Excellent article in @thepointau.bsky.social by @squigglyrick.bsky.social
"What if we just gave people money? The economics of time and freedom"
thepoint.com.au/opinions/260...
Morrison one of the six referred to anti-corruption commission Sarah Basford Canales Sarah Basford Canales Former prime minister, Scott Morrison, was one of the six people robodebt royal commissioner, Catherine Holmes, referred to the National Anti-Corruption Commission. The final report, released this morning, found two officials – Mark Withnell and Serena Wilson – had engaged in serious corrupt conduct. The report found the other four, however, did not. The other four names referred to the Nacc included Morrison, Kathryn Campbell, Annette Musolino and Catherine Halbert. Morrison’s failure to realise the bureaucratic advice was misleading, the report found, was due to both the social services and human services departments failing to advise him and other ministers that new laws were needed. Campbell was one of two named by the Australia Public Service Commission in 2024 after it found 12 public servants, including Campbell and former department head Renée Leon, breached the code of conduct 97 times during their involvement in the robodebt program.
NACC's new report finds that two of the Robodebt Six engaged in serious corrupt conduct www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
Robodebt was the worst failure of public administration in Australian history. It raised est. $1.73 bn of illegitimate debts from over 430,000 vulnerable Australians and plunged thousands of families into distress and grief. And still no real consequences.
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
Robodebt was the great test of Australia’s accountability mechanisms – and they failed
A political cartoon by Megan Herbert in which a journalist asks Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, " Have you just committed us to a war?" And the PM responds, " No, I've committed us to a (preemptive retaliatory de-escalation action to protect and defend Australians and other citizens in response to a request by our new strategic partner by sending defensive missiles & surveillance equipment to protect the airspace and assist the region with its collective self-defence against reprisal attacks that come as a result of the ongoing operation launched as an anticipatory response to perceived threats by historical allies acting against the established international rule of law who are too powerful for us to in any meaningful way challenge.) There's a very big difference." The words in brackets are arranged in such a way that they completely fill the word WAR written in a huge, hulking, bold khaki font.
A war by any other name.
My cartoon in today's @theageaustralia.bsky.social
On New Year's Eve, my daughter half-jokingly suggested that I resolve to spend 2026 embroidering a news diary--sewing one small icon to represent each day's events. I thought-- sure, I'll do it; might be a good way to process everything. Well, I'm one week in, and oof, what a knotty year it's been.
Rediscovering species once thought extinct is wonderful, but...
"It is sobering to think of what natural wonders and mysteries we might never understand and appreciate because of insufficient funding, yet we continue to spend billions annually on wars." - me
www.abc.net.au/news/science...
Social cohesion is fragile, but Australia can rebuild it, Anne Aly says: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-07/anne-aly-roger-cook-radicalisation-extremism-solutions-terror/106423686
One of the people involved in the development of the federal government’s controversial aged care assistance tool says she’s now too scared to use it, saying she never wanted needs to be determined by algorithm www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
The Albanese Government's case for crackdown on FOI fell apart when it became clear that there is no "flood" of FOI requests.
Case load is about the same as 20 years ago. The extra costs and delays are a result of FOI officers spending their time trying to block access and censor documents.
📣 Reportedly only 140,000 out of the 480,000 Robodebt class action members have registered to receive additional compensation in the proposed settlement.
If you're eligible, you have until 4pm tomorrow to register with Gordon Legal:
robodebtsettlement.com.au
Advance platformed a rep of a US Islamophobic hate group last week. He called for “remigration” (white supremacist term for mass deportation). Steve Bannon’s sidekick called Muslims “invaders” here to conquer. Unrelated: WA police stopped attack on Mosque. #Auspol
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
An important piece in a string of important pieces by @garethhutchens.bsky.social, who’s doing the lord’s work stitching together threads by @jeremywalker.bsky.social @lucyham.bsky.social @anthonyklan.bsky.social for a bigger readership www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03...
Adelaide University cancels literary festival event with UN Gaza investigator Francesca Albanese
Far out.
“The environment department advised the government in late 2024 that it should revoke a 2012 decision that allowed salmon farming to expand …”
Australians impacted by Robodebt have until 4pm on Friday, March 6, to register for a new class action settlement with payouts between $1,000 and $50,000 au.finance.yahoo.com/news/centrel...
They tried to make sure she became a 'domestic servant', the forced fate of so many other Aboriginal girls. Her achievements were all won as part of a lifelong, hard fight against ignorant policies, racism and heartless discrimination. An honourable woman.
Let's get this straight.
Adani donates $600k the Qld LNP before election.
After the election, Qld LNP ends legal action over $400 MILLION in unpaid royalties.
Dodgy, dodgy, dodgy. Thread.
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
“We’re absolutely gobsmacked by this decision, which makes a mockery of Labor’s promise to fix our broken nature laws.
“If plans of this scale – to bulldoze thousands of hectares of Australia’s great savanna and the homes for 13 threatened species – don’t trigger federal assessment, what does?”
Boring but important! Inpex giant gas dollars yet tiny tax. @joshbarnettmw.bsky.social investigates systemic failure of Australia's tax system and some suss corporate tactics
#auspol
michaelwest.com.au/inpex-and-au...
A political cartoon by Megan Herbert, with the heading "Priority Housing". The image is divided into two panels, which look similar in that they are government offices of some kind with public servants behind glass windows answering enquiries. The office on the left is full of people from all walks of life lining up for assistance to find emergency and affordable housing . One anxious man, whose wife and small children are with him, is at the window saying, "We need housing. Something affordable and energy efficient to increase our security and improve our productivity." The answer from the person behind the glass is, "Well sir, there's a waiting list...". In the right panel, the office is crowded with a huge bank of data processors. A man in a suit is leaning on the counter smilingly saying to the person behind the glass, "These need housing. Something huge and energy and water intensive. To threaten job security in the name of increased productivity." To which the person behind the glass responds, "Yes sir, there's a fast-track..."
Priorities.
My cartoon in today's @theageaustralia.bsky.social
Excellent warning for @australianlabor.bsky.social & @albomp.bsky.social here from @timdunlop.bsky.social
If Labor doesn’t take serious steps to address the injustice that is driving the grievance push to One Nation, the anti-immigrant beat-up might win #auspol
tdunlop.substack.com/p/the-next-e...
ScoMo’s Jobs Ready Scheme - which charges more for students studying humanities- has led to less people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds taking up University study.
And in this time of AI we need critical thinkers & good communicators more than ever !
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
Thinking of Jon Kudelka and those who are in Tasmania today (awful place, never go there) attending his farewell. So very sad that we will never see another new, brilliant toon from him. Love to his family and friends. 🤍
Two frames. 1. Lib Party Room, members huddled around table, one says “We have no policies, no principles, no vision, no credibility, no gravitas, no consistency, no popular appeal…” 2. Same scene, another says, “You’re right - Angus Taylor is the leader who best represents us.”
If the cap fits.
My @smh @theage cartoon.
Please sign this petition to help restore funding to Writers Victoria:
www.parliament.vic.gov.au/get-involved...
Meanjin will return to Queensland, with QUT becoming the new custodians of the storied journal.
Single frame. Chris Minns stands beside a massive tonne weight marked NSW POLICE being lowered by a crane. Visible sticking out from under the weight are hands, legs, a woman’s face, a keffiyeh and placards saying “NO TO GENOCIDE”, “FREE PALESTINE”, “HERZOG OUT”, “NO TO VIOLENCE” Minns says, “Thst should socially cohere them nicely.”
Cohesion.
My @smh cartoon.
NSW Police Minister saying to the people please don't antagonise the cops by, you know, exercising your basic human rights
