Grok Issue #2 2018 by Curtin Student Guild

FREE Issue#2 2018 GROKONLINE.com.au

contributors EDITOR

HEAD OF DESIGN

Jay Anderson

Chris Leopardi

SUBEDITORS

CONTRIBUTING DESIGNERS

Amber Joy Weir Joe Wilson Luisa Mitchell Maria Cristina de Vicente Capua

Alicia Rutigliano Angel Nguyen Brittany Lean Chris Leopardi

Max Vos

Ellysia Burton

Tanya Ajwani

Emmelyn Carroll Francine Cruz

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ailish Delaney Amber Joy Weir Daniel Patterson Daryna Zadvirna Hannah Salt Jay Anderson Jo Newman Joe Wilson Keane Bourke Kellie Balaam Luisa Mitchell Max Vos Naomi Worthy

Hayley Thoms Isaac Jay Curran Ivy Chung Jaz Baker Ophelia Roberts Sally Henderson Sam Mead Scott Higginbotham Sherlyn Chang COVER ARTIST Isaac Jay Curran LOGO Chris Leopardi

Nick Fimognari Talya Hammond

PRINTED BY

Tanya Ajwani

Graphic Source

SPECIAL THANKS

CONTACT

Maryanne Shaddick

grokonline.com.au

Nicole Lau

grok@guild.curtin.edu.au facebook.com/grokmagazine instagram.com/grokmagazine issuu.com/curtinguild @grokmagazine

contents FROM THE PREZ

SPLITTING THE SPLIFF: THE MEDICAL EFFECTS OF MARIJUANA

COFFEE, ROCKS AND GLOWING BUGS: A COOLER EARTH

GROKONOMICS: ECONOMICS FOR THE CONFUSED MASSES

REAL WAYS TO SUCCESSFULLY BUDGET AS A STUDENT

THE PINK TAX: THE PATRIACHY IS EVERYWHERE

MONEY, MONEY, MONEY MUST BE FUNNY IN A RICH MAN'S WORLD

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU SAW AN AUSTRALIAN FILM?

JAMES GUNN IS HERE TO STAY

THE BEGINNERS GUIDE TO ENJOYING ART!

THE GAY AGENDA

45 50

ADDRESSING ISLAMAPHOBIA A CUP OF COFFEE AT A TIME

SOUL POWER: ARETHA FRANKLIN'S PUSH FOR CIVIL RIGHTS

GIRLS TO THE FRONT: WA WOMEN KILLING IT IN THE MUSIC SCENE

ARTIST IN FOCUS: DALLAS FRASCA

WHY IS EVERYONE RAP-PING

TOP TIPS FOR FIRST TIME TRAVELORS TO EUROPE THE PLASTIC BAG BAN FIASCO

74 80

THE STUDENTS WHO ARE KILLING IT AT CURTIN

AFL WOMEN'S RISING STAR: RUBY SCHLEICHER

To understand profoundly, intuitively, or by empathy.

Grok Magazine is Curtin University’s studentrun media outlet. The writers, editors and designers of our six departments (Lifestyle; Politics; Music; Science; Art and Film; Economics) cover the good, the bad and the ugly—delivering a variety of content to keep you informed. We publish regularly through our website and produce a glossy print edition each semester, which you can pick up at Guild outlets and across campus. To make sure you don’t miss a thing, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Instagram. If you’re interested in contributing to Grok as a writer, editor or designer, or if you have a scoop you want us to cover, hit up the editors at grok@guild.curtin.edu.au

And if you need to be convinced, some of our gang members are flogging their experiences for this advertisement: “Grok has given me a brilliant platform to share my thoughts and opinions on something I’m deeply passionate about and I’m eternally grateful for that. Not only do I get to write about what I love, but I’m always finding new ways to improve my writing practice thanks to a constantly supportive editing team.” —Daniel Patterson, Art and Film Writer “Having the opportunity to see a design piece you’ve worked so hard on in the flesh is the best uni memory! The ability to have your work printed before even leaving uni is an experience that is invaluable and will really teach you so much about design and your own personal style.” —Elyssia Burton, Designer "Writing and editing for Grok has been eye-opening about the creative and managerial world that exists out there for people such as myself, who started uni without knowing where I wanted to go or what I wanted to do. Now, almost two years after joining Grok, I can say that not only have I gained invaluable experience for any career path I choose, I have also definitely shaken my own expectations of how much joy you can get from being involved in student-led collaborative projects like this one.” —Luisa Mitchell, Deputy-in-Chief Editor “I joined Grok because I wanted to write about economics. At the moment [economics] has a bit of an image problem partly because many people don't know what it is, so I wanted to bridge that gap—I wanted to show students that economics is empowering. I love writing for this magazine, but it's so much more than that. Grok is the family I never knew I wanted, each writer contributes a unique perspective—there is so much diversity of thought—and being a part of that is privilege.” —Amber Joy Weir, Economics Subeditor “I won’t mince my words: the impending doom of post-graduation made me concerned about the state of my CV, so I joined Grok for the experience and planned to put in a few months at most. But it’s been nearly two years because, not only was I unprepared for the passion I would develop for writing, editing and curating content for students, I was also sucker-punched by the sheer joy I would gain from collaborating with a bunch of groovy students. I will never be able to express enough how grateful I am for everything I have gained from Grok.” —Jay Anderson, Chief Editor

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from the prez Friends, This marks my final column in our great Grok Magazine. After five years of service as a member of the Guild Council, being a part of the process that gives you a voice at our University, I am somewhat fearing leaving this place for the wider world. Firstly, my congratulations to all of you who will be blessed with the 50th Guild President in the form of Finlay Nolan. Finlay is switched on, caring and considerate and will be an even better President than those who have come before her. It has been the greatest honour of my life to have served as your President for the last two years, and I believe that a lot has been achieved. Since 2015, we have: stopped the University’s 1212-12 academic calendar proposal (although we lost a tuition free week each semester, the Guild will keep fighting to halve the number of exams to remove an exam week in order to restore the tuition free week); we have halved the assessment penalty for the first day late from 10 per cent to five per cent, and worked to curb the use of mustpass assessments; we have free Guild membership with the largest number of students participating and benefiting from them; we opened the G-Mart, Clubs HQ and Clubs HQ 2; we’ve seen parking fees frozen for three years, with no fees during exams; we restored the Guild to financial sustainability and laid out concrete plans to spend your SSAF money responsibly; we overhauled how the Guild is run to curb the possibilities of corrupt behaviour and raise the standards of what is expected of your Representatives; and we’ve delivered incredible events, have more clubs registered than ever at some of the highest ever levels of funding.

This success did not come from nowhere. It came from a team of diverse and dedicated representatives who worked hard to deliver these things. Now, more than ever, the Guild has demonstrated that it is a relevant and integral part of this University. So, my charge to all those reading this: keep pushing; not only against the silly proposals that get brought forward by a University executive seemingly disconnected from the real world, but present plans and proposals that can change our experience for the better; there is nothing that exists than cannot be improved upon. Next year the Guild will turn 50 years old; for 50 years it has been fighting for you and I want to see it fight forever more. Together, we can deliver this. Thank you to all those who have supported me in my time at the Guild. So long and thanks for all the fish. e noho rā

Liam O’Neill

49th President of the Student Guild of Curtin University

THE MEDICAL EFFECTS OF MARIJUANA N i c k F i mo gna r i Let’s pretend for a minute that there isn’t a vested interest in legalising marijuana for medical use. In the most recent National Drug Strategy Household Survey—spanning all states and territories in Australia—one in five people aged 20–29 were found to smoke marijuana, surprisingly.

This may come as a complete shock to more geriatric members of the public—what with Cloud9 shops popping up all over the place at an exponential rate—but I assure you, the odd uni student has nothing better to do than get high with their mates and watch Rick and Morty. But it isn’t just the kids packing bowls, doing spotties or rolling spliffs—10 per cent of Australians from

all age groups reported smoking marijuana in 2016. Of the many illicit drugs used by Australians every year, marijuana (“green”, “pot”, “jazz cabbage”, “weed”; to use a few aliases) is probably the least of our concerns.

feeling particularly shitty, unwell, or to manage existing mental health conditions. Until that day comes, lets have a chat (I’m really just talking at you) about the reasons that might lead people to “self-medicate”.

That’s right Channel Nine—unbeknownst to reporter Natalia Cooper—it’s not just on Australia Day that someone “punches a few cones,” and it’s not just the odd tradie who does it either. Odds are, someone in your family is getting baked.

Typically, people smoke weed to liberate Tetrahydracannabinol (THC). Harnessed for its psychoactive (mind-altering) relaxing and feel-good effects, THC generally results in you finding the back of your hand hilarious and being unbelievably hungry about one to two hours after smoking, turning our national dish (fairy bread) into a gourmet delight.

Despite it’s prohibited status in Oz, marijuana continues to be a big part of Australian life (see above). A rite of passage, some would say. And propagating this rite of passage may indirectly stem from our own

government. The most recent movements involve state specific changes to decriminalise the possession of marijuana, and an intent to monopolise the medical marijuana industry worldwide. Not bad Malcolm, not bad (but RIP). Do your worst ScoMo—we’ve already seen your best. Without giving you the toke by toke of state legislation (boring, next.), broadly speaking, marijuana has been prescribed medicinally (Australia-wide) since 2017 to treat a cluster of chronic, terminal or incurable diseases—almost as palliative care. Despite the tenacity of some, current Australian health practices don’t reflect having a bong when

All fun and fairy bread aside, is there a convenient interpretation among recreational users that THC is good for you? Probably. The sporadic use (let’s say every few months) can make you feel “too blazed to be phased“ about any of your worries, on Cloud Nine (penny drop), and appears to not have any major bad long-lasting effects. Pretty natural to assume that if you keep blazing up, you’ll keep feeling that good right? Well, chronic marijuana use can have some very negative and potentially irreversible effects. For example: George blazes up on the odd occasion with his mates. He probably coughs a lot before feeling giggly, hungry,

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a bit of euphoria, and possibly a little spaced out, but he’ll have an amazing nights sleep. Waking up the next day he’ll be a little bit out of it too, but that’ll pass with time. On the flipside, if George is blazing up consistently on a daily basis, a number of things (all scientifically proven) start to happen:

in ACT, SA and the NT, recreational use (including self-medicating) is still illegal. Shocking, I know.

- George has disturbed sleep, finds it difficult to get to sleep, and difficulty sleeping without toking (drug dependence) - reduced testosterone (goodbye gains), reduced sperm count and lazy sperm (forget knocking anyone up at the mid-sem bash) - brain fog, a bit thick of late (not thicc), and—if he’s been smoking since his teens—a drop in IQ of about 10 points - that extreme euphoria he gets from dosing up? That gets subtracted from every other experience he gets enjoyment out of, as his brain “reward” pathways get permanently altered - a higher risk of suicide and psychosis (was it Patricia though?)

Generally speaking, Cannabidiol (CBD)—another magic molecule found in marijuana—is getting thrown under the bus and THC is taking its credit. This convenient interpretation is probably what has let CBD slide under the radar for such a long time in the public eye and justifies the lifestyle of some.

In fact, mental illness and cannabis use have had known association for some time and, while it’s unclear if it’s the chicken or the egg, it should not be used as a frontline treatment. Although decriminalized

It also has some great perks for your brain and mental health.

And it’s usually at this point we hear from someone who bangs on about all the wondrous effects of cannabis in recent studies—heirein lies our dilemma.

So what can CBD do for you? For starters, it lowers blood pressure. High blood pressure is associated with a cluster of dangerous conditions (for example: heart disease, kidney disease, stroke). Interestingly, acute doses of THC can increase your heart rate, leading to spikes in high blood pressure when you get stoned.

"10 per cent of Australians from all age groups reported to smoking marijuana in 2016, and of the many illicit drugs used by Australians every year, Marijuana use is probably the least of our concerns" Recent studies found it plays a role in slowing the degeneration of the brain that happens with Alzheimer’s disease, and deterring the typical cognitive decline associated with it. Maybe it can clear up brain fog too? A receptor called “5-HT1A” can be found in the same parts of your brain that receive serotonin (the “feel good” hormone), but for people that have anxiety, crippling fear, or even just a phobia—anti-serotonin emotions—it’s a lot more present than it should be. The magic molecule CBD actually snatches it up and directly blocks those pathways that might lead someone to have an anxiety attack, and can help repair fear conditioned responses. On top of this, it’s being looked into as an anti-psychotic and a potential remedy for substance abusers. Even though CBD and THC are cut from the same grass, it’s interesting that CBD can neutralise the anxiety, psychosis and dependence that THC might induce. If marijuana does become legalised we can develop strains high in CBD and low in THC. Eventually, this might be a valuable treatment for users to selfmedicate mental illness with—plus a little dose of some psychoactive effects we know you all love. Needs more work though. Although you can get some CBD in your hit alongside THC, smoking CBD yields four-fold less absorption than if you ate it—so stick to edibles if you want the benefits kids.

While this may come across as an anti-marijuana bias, few studies to date have actually reported benefits of marijuana (and THC)—short or long term. One widely reported benefit is to lung function (not even joking). A measure of lung function called “forced vital capacity” (how much air you can expel from your lungs after a massive breath) has been reported across many clinical studies to be comparable or better in chronic marijuana smokers than non-smokers (and more so than tobacco smokers). Hazarding a guess, perhaps the marijuana user has a decreased perception of when their lungs are full, allowing them to expand their lungs even more greatly than the average person? This suggests that the major assumption that weed smoking is terrible for your lungs needs to be seriously reconsidered. Saving the best ‘til last, a recent study found that elderly mice given some “brain training” performed better when consistently micro-dosed with weed, compared to those who weren’t. Unfortunately, micro-dosing equates to about threetimes less than what the average person requires to get baked. Like that’s gonna stop you though. Full disclosure: the jury is still out on CBD’s longterm effects. For more information about the research used to write this article, and the studies mentioned, contact grok@guild.curtin.edu.au

Coffee, rocks and glowing bugs: A cooler earth

Words// Nick Fimognari Pics// Ivy Chung

It’s a common misconception that global warming and cooling are abnormal occurrences. In reality, cyclic periods of global warming and cooling are natural phenomena that have been going on for millennia.

To clarify, the rate at which our Earth is presently warming is exceedingly abnormal, and so are the pathological effects we are experiencing, known as climate change.

Fortunately, developed and developing countries alike are on board—like Denmark, China, Bangladesh and Uganda. With more global investment in renewable energy sources, they’re becoming increasingly cheaper, and energy innovation is increasing accordingly.

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is still the most effective way to counter this—the rising temperature of our atmosphere, the melting of the polar icecaps and the acidification of our oceans—so investing in renewable and non-fossil fuels is what we gotta do.

Coffee

Renewable energy itself is a great concept, but many studies indicate that just going renewable and reducing emissions is not enough to prevent dramatic environmental change by the end of this century. Swift action has to be taken, not just to reduce emissions, but to be “emissions negative” to prevent this. This means producing zero emissions while cleaning up some of the existing ones.

One of these innovations is resource synergism. By combining resources in one location, we can reduce our carbon footprint by using less land to acquire resources. This “piggybacking” is already widely practiced in Japan, where fields of solar panels have been suspended metres above crops in many regions, so that the land is doubly utilised for agriculture and energy production. And in Central America, coffee farms are taking the toxic wastewater produced from processing coffee

beans, treating it to neutralise the toxic waste, then extracting biogas—gas made from fermenting vegetables, fruit and other organic stuff. Considering the majority of the world’s coffee is supplied by the South American continent, the implications for reducing the environmental burden of this product are huge.

Rocks

Another player in energy innovation is Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). Iceland is the pioneer of this system and, in 2018, they developed the world’s first negative emissions power plant, making them one of the world’s leaders in renewables. But what the hell does CCS mean? Well. The carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions that would be produced by Iceland’s renewable geothermal energy plant in Hellisheidi, that ordinarily aggravate global warming, are captured and prevented from release into the atmosphere. Instead, they’re pumped beneath the Earth’s crust. I know what you’re thinking: pumping gas beneath the earth’s core?! DANGER?! Nah bro. The gas is literally petrified. Icelandic scientists worked out that if you pump the gas into this particular layer of igneous rock in the earth called basalt, it undergoes a natural carbonation reaction, changing that CO2 gas into rock. And what’s more, it happens very rapidly, so none of the CO2 is leaked into water sources, the atmosphere,

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nor does it cause gas rifts (gas-induced fissures) in the earth. This is a massive breakthrough for the world, as Iceland takes a leap and bound towards negating their carbon footprint. Research into CCS is actually going on in dusty old Australia too, so that we can use this system as well— in combination with the coal power plants (lame). But it’s, at the least, a potential solution for our backwardsWestern country, until we can have unison on our country’s renewable policy. The breakthroughs don’t stop there though.

Glowing Bugs

A French start-up called Glowee is tackling the human race’s carbon footprint indirectly, by reducing the amount of light energy we use. Instead of CCS, these guys propose a 20 per cent global reduction in the energy used to power light —and associated emission—by using naturally occurring light. Their solution: bioluminescent bacteria (Aliivibrio fischeri).

What!? Yeah girl! These bacteria naturally glow under the right conditions, producing light energy by chemical reaction. Kind of like the primary school “volcano” experiment —where you add vinegar and bicarb soda to produce an “eruption”—these bacteria produce a greenishblue glow of light through a reaction made possible by a protein they have called luciferase. “Bio-light” pros: no gas emissions, can be adapted anywhere, 100 per cent sustainable and renewable, and no excess heat production like high-powered light sources. Streetlights, lamps, stickers, windows, or even art installations—the possibilities are endless. Stick your Glowee bacteria and their juice in a transparent case: glow time. These emerging innovations spark hope for our inevitable heat death, universal or otherwise.

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ONOMICS ECONOMICS FOR THE CONFUSED MASSES Words// Amber Joy Weir

Pics// Jaz Baker

ECO NOM ICS — WH AT I S I T ? If you ask the nearest person, they might say that it’s about money, or finance, or maybe just business in general. They might say that it involves a lot of maths or that it’s difficult. Maybe they’ll say that economists are those people always telling us why the world is doomed (it totally is, but that’s beside the point). There are many misconceptions about economics. IT ’ S N OT JU ST A B O UT THE M ONEY It’s the study of how people (who are totally irrational, but because that’s way too hard to account for we just assume they are logical people) make decisions. Economics looks at how society distributes resources— like land, raw materials, labour, machinery—in order to make goods and services (the things that you consume). IT ’ S N OT M ATH S B A S E D We have charts too. And like, excel spreadsheets (AKA the bane of my existence). Oh, and theory. Which is basically the most important part. Economic theory is used to isolate different variables and identify the relationship between them in order

to predict and explain particular economic events (it’s like magic). I T ’ S TOO DIF F ICU LT Which doesn’t make sense considering most people don’t understand what economics means. But there is a serious lack of understanding about what we (those studying economics) actually do. Equally, many students don’t actually know what jobs they can apply for when they graduate. Not all of us go on to become economists for banks or stockbroking firms. There are numerous industries we can work in—like environmental, cultural, labour, gender, public, social or political economics—and I can guarantee that it’s not all spreadsheets (at least I hope). These people analyse real world problems, like climate change, and figure out potential solutions for these issues, including the design of policy. ECON OMISTS ARE PR OB LE M SOLVE RS They conduct research and monitor trends, which may sound boring, but this is the stuff that helps find solutions for poverty and inequality (hello, how is this not cool?). They try to explain the reasons for unemployment, and the effects of changing demographics—like increased immigration or an aging population—on the work force.

Economists look at the effects of tax cuts, and welfare policy, and basically everything else ever. Do you still need convincing? Karl Marx was an economist (as well, as like, 10 other things) and he sparked a revolution.

Now that we’ve cleared that up, here’s an acrostic poetry bomb of knowledge as a reward for sticking with me.

Elasticity (of price): how the demand or supply of a product will change, when the price of that product changes

Capitalism (or the devil, depending on who you ask): a free-market system that is built on private ownership, and the idea that owners of capital are entitled to earn a profit (or a pat on the back) as a reward for putting their capital at risk

Overheating: the economy is growing too fast, and production can’t keep up with demand (enter Inflation)

Nationalisation: when the government takes control or ownership of a private-sector company (state-owned businesses tend to own a monopoly, which means there isn’t much competition)

Opportunity cost: is what you give up to get something—like sacrificing your social life and all of your money to go to uni

Marginal utility: how much extra “happiness” a person gets by consuming, or doing, an extra “unit” of something (so, if you eat like 10 hot dogs, each hot dog you eat will make you less happy)

Inflation: hello rising prices and reduced purchasing power (basically you get less for your money) Cost-benefit analysis: when you compare the cost of something against the benefits it gives you (sounds easy in theory, but let’s not forget that this assumes that people make rational decisions)

Scarcity: is how we explain that the needs of the all-consuming human race exceeds the resource that planet earth can actually provide

W E FO U G H T FO R O U R VO I C E

A N D N OW W E ' R E S P R E A D I N G I T !

In the world of medieval Europe, Despite all

of this, there were still many roadblocks when it came to women's education, particularly The really women of color.

weird thing about medieval European ideas about education

for women was that women were

founding colleges all over the place, but

wouldn't allow ladies to attend them

women's supposed biological inferiority and need to bear children often barred them entirely from getting more than even a smattering of education. educated only in social roles and correct behavior, with the idea that this information

In ancient China, women were

wives. So the women who were able to access rather than

rules. Common women didnt have access to the same education as males.

women in the late 1700s had banded together to attempt to further their studies on their own.

the 18th and 19th centuries brought a bunch of activists arguing about the right ways in which to educate women, and what higher education would actually be for. After the 19th century set the ball rolling, women's higher education began to slowly snowball in the 20th century.

11.7 million women started college in America in 2016

C U RT I N ' S O N LY F E M A L E R U N M AG A Z I N E C O M I N G T H I S O C TO B E R , 2 0 1 8

As female education became more accepted and highly-educated women entered the workforce, the setting was created for the phenomenon we see now:

women enrolling in college in higher

REAL WAYS TO SUCCESSFULLY BUDGET AS A STUDENT WO R D S: JO N EW M AN P I C S: BR I T TA N Y L EAN

In case you missed it, Grok previously published an article that featured student budgeting tips (thanks for the title, past Grok!). While these tips were useful, they assumed that you’ve already got your rent, bills, and other general living costs covered.

Write down all your regular expenses I’m talking: rent; utilities; insurance; car, or bike, rego; cellopark bill; fuel; public transport; groceries; uni books and resources; medical expenses; your Netflix bill; your Tuesday night dance class. Absolutely everything.

But what if you haven’t? Here are some tips for when you’re really struggling to make ends meet, and all those articles about disposable income and saving for holidays are driving you nuts.

Don’t forget to include how much they cost and how often they need to be paid.

Disclaimer: this is my personal process and it may not work for everyone; you may be doing all of these things already, but it never hurts to be reminded. Step one is figuring out where your finances are at, so set aside some time to take stock of your situation and set some goals.

Figure out exactly how much you earn Or if your work hours fluctuate, track your earnings over an average month and make an educated (and conservative) guess. Figure out how much money you have to play with monthly, fortnightly, and weekly.

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Yes, all of your expenses This is where we talk about your “irregular” expenses, like that cheeky Nandos trip, and the $20 cocktail that you desperately needed. The best way to identify these is to eliminate cash for a while and pay with your card. At the end of the month go through your bank statement and write down every purchase. Sort them into categories so you can see how much you’re spending in each area. Pop these on a list with your regular expenses, and pop them into categories (like groceries, takeaway, subscriptions, entertainment, and bills).

Compare your monthly spending with your monthly earnings This is the scary part. How big is the gap between the two? Do you have extra money or are you overspending? Be honest with yourself, and try not to feel guilty. This is your starting point and your habits can only get better from here.

Decide which of your expenses are really necessary Don’t freak out, I’m not asking you to ditch all of your brunch dates or cancel your Netflix subscription. But you do need to look at where your money is going and think about it critically. Which of these expenses is vital to keeping you alive, healthy, and able to study. Rent? Yep, gotta keep that one. Regular Tuesday night pizza? Maybe not.

Set some spending goals and write down your ideal budget Take into consideration everything you’ve worked out so far. For example, my spending goals last month were “don’t impulse-buy things, cut takeaway by $25, take public transport to uni at least one day per week.” Step two is testing out your budget and seeing if it actually works for you in practice. Allow yourself a trial month (or three). It’s okay to make mistakes or say fuck it to your spending goals. Lifelong spending habits are going to take a while to change. Just do your best and keep track of your spending. You got this. During your trial period, set some time aside to think about your spending.

What are you spending on food? It’s surprising how much you can save by investing a little more time in your grocery shopping and making conscious choices about the food you’re purchasing. Try buying at a local fruit and veg market, or eating cheap protein. Canned chickpeas and lentils are 99 cents a tin, and can stretch a pasta sauce from a onenight deal to a week’s worth of dinners. Go to the grocery store with a list. This way you’re less likely to impulse-buy five bags of Doritos, a kilo jar of Nutella, and three tubs of cookies and ice cream. Lastly, eat healthier. Don’t just opt for cheap lownutritional foods like mi goreng (although these are great with added egg and veg). Don’t cheap out on groceries just for the sake of saving money. Seriously. You’re studying, it’s important to look after your health. GROKONLINE.com.au

How much money is going towards bills? Can you change providers to make things cheaper? Can you reduce your usage? Remember to turn off appliances after use, don’t run the dryer if you can dry your clothes in the sun, and open a window instead of automatically reaching for the air conditioning remote.

How much do you drive? If your car is a black-hole when it comes to money (like mine is), can you change the way you get around? Try car-pooling, taking public transport (I know, it takes so much longer, but you’ll be saving on fuel and Cellopark fees), or cycling. If not, can you reduce how much you need to travel? Plan one trip to the shops per week instead of three, try to squeeze all your classes into a couple of days instead of spreading them out over the week.

How affordable is the place where you’re living? I rent with a housemate, which brings my costs down a bit. If you’re coming up to the end of your lease, have a look around for a cheaper option. Keep an eye on the trends in rental prices and discuss your rent with your landlord. If living rent-free with parents or other relatives is a viable option, go for it.

Can you replace anything in your budget with something free? If Netflix costs you $15 a month, but old mate Steve has a killer DVD collection, ask if you can borrow a movie every once in a while. If your bestie Jane loves your weekly lunch dates but you really can’t afford to keep doing them, invite her over for dinner and make that bulked-out pasta sauce I mentioned instead.

What's next? So, you’ve followed all the steps—what now? If it’s working for you, great—keep doing what you’re doing. If not, you may need some expert advice. The Guild has a super approachable financial advisor who can help. Finally, please, please, please be kind to yourself. Financial stress sucks. It’s a huge drain on your energy and happiness. If financial stress is impacting on your mental health or ability to study, get in touch with Student Wellbeing; and remember that you can always talk to someone at Lifeline or Beyondblue if you don’t know where to start. Happy budgeting!

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ECONOMICS

Words// Jay Anderson Pics// Emmelyn Carroll

In June, the Greens’ bill to remove the GST from menstrual products passed through the Senate. They were able to do this with the support of the Coalition, which has been backed by all of the states and territories. The Greens’ campaign renewed interest in to the price-difference of many products marketed to women. This is often referred to as the “pink tax” as many of the affected products are pink. A form of gender-based price discrimination, the pink tax prices products marketed towards women at a higher rate than their male or generic equivalents. Numerous companies have been on the receiving end of criticism by consumer advocacy organisations and consumers alike—like Ferrero SpA, who released a Kinder Surprise egg with a modicum of pink packaging and charged 11 cents more for it. A study from the Gender Issues Journal in 2011 found that this price-discrimination exists for services as well. Examples listed include haircuts

and dry cleaning; they also noted that women are more likely to be overcharged for vehicle-based goods and services on the presumption of female ignorance in that market. Exceptions, like car insurance (where women typically pay less than men due to tatistically lower accident rates) exist—but they are few. These discrepancies are paralleled in other countries across the world. In 2015, the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs conducted a study of nearly 800 products with versions marketed for men and women and found that, on average, women pay approximately seven per cent more than men for these products. The DCA found that women are paying nearly eight per cent more for clothing, while personal care products—like shampoo, razors, deodorant, and moisturiser—cost women 13 per cent more. This also applies to children’s toys, with girls paying on average seven per cent more than boys for bikes, backpacks, preschool toys, helmets, and arts and crafts products. The report also found that women pay eight percent more for health care products like back braces, canes, and adult diapers. The DCA also included findings from a 1994 study, which found that women were spending approximately AUD$1836.95 more for the same goods and services as men. Adjusting for inflation, it would be AUD$3057.49.

WHO ARE THE CULPRITS? Companies accused of charging more for products marketed towards women have cited varying reasons. Representatives from razor manufacturers Shchick, Bic, and Wilkinson, stated that the price discrepancy between their products marketed to men and women was due to significant differences in their design— including a reduced “shave angle” on women’s razors to reduce the likelihood of abrasions. Gap was accused of charging more for women’s plus-sized clothing in their "Old Navy" range. When confronted, they stated that the additional cost was for “flattering and on-trend plus styles, which includes curve-enhancing and curve-flattering elements”. In 2016, Business of Fashion looked at pricing discrepancies in expensive clothing brands and found that Saint Laurent, Valentino, Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, and Balmain all sell similar or identical items at different prices based on gender. BOF suggested that this was because women are often considered more brand loyal, which means marketers must be paid more to appeal to them and the increased price of products offsets this. BOF noted one major exception to this: sneakers. In this market, men are less sensitive to price changes GROKONLINE.com.au

because of their demand for the product, and their consistent purchasing of particular brands (like Nike and Adidas). This brand loyalty is registered by the corporations that manufacture them and they can, and do, increase prices without hurting sales. Other companies have often referred to the cost of ingredients or materials when explaining differences in product prices. Expectedly, many businesses have been criticised for their price differences and for the reasons provided for them, but some fail to offer explanations at all. Bic launched “Bic For Her”—a line of pens specifically for women—and charged 50 cents extra for the branding (and followed it a few years later with a campaign for Women’s Day that told women to “think like a man”). Sharp released two near-identical black calculators; the only difference was their trimmings—white and pink. The pink was 24.7 per cent more expensive. And Target released infant pyjamas in pink and blue, but charged three extra dollars for the pink. Siobhan Austen, Professor of Economics within the Curtin Business School and Director of Women in Social and Economic Research, said that this is “a classic case of corporations using market power to take advantage of consumers’ brand loyalty to maximise their profits.”

Instead, she nods to advertising: “It would be great if we weren’t so captive to advertising messages!” This is entwined with the cultural construction of gender. Even before we’re born we’re addressed by a particular gender (i.e. gender reveal parties) and taught what this means (for example: that blue is for boys, and pink is for girls). This is replicated by companies and marketers. Addressing this issue is, therefore, quite difficult.

A RE WE DOING ANYTHING A BOUT IT? Organisations like Choice—a consumer advocacy organisation—and lobbyists like 7% and GirlTalkHQ tackle the issue with advocacy to prompt policymakers to introduce preventative legislation.

“A lot of this is directed towards young women, encouraging them to perceive higher prices as a sign of quality and tying them to particular brands,” she said.

Other companies—like Billie, Boxed, and Snowe— aren’t content waiting for a cultural shift and are combating the pink tax from within the retail industry.

W H Y I S T H I S HA PPE NI NG ?

When asked whether or not gender-based economic inequality is improving, Austen said that the answer is a complicated yes-no.

Austen contends that this pricing practice is very common, and remarks on products with price differences that aren’t necessarily discriminatory based on gender.

Austen said that removing the GST from women’s sanitary products “addresses an inequity whereby items used only by men, such as Viagra, were

classified as necessities—and exempt from GST— while items that are critical to women’s well-being were taxed.” And commented that “Women’s labour force participation is improving, giving us more access to income and economic independence than we had in previous generations.” But she notes that these improvements pale in comparison to the inequity that persists, pointing to the gender pay gap, which, despite reaching its lowest point in 20 years, sits at 14.6 per cent—for fulltime employees, this amounts to $244.80 per week. Austen mentions a recent study specifically, that found that, over 15 years, women’s earnings were, on average, less than half of that of men’s.

S O LU T I ONS ? To begin with, advertisers shouldn’t take advantage of women’s brand loyalty. They should be rewarding it. But given that this is unlikely, men and women can combat them by supporting businesses that aren’t charging more for products because they’re pink. There needs to be increased advocacy for policies and legislation that combat these disheartening and rage-inducing statistics. Additionally, there needs to be a significant cultural shift.

On these points, Austen said that there are many things that need to be implemented, but to start with, how we organise caring for children, the sick, disabled, and elderly is a priority: “Someone has to do this work, and in the past, these ‘some-ones’ have been women. We need to work out ways of both sharing care work—so that men can be more involved—and sharing the economic costs of doing the work. If women take time out of their careers to care for children, they shouldn’t face a lifetime economic penalty.” It’s clear that the pink tax is part of a more substantial conversation about gender-based inequality that everyone—especially men—should be participating in. Because those with privilege have a responsibility. And because women don’t have less value than men— economically or otherwise.

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MUST BE FUNNY IN A RICH MAN'S WORLD Words// Amber Joy Weir Pics// Francine Cruz

Australia’s first International Women’s Day rally took place in Sydney on March 25, 1928. Organised by a social action group called the Militant Women’s Movement, the rally called for equal pay for equal work. Ninety years later, we’re still not there. While countless achievements have brought about positive changes for women in Australian society, the gender pay gap remains. Australia’s full-time gender pay gap is 15.3 per cent. The gender pay gap is the difference between the average weekly full-time earnings of men and women. It is used internationally as a measure of women’s position in the economy. It’s important to note that the gender pay gap is not the same as unequal pay. The gender pay gap is influenced by: - gender discrimination in remuneration or hiring decisions - women’s disproportionate share of unpaid care and domestic work (years not working)

- women spending more time out of the workforce and the impact it has on career progression and opportunities - lack of workplace flexibility to accommodate responsibilities such as caring, especially in senior positions - industry and occupational segregation Since 1994 Australia’s gender pay gap has fluctuated between 15 and 19 per cent. It was lowest in November 2004, at 14.95 per cent, and highest in November 2014, at 18.57 per cent (likely the result of the mining boom and the industry’s high concentration of male workers). The gender pay gap varies in each state and territory, which is partly attributed to each state or territory’s different industry profiles. The smallest pay gap in 2017 belonged to South Australia at 10.3 per cent. Sadly, at 22.5 per cent, Western Australia has the widest gender pay gap (sigh).

The large pay gap in Western Australia can be somewhat explained by the concentrated full-time workforce in the mining and construction sectors. These industries have relatively high earnings, but a low representation of women.

22.1 per cent since 1997. It was 19.2 per cent as of November 2017.

WHAT DOES THIS ALL MEAN?

It is smallest for those aged 20 years and under—at around 5.7 per cent. It increases to around 12.6 per cent between 21 and 34 years of age, after which it tends to remain consistent. From ages 45 to 54 the gap increases dramatically to 20 per cent (hold that thought), before dropping to 16.9 per cent for those aged 55 and over.

Well, on average, women earn $253.70 a week less than men (I could buy a giant inflatable unicorn for that … every week). The differences in women’s and men’s average weekly full-time earnings differs across all industries in both the private and public sector.

The average full-time gender pay gap generally increases with age (great).

Women in the 45 to 54 age group are more likely to have spent time in unpaid care work than men. That time out of the workforce means that women tend

AU S T R A L I A ’ S F U L L - T I M E G E N D E R PAY G A P I S 1 5 . 3 P E R C E N T.

In November 2017, the industry with the largest gender pay gap was the Financial and Insurance Services sector, at 26.1 per cent, followed by Rental and Real Estate Services sector at 23.6 per cent. The lowest pay gap was in Public Administration and Safety at 6.8 per cent, an industry which has traditionally had a lower gender pay gap and a more balanced gender representation.

to have received fewer promotion opportunities, and so they are less likely to have highly compensated jobs (doesn’t seem fair does it?). Women’s education attainment has been increasing over the last 20 years. You would think that as education levels increase so would wages. Seems logical, right? But they haven’t.

The gender pay gap in the public sector was 10.8 per cent in November 2017, and has varied between 10.8 per cent to 13.5 per cent since 1997. In the private sector, the gender pay gap has been notably higher, fluctuating in between 17.4 and

What about increased levels of workforce participation? The last 40 years have seen female participation rates rise from 45 per cent to 60 per cent. Still wrong.

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ECONOMICS

Even though female workforce participation is significantly higher, and the proportion of women with a Bachelor’s degree or higher has more than doubled since 1996 (outnumbering the proportion of men graduating since 1998), female undergraduates still get paid less. In fact, gender pay gaps actually tend to be wider among highly educated men and women, rather than their less educated counterparts (this is just getting ridiculous). If you’re a woman this is not exactly reassuring— but don’t worry, it’s not all bad. The gender pay gap has actually been trending downwards since November 2014, with the gap falling from 18.57 per cent to 15.27 per cent, and while it has been lower, more policies aiming to close the gap are being implemented by businesses and by the government. What we’re missing however, is a national target to reduce the gender pay gap.

CHANGE IS LED FROM THE TOP Both private and public organisations need to take more accountability and ownership when it comes to actively trying to reduce the pay gap instead of doing the bare minimum in order to tick a box. They need to allow and promote flexible working and encourage senior and middle managers to discuss flexible working arrangements with their employees. They need to implement processes and systems that actively reduce conscious and unconscious bias. They need to put together working groups that oversee equality issues, and implement strategies to raise awareness of the benefits of diversity.

DO THE MATH: THE GENDER PAY GAP IS NOT A MYTH And for those that still need to be convinced that it’s important, here’s a hot tip, gender equality is associated with improved national productivity and economic growth (it’s a win-win situation). But most importantly, it is what is fair, and what is right. As Emma Watson pointed out during her speech on gender equality for the HeForShe Campaign, “The reality is that if we do nothing, it will take 75 years, or for me to be nearly a hundred, before women can expect to be paid the same as men for the same work.” We can’t do nothing. With $253.70 less a week than the average male, I can’t afford to.

When was the last time you saw an

AUSTRALIAN FILM? Words// Naomi Worthy Pics// Chris Leopardi

Australians get a bad rep for our film industry, and the harshest critics tend to be ourselves! If I had a dollar every time I heard someone laugh at the mention of Australian cinema, well, I might not have to defer my amenities fee to HECS every semester. But I honestly don’t think we’re that bad. So, here are a few Australian films you can be proud of, and not just because they’re Australian, but because they’re actually really good—promise! Hopefully there are also a few you’ve never heard of.

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FILM & ART

Strictly Ballroom (1992)

The Magic Pudding (2000)

Fake tan. Sequined jumpsuits. Leopards. Hair spray. This romantic-comedy truly has it all.

A great example of a whacky Australian children’s film.

Scott is a nationally recognised ballroom dancer well on his way to winning the coveted Pan-Pacific Dancing Championships, but if he’s going to win he wants it to be on his terms: using his own unique dancing style that isn’t “strictly ballroom”. In his directorial debut, Baz Luhrmann, in combination with the chaotic editing style of Jill Bilcock, creates a truly unique take on the Australian ballroom dancing scene. It’s funny, its intense, its uplifting. Honestly, what more do you want?

The animation follows a human, a koala, a penguin and a self-regenerating pudding with attitude, as they venture across the desolate Australian outback trying to outrun an evil gang of pudding thieves. At times this animation can be quite dark, exploring the lengths that people, and animals alike, are willing to go to survive. I think this is a common theme in Australian cinema: that we’re not afraid to represent the truth of a situation, warts-and-all. But fear not, it’s not all doom and gloom. There are so many endearing moments in this film, and some pretty classic sing-alongs. What I probably love most about The Magic Pudding is that it has that very quirky and rough Australian humour.

Harvie Krumpet (2003)

Wolf Creek (2005)

Sitting at just 22-minutes running time, this claymation follows the extraordinary life of Harvie Crumpet.

Chances are you’ve probably heard of this one.

Born in Poland in 1922 with Tourette’s syndrome, Harvie migrates to Australia following the death of his parents, with the oncoming threat of World War II hanging heavy in the air. From being struck by lightning, to embracing nudism, Harvie’s story is a charming metaphor for the absurdity and precariousness of life. This film is incredible for the way it explores so many themes, like death, loneliness, immigration, love, disability, philosophy—honestly, I could go on—in such a short amount of time, but never feels like it’s overbearing its audience.

A horror set in the South Australian outback, it is all too familiar for anyone who’s ever road tripped around our great state and felt secretly terrified by the quietness and remoteness of the bush. Wolf Creek is the first horror movie I couldn’t finish; well, at least the first-time round. And this is from someone who had watched the Hannibal trilogy before age 10. Mick Taylor (the bad dude) just has the creepiest laugh—like the laugh of every old guy in a dingy Australian pub. Maybe watch this one with friends.

Harvie Crumpet is also just very, very funny. Give it a watch.

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The Black Balloon (2008) This may be my favourite film of all time. Directed by Curtin-graduate Elissa Down, The Black Balloon is a very funny and heart-warming coming-of-age-story. It follows the life of Thomas: a teenager trying to have a normal life while taking care of his autistic brother Charlie, heavily pregnant mother and depressed father. What stands out about this film is the humanity with which it represents disability; of which there are few other comparisons. Samson and Delilah (2009) Some critics cite this film as being the one that changed the way Indigenous Australian’s are represented on screen. Samson and Delilah are treated like outcasts by their community in Alice Spring, and after tragedy strikes, they decide to leave and make it on their own. The young couple face a plethora of difficulties as they try to forge their path to independence and survive in an unforgiving world, made more difficult by their dark, shared history and continuation of misunderstanding that is afforded to their culture. This is a raw look at how the two youths navigate this vicious cycle of disadvantage. Yet, despite it all, this film is also a love story. Remarkably, their relationship is almost entirely communicated through gesture and body language, with little dialogue; but their connection is electric and never feels lacking. Lore (2012) Lore is a historical drama following the journey of five German siblings, as they trek across Germany during the aftermath of World War II. The group meet Max, who claims to be a Jewish survivor and becomes the groups unofficial guardian. This is a slow burner, but deeply intense. The precise, considered direction of Cate Shortland, and the flawless cinematography of Adam Arkapaw—two established Australian filmmakers—ensure that Lore is visual spectacle not to be missed. The film captures the profound vulnerabilities of all of its characters with a masterful skill that you won’t easily forget.

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JAME S G U N N

I S H E R E TO S TAY A r ti c l e by D a n i e l Pat ter s on I l l u strati o n by S cott Hi ggi nbot ha m

It’s easy to make mistakes. James Gunn has made some very big ones. Before I jump the gun (pun definitely intended), I think it’s better to start off with some context—if you don’t already know. James Gunn started his career as a screenwriter, most notably penning childhood classics ScoobyDoo and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed. He then started working as a director. His debut film Slither (2006) was a commercial flop on release, but has spawned into a cult classic over many years. His second film, Super (2010), was similarly a disappointment-on-release-made-cult-classic. He has also done a web series in-between. It was a surprise to many when Gunn was announced as director for Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. We all know the film turned out to be incredibly successful which was a surprise to many as it was one of Marvel’s lesser comic properties. The film had witty, irreverent humour with copious amounts of heart to boot. He returned for the second installment delivering those same things and the film—just like its predecessor—was a monumental success. Cut to 2018, his first draft for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is complete and Gunn’s preparing to complete his trilogy; only he didn’t know that weeks later his chance to complete it would be gone. Firstly, I think that it’s important to say that I’m in no way endorsing anything James Gunn said in the tweets which got him fired. During 2008–2011, Gunn tweeted “jokes” which alluded to paedophilia and rape. Most of the tweets are too vulgar to even repeat; but for this article to give justice to the controversy of the situation, here’s just a taste of the material he delivered: “The Expendables was so manly, I fucked the shit out of the little pussy boy next to me! The boys are back in town!” and “This hotel shower is the weakest ever. Felt like a three-year-old was pissing on my head.” The things he said were despicable and unashamedly gross; however, a bigger problem connects back

to social media itself and the forum where Gunn stupidly left his tweets for the world to see. Out of nowhere, alt-right commentator Mike Cernovich—a known social media antagonist— brought Gunn’s tweets into the spotlight. As soon as these tweets were seen, outrage ensued. Before anyone knew any context surrounding the tweets or the reason they were unearthed, people were shunning Gunn. Cernovich’s reactionary supporters spammed Disney’s social media accounts, looking to have him removed. It’s an example of mob mentality at its worst. In today’s social media landscape, it’s important to have a stance straight away.

‘The offensive attitudes and statements discovered on James’ Twitter feed are indefensible. [They are] inconsistent with our studio’s values, and we have severed our business relationship with him’. The outrage continued and, hours later, Disney cut ties with Gunn. Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn said, “The offensive attitudes and statements discovered on James’ Twitter feed are indefensible. [They are] inconsistent with our studio’s values, and we have severed our business relationship with him”. This only sparked further outrage, as people were clashing over whether the decision was right or wrong. Many thought it was a strong and respectable stance by Disney. Many others thought that they had unfairly removed one of their greatest assets far too abruptly. Cernovich compared Gunn’s situation to that of Roseanne Barr. She tweeted overtly racist material and showed no remorse toward her behaviour. Meanwhile, James Gunn tweeted some awful content, but what many didn’t know was that Gunn had apologised for his conduct six years earlier regarding a blog post in which his offensive humour had, once again, reared its ugly head. Gunn posted an apology on Facebook writing, “We're all in the same camp, and I want to do my best to make this world a better place for all

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of us. I'm learning all the time. I promise to be more careful with my words in the future. And I will do my best to be funnier as well. Much love to all”. After his ousting, Gunn was very introspective in sharing his thoughts. He was aware of the mistakes he had made in the past. Is he really an awful person? I don’t know him personally, so I don’t know definitively; but from what everyone that has worked with him has said, I’d like to think Gunn is now a changed man. I mentioned a web series he did in between the two films he released prior to Guardians of the Galaxy. That show was called James Gunn’s PG Porn. Yes, you read that correctly. The premise of the show was that each episode would depict a humorous event occurring just before the supposed commencement of pornographic acts. The show contained the tagline, “For people who love everything about Porn ... except the sex”. This is clearly a man who revelled in provocation. The first of a string of tweets Gunn released after he was fired by Disney stated, “Many people who have followed my career know when I started, I viewed myself as a provocateur, making movies and telling jokes that were outrageous and taboo. As I have discussed publicly many times, as I’ve developed as a person, so has my work and my humour”. He followed up by saying, “It’s not to say I’m better, but I am very, very different than I was a few years ago; today I try to root my work in love and connection and less in anger. My days saying something just because it’s shocking and trying to get a reaction are over”.

Everything about this scenario begs a discussion about whether we should separate the art from the artist. What of Gunn’s behaviour do we see in his films, in particular his two Guardians of the Galaxy films? Gunn has regularly stated that the character he identifies the most with is Rocket Raccoon. After this scenario, this identification becomes crystal clear. Rocket is a character who is insecure. What does he do to fight his insecurity? He pushes people’s buttons. He provokes. Before he made these films, this was Gunn to a tee. In Guardians of the Galaxy, Rocket has to learn to love while finding a family of his own in the Guardians. In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Rocket realises Peter Quill’s former guardian, Yondu, was a terrible person for much of his life. By the end of the film, people acknowledged Yondu’s change of character and forgave him. Rocket hopes he can have that similar redemption. So, does Gunn’s life seep into his work? Of course it does. He knows how he has conducted himself in the past, but with these two Guardians films he has created a family of his own and been able to show his more compassionate side. Twitter couldn’t and can’t show that said compassion. His Guardians family of cast and crew has backed him up and denounced Disney’s decision. Dave Bautista (who plays Drax) has been the most outspoken on the matter, explicitly stating that Disney made the wrong call and if they don’t reinstate him or use his script for the final installment of the trilogy, he’ll ask to be recast. In an excerpt from the open letter the Guardians cast released ten days after his firing, they

state, “In casting each of us to tell his story of misfits who find redemption, he changed our lives forever. We believe the theme of redemption has never been more relevant than now”. While he said some horrible things in the past which reek of a man trying to provoke for the sake of attention, I personally believe this is a changed man. With such commentary, many were concerned that Gunn had done much worse than deliver utterly gross tweets. Especially given the continuously growing list of male celebrities exposed as sexual harassers/ abusers. Fortunately, no one has forwarded sexual assault allegations against Gunn as of yet, but do you know who was? Cernovich, Gunn’s ouster. He has also tweeted many things which have had him identified as a"‘rape apologist". One notable tweet of his, which received rightfully poor reception, mentioned shooting victim Treyvon Martin. In the post he said, “Today we have a moment of silence for Treyvon Martin’s rape victims. Kidding! He got shot before he was able to rape anyone”. On a blog post in 2011, he wrote, “I like choking a woman right up until her eyes almost go lifeless”. These aren’t jokes, they’re just hateful, violent comments. In the age of the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, many prominent celebrities’ problematic pasts have been exposed, and all for the better. For those who have been traumatised for so long by past experiences and who are finally able to reveal them, it must be both incredibly terrifying, and liberating. But what Cernovich did by “ousting” Gunn is not liberating. He has not been affected in any way by Gunn; all he wants is to take down someone who has anything negative to say about those in power; and

Gunn has been quick to criticise President Trump and his alt-right friends. Unfortunately, Cernovich has a fan-base who will eat up everything he says, and Gunn was quickly swarmed with retribution; and unlike the other #MeToo accused, it wasn’t for something that he had actually done. Gunn made terrible, highly problematic jokes, but they were jokes nonetheless. Weighing in on the situation, Jerry Seinfeld said, “Jokes are not real. People assume that when you say something that you believe it. It’s purely comedic invention”. Even though Gunn’s comedic invention wasn’t strong, they were still jokes, terrible jokes. Jokes that Disney weren’t fans of in the slightest. Even though I’m not for their decision, I understand it completely. Disney are the family-friendly brand in entertainment. If they kept him on their payroll, Disney’s Alan Horn would’ve no doubt been hit with questions asking if retaining Gunn went against the brand’s largely core demographic. It’s a lose-lose situation for Disney. This decision by Disney has set the precedent to come. A meeting was recently conducted between Horn and Gunn, with Horn sticking by his original stance, much to the chagrin of Gunn’s close friend and ally, Bautista. He went as far as comparing Disney to Donald Trump. In a scathing Tweet, Bautista said, “Thanks Disney! Making America Great Again!”. He is Drax the Destroyer for a reason. Since Gunn’s firing, many big studios have approached him for work. He has made mistakes, and while I’ll never know if he’s completely changed, what is for certain is that James Gunn is here to stay. GROKONLINE.com.au

Words - Daryna Zadvirna Pics - Ivy Chung

Ever find yourself looking at a piece of art and thinking, what is it supposed to be? or, surely a toddler could do that? Maybe you just want to impress a date by being super romantic and cultured and taking them to an art gallery, but you don’t want to end up like Joey from F.R.I.E.N.D.S in the episode he takes Charlie to the M.E.T. If so, this article may just be of some use to you. So, the first rule of looking at art is: there are no rules. At the risk of making this article redundant, the truth is there is no particular way you should be looking at art. But it’s important to distinguish between looking and seeing. Most people will spend no more than a minute when looking at a piece of artwork—many will move on after just five or 10 seconds. But spending an hour at an art gallery trying to see every piece is like spending an hour at a cinema and watching every movie for just a few minutes at a time. This doesn’t necessarily mean you should spend an hour looking at each piece either.

It’s all a matter of finding out what art you enjoy. Not a fan of looking at large oil paintings of pale, naked babies and old, white-haired monks? Great— go check out bright, whacky modern art. Or, if you need something a little more to work with, you simply can’t go wrong with the Impressionists. Famous paintings like Claude Monet’s Water Lilies reaches a nice kind of in-between; it’s not superrealistic, depressing stuff from the Dark Ages, but it’s not colourful paints splashed across white canvas either. Art is just like a book store—there’s always something for everyone! Understanding art simply means engaging with the artists dialogue—except they’re talking in shapes, lines, colours, or even spaces. What you think the artist is trying to say may be different to the interpretation of the person standing right next to you; just like people translate literature, music and films differently.

The New York-based art-history lecturer, Jane Norman, once wrote:

So, here are a few guidelines (or suggestions) of things you should be asking yourself other than, how is that even art?

“Having learned to think in words, most of us must be re-educated to think in shapes and colours and spaces, for that is the only way to understand a work of art.”

While this is certainly a process made easier by educating yourself on art styles, history and techniques (just as you would with any other creative expression), art can also be instantaneously enjoyed by anyone, at any time.

What are the first three words that pop into your head? Your initial thoughts about a piece say a lot about the meaning of the art for you.

Personally, I consider looking at art is an invaluable experience that helps to develop useful skills and individual attributes, like critical and analytical thinking, as well as allowing you to tune into your feelings, world views and preconceptions. But, apparently that takes all the fun out of it!

FIRST IMPRESSION:

Just like a date or an interview — first impressions in art are important.

Is it mysterious? Silly, intense, foreboding? Does it remind you of your own memories, friends or fears? Not only should you look for what jumps out at you from your first glance, but also look around the gallery and go straight to the first piece that draws you closer. If it intrigues you, it’s worth examining. GROKONLINE.com.au

2. EXAMINE:

Let your eye bounce around the painting. I usually like examining the content of the piece first—what exactly are you looking at? What is the subject matter of the work? Then, I examine how the subject matter or content was expressed or portrayed. What are the physical attributes of this piece? Is it a painting or a sculpture? What are the materials used? What colours are used? Are the brushstrokes visible? What is the texture? Where is it displayed? You’ll notice as you answer these questions your mind will automatically wonder why those particular colours or brushstrokes were used, and that’s where the third part comes in.

ANALYSE:

Not sure if it’s too early to mention Renaissance, in case I scare some of you off, but in that era of art many artists focused on depicting their content matter as realistically as possible. Hence, they used very fine, almost invisible brushstrokes to create a refined photograph effect. On the other hand, the Expressionist era or movement was an attempt to express the meaning of emotional experience rather than physical reality. These guys were also seen as rebels against the perfectionism previously desired in paintings, and often used big, bold brushstrokes that were deliberately visible. How does this tie in with your analysis? Well, looking at something as simple as brushstrokes can give you a bloody good guess as to when it was painted or at least what era (something that will definitely score brownie points with your artsy date). More

importantly, however, you should ponder questions like: what does the work mean to me? What does it make me think of? How does it make me feel? What does the work mean to the artist? These questions define the meaning of the art.

4. CONTEXT:

And this is the part where you finally look at the little label beside the art work that most people go to after just a glance at the art itself. When and where was it painted? Is it by an artist you’re familiar with? What is the caption of the work? This is the part that doesn’t really matter that much if you’re not an art geek or art historian. But you may even surprise yourself with how this little bit of info can make you feel; you may even get an “ahhah” moment when you connect the painting to a historical movement! This may be your final thought; or, just maybe, you’ll decide you love the piece or the artist so much that you’ll do further research on it later. Maybe it’ll even inspire you to create your own piece of art … but perhaps I’m just being an overly optimistic art dork here. And that’s essentially it, folks! But remember these are just guidelines, and also rookie ones at that, from someone who’s not even a real art historian—so Gough ahead and feel Frida call me out on my mistakes!

Look at me the way I look at you

Why is everyone RAPping?

Words _ Keane Bourke Pics _ Chris Leopardi

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Reconciliation Action Plans have well and truly entered the mainstream, garnering support from organisations ranging from Rio Tinto to local governments and everyone in between.

Reconciliation WA project officer Sam Evans said the working relationship with organisations doesn’t end there, with RAPs providing a method of deeper engagement.

According to Reconciliation Australia, there are now more than 1.5 million Australians working or studying at one of 767 organisations with registered RAPs.

“It sort of provides us with the platform to hold organisations to account to make sure it isn’t symbolic,” he said.

B U T W H AT AR E THE Y, A N D W H AT ’S THE POI NT?

“What we’ve found is that it is a really, really effective way to engage within the organisational sectors to hold them to account and to translate that to real committed action within the reconciliation space.”

Reconciliation Australia is our expert body on reconciliation and provides a national framework for all RAPs. This framework organises plans into four different stages—Reflect, Innovate, Stretch or Elevate (RISE)— in the hopes that organisations will move through these stages as their engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians develops. Organisations are encouraged to register their RAPs with Reconciliation Australia, who provide around four rounds of feedback before endorsing each plan. Each organisation’s approach must meet minimum criteria, including the existence of an internal RAP working group to review the plan in practice, and cultural awareness training.

Evans said RAPs are designed to grow with an organisation’s capability in the reconciliation space. He said the Reflect stage is “for organisations that are just getting into the Reconciliation Action Plan space, and these commitments are sort of compulsory or mandatory acknowledgements at meetings, flag raising, quite symbolic, but it’s focused on recognition.” “The Elevate status is for organisations who have, through their journey, become culturally responsive and it’s on the onus of an Elevate RAP organisation to lift the reconciliation movement across Australia. “What that directly translates to is heavily supporting, and engaging in, efforts towards reconciliation.”

But regardless of where an organisation is along in their journey, Evans said RAPs are designed to provide a simple scaffold for everyone to follow. “A Reconciliation Action Plan is really a guideline or a tool or a framework that will allow organisations to get to that point of cultural responsiveness, but in an integral, appropriate and respectful manner,” he said.

B U T H OW DO THE Y ACT UA L LY WOR K ? JDSi Consulting Engineers developed their first Reconciliation Action Plan in 2014, and now have an Innovate RAP. One of the firm’s Directors, Mick Beaverstock, said what started as a commercial decision quickly grew into something much more meaningful. “We do quite a bit of work for LandCorp, and LandCorp had made a decision that part of their tender assessment was that you got additional points for having a RAP,” he said. “We started off thinking we had to have a RAP, and that quickly evolved into wanting to have a RAP.

with the concept of how can we actually do anything to make a difference. “Through the RAP, and really with the cultural awareness training and stuff that we've done and made our guys a little bit more sensitive, particularly in the regional areas through the Pilbara and the Kimberley.” Beaverstock said that, like many organisations, JDSi wasn’t immune from some initial opposition. “There's always a little bit of bigotry, a little bit of 'it's not really my problem,’” he said. “But generally, because most of my employees have spent time in regional areas on projects, they've seen what's up there and everyone got on board really quickly.” Beaverstock said this training has translated into real changes throughout the business. “[For example], there's a higher weighting if you've got Indigenous employment as part of the submission, those sort of things,” he said. “We wanted to do something where it actually gave the Indigenous people opportunities that they possibly wouldn't receive otherwise.”

“Once we got into the process, I mean we're an engineering consultancy, we were really struggling

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NOT A L L S M O OTH SA I LI NG It’s not just private enterprise jumping onboard with RAPs, with many schools and not-for-profits joining in too. Christ Church Grammar School’s Indigenous Program Coordinator, Michael Ralph, said although his experience had been positive, it isn’t always easy for these relatively smaller organisations to get involved. “Through Reconciliation Australia there's actually a large amount of work you actually have to do, and I guess a lot of the schools are probably struggling for resources and probably funding as well,” he said. “I guess those other schools probably don't have a staff member directly assigned to that role, and that's probably why it probably becomes challenging, because it's probably extra work for a lot of the different staff members to actually get something completed.”

“Reconciliation Australia are doing what they can, and I think it's good what they're doing … it's more the schools have to actually get involved and help each other out.” On the other hand, Beaverstock said his experience in the corporate world was completely different. “Reconciliation Australia are fantastic, they'll help you pull it together. They pretty much nominate a lot of the targets and then it's just sitting around and trying to work out what you can practically do to achieve them,” he said.

WHERE TO NOW? While many organisations are eager to cement their own reconciliation journey with a RAP, Evans warned they aren’t necessarily for everyone. “The RAP is sort of for those, it’s not converted, but for people who are culturally inquisitive, and I guess sit in the middle of the fence,” he said.

Ralph said one way to ease this pressure could be greater collaboration between other organisations, particularly schools.

“It’s not a tool to be used for the unconverted, that’s not where a Reconciliation Action Plan sits.

“Sit down as a group together and just discuss what each school's doing well, what's working well, what's not, what are the sort of complicating factors that are getting in the way, and that's probably the best way forward.

“It’s sort of for people starting their journey, whereas if you’re engaging with people who are resistant to the idea of reconciliation, which has definitely happened in the past, you need to take a slower journey with them and start to expose them to positive experiences to

reconciliation to get them to a place where they can engage in a Reconciliation Action Plan.” It's a message shared by Ralph, who cautioned against rushing into reconciliation. “If you try to change everything straight away it's very difficult to actually get everyone involved, but if you do meaningful things that teachers can get involved, and the community can get involved in, then you're more likely to actually achieve it.” For Christ Church, Ralph said this included featuring more Aboriginal authors in English classes, and bringing Indigenous history and understandings into humanities subjects.

Beaverstock said organisations shouldn’t be fearful though, and that businesses of any size can contribute to Australia’s reconciliation with a RAP. “I just think it really is a great thing, and it's good to see so many businesses getting on with it,” he said. “The main thing from our perspective is that you don't have to be a huge business to have a RAP, and you can make a difference.” “We're quite proud of what we're doing, and … you feel what you're doing is genuine … so I'd encourage businesses large and small to do this.”

Speaking about the bigger picture, Evans said things are looking good.

Evans said he hopes that, in the not-too-distant future, RAPs will have served their purpose, and that organisations like Reconciliation WA won’t be necessary.

“Even five years ago, a lot of organisations we used to interact with, the question would always be ‘why do we need to reconcile?’” he said.

“A Reconciliation Action Plan, the end goal is to change the fabric of an organisation so it’s just an accepted or normalised behaviour,” he said.

“Whereas five years later today, most of the organisations we engage with it’s ‘we need to reconcile, we understand it, how do we do it?’

“Essentially I guess the point of a Reconciliation Action Plan is really to make organisations such as ourselves redundant.”

“So there is that shift in attitude, and as long as it remains on that trajectory, hopefully we’ll see [reconciliation] a lot sooner.”

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The Gay Agenda Words// Max Vos and Jay Anderson Pics// Isaac Jay Curran CW: References to sexual assault, conversion therapy, violence and abuse, suicide

Back in the ‘90s, sectors of the Christian religious right accused the queer community of having an insidious “gay agenda”. We, of course, denied their colourful allegations. Over the decades since, the gay agenda has been a topic of contention—about whether or not it exists, and, if it does, what it entails. Anti-queer campaigners, like the born-again singer Anita Bryant, argue that homosexual men are more likely to molest children; that same-sex parenting is harmful to children; and that, because homosexual people don’t live as long as their heterosexual counterparts, adoption or fostering shouldn’t be possible. They also argue that: hate crime laws will lead to the imprisonment of religious practitioners, gay people are more prone to alcohol and drug abuse, homosexuality is a choice, and gay men controlled the Nazi Party and orchestrated the Holocaust. All of which has been thoroughly refuted with analytical research. Opposing the Anita Bryants of the world are journalists like LZ Granderson, icons like Liz Taylor, and us— because our agenda, quite simply, is equal rights. Below are some of the items on our agenda, but note: these are not limited to achieving rights for The Gays™, but rather the wider queer community in all of its beautiful, unique, glittery facets. This does and will always include the rights of those on the asexual and aromantic spectrums, bisexual and pansexual people, intersex people, transgender, gender non-conforming and non-binary folks. We’re here for all the queers.

‘‘

This is the gay agenda: equality. Not special rights, but the rights that were already written. —LZ Granderson.

‘‘

After months of deliberation, we, the gays of Curtin University, are submitting our agenda.

1) Preserving the dignity of trans and gender diverse people in the face of undisguised extremist hatred Dr Quentin Van Meter was on a national tour— sponsored by The Australian Family Association— and was due to conclude with a speech at the University of Western Australia when the queer community created a petition to prevent him from doing so. This is because of Van Meter and the AFA’s views about us. The AFA’s literature falsely disparages the queer community, and they campaigned for a no vote during the marriage equality plebiscite. Van Meter’s credentials are equally impressive: he denies proven science about transgender people, instead arguing that they are “delusional”; refutes their lived experiences; and argues that using puberty blockers for children with gender dysphoria, and thus, affirming their identity, is akin to child abuse. UWA received substantial criticism, but refused to cancel the event. They prioritised freedom of speech. They also claimed that “respect, in relation to LGBTIQA+ people generally, has been evidenced by the Rainbow Flag which has flown for some months at the front of the UWA campus.” Thomas Drake-Brockman, writing for OUTinPerth, responded with a reminder for the University: “Well UWA, flags are pretty—but they’re also pretty easy to put up. Actions are harder, but they speak louder.”

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Van Meter praised the University for their decision to allow him to present on their campus, despite the outcry. In the end, UWA cancelled the event, but not because of the protest. They cited the failure of the organisers to provide risk assessment paperwork promptly as cause for cancellation, and, in their statement, said that the University "holds firm on the principles of freedom of expression and maintains its position that it does not wish to set a precedent for the exclusion of objectionable views from the campus". And while they held firm, the trans community held hurt. Educational Consultant, Youth Pride Network’s Founder, and recent nominee of Australian of the Year, Kai Schweizer wrote: “The decision by UWA to host anti-trans speakers has certainly taken a toll on my community. If this were any other issue, the booking would have been cancelled without question. If they were speaking about a religious group or a particular race, the outcome would have been different. What hurts is knowing that my community's literal right to exist is still an acceptable subject of debate.” 2) Achieve basic legal recognition for transgender people’s relationships post-marriage equality The WA parliament is finally catching up in the stead of Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland by repealing laws that require transgender and gender

diverse people to divorce if they want to legally change their gender marker on their birth certificate. This law predates marriage equality, which makes it obsolete; it was intended to ensure no same-gender marriages occurred by allowing transgender people to change their documentation. We should note that the Government was legally required to review such legislation after marriage equality was passed into law, repealing section 40(5) of the original Marriage Act. We should also note that this announcement came under the headline “Government moves to fix legal anomaly for intersex couples”. Intersex is the umbrella term used to describe “a wide range of natural bodily variations,” writes intersex activist Pidgeon Pagonis, particularly in relation to physiological indications of one’s sex. In short, it is used to describe people with variations on (or unique combinations of) traditionally “male” and “female” primary and secondary sex characteristics:

everything from genitals and other anatomy, to hormones and chromosomes.

4) Better representation in popular culture, because it matters

So, to conflate being intersex with being transgender— though gender diverse may be a term some intersex and trans people identify with, and intersex people can also be trans—is an example of the current Government’s ignorance of who both transgender and intersex people are.

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), a non-governmental media monitoring organisation, releases annual reports about this specifically—like The Studio Responsibility Index. Analysing the films released by the major studios in Hollywood in 2017, this year’s report was telling.

3) Ban conversion therapy Conversion therapy is still legal across Australia, and recently appointed Prime Minister ScoMo isn’t going to do anything about it—“it’s not an issue for me”, he said in a radio interview on the subject (he also said that his “skin curl[s]” in reference to bisexuality, and labelled teachers that support trans students “gender whisperers”).

Of the 109 films released, only 12.8 per cent contained LGBTQ characters. Of these, half included less than five minutes of screen time for them. Gay men continue to dominate this representation, making up 64 per cent of the inclusive films. There wasn’t a single trans-inclusive film, and major studios continue to portray queer characters in a defamatory manner.

If you’ve never heard of this archaic practice, it amounts to a LGBTQIA+ person being tortured (the UN classifies it as torture) to “cure” them of their queerness, convert someone to being heterosexual, and/or, cisgender. Not long ago, Victoria proposed to debate on whether to ban the practice, but the debate was blocked by Liberal Michael Kroger. Conversion therapy can involve all sorts of psychological tortures and rarely “works” outside of its capacity to produce traumatised victims. This is probably because you can’t “cure” someone of something that A, is not an illness or disease, and B, is an individual’s culturally-categorised predisposition to romantic and/or, sexual attraction.

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5) Banning the “gay panic defence” nationwide South Australia is yet to overturn the gay panic defence. When used, a murder charge can be downgraded to manslaughter if a killer successfully argues they committed the crime because they were provoked by a homosexual advance. According to the South Australian Law Reform Report, it has been evoked in four instances in the past ten years. Although its attempted use for a murder in Adelaide in 2011 was unsuccessful, it was successfully used in two cases in Queensland in 2008 and 2011 before their government scrapped it last year. It never should have been a defence, and it shouldn’t be available now. 6) Let us donate blood Men who have had sex with men in the past 12 months are still barred from donating blood. This also applies to any woman who's had sex with a man who has—or even may have—engaged in sexual activity with another man in the past year. Trans women are also barred from donating blood, as they are classified as males who have had sex with men.

In 2012 the Australian Red Cross Blood Service admitted that "there is concern that deferral policies stigmatise groups of individuals as being 'unclean' and 'less worthy'." This led to an independent review of the deferral rules. Despite the ARCBS’ recommendation to have the deferral period lowered, the Therapeutic Goods Administration controversially rejected it. This year, Red Cross made an appeal for donors because of critical shortage of O-negative blood (the universal blood type for haemoglobin donation, given to patients during emergencies when their blood type is unknown), but many members of the queer community who wanted to donate were barred. 7) Achieving human rights for intersex people In March last year, intersex organisations and advocates in Australia and Aotearoa (New Zealand) set out a list of “priorities and calls by the intersex human rights movement in our countries” in what is known as the Darlington Statement. Such priorities include the criminalisation of medical interventions in the form of “normalising” surgeries that are often performed on intersex infants to make their anatomies fit with conventional notions of binary sex. Fifteen such surgeries have been performed on infants in WA since 2008. The Statement also calls on governments to acknowledge, and apologise for, the treatment of intersex people, for the legislative protection from discrimination, and the end of the use of IVF and other procedures as a means of de-selection of variations of sex characteristics.

abuse, 18 per cent are victims of physical homophobic abuse, and 69 per cent are victims of other forms of discrimination. These numbers are based on reported accounts of homophobic violence alone.

It calls for more research, education, access to social and welfare services and “public disclosure of accurate summary data on all medical interventions,” including individual access to one’s own childhood medical records. It ends with one powerful goal: “We call for an end to the stigmatisation and unnecessary pathologisation of intersex bodies.” 8) Increasing funding to improve LGBTQIA+ safety in schools National and international research demonstrates that positive school environments lead to better attendance and academic results. Writing Themselves in 3, a report on the national health and wellbeing of LGBTI young people, found that at least 61 per cent of them face verbal homophobic

Eighty per cent of these respondents experienced the reported abuse at school. In 2010, the Victorian State Government established Safe Schools to ensure the safety and wellbeing of queer students in government secondary schools. While many state, and some non-government and primary schools, have adopted the program—and although the Victorian State Government has committed to expanding the program to all state secondary schools by 2018—it is not a requirement nationally. The West Australian Equal Opportunity Commission found that queer young people at schools with protective policies are 30 per cent more likely to feel safe compared with those in schools without similar policies. They are also nearly 50 per cent less likely to be physically abused at school, less likely to suffer other forms of homophobic abuse, less likely to selfharm and less likely to attempt suicide.

9) Better suicide and mental health strategies The Law Council of Australia just released their Justice Project Report—a comprehensive review into the state of access to justice for people experiencing significant disadvantage—which compacted numerous statistics about the mental health of the queer community. Research indicates that the mental health of queer people is among the poorest in the nation. One study found that at least 36.2 per cent of transgender and 24.4 per cent of gay, lesbian and bisexual Australians met the criteria for experiencing a major depressive episode in 2005, compared with 6.8 per cent of the general population.

They also note that due to a “lack of inclusion of sexual orientation, gender identity and intersex status in population research and data collection in mental health services,” and because data informs evidence-based policy, that “LGBTI people have been left relatively invisible in mental health and suicide prevention policies, strategies and programmes.” 10) Better protections for refugees, including those fleeing homophobic violence Numerous outlets including the Sydney Morning Herald and New Matilda have reported critically on the treatment of queer refugees, which is often discriminatory and persecutory.

Rates of depression, anxiety and general poor mental health were highest among transgender and bisexual people, especially bisexual women.

Currently, 74 countries still criminalise same-sex acts, but queer refugees seeking safety in Australia are met with practices and policies antithetical to the existing rights of LGBTQIA+ people in this country.

This, unsurprisingly, corresponds to data about the higher rates of suicide for LGBTQIA+ people in consultation. A study found that same-sex attracted Australians have up to 14 times higher rates of suicide attempts than their heterosexual peers, and up to 50 per cent of transgender people have attempted suicide at least once.

Problematically, many are being detained in offshore detention centres in Papua New Guinea, where same-sex acts between men can lead to 14 years of imprisonment. While Nauru decriminalised homosexuality in 2016, incidents of discrimination— at detention centres and in the community—for same-sex couples still occur.

The National LGBTI Health Alliance—the peak body for the mental wellbeing of the queer community in Australia—reports that “these health outcomes are directly related to experiences of stigma, prejudice, discrimination and abuse on the basis of being LGBTI.”

During the asylum process, refugees often face sexually explicit and stereotypical lines of questioning in tribunal and courts to ascertain the credibility of non-heterosexual applicants. Jurisdictions like the EU have barred such questioning because their Court Justice found that an applicant’s rights to privacy and human dignity would be violated.

These are but a few of the items on our agendaâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; an agenda that is lengthy, because a lot has to be done to achieve equality and justice. But hard work is required to make the world fair and safe for the LGBTQIA+ community. As Harvey Milk said, "It takes no compromise to give people their rights ... it takes no money to respect the individual. It takes no political deal to give people freedom. It takes no survey to remove repression.â&#x20AC;?

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Addressing Islamophobia A cup of coffee at a time Words// Talya Hammond Pics// Sherlyn Chang

Coffee is consumed by many cultures around the world; there are many different ways to prepare it, times of day to drink it, and whether you take your coffee with sugar, milk, cream or sprinkles all depends on what you’re accustomed to. Some addictively rely on a morning caffeine hit, while others believe beans excreted from a civet’s arse—called Kopi Luwak— offer a more well-rounded taste. Whichever way you enjoy it, the act of sharing coffee can build a quiet understanding between strangers— something Kamran Tahir, Imam of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, knew when he created “Coffee and Islam”. Coffee and Islam is an opportunity for those curious about Islam to share a coffee with a practicing Muslim and have their questions answered. Through my experience with Kamran I learnt a great deal. How individuals experience the world differently due to their beliefs, and how culture and religion deeply inform each other. That if a Muslim person chooses to wear a head covering or grow a beard they must become more careful and alert. I learnt this through listening to the experiences of a Muslim person. This reinforced the importance of honest conversation, which empowers both people equally—the art of which has been stifled by postnine-eleven rhetoric.

Since the “War on Terror” was launched by the Bush presidency in 2001, attitudes towards Muslim communities in the West has shifted. Western news media reporting on the Islamic faith has altered to fit newer, post-nine-eleven narratives of terrorism and international conflict. The act of praying five times daily, once seen as a tradition of true devotion, has become a sign of religious extremism in the anxious psyches of many. In Australia, Islam and the Quran have been examined and twisted by political analysts, journalists, politicians, zealots, and everyday people to point to an elusive danger. This new wave of Islamophobia has been leveraged by political parties—One Nation party leader Pauline Hanson said not long ago that “Islam is a disease—we need to vaccinate ourselves against that”. In mid-2017, Universities across Australia partnered with the Islamophobia Register Australia to compile a report on Australian Islamophobia after the rise of anecdotal evidence hate crimes were on the rise. Studies found women, particularly those in head coverings, made up 79.6 per cent of the victims. Although hate crimes against Muslims have been statistically increasing in Australia, Kamran remains optimistic most Australians are open to Islam: “Ignorant would be someone who would choose not to learn, those who have been only told one side of the story,” he says, “I don’t think most people are ignorant, it’s just lack of knowledge driven by how media presents Islam”.

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Kamran believes that by creating a space for an open dialogue about Islam, it will foster greater understanding between Muslims and the wider community. While people do come to sessions for a blatant one-sided debate, Kamran says most Australians come to Coffee and Islam with honest intentions. For these Western Australians, Coffee and Islam is an avenue which offers people a chance to speak with someone who practices Islam and ask questions which may seem uncomfortable, to begin with. During my time spent with Kamran, drinking coffee and talking, how I thought about Islam changed. Did you know Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world? Or “jihad”, often translated into “Holy war” by media outlets, is an analogy of the internal struggle to behave in a manner which is reflective of one’s beliefs—perhaps something universally experienced by anyone with a faith system.

According to the Islamophobia in Australia report, hate crimes statistically rose after the media reported on overseas attacks committed by Islamic extremist groups against people from Western nations. These are the consequences of Islamophobia in Australia and are part of the reason Kamran created Coffee and Islam. Migrating from England to Australia and hearing of the rise of hate crimes in Australia, Kamran and the community at his mosque built an outreach group. The group allowed anyone curious about Islam the opportunity to sit down and have a conversation over a coffee.

Personally, I was a stranger to Islam. My knowledge of the religion has been developed through a somewhat unconscious diffusion of information from the news media; anchors who report on the religion, never having known it. While I didn’t intentionally develop these ideas, they developed nonetheless, and they were ill-informed. Have you ever had a meaningful conversation with a Muslim, sat down and exchanged the communion of sharing a coffee? Is your fear founded in real people, who you have spoken to openly, or is it in political fear-mongering? For those interested in having a conversation with Coffee and Islam email Askislam.WA@gmail.com. Alternatively, call or message 0416 874 762.

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Words - Joe Wilson

Pics - Hayley Thoms

With the polarisation of politics in America and the recent chaotic state of events emerging from Canberra which lead to an abrupt change of prime ministership, even the most politically engaged can feel a bit cynical.

Franklin was born on March 25, 1942 to preacher Clarence LaVaughn “C.L” Franklin, who was responsible for organising the 1963 Detroit Walk to Freedom of friend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Growing up in the home of a prominent African American preacher, Franklin was immersed, and involved in, the struggle for civil rights and women’s rights right up until the end of her life. Franklins’ most popular hit Respect—a funky ditty on the initial listen—is a cover of Otis Redding’s 1965 eponymous track, and it’s considered an anthem for civil rights and feminism. A funked-out backbone with saxophones splaying out the chorus, accompanied by Franklin’s exacerbating vocals—a strong souled-out virulent wit—it’s certainly a ‘60s party jam. But listen to it closely and Aretha Franklin’s cover of Respect goes further than re-interpreting a pop track. There is power. The track feels like more of a statement—a demand even. Intentional or not, the assertive vocals pushed out by Franklin re-purposed a delightful pop track into an audible open letter demanding agency for women and minorities at the time. But the track became something more, it became a calling for a mutuality of respect of all peoples, regardless of gender, race, class or sexuality.

Franklin said in her memoir Aretha: From These Roots, that “it [reflected] the need of a nation, the need of the average man and woman in the street, the businessman, the mother, the fireman, the teacher—everyone wanted respect.” In the wake of the arrest and trial of American political activist Angela Davis, Franklin offered to post bail for her. Davis was tried for assisting in a courtroom takeover. In 1970 a gunman interrupted the Marin County trial of San Quentin inmate James McClains, who was facing a charge of attempted murder. It resulted in four deaths—of the judge and three jurors. Stating she would pay, “whether it’s $100,000 or $250,000,” to free Davis, Franklin went against the advice of her own father in making the offer. Reflecting to writer David Ritz in Respect: The Life of Franklin, Franklin said:

‘‘ ‘‘

I’ve been locked up [for disturbing the peace in Detroit] and I know you got to disturb the peace when you can’t get no peace. Jail is hell to be in. I’m going to see her free if there is any justice in our courts, not because I believe in communism, but because she’s a Black woman and she wants freedom for Black people.

‘‘

I have the money; I got it from Black people – they’ve made me financially able to have it – and I want to use it in ways that will help our people.

‘‘

Arguably, the world feels a little darker, and the inspiration for change can feel intangible and a little too hard to find. In those moments, a spark of faith is needed, and the passing of soul superstar Aretha Franklin and her passion for the civil rights movement can be just that.

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Franklin’s commitment to civil rights culminated in her performance for former US President Barack Obama’s presidential inauguration in 2009. Singing My Country, ‘Tis of Thee—an American patriotic song written by Samuel Francis Smith. A few years later, in 2015, she would perform again in front of then-President Obama at Washington’s Kennedy Centre belting out You Make Me Feel (Like A Natural Woman).

American history wells up when Aretha Sings … Nobody embodies more fully the connection between the African-American spiritual, the blues, R&B, Rock ‘n’ roll – the way that hardship and sorrow were transformed into something full of beauty and vitality and hope.

Reducing then-President Obama tears, he said, “American history wells up when Aretha sings … Nobody embodies more fully the connection between the African-American spiritual, the blues, R&B, Rock ‘n’ roll—the way that hardship and sorrow were transformed into something full of beauty and vitality and hope.”

This is what really encapsulates Franklinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree of influence and commitment to the soul music and the civil rights movement. Writing and producing soul music is more than just creating a catchy tune and developing a popular track to sell records. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about continuing a dialogue and producing a memorable impact that incites change through music. Encapsulating the African-American spirit, remembering the historical struggles while inciting hope in listeners to demand something better is the purpose of soul. That is the definition of soul power, and reducing a US president to tears shows Franklin had the ability to meld and spread the power of soul to those around her.

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GIRLS TO THE FRONT

WA WOMEN KILLING IT IN THE MUSIC SCENE

THERE IS SOMETHING SPECIAL ABOUT ATTENDING A GIG WITH A DIVERSE AND INCLUSIVE LINE-UP. IT IS SO MUCH MORE ENGAGING W H E N T H E R E A R E P EO P L E YO U CA N I D E N T I F Y W I T H O N S TAG E . THE PERTH MUSIC SCENE IS VIBRANT AND FULL OF INCREDIBLE PEOPLE MAKING INCREDIBLE ART. THERE IS AN ABUNDANCE OF BA N D S A N D A R T I S T S TO L I S T E N TO A N D A LWAYS S O M E T H I N G NEW TO CHECK OUT EACH WEEKEND—YOU ONLY HAVE TO OPEN FAC EBO O K TO BE SPOILED FOR CHOICE .

WORD S: AIL ISH DE LAN E Y P ICS: SAL LY HE NDE RS ON

But, regardless of their talent, these artists are not always given the recognition they deserve.

industry. Progress has been made, but there’s still a long way to go.

On a national scale, women, people of colour and non-binary artists are severely under-represented. You only have to look at the images on the "lineupswithoutmales" Instagram account to be confronted with this reality. The account recently posted about the UNIFY Gathering 2019 line-up where it was revealed only 24 per cent of the artists feature at least one non-male member.

In a day and age where diversity within the music industry is a prominent and timely issue, it felt necessary and appropriate to bring awareness to some of the successful women in Perth who are doing an impeccable job at breaking down the barriers society has created.

This year, Triple J’s Hack program released its annual investigation into women in the music industry and found all of Australia’s major festivals had failed to reach gender parity on their line-ups for a third year running. Laneway took the cake for most diverse—44 per cent of their most recent line-up was female identifying acts or acts with women and men. Listen Out came in at 37 per cent, with Groovin’ the Moo, Falls Festival, and Splendour in the Grass peaking at 31 per cent. But the inequality is rooted deeper than music lineups—it’s woven through the fabric of the entire

Stella Donnelly Stella Donnelly is a force to be reckoned with. Whether she is performing solo or with a band, she always puts on an incredible, one might even say stellar, show. Best known for her tracks Boys Will Be Boys and Mechanical Bull, Donnelly is powerful and punishing in both her song writing and performing. She promotes a feminist message and refuses to accept the injustices in our society. Her voice is raw and beautiful, and you cannot help but be captivated by her the second she steps on stage. Over the past few years, she has been gaining the recognition she deserves and just announced a four-month world tour. With witty lyrics and a captivating performance, she is an artist I will never tire of listening to.

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Carla Geneve Carla Geneve is a musician who is definitely going places. At only 19-yearsold, she has already supported the likes of Jen Cloher and Alex Lahey. Geneve is a remarkable song-writer; her lyrics are so powerful and resonate well with her audience. With a presence that commands attention, it’s hard not to dance along when she’s belting out on stage and shredding her guitar. Her talent extends beyond indierock tunes, like Greg’s Discount Chemist, to emotional ballads like Juliet. Carla Geneve just wrapped her July tour for her new single Listening—which is what I recommend you do to her.

Scarlett Stevens Scarlett Stevens is the drummer for Fremantle’s own San Cisco, and a personal icon of mine. Not only is Stevens an incredible drummer, she’s also one of the most fashionable people I follow on Instagram. San Cisco have been releasing indie pop music since they put out Golden Revolver in 2011. They are best known for their songs Awkward, Fred Astaire and Too Much Time Together—but the list of favourites goes on. Scarlett Stevens always looks cool and collected as she rocks out on the drums, and there’s just something about seeing a powerful woman play the drums that makes your heart warm. San Cisco have an upcoming tour with Ball Park Music.

Saskia Fleming Saskia Fleming is the frontwoman of surf pop band Mal de Mer, who have quickly become a favourite of mine. Her bubbly and friendly personality is infectious, and you can’t help but want to be her friend when listening to her talk between songs. Fleming has a unique voice that is comforting to listen to, but it also makes you want to dance along with her. This, paired with her often humorous lyrics and the band’s funky instrumentals, makes them a standout group. Mal de Mer is a primarily female band: they have Claudia Genovese on the drums,

Emma Gushlow on bass and Emma Crawford on the keys and saxophone. Their debut single Wet Socks was released in June and they have certainly made a name for themselves since.

Sakidasumi Sakidasumi, also known as Umairah Murtaza, is a local photographer, singer and videographer. An allround creative, Sakidasumi oozes coolness. Her voice is funky and soulful with dreamlike electric beats, the type you could listen to as you lie in the sunshine. Murtaza’s musical projects extend beyond Sakidasumi, she also DJs for Intern Hook-Up and can be found regularly performing for either of these acts.

"There’s just something about seeing a powerful woman play the drums that makes your heart warm." Bella Nicholls Bella Nicholas is the frontwoman of jazz-funk, neo-soul band Demon Days. Nicholls’ voice is rich and nuanced. It keeps you on your toes as she hits highs and lows. Demon Days has a solid presence in the Perth music scene, and rightly so. Their music is engaging and makes you release your inner jazz cat. Nicholls is by far one of the best vocalists in the Perth scene at the moment. She has a voice that was born for jazz. Demon Days just released their first EP, Magic Eye, and and hit the road for a nation-wide tour at the end of August.

Jamilla Jamilla is an electronic R&B producer with a calming voice that transports you to somewhere else. She released her first single Beautiful in April this year. It’s an elegant and soulful track that makes you feel like you’re floating away in the ocean. She combines her electronic production skills with singing

and song writing to create musical masterpieces. Jamilla has made a name for herself in the Perth music scene, and it’s easy to find a line up with her name on it most weekends.

Kopano Jemma Bradford is Kopano, an artist persona similar to the likes of Florence and the Machine. She started the Kopano journey solo, but later found a band to give her sound more depth. Earlier this year, she split from the band and started a new solo journey. Kopano combines powerful vocals with melodic synths to create sophisticated pop music. She promises an EP in 2019 and already has a multitude of shows lined up for the next months.

Hyclass Hyclass, Susan Tuialli, is a strong and soulful hip-hop artist. She is both a rapper and artist, and promotes her Polynesian roots in her art. Hyclass owns the stage with her charisma and charm, as well as her powerful raps. She delivers bars with elegance and flow that pair perfectly with her catchy beats. Hyclass is dropping her new single Queen at the end of August and has venues lined up for her shows next month.

Your Girl Pho Your Girl Pho is the fun and bright stage-persona of Phoebe Gunson. She brings neo-soul, electro-pop and R&B elements together to create a unique sound that has won the hearts of many nation-wide. Your Girl Pho is known for her diverse vocal range and the insane amount of energy she brings with her onstage. She recently released her new single I Can’t Take It and is heading off on a national tour throughout September. With dreamy vocals, a smooth sax solo and lyrics filled with pent-up frustrations, it’s one to check out.

TO DO SOM ETHING “ LIKE A G IRL” IS TO DO IT WELL. IT IS TO B E STR ONG A ND B RAV E, TO B E LO UD A ND S EEN. SO, HERE’ S TO THE L A DIES WHO ARE KILLING IT. M AY WE R A ISE THEM UP A ND CONTINUE THE PUS H FOR M ORE DIVER SITY A ND R ECOG NITION WITHIN THE M USIC INDUSTRY. BRIN G GIRLS T O T HE F RO N T.

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ARTIST IN FOCUS

Words Naomi Worthy Pics Alicia Rutigliano

Dallas Frasca is a cool lady. Raised in the small Victorian town of Wangaratta, Dallas discovered her voice and formed eponymous three-piece heavy rock outfit Dallas Frasca. Their sound has been compared to the likes of Janice Joplin and The Black Keys. Dallas is also one of the founders of Hitch to the Sticksâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a three-day musical mystery tour. Festival goers hop on a coach in Melbourne and travel throughout regional Victoria, treated to performances from established Australian artists (this year it includes the likes of Tim Rogers and Jebediah), new regional artists and various other cultural events. Naomi Worthy spoke to Dallas about her music career so far and her role in Hitch.

How did you get started in music and when did you realise it was the career for you? Maybe there’s been a couple of moments. When I was 13 I saw this film called Crossroads, not the Britney Spears one, but the one about Robert Johnson—the blues musician. I was so taken by that film that I faked a sickie for the first time and watched the film like, 13 times in a row. There’s so much amazing guitar and music in that film. So, I suppose that was a moment. I started getting guitar lessons after that. Have you ever had any reservations going into the rock genre, which is particularly male dominated? Was there ever a moment where you thought that maybe it’s a bit too hard to keep going? My mother, she is the strong dominant figure in my family. I’ve worked in a couple of different factories where I’ve been the only female with a hundred men on the plant, but it’s never really been an intimidating environment because of the household that I was brought up in. I think ultimately my love for music overrides anything. Regardless of gender, I am really lucky to have really beautiful humans that I love, and we support each other playing music. It comes down to the humans at the end of the day. At the same time there definitely are challenges, and I can understand why there is such a small percentage of women signed up to APRA. It can be an intimidating environment if you don’t have the tools to cope. It can also be hard to see music as a pathway if you feel like you’re constantly being challenged when all you want to do is play.

Do you have any general observations about the Australian music industry? How does it compare to other countries? We’ve spent a lot of time in France the past eight years. There’s a different culture surrounding music that I’ve observed. In Australia, it’s a real football culture—that’s a big generalisation—but I think, when we go to see bands, it’s such a social thing. We’re catching up with people and we’re talking. In France, people don’t say a word during your entire performance, in respect. And they won’t say a word until the last note has died out generally. It took a while to adjust. I would think Omg they hate it, but no they’re listening. Also, I think there’s been a big shift in gender inclusive line ups. I am a woman in the music industry and I play in a male dominated genre of music. Over the last 20 years, my last two tours around Europe was just me and twelve-plus men. Personally, I’ve struggled with that, but that’s not to say anything against the great men I’ve toured with. I’ve just craved female company on the road. Females often are fighting over one or two positions that are being offered, whether it be a festival or a job in the music industry. But it’s been shifting in the last few years. Along with that, there’s been women working together a lot more. There can be this thing that has been bred into us from when we are quite young about competing against each other, and I think it’s because there’s never enough roles or job offerings to go along with that. But that’s changing, and so is the support behind the scenes. It’s just such a great time to be a woman. In the last two years, I’ve noticed a massive shift. Women are doing the job just as well as men, if not better.

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BURGERS

MUSIC

How did the idea for Hitch to the Sticks come about? At the start of last year, I was invited to go on a thing called the Victorian Music Crawl run by Music Victoria. There’s like 25 industry people: a few artists, a booking agent, journalists, and we went on this bus around regional Victoria. It was basically shining a spotlight on regional areas that were doing well with music. I kind of went away from that thinking what about the areas that aren’t doing very well? So, then I was like, well, what if I got my direct fanbase and throw them on a big coach and I bring the audience with me on the fucking road?! I was talking to one of my best friends about this idea and I’m like, we could activate brand new music spaces and there’d be no risk for the venues and she was like "This is genius, Let’s do it!". We ran the pilot in March. We ran a coach load of people from Melbourne across ten events over the weekend. Six were secret locations, only exclusive to the bus ticket holders. We had crazy stuff; a smoking ceremony; gigs in old churches and discovering artists in a hedge maze; with all the buskers in there. We had Whitfield Crane from Ugly Kid Joe singing around the campfire just to them. We had four events that the public could come along and buy tickets to. At one gig, we had 4000 people roll up to it and we were just like "Whoa!". There’s a great

demand for this style of curation, for events in regional areas. We have an all-inclusive line up which is really important to us. Aside from our enormous headlining acts, we are also booking 85 per cent of regional artists, so regional artists in the area have a platform to play. Career highlight? Just the camaraderie and friendships, particularly from the coach which we took around for three days. People have Hitch to the Sticks tattoos, people said it was the best weekend of their lives, some of them are even in a Hitch Facebook group; all these guys are going to see bands together. I think it’s totally the camaraderie, the sense of community, the adventure. We don’t really give much away about what’s happening on the bus, so people are taking risks going, well we’re just going to trust that Dallas is going to show us a good time. Do you have any advice for aspiring musicians? Maybe advice you found helpful or advice you wish someone had told you? I think believe in yourself. We’re hard on ourselves as artists because there’s that inner talk going, oh no, it’s not quite good enough. You’ve got to keep going. There’s a lot of negative inner chat to get to a place where you feel happy with yourself, but I think to just reinforce that with self-belief, as well as, sifting through the shit to find the gems.

D A I LY S P E C I A L S ! MADE HERE AT

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TOP TIPS FO R

EUROPE TO

Words: Hannah Salt

Pics: Hayley Thoms

TAKE IT SLOW & DON’T RUSH ANYTHING. DON’T TRY TO FIT EVERYTHI NG IN.

I know it’s hard when you organise the first, big European trip— you want to try to fit in everything the world’s most diverse continent has to offer. You want to eat pizza in Italy, drink beer in Germany, smoke weed in Amsterdam, cruise along the Amalfi Coast, sail around Croatia, climb the Eiffel Tower, run with the bulls in Spain … but you can’t do it all. Unless you’ve got years, one of the key things to enjoying your first European summer is trying not to fit everything in.

CHOOSE YOUR TOP FIVE PL ACES/ M U S T- D O S . Maybe it’s island hopping around Greece, or visiting the Buckingham Palace in London, or skiing in the Swiss Alps. Whatever it is, write down and plan the rest of your trip around them. And the bits in between? They will all fall into place.

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FIGURE OUT HOW YOU’RE GOING TO GET AROUND. Whether it’s travelling independently or with a tour, think about what’s s right for you. If you fancy a tour with everything organised for you, go for Topdeck or Contiki. If you want a bit more freedom but aren’t wanting to go solo, maybe a Busabout is for you—your transfers and accommodation are all organised, but exploring the towns can be done in your own way.

Or, if you’re wanting to go completely solo, Europe is the ideal place to do so. Book hostels ahead of time using websites like HostelWorld or Booking.com. Buy your train tickets online before you go. Find cheap flights in advance. Or if you’re wanting a cheaper option, intercity buses are usually your best bet. Just be sure to buy and validate your ticket before getting on the bus, otherwise you will get a fine like I did!

4 CONSIDER STAYING IN AIRBNB. The underrated method of accommodation when travelling around places like Europe is Airbnb. Not only is it cheaper than a hotel (for the most part), but it is easy, homely, and—nine times out of 10—in the ideal location. Most Airbnb’s come with kitchens, meaning you can save money by cooking the meal you’ve been craving for the past few weeks, or do your own washing with the washing machine. When you arrive at the house or apartment, the host greets you with a warm smile—giving you maps and tips on where to visit, where to eat, and the best method of getting around. All in all, it personalises your experience.

PACK LIGHT. You don’t need multiple pairs or jeans or jackets for a European summer. You don’t need to take big bottles of shampoo and conditioner. You don’t need four pairs of sneakers and three pairs of sandals. You don’t need twenty different tops. Because chances are, you won’t wear half of the stuff you take if you just pack them for the sake of it. But you do need: a towel, one pair of comfy shoes, at least one nice outfit for when you want to go out somewhere fancy and, the polar opposite, make sure to pack a pair of thongs.

5 6

WALKING TOURS ARE A MUST. The best way to see what each place has to offer is through a walking tour. Whether it’s learning about Germany’s history, or looking around Prague’s beautiful buildings, you will always get more than you bargained for. The tour guides are passionate, knowledgeable, and some of the friendliest people you’ll meet. They answer any questions you may have, and will tell you all of the best restaurants to eat at and bars to drink at. And best of all, they are tip based. If you didn’t enjoy it, you are not obliged to pay. If you loved it, you can tip them as much as you like.

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7 BOOK TOURS, TIX AND A CCOMMODATION IN A DVANCE DURING PEAK SEASON. Not only does it mean you’re organised, but it ensures you’re getting the best possible prices. Tours like the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam or day-trip boat-tours around the Amalfi Coast book up weeks—sometimes even month—in advance. To guarantee you see all that you want to see, and stay in the best possible location, booking in advance is the best thing you can do.

BRING A SUITCASE YOU CAN CARRY. OR BETTER, TAKE A BACKPACK INSTEAD. Walking through cobblestone streets, carrying your suitcase up multiple flights of hotel stairs (because a lot of European hotels only have stairs), navigating your way through busy airports or train stations when it’s busy … a light bag which you can carry will make your life a lot easier. Trust me, I learnt the hard way.

ALLOW YOURSELF TO SPLURGE, BUT MAKE SURE YOU TAKE ENOUGH MONEY. Binge on a few experiences that are a bit out of your price range, and budget on the things that aren’t as important. If you plan for amazing experiences—like an expensive lunch, a private boat tour, a trip to a national park or dinner in the Eiffel Tower—they’ll be the parts you will always remember but will not regret. But probably the most important part: make sure you take money, and lots of it. Save as much as you can, plus some. Work as much as you can and spend as little as possible before you leave, so you can afford to do the things you want while you’re away. After all, you didn’t travel all the way to Europe to not see the amazing sights it has to offer.

10 HAVE FUN! IT WILL BE SOME OF THE BEST WEEKS OF YOUR LIFE. GROKONLINE.com.au

Words// Kellie Balaam

Pics// Angel Nguyen

Escaping with the wind and meandering through alleyways, a silent assassin is floating, undisturbed, through the empty suburban streets. A wild plastic bag, not an uncommon sight in this world, is unaware of the damage it is inflicting each year. Here’s a blast from the past: remember those thin, flimsy, grey plastic bags almost everyone chose to put their groceries in when going through the supermarket checkout? Those single-use plastic bags that put our shopping experience at ease. They’re set to be a relic of the past (unless you’re one of those people who have hoarded enough to last you for five years) because the McGowan government

has now put in place a single-use plastic bag ban in Western Australia. Plastic bags make up a small percentage of our litter and waste disposal, but they have a detrimental effect on the environment—especially the ocean and its marine life. According to the Department of Water and Environment Regulation’s 2017 discussion paper, West Australians used approximately 360 million lightweight plastic bags that year. To put into perspective, that’s 140 bags per person. For something that only has a

“useful life” of 15 minutes, the plastic bag is headscratchingly popular among present-day consumers.

Is plastic really that bad for the environment? Yes, quite.

WA has been divided ever since the announcement of the state-wide ban—and it goes from one extreme to another. Some people assault checkout operators, blaming them for the change, others simply adjust their habits and move on with their lives. Added into that dangerous concoction, one of the supermarket giants, Coles, backfired on the ban. It seems strange that WA is having so many problems switching to a change that many other states and countries have managed to do years ago. Bans have been implemented in all states and territories, except New South Wales. Around the world, Ireland has had a AUD24cent levy since 2002, and in Kenya you can face up to four years in prison for making, selling or using a plastic bag (now that’s some serious business). So, let’s get real about the plastic bag ban. According to National Geographic plastic wasn’t invented until the late 19th century and production only took off around 1950—so we have just over 9 billion tonnes of the stuff to deal with.

All plastic, including plastic bags, have a significantly damaging impact on our environment. The DWER 2017 discussion paper says around one million seabirds and 100,000-some mammals die every year as a result of plastic ingestion or entanglement. These lightweight bags that get tossed away—whether it’s after one use or used as a bin liner—still end up in the same place: landfill. Before ending up in the soup of plastic that is our ocean. According to National Geographic, virtually half of the plastic ever manufactured has been made in the past 15 years. Banning these single-use bags is a way to stop at least one type of plastic product entering our environment. The alternative that many shoppers are turning to now are the thicker, reusable plastic bags, that many supermarkets have on offer for around 15 cents. But then, of course, Coles announced they were giving away their “Better Bags” for free—indefinitely.

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LIFESTYLE

This announcement was made at the beginning of August and has caused huge backlash since free plastic bags defeats the purpose of the plastic bag ban in the first place. In a statement, Coles Managing Director John Durkan, said that the transition had been difficult for customers, as they would find that they are a few bags short when heading through the checkout. According to an SBS news article, this led him to say that “putting our customers first is in our DNA and we must always be empathetic and responsive to their needs.” If customers are finding themselves short of bags why don’t they take extra, just in case? And really, what damage is two bags at 15c each going to do to your bank account? The back down has infuriated many environmental groups like Greenpeace, who criticised the move as “irresponsible” and “disappointing”. Greenpeace campaigner Simon Black said, “removing the price means that these reusable bags are far more likely to be used once and discarded. It will result in the removal of any incentive for customers to bring their own bags and, therefore, we are back to square one.” Black has also said Coles’ actions “make a complete mockery of their claims to want to reduce their plastic waste”. And that’s not to mention the "Little Shop" range of collectible mini supermarket products, which are, of course, made from plastic (way to go Coles).

But then Coles backfired on their own backfire, stating that the complimentary “Better Bags” would only be available until August 29. Considering all the backlash and complaints Coles has received from consumers, this is certainly the way to go. West Australians need to become accustomed to new habits, and from a Woolworths survey conducted in May, out of 12,500 customers, 75 per cent supported the phasing out of plastic bags. With such a positive outcome, why are there still so many complaints? A popular argument that many people make is that they use the plastic bags for bin liners and are now forced to pay for rubbish bags. But with plastic bags only coming into use during the 1960s, what did generations before us use? Daphne Balaam grew up in Perth in the ‘40s and late ‘50s, and said there were no plastic bags when she was younger: “We would just put our groceries in a large carton box and carry our stuff home in that, or the local shop would have big, brown paper bags”. She also said composting was popular back then for all the food scraps and there wasn’t much rubbish waste to start with, as food was sold with little packaging: “My dad would dig a huge hole for all the veggie scraps, cover it up and later, when the waste had broken down, spread it around his garden”. There are many plastic-free alternatives on the market for consumers to buy to help minimise their impact on the environment and waterways. Newspaper can easily be used to line rubbish bins and, as

Tracy Bailey, the founder of eco-retailer Biome said, “compostable bags made from plant starch and not from petrochemicals are better as they break down and return to the earth”. So, what can we expect in the coming months? Hopefully the Coles-plastic-bag-ban controversy is at an end, but each individual has a responsibility too. We all know sea turtles see these jellyfish looka-likes as a food source, and we’ve all seen the albatross carcass filled with plastic fragments. We all know the impacts of single-use plastic bags and other plastic items, so don’t you think it’s about

time we start taking responsibility for our actions, regardless of what Coles decides to do? Even if it’s just taking an extra bag to fit in your handbag (or man bag for that matter), or choosing to buy the 99 cents material bag rather than the plastic option. Anything that is better for the environment, is better for us. Moving with the rhythm of the wind, the silent assassin floats gently through a carpark. It continues its journey through the suburban streets, until finally arriving in its new habitat: the ocean.

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LIFESTYLE

5. Tell me a little about yourself and your studies at Curtin. I’m a second-year student at Curtin and I am currently studying a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Screen Arts. I’m 19, I work part-time as a barista and barman, and I enjoy competitive sailing. I also currently run my own freelance videography and photography business, called Unfinished Production, which is aimed at the commercial, corporate and private sectors. I’ve been running the business for two years. Within that time, I’ve worked with various clients and at different events, including the City of Perth, café chains, fashion retail stores, manufacturing companies, sporting events, weddings, and school balls. One day I’d love to run a production company, and create and produce media content that will evoke an emotive response, for anyone and everyone. What are you most proud of in the work you do? I’m proud of the memories I create for people; the reactions they get when they see my final edit of their product or event and loving it—it’s the greatest reward. I’ve gotten to where I am today by constantly working and refining my craft; doing a lot of jobs for free, sending lots of emails, and doing lots of work for little to no money—just never giving up. What were some of the challenges you faced?

Self-doubt; second-guessing whether my product is good enough; trying to establish my own brand in an already flooded market and having to rely on programs such as Adobe Premier Pro, which tend to crash a lot. It’s not been easy to prioritise time for both study, work and building my business, and I’m no expert at managing time. However, it helps to have a good diary or calendar and a list of “to-do’s”. What are your top 3 pieces of advice for being successful? My top three recommendations for trying to be successful, as cliché as they are, are: 1. Don’t take no for an answer. 2. Make goals. 3. Have fun with what you do. Definitely just make time to do the things you love. Don’t look back, just do it. You won’t regret it. If you have a desire to do what you want, just go out and do it. Follow Bayley’s business on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ UnfinishedProductions/ or check out his films at https://www.youtube.com/channel/ UCQadvJTlv4pZjZjBUCPkwmw. GROKONLINE.com.au

LIFESTYLE

AR T S G ISIN R S ' EN M O AFL W

jwani anya A T / / s rton Word ysia Bu ll E / / Design

AS WOMEN’S AFL GAINS MOMENTUM AND CAPTURES THE ATTENTION OF AUSTRALIAN SPECTATORS, PERTH’S VERY OWN RUBY SCHLEICHER SHARES HER EXPERIENCES AS A DEFENDER FOR COLLINGWOOD.

When she was little, Ruby’s dad coached her brother’s Auskick team. Wanting to be a part of all the fun, Ruby signed up for Auskick at Willetton Junior Football Club when she was just six years old—which made her the only girl in the whole club.

After graduating high school in 2015, Ruby found herself working a few casual jobs to pass the time. When the opportunity to move to Melbourne and get drafted for the Collingwood Magpies arose, Ruby was stoked.

She continued to play as the only girl until the age of 12, at which point she could no longer play on the same team. Ruby’s focus then shifted to basketball, a sport in which she demonstrated natural skill.

“It was a change that I thought, if it doesn’t work out, home is always there and I can go back If I need—but so far so good!”

Footy came back into her life when she was 16, because she found out about a women's competition. Soon after, Ruby got involved at East Fremantle Football Club.

I M AGE S OURCE : COLLINGWOOD MEDIA

Ruby is still one of the youngest players on the team, so she feels like she has a lot of improvement left to make. She says she’s hoping to be there at the club for a significant part of the foreseeable future, and so she’s aiming to solidify her spot in the team as a defender.

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When asked about her biggest achievement in AFLW so far, she said it was getting drafted and playing in the inaugural Collingwood versus Carlton game when the league began in February 2017. Women’s sport coverage usually averages 10 per cent of print media and just five per cent of TV news. In Australia, just nine per cent of coverage is devoted to women in sport. But AFLW is proving to be an impetus for change. Ruby says the attention the sport has had over the last two seasons has been encouraging for her and her team mates. “[The] majority of us girls have never experienced anything like the media attention that we are experiencing now, so everyone is really excited but at the same time, with the positives comes the negatives.” She observes that not everyone is accepting of AFLW and that is something the players have come to accept to a certain extent. “It’s our job to try and change their mind,” she says. In the past, womens’ sports have lacked funding, which translates into a lack of advertising and publicity for the sport. The disproportionate ratio between women’s participation and their presence on media platforms is because of the commercial nature of media coverage.

Factors, like scheduling that prioritises men’s sport, and the fact that women are featured more in tennis over any other sport because it is considered a gender-appropriate sport, are finally changing. More audiences are going to live AFLW games and this has seen an increase in its media coverage. Unfortunately, Ruby’s time at Collingwood hasn’t been free of injuries. Ruby says her biggest obstacle in her AFLW career has been overcoming the effects of previous injuries. She broke one vertebra while playing basketball, and another just six months later while surfing. She says one of the fractures has turned into a permanent fracture that she has had to learn to manage. “Although it still gives me grief every now and then, Collingwood are looking after me really well and giving me the resources to manage it the best I can,” she says. As a result of her injuries, Ruby wasn’t able to pursue a career in basketball in the US as planned, but she says she can’t complain with how things with the AFLW have turned out so far. With a promising career ahead of her, and an evolving women's sports backdrop, it will be interesting to see Ruby on the field in the years to come.

I M AG E S OU RC E : CO L L I N GWO O D M E DI A

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