Latest Articles
Social Justice
Response by Ken Blackman to “No One is Illegal”
A Response: Stagnation and Closed Minds – Australian Refugee Activism Now “No One is Illegal” is a very interesting attempt to move action in support of asylum-seeking forward in Australia. I especially agree with Brankovich’s conclusions about the impasse currently facing the ‘refugee movement’ here. However, her prescription for a divestment movement aimed at corporations benefitting from government refugee /... Read More
Social Justice
No One is Illegal
Negotiating Free Markets, Closed Borders, and Refugee Activism in the Neoliberal Era Rethinking borders, the state, and human rights There is a paradox at the heart of the state’s play with, and negotiation of, the meaning ascribed to human rights, border-control and the inflated importance of protection against ‘terrorism’, in the context of a globalised neoliberal world economy. There is... Read More
Culture, Democracy, Social Justice
Art and Activism
Alex Kelly explores the power of art and story in responding to the changes we are experiencing and will continue to experience as a result of the climate crisis. [...]
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Australian Life
Our land abounds in nature’s gifts Of beauty rich and rare Taking stock We live in an extraordinary land. Australia’s natural environments, and the wildlife that they support, are unlike those of any other place. Australia is home to more than half a million different species. Most occur nowhere else. Many are of remarkable antiquity. [...]
Democracy, Environment
Green Ethics
An interview with Peter Singer Peter Singer is one of Australia’s most influential and controversial public intellectuals. A moral philosopher and bioethicist, Peter is best known for his books Animal Liberation, a seminal text for the animal rights movement, and Practical Ethics, which explores why and how a living being’s interests should be valued. In 1996 Peter and Bob Brown... Read More
Democracy, Economy
Response by Godfrey Moase to “Securing Economic Rights”
For me the question is a “how”. How can we, the people, secure our economic rights? We must go beyond “asserting” our economic rights and instead take action to “secure” them. Much work has been done on what those new economic rights should be. Personally, I believe a universal basic income is necessarily one of the rights that we should... Read More
Environment, Social Justice
Response by Russell Edwards to “It’s the culture, stupid!”
Tim Hollo’s essay was a delight to find. What a relief to see such important truths voiced in a prominent arena. To point out that the cause of the ecological crisis is culture, not choices; that the crisis will only be averted by undermining and ultimately replacing the dominant culture; that making a tactical choice to endorse the existing culture, in... Read More
Culture, Environment, Social Justice
Response by David Holyoake to “It’s the culture, stupid!”
While not a direct response to Tim’s essay, the following article from David Holyoake, from a new UK arts activist collective, Forever Swarm, explores similar themes from a UK perspective. The article was first published in Voices, Global Call for Climate Action 7 April 2015. Arts and culture – the missing link to winning the climate fight [...]
Environment, Social Justice
Response by Melanie Lowe to “The oldest game in town”
In his essay ‘The Oldest Game in Town’ Senator Scott Ludlam eloquently describes cities as complex systems that are dependent on the natural environment. He argues for the need for systemic change to our cities, re-orienting them towards more environmentally sustainable forms of infrastructure and economic activity. Senator Ludlam points towards the benefits this could have for the liveability of... Read More
Culture, Environment, Social Justice
It’s the culture, stupid!
Culture is a wonderful word, isn’t it? It’s one of those words which means different things to different people and in different contexts, from opera to the microbes that turn milk into yoghurt. For our purposes, the relevant definition from the Oxford English Dictionary is “[t]he ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a particular people or society”. American artistic activist... Read More
