting 2nd hand reads).

39

LEARNING TE REO MĀORI Words By Julian Rawiri Kusabs

A question I used to frequently ask my multilingual friends was “how do you keep motivating yourself?” In my more awkward schooling years, I had tried my hand unsuccessfully at Spanish and Japanese. I had always valued the intrinsic beauty of different cultures and languages, but rote learning a new dialect still felt as thrilling as tax returns.

Two years ago, I found my motivation. I was born in New Zealand and come from a Māori family. Growing up, I have often engaged in many of the cultural practices of my whakapapa (heritage). My grandfather would begin the hāngi (feast) with a karakia (prayer). I have met relatives with a hongi (nose greeting) at a family member’s tangi (funeral). Waiata (traditional song) would be performed after such events. There’s even an embarrassing video of yours truly performing the haka in the living room as a child, although it is not quite as intimidating when it is screamed by an eight-year-old instead of burly rugby players.

Nonetheless, I always felt that I only held a superficial understanding of te reo (the Māori language). I am a profligate spender on Book Depository and two years ago, I picked up some texts about studying Māori. Learning a language was remarkably different this time as I sourced my motivation from my heritage.

Since then, I have utilised the language to read museum exhibits, engage with Māori media, converse with the community online, as well as translate documents for assignments.

I am far from fluent, but it has already been a very fulfilling experience with a multitude

40

of unexpected benefits. I have become more aware of how different languages have varying structural elements in their syntax.

I have also acquired an appreciation for the ambiguous nuances of translation. I think that these benefits are ubiquitous to any person attempting to acquire a second language. Therefore, I wholeheartedly endorse the endeavour, especially learning a rare and indigenous language. I believe that engaging with these helps to facilitate unique understandings.

Proverbs are a great example of this as they provide a wonderful insight into the specific worldview of a people. The aphorisms which are preserved and those that are forgotten tacitly indicate what a society values. In Māori, these proverbs are called whakataukī.

As a child, my grandfather would often tell me that “the kūmara (sweet potato) doesn’t say how sweet it is”, an endorsement of humility.

As I learnt more, I later discovered that my grandfather’s words came from the Māori whakataukī ‘kāore te kūmara e kōrero mō tōna ake reka’. This realisation gave me a new insight into the ideals and principles under which my grandfather was raised.

I chose this particular whakataukī as I feel it has particular applicability in a time of Fyre Festival, Lamborghini flexes, and Instagram influencers. The pressure on millennials such as myself to project an idealised image is strong and ever present. The kūmara proverb is an important reminder that others will remember us by the character they knew rather than the

persona that was proclaimed. It promotes sincerity and rejects meretricious posturing.

Proverbs such as this are remarkable in how they endure the inexorable decay of time.

They do so because they embody wisdom that remains relatable to posterity far beyond the original orators. I think this is especially true of whakataukī.

Māori society has witnessed a truly immense degree of social change over the last few centuries. The whakataukī I cherish today were originally conceived in a completely different world. Yet, they have held applicability to my ancestors, my grandfather, and lastly myself.

Mātauranga (knowledge) such as this is often deemed a taonga (treasure) by Māori people.

When our proverbs and language are lost, so too are our treasures and knowledge. Last century, the Māori language was brought into a disconcerting crisis. Richard Benton’s 1978 survey alarmed the nation that fluency among Māori had dropped to only 18%.

Moreover, most of those fluent were elderly with limited time to pass on their knowledge.

This legitimised the anxieties held by many Māori communities; there had been significant grassroots initiatives prior but this survey further spurred many into action. A larger revival movement emerged attempting to stem the tide of linguistic extinction. They pioneered pre-schools called kōhanga reo which operated entirely in a Māori language immersion environment. Then, this precedent evolved into independent primary schools called kura kaupapa Māori who also instructed their classes entirely in te reo. Many others worked to promote te reo in bilingual classes, schools, and universities.

If not for the efforts of these revivalist pioneers, I might have never had the resources and opportunity to learn te reo whilst living in Adelaide. By celebrating an endangered and uncommon language, one contributes to the next generation’s opportunity to do the same.

Another whakataukī that comes to mind is ‘ko tāu rourou, ko tāku rourou, ka ora te manuhiri’.

It translates to ‘with your food basket, and my food basket, the guests will be satisfied’. This means that cumulative contributions made together can accomplish larger goals. This Māori principle of collaboration is one echoed by countless other whakataukī.

I feel that the revival movement has taken this wisdom to heart. Many have contributed their proverbial ‘food baskets’ towards common aims to achieve remarkable progress. Māori became an official language of New Zealand in 1987. There are now numerous radio and television services delivered in te reo. My passport is printed in both Māori and English.

Whilst in Wellington last month, I smiled whilst selecting the te reo option on the ATM. The $100 button is still the $100 button in Māori so I didn’t get to feel too special but the thought was nice.

These results are what many different ‘food baskets’ can accomplish. I believe that any ‘food basket’, big or small, is an admirable contribution. Learning a rare indigenous language to even a rudimentary level of competency can assist in its survival.

Languages live and die with their speakers and, like other cultural practices, deserve preservation.

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42

WHISTLE-BLOWERS AND THE WAR ON DEMOCRACY WORDS BY ANNABELLE MCKINNON

The heart of democracy is broken – and you should be worried.

Annika Smethurst, a political journalist for the Sunday Telegraph, was getting ready for a day at work when she received a knock on the door by the Australian Federal Police. The raid lasted over 7 hours, rustling through bins, searching her oven, and sifting through her underwear. They even looked through her tired Christmas decorations collecting dust and housing spiders for the winter.

Her space was invaded, and she was persecuted in the pursuit of journalistic integrity. Smethurst is now considered a potential criminal for exposing truth.

Let that sink in That truth was in relation to new powers, the fact that the Federal Government supposedly requires greater surveillance over its citizens. The article Smethurst wrote claimed the Australian Signals Directorate would be able to spy on Australians by hacking into critical infrastructure without a warrant. The Home Affairs boss, Mike Pezzullo, confirmed the story would be referred for police investigation shortly after the article was published over a year ago. The Minister for Home Affairs initially dismissed the report as “nonsense”.

Our outrage poured into the next day when Australians watched the AFP storm the ABC Headquarters. On this occasion, they sieved through 9000 files trying to find the classified source accusing Australia’s elite special forces in Afghanistan of killing unarmed men and children. They left with 100 documents on two USB sticks sealed in plastic evidence bags.

Scott Morrison claims he had no idea these raids were taking place and sides with the AFP to do their job and protect the exposure of classified documents. And yes, Morrison is right. The AFP are doing their job according to the law. But for our leaders to dismiss our rights to know their plans that directly affect us is not only wrong, it is hurtful to the democracy that they preach and is an integral part of what makes our country so bloody great.

The democracy that we need, but apparently only when it suits their agenda. If you have a go then you’ll get a go, right? Not anymore.

As the people living under a purported democracy, politicians are meant to act on behalf of those who employ them - us, the Australian voters and taxpayers.

We have a right to know what plans the government has for us and what they are so desperately trying to hide.

There is no evidence to suggest that Annika Smethurst and the two journalists from the ABC damaged national security. News Corp, who is normally a friend of the Liberal Government, attacked the raid as a “dangerous act of intimidation” that undermined the public’s “right to know”. Put best by ABC chairwoman, Ita Buttrose, these journalists decided to shine a light on disturbing dark corners of our very own state that the public would otherwise be blind to. These journalists and whistleblowers are somehow the individuals being persecuted – not the people hiding the information.

But, without clear laws or constitutional protection for journalists like the US, UK, and Canada, our democratic system is a step behind everyone else.

The raids bear witness to a system that simply isn’t 2GB radio host, Ben Fordham said he had been officially working and puts reporters and their sources in jeopardy. advised that he was the subject of a similar investigation However, the real indignity is the tarnished state of over a report about several boatloads of asylum seekers democracy, which will only sink further in the absence of a free press. attempting to reach Australia from Sri Lanka.

All three incidents were unrelated, but all were met with an unprecedented attack on free press. These restrictions are rightly prompting questions about the limits of the media. What can journalists publish without government threats? How do reporters even consider holding politicians accountable for their wrongdoings if they risk losing their livelihoods? Why does the law not cover this?

This is not about letting the media stick their nose into every nook and cranny of the government, but instead ensuring our politicians are kept both transparent and accountable for their actions. We don’t need rose tinted glasses to see the beauty in Australia. That beauty is our ability to look our politicians in the eye and confront them for what is wrong and unjust.

43

THE MISGIVINGS OF THE POLITICAL MIDDLE-GROUND: WHY CENTRISM CAN'T SAVE LABOR WORDS BY STASI KAPETANOS

Following their electoral defeat, Australia’s Labor Party is being strongly advised to abandon more of its political base, as well as being chastised for failing to appeal to the mythical moderate centrist voters. This is being most vigorously encouraged by the conservative media – the last people who should be influencing the direction of Australia’s foremost left-of-centre political party.

a spirit level on a backyard woodwork project.

Instead people are largely driven by ideas, slogans, emotions, aspirations and who they think will do best by them. This is a flawed and sometimes contradictory process; the party with the cash to spend on all those ads is not very likely to be the one that really has your interest at heart.

This is, however, how the clown show that is representative democracy actually works; how the British people were persuaded to vote for Brexit, how Donald Trump became U.S. President, and how Scott Morrison won the election. Voters in Queensland and parts of New South Wales and Tasmania that left the Labor party in droves did not do so because of some intellectual pursuit of pure centrist moderation by swinging towards the far-right One Nation for example. Australia’s most This however is a ridiculously flawed assumption impoverished constituencies and traditional that is historically transplanted from the 80s and Labor heartlands did not vote against their previously preferred party due to some bizarre 90s, where it may have had some use in cutbelief that Labor’s modestly left-wing economic throat realpolitik at its best, and could promote policies would destroy Australia. outright self-sabotage at its worst, calling into question the credibility of its proponents. Fewer voters than the political and media class like to Parties like the Centre Alliance did not do pretend actually walk around considering who particularly well at all. Despite defending to vote for by analysing politics on some sort of Rebekah Sharkie, they seemed more like a rural left-right measurement, as if they are analysing independents group than a substantive thirdOne of the narratives about Labor’s downfall was that its ‘progressive’, ‘left-wing’, ‘redistributionist’ agenda was too radical for Queensland. This is essentially a rehashing of the median voter theorem that implores competitors to outcompete their political opponent on the left-right spectrum to move to the centre, in order to appeal to the largest number of voters.

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way force. Clive Palmer’s party was completely overshadowed by populist competition further to the right, despite his embarrassingly large spending spree. The ‘neither left nor right’ but extremely nonsensical Liberal Democratic Party was wiped out along with the ideologically vague ‘law and order’ Justice Party. It is clear this entire middle-of-the-road brand of politics was the biggest loser in 2019.

Pauline Hanson. Think of what that would mean for the asylum seekers and refugees fleeing the wars they create, precarious workers suffering the consequences of their reckless economic policies and a global environment facing devastation from even more unbridled and unsustainable capitalism.

The Greens, who are themselves seemingly going through many issues as of late, did fairly well by comparison. Sure, they had far less lower house seats to defend but they held on to all 6 of their senators that went up for re-election, unlike the ALP, and were among the parties that managed to increase their overall share of the vote. It seems that for all the Greens problems, being called ‘radical’, ‘extremist’, ‘watermelons’ or a ‘left-wing equivalent to One Nation’ were not among them – and may have possibly even helped.

It’s safe to say that backing the Trans Pacific Partnership, failing to promise to raise Newstart, not taking on the liberal dominated fair work commission, failing to abolish robodebt and address the increasing casualisation of Australia’s workforce, is largely what turned much of Australia’s equivalent of the rust belt away from the ALP, not franking credits.

Centre-Left politics has suffered a few massive defeats in the past few years, with a tough on immigration ‘Blue Labor’ in 2015 in the UK, Wall Street neoliberal Hillary Clinton in 2016, and Merkel-aligned Social Democratic Party in Germany 2017 - all being humiliated come election day. Were it not for a resurgent left in the forms of Jeremy Corbyn, Bernie Sanders, and the Greens in Germany, it is hard to imagine any non-conservative political parties having any influence in these major countries.

How depressing would it be to live in a world where politics is primarily contested between conservative elitists and radical populists, like Mitch McConnel v Steve Bannon, Boris Johnson v Nigel Farage, or Scott Morrison v

So, what now for Labor?

Relatively Labor friendly parts of the media, like The Sydney Morning Herald, are also jumping to advance the need for a centrist Labor. But in 2016, Labor had almost no support from the media, and actually fared better. It is almost as if the class interests of those institution clash with those of working Australian voters. Surely, they are more trustworthy advisors than The Australian?

Maybe turning to the centre allowed Labor and Australia’s ‘progressive movement’ to appeal more to Tony Abbot’s former constituents and get Zali Steggal in parliament; Labor did achieve a swing in its favour in Australia’s wealthier constituencies, the people who should be most put off by any truly substantive political change. Representing open minded or bleeding-heart billionaires is a misguided goal for a party rooted in the organised labour movement, not a real path to victory.

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ARTIST FEATURE:

HENRY STENTIFORD

2018

Mural made as par residency ‘Pine Lin in Rota, Spain.

INTERVIEW BY MAXIM BUCKLEY

MURAL, 2018, PART OF THE ARTIST RESIDENCY ‘PINE LINEA DE COSTA’ IN ROTA, SPAIN.

M: The work you've done know your voice as an artist and spans a number of different experimentation is the journey to mediums, do you think find that voice. I have a certain it's important for modern style now but who knows what artists to tackle a number I will make down the track. My of different mediums in favourite medium for the time their artwork? What is your being is clay sculpture, I love favourite medium to work considering the three-dimensional with? space and the sense of touch and

connection to the material that's

involved.

H: I think it's incredibly important

for artists to explore different

mediums in their artwork, M: Given your success with especially during their formative murals, designing wine years. It’s so much fun to pick up labels and the illustrations some chalk and tea-towels and you've done for West see what happens when you Thebarton, what tips would burn them on a kettle - random you give to young artists things like that - it connects you for becoming self-sufficient to the art making child within. through artistic expression?

Experimentation allows you How did you yourself get to to look at your art practise this stage? differently, and the more you

experiment, the more you solidify H: I am not self-sufficient through what you do and don't want to my art practice sadly. It's a tough make. I think it takes a long time to gig making a living through art,

Darlings

twork created for the band including 46designs, posters and a work, t-shirt .

Mural

THE BITTER DARLINGS, POSTER

and if you want to be a full time artist you also have to be a part time something else. Artists are generally not the most finance focused people I have met, but there of course comes a time where you have to face the music of making an income. I encourage artists to work elsewhere on the side to relieve the pressure of making money solely through their art. If you need to sell work to live, that can interrupt your enjoyment of making art which in turn takes away from the quality of the finished product. My advice is also to treat your art practise as any other job and demand self respect when it comes to being paid. Be a professional when you meet people, and remember that one day you may be able to be self-sufficient from your art, but it's a patient journey there. Networking is also incredibly important, and this is made so much easier in the age of social media. I’d encourage artists to take advantage of the many amazing grants and residencies available to them nationally and internationally - the South Australian state Government offers some amazing grants for artists through their website, so take a look.

M: Given the variety of clients you've

had, do you ever find your work to be restricted by their vision? Or do you get a significant amount of flexibility with what you can produce?

H: I often find my work restricted by clients, but I don't wish to frame that as a negative thing.

Clients are the ones with the money after all, and you need them. Don't be precious - be grateful - appreciate your opportunities as every commission draws you closer to your dream commissions that will one day come. I consider myself very lucky as I often have a lot of creative freedom in projects, this is because my current style is quite definable so people know roughly what they're getting.

M: As an avid West Thebarton fan, I've always wanted to know what the inspiration was behind the album covers you did for them? Who is the man in the yellow?

H: The inspiration for the West Thebarton artwork

(RIGHT) THE BITTER DARLINGS, ALBUM ARTWORK

‘A PROBLEM AT LUNCH TIME’, 2018, POLYMER CLAY AND ACRYLIC PAINT, APPROX 300MM WIDE X 200MM TALL

came from the great stories each thing in its ability to cross of their songs were telling. West language divides and connect Thebarton's music often embodies cultures. There's a bevvy of a lot of fun and play which you amazing opportunities for artists will know if you've seen them live, overseas and it's a great way to but also a sense of contemplation see the world. My partner and and discovery. I wanted to reflect I took part in an artist residency these themes in the artwork and in Spain called Pinea Linea De I hopefully made something that Costa, which was an amazing was silly but serious. As for the experience in both meeting other The Bitter Darlings man in yellow, he was supposed international artists and being ‘A Problem at Lunch Time’ ‘A Problem at Lunchthe Time’ to visually embody musical able to research a new culture, Various artwork created for the band including 2018 themes2018 and he himself be on the and then make and exhibit art posters and a album artwork, t-shirt designs, journey the music described.

I about it.

Get out there and do the Polymer clay and acrylic paint band logo.

Polymer clay and acrylic paint wanted him to be positive, cool, a same! People around the world Approx 300mm wide x 200mm tall bit disheveled, mysterious and are waiting for you to go and Approx 300mm wide x 200mm tall a bit funny, which is hopefully what make art with them so get on your people have taken from him. bike!

M: Your work has taken I think Adelaide and Australia you internationally now, at large produces a really high was this something you calibre of artists, and Adelaide ever expected would has provided me with countless happen? Will Adelaide opportunities to develop my always have an influence art. Adelaide will always be a on your work no matter part of my artwork in one way where you are? or another and always be my spiritual home. I hope to learn as much as I can from around our H: I never thought, but always country and the world that I can hoped, my work would take me one day contribute back into the internationally. Art is a beautiful fibre of our great state.

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White Silence Words by Alexandra Nichols

Words placed on top to Cat∙e∙go∙rise: 1. Demarcation.

2. Separation.

3. Systematic stratification.

Definitions pouring from ears.

Collections of certainty hoarded away; Awaiting questions demanding replies.

Stapling down to a logical cause.

Ironing freshly-washed reasons.

What’s known Immediately carved on stone.

Minds stamped onto pages.

Reconstructing histories From remnants of yesterday’s clues.

A story to tell ourselves at night.

Sucking at the teat of truth, Spinning yarns. Tying one end to another. Clumsy knots, An articulation of unity.

Afraid of the big reveal when the ground drops away beneathtrapdoor knowers left dangling without solid footing no idea quite why we’re here Still claiming to be clever.

Who do we question when nobody answers?

When nobody heard what we said?

What do we do when the master’s away?

When we wait in the wings with no script?

Miming the words we once saw performed, One actor to another.

An ad-hoc collection of sounds intonations words tumbling out in their race to the light It’s an echo chamber in here

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That Kid Words by Leela O'Connor

Leaving my leafy suburb I hit the cement and brick of my mother's first home.

The units resigned on the street, there's no peace in the silence, the flyscreen's screech brings no release.

We return for the yia yia of a private school kid.

Not ours through blood, but butter biscuits, overflowing on the gold rimmed plate.

Indian and Greek means little here.

Sighs and inflections bounce off brick.

Colours mix together, like marbles on footpath cement.

I saw you carry your book bag in summer the sun waiting hostile at every turn.

Frayed sneakers, a hand-me-down frown.

At uni they laugh, say, “Take a look at that kid.� yet passing in groups dodge your petition and your gaze.

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WEDNESDAY

social issue discussions,

21 AUGUST · 11AM - 3PM

letter writing, petition

WESTERN COURTYARD,

signing, tips and advice on

HUB CENTRAL

sustainable living

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Interview by Imogen Hindson Questions Answered by Harry Evans and Eamonn Hayes-Goldsmith

Local band Mercs are a five-piece alt-rock, post-punk group, originally having formed in 2017. With tracks such as ‘Isolator’, ‘Tidelines’ and ‘Humdrum’ shaking Adelaide’s local scene, the band have played alongside West Thebarton, The New South Whales, and RAAVE TAPES. After hearing the group are folding after their September release, we delved into some questions about band members’ future projects, what we can expect from their EP, and how the support of Adelaide’s music industry has shaped their success.

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I: Adelaide has a particularly supportive music community – how did your hometown influence your style and lyricism?

H: Yeah, it’s a wonderful community.

Throughout high school we all listened to Horror My Friend, plus we’d watch shows with Atilla My Honey & Weekday Wolves…

I’d say the unvarnished post-punk from Horror My Friend came into our soundthey’re a band we’d listen to on repeat.

Tom Gordon from Horror My Friend was one of our student teachers and he’d always help us out and we’d be able to go to him for any questions we had about the music industry which a real privilege for us was. Plus, Matt Hayward who has been involved in the music scene for ages has always been really helpful and

would give us bands to watch and listen to and advise us on things from marketing to song writing.

We started out by covering Paul Kelly and Bad//Dreems and lyrically they have a realness which is something we wanted to bring to our sound, particularly the song ‘Adelaide’ by Paul Kelly which resonated with a few of our members.

I: What do you think sets you apart from other bands? What local bands have inspired you?

H: I guess we have just really enjoyed playing with each other, pretty much all of us were really good friends at school and at first we were happy to just play one gig in the city and that would’ve been our measure of success. There are so many bands that have inspired us,

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but early on we were really inspired

by Burnside Mums, Horror My Friend, Siamese, Ricky Albeck, Dead Roo, Hot Mess & No Oaths.

I: ‘Tidelines'’ theme of maintaining the façade of ‘happiness’ paints a picture of the realities of constant pressure, particularly on young people – where did this feeling come from, and do you think young people can resonate with the message?

H: There’s absolutely an unspoken social contract where you have to smile and be happy, but sometimes it’s hard to meet those expectations when you’re feeling antisocial, sad or depressed... I think most people can empathise with that.

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I guess it’s coming from our experiences as young people, but wearing the ‘happysocial’ mask seems to be universal. Being in public spaces, you feel as though you’re being assessed, so it’s important to make good impressions. However, I think as we come of age, we’re relying on validation from others less, trusting others’ opinions of us less, and are trying to have a bit more self-respect while making decisions for ourselves.

I: Some band members are venturing out and becoming involved in projects such as GLOWING and Dress Code. How has this come about, and what do you think it says about the interconnectedness of Adelaide’s scene?

H: After nearly two years of playing gigs around the city, we’ve made quite a few new friends from the bands we’ve played with. There was always a desire from Jayden and Liam to play different genres to ours.

at writing and playing some of the best music around.

Things lined up so that some of the members of some other bands including Colourblind and Pemberton were also interested in pursuing different music.

Without that really friendly and supportive atmosphere that exists in Adelaide’s music scene, it might not have been possible for us to intermingle and be extra creative…

We’ve made lasting friends with people outside of the band from playing shows and feel grateful to have the community.

H: This will be our last hurrah as Mercs in its current form, so we just really want to give it a nice send off as we are so grateful to have been able to do this for the past two years. There will be a couple of new songs that we’re pretty proud of, and hopefully we will play a final show with some of our best friends and have a really great time.

I: You’ve got an EP coming out in September – can you give us any hints of what we can expect?

I: Who are some other up and coming local artists to look out for?

H: Other than GLOWING and Dress Code, maybe Rotary Art Show, I personally think they’re one of the more underrated bands in Adelaide. Also, Oopsie Daisy who are absolute geniuses

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The Australiana Sound WORDS / IMOGEN HINDSON

RISE AND SHINE:

01

02

03

Feeding the Family Spacey Jane

Wellesley The Montreals

Bill’s Mandolin Psychedelic Porn Crumpets

FEMME FATALE:

04

05

Salt Eyes Middle Kids

Turn Around Dead Roo

06 Can’t See You Anymore Sweater Curse

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07

08

09

Waste of My Time The Fillmore Brothers

Your Cat Slaughter Beach, Dog

Washed Out The Grogans

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11

12

Moonlighting The Finks

Red FX Falcon Peter Bibby

Gotta Go Kelso

13

14

15

A Waste of Approximately 122 Million Dollars Good Boy

I Am WAAX

Ghost Poke FRITZ

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17

18

1995 Johnny Hunter

7 Day Weekend Neighbourhood Void

Got You Amyl and The Sniffers

YOUR MONTHLY MIX

PUBLIC TRANSPORT:

SLOW BOOGS:

PUB SONGS:

19 Chew The Gum Bleeding Knees Club 57

WORDS BY IMOGEN HINDSON

1: NEON DREAMS (FREE): YOUNG OFFENDERS, The Empty Threats, Blush Response, Fair Maiden, Dead Roo, Oopsie Daisy, Busseys, Annita, and more Where: Crown and ANchor, Roxie’s, Chateau Apollo When: July 28

Where: Jiive When: August 10 6: SLOWLY SLOWLY

2: ARCHITECTS

Where: Lion Arts Factory When: August 10

Where: Thebarton Theatre When: August 6

7: DOPE LEMON

3: THE MONTREALS

Where: HQ Complex When: August 15

Where: Lion Arts Factory When: August 9

8: PARADISE CLUB

4: A DAY OF CLARITY (FREE):

Where: Lion Arts Factory When: August 23

Camp Cope, West Thebarton, Clowns, Jen Cloher (Solo), Outright, The Beautiful Monument, Loose Tooth, Hexdebt, Dark Fair, Canine, Bec Stevens, and many more Where: Clarity Records, Crown and Anchor, The Exeter, Chateau Apollo, Rhino Room, Golden Wattle, Roxies When: August 10

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5: WAAX ‘I AM’ AUSTRALIA TOUR

9: BAG RAIDERS Where: Lion Arts Factory When: August 24

FI N L P O

E

D

YO

UR PE

6 - 8 Aug ust 10 am – 3 pm Dai ly Hub Cen tral

Tuesday Faculty, Support & Political Clubs Wednesday Activity & Hobby Clubs Thursday Cultural, Religious, and Issue-based Clubs

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Winter Warmer DRINK + FOOD SPECIALS

$5 pints

$15 Jugs

$5 Spirits

$10SNIT

COOPERS PALE & DRY

COOPERS SESSION &

BASE SPIRITS

SCHNITZELS 6-9PM

HILLS CIDER

The Edinburgh Hotel & Cellars // 8373 2700 // 7 High Street Mitcham www.edinburgh.com.au //

# theedhotel

NOTE all drinks specials from 7pm