Empire Times 40.8

[et] empire times vol. 40 issue 8 FREE!

October 18th Tickets $50 All food & drinks covered Old Hollywood theme, awards fusa.edu.au

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Editorial

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Letters to the Editors

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Contributor Spotlight

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Dear Dorothy

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Ask Mistress M: Stripped Bare

Mistress M

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(Not) “The Thinking Person’s Prime Minister”

Christopher Sellwood

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Goodby Mr. Rudd?

Tut Tut

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A Greens Perspective

Simone Corletto

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Rock Bottom Politics

Grace Hill

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Socialist Equality Party

Will Morrow

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The Budget Surplus as the Holy Grail in Australian Politics

Laura Telford

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It’s Your Education. Use It.

Emma Maguire

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The Flinders Stage Exposed

Sarah Gates

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An Appeal to All Australians Who Want to “Stop the Boats”

Jemma Slevec

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An Open Letter to Those Concerned With Boats, People, and Legality

Dylan Price

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Mirror to the World

Agnik Sarkar

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The Marriage Equality Reform: Labor’s Last Stand?

Anthony Dodd

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Photos from the Multicultural Festival

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Vox Pops

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Politics, Disillusionment, and Indifference

Ira Herbold

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The Hardships of Skinny Bitches

Gabrielle Lane

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On Voting: Or, How Public Opinion is a Myth and the Media Has Ruined Democracy

Aneta Peretko

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A Highly Biased Guide to Voting

Cara Ferguson

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Rhetorical Questions in Support of Civic Education

Christine Bennetts

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Art Reviews

Claire Gilham

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Restaurant Reviews

Lauris Buckley, Robbie Peschel

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Spotlight:

Dorian Bašić

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Film Reviews

Annie Robinson, Sarah Gates, Miranda Richardson

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Book Review

Kevin Clark

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Poetry

Sue Denim, Nikki Klindzic, Jess Nicole

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Music Reviews

Elizabeth Daw, Jess Nicole

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Game Reviews

Tamara Babij, Adam Rau

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Sudoku

Editors: Sarah Gates, Simon Collinson, and Preesan Pillay Doesn’t Rupert look gleeful?

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Empire Times is a free publication of the Flinders University Student Association Editors: empire.times@flinders edu.au Advertising: stephanie.walker@flinders.edu.au Visit us at facebook.com/empiretimesmag or empiretimes.com.au Empire Times does not support any political party or the election of any person to a Commonwealth, State, or Territory parliament or local government body.

All views expressed by contributors belong to them alone.

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Contents

[ editorial ]

T

hanks for screwing us over, KRudd. This politics issue, which was planned at the start of the year, has conveniently fallen some days after the election; with our content deadline almost two weeks ago. As such, everything in this magazine was written, drawn, or otherwise created before the election results were known. Still, we hope it provides a nice overview of the political landscape in Australia, and at Flinders University. We also come to you proudly not owned or financed by Rupert Murdoch — although we thank him for posing as our cover image.

As we write, Murdoch’s media spouts endless promotions for Tony Abbott and his party. Adelaide is, in essence, a one paper town, with the Advertiser and the Messenger both owned by News Corp. So many of us are constantly exposed to their blatant bias. I mean, seriously, Courier Mail and Daily Telegraph (and probably a few other News Corp publications), “Kevin looks like a bit of a Muppet?”

Seriously? That’s your “news” headline?

In the week of the election GetUp Australia’s video “Thanks Rupert Murdoch, but Australians can choose their own government” was banned from the three major television networks, although Channel 9 ran it for four days before pulling it due to a “coding error.” Lachlan Murdoch, the eldest son of the media tyrant, sits on the Channel 10 company board. Channel 7 simply claimed it to be “offensive,” which is just absurd.

We hope that the following pages are somewhat balanced in the political views expressed, as this was certainly our aim. To start off the themed content, we have articles from students leaning towards Labor, the Liberals, the Greens, Socialist Alternative, and the Socialist Equality Party. What follows is a range of articles discussing different political

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issues: the budget surplus, education, asylum seekers, same sex marriage, and the media. If you need a break from politics, get cosy with a piece on the recent nudity “scandal” in the drama department, or check out our new video game review section on page 47. Whatever your flavour, read on for a little post-election stimulus.

Love, Sarah, Simon, and Preesan

Mandatory Politics Issue Disclaimer Empire Times does not support any political party or the election of any person to a Commonwealth, State, or Territory parliament or local government body.

Views expressed by contributors belong to them alone.

THANK YOU! Thank you to everyone who has picked up a magazine, ever, but particularly this issue.

We know you must be getting sick of politics, but this issue has been a long time in the planning and, as we said in the editorial, KRudd totally screwed us over by making it earlier than predicted.

Thank you to all the people that contributed, especially those who allowed us greater scope of opinion and perspective. You have made the magazine a more balanced representation of the population and for that we are grateful.

Finally, a big thank you to all who attended our events in the past month - specifically the 40th Anniversary Party at the Flinders City Gallery and the panel discussion in the Flinders Library. Thanks to the Flinders Gallery friends, Flinders Special Collections cool cats, and talented FUSA staff (especially Steph) for organising the event. Thanks to Andrew McHugh and Steph Walker for speaking, as well as Ian Page for his impromptu speech. Thanks to Fringe Benefits and Charles Chiam Chuang Chao who took photos on the night. It was great to see so many people attend and enjoy the free alcohol and nibbles!

If you want to be one of those people who writes last minute reviews for very grateful editors, join our Facebook group for contributors: https://www.facebook.com/ groups/134074086783799/.

If you’d like to join us for issue nine, drop us a line at empire.times@flinders.edu.au.

Check out our Facebook page: facebook.com/empiretimesmag.

Sub-Editors

Artists/Photographers Alice Dolling Charles Chium Chuang Chao Mohammad Mehbub Yiyi Douyao

Alice James (Fiction) Aneta Peretko (Law/Policy) Annie Robinson (Film) Elizabeth Daw (Music) Katerina Bryant (Features) Nathan Erdely (Crossword)

Writers Adam Rau Adriana Allman Anthony Dodd Cara Ferguson Christine Bennetts Christopher Sellwood Clare Gilham Dylan Price Emma Maguire Gabrielle Lane Grace Hill Ira Herbold Jemma Slevec

Jess Nicole Kevin Clark Laura Telford Lauris Buckley Leon Cermak Miranda Richardson Nikki Klindzic Robbie Peschel Simone Corletto Sue Denim Tamara Babij Tut Tut Will Menzies Will Morrow

Columnists Agnik Sarkar Dorian Bašić Emma Sachsse

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[ letters to the editors ] Dear Editors,

OMG Pressan,

Please see my report “Queer Collaborations 2013” on a conference I attended. People can attend it next year if they want:

Awesome effort at your latest Editorial. I mean how original to spice up your blurb with a bit of foul language – yeah tough guy.

Queer Collaborations (QC) is an annual conference run by students for students. QC has a few main elements: caucuses, workshops run by delegates or outside facilitators, panels with guest speakers and conference floor. Caucuses are meetings restricted only to members of a certain oppressed group, for example the Trans*, Gender Queer and Intersex Caucus is open only to people who identify as Gender diverse. The Conference floor is similar to question time in parliament house,delegates debate issues and people vote “or” or “against” motions (motions are statements made by the conference as a whole). To unwind there are some really cool parties and time just hanging out with new friends made at the conference.

This year QC was held in Sydney at Macquire University and The University of Sydney. Workshops were held on a wide range of issues including: popular culture, Japanese bondage, effective facilitation, knitting, education and action and so much more. If your interests are erotic, political or you just wanna knit an awesome rainbow scarf QC might be for you. I held workshop called ‘Queer Ecology’ talking about sexuality and gender diversity in nature. The workshops held each year depend on who attends and the location of the conference. QC 2014 will be held in Melbourne, having seen the “pitch” by next years’ organisers and their passion for QC it should be a great experience.

Thanks to Jake Lane the Flinders University Queer Officer for organising the trip. Thanks to FUSA and Flinders University for the funding.

Anna Lee

Want to have your opinion heard? Have a complaint to air? Or maybe your friends and family are sick of your tireless flattery? Whether it’s about Flinders, politics, your best friend’s dropkick partner, or a new fad, we want to hear from you - and publish you on this page. This is your opportunity to vent and say what you need to say!

Send it our way.

Shoot an email to empire.times@flinders.edu.au and we’ll probably publish it — with your name or anonymously, it’s up to you!

And how original – FUSA David and Flinders One Goliath.

I guess you cannot make Flinders University Goliath anymore, like the old days, because you are fully funded by the University so that would not be cool!!

Oh and the monopoly thing. Well err we are fully owned and controlled by Flinders University (cannot call them Goliath so I will call them “The Man”) and all our revenues are used to run the wide range of facilities and services that we offer. Especially in the sport and fitness area.

Unlike David, who is fully funded by The Man (who in turn is fully funded by you, “The People”) we have to earn revenues to not only run our businesses but also to provide the aforementioned services. No revenues no services, and we run them like a service not a fully blown commercial offering.

I sort of guess David and The Man are also monopolies but you did not mention that…..

It is often said those with the biggest voice have little to say of importance, and certainly your editorial runs like that. We have well over 650,000 student and staff customers each year who seem to like our coffee and service, so to the quiet and dedicated I say thanks.

The measly 10% discount you get, yes you do pay for it, but a coffee a day will see a big chunk of your fee repaid. I would like to see it higher but that is up to The People and The Man. Can you remember I wrote the word “controlled” a few paragraphs up….

If you got your head out of the sand and wanted to actually do some editorial work (like checking your stories for factual content) you might Flinders One actually not that bad.

Later Andrew Nairn General Manager Flinders One

[ contributor spotlight ] Sue Denim

Ira Herbold

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I’m a snob intellectual Arts student, majoring in English and Philosophy. I enjoy petting my dog, long distance running, and googling pictures of yarn bombing.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I’m a BA student, majoring in philosophy and politics.

I enjoy the works of pretentious European intellectuals and in my spare time I read, spend too much time on the internet, and fight against The Man.

What’s the first thing you would do if today was your last day?

Probably read some of my favourite books, have brunch with my family, and draw up several different versions of my will and give them to different family members and friends.

What’s your vision of a perfect world?

Free education for everyone; primary, secondary, and tertiary. No political nonsense and more free time to do things we actually enjoy.

Five people dead or alive you’d invite to dinner?

William Shakespeare (obvious), George Orwell (again, literary genius, need I say more?), Ian McEwan (one of my favourite authors - I loved Atonement!), George R.R. Martin (WHHHHYYYYYYYY?), and my sister (to enjoy the conversation with me).

When I grow up, I want to: Write a bestselling novel, writing under some kind of punny name and read all the classics on my Year 12 reading list.

What’s the first thing you would do if today was your last day?

Honestly? Probably sob uncontrollably. I mean, I would be dying after all.

What’s your vision of a perfect world?

Oh, some junk about justice, fairness, and equality. Also, there would be free muffins.

Five people dead or alive you’d invite to dinner?

Albert Camus (both one of my favourite philosophers and favourite writers, a rare combination), George Orwell (because, come on, who wouldn’t want to have dinner with Orwell?), Rosa Luxemburg (her commitment to both the revolutionary cause and “the freedom of the one who thinks differently” is inspiring), Karl Marx and Peter Kropotkin (to watch them argue about anarchism.

I’d invite Bakunin, but I think he and Marx might just end up insulting each other).

When I grow up, I want to: Put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be all grown up.

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y h t o r o D r a De Dear Dorothy hat can I do?

W . lf se my te ha I d an it My life is sh Regards, Ravaged by Existence Dear Ravaged by Existence, Prozac, baby! If you are feeling pretty down, you should talk to your loved ones. They are here to support you and so am I. Of course you should try the usual cheer yourself up things. Go for a walk in the park, have an ice cream, visit an art gallery, read a book or see a movie you wouldn’t usually see. These activities help, but if you’re really struggling seek professional help.

X Dorothy

Dear Dorothy My gay friend is pretty caustic t o his partner. W were in the car t e ogether and his p a rt ner’s head was blocking his visio n. Rather than t ell him to pleas move, he pushed e his head out of the way! Is this okay? Should I say something?

Not-so-silent ob server

Dear Not-so-silent observer, This is not acceptable behaviour. If somebody does not treat his or her partner with the kindness a stranger deserves, then something is wrong within the relationship.

Whether you choose to say something is difficult. How close are you to this couple? If you are more casual in your friendship, it may be counterproductive to have a serious talk with them. Try dropping comments to show your friend and his partner that you believe they should treat each other better (e.g. “Woah, not cool dude!”). Good luck.

X Dorothy

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Sex Ed With Mistress M: Stripped Bare Y

ou may think from watching TV that it is normal to leave your bra on during sex. It isn’t. Watch closely, these actresses magically have their panties on too when they get out of bed. You can’t easily have sex with your underwear on, unless it's crotchless.

The reality is that, to have sex, you will probably be getting naked in front of someone else (unless your religion is so hard core it says that complete nakedness will annul your marriage). Men, this means socks off too.

The first time you nude up in front of someone can be confronting, unless you have lived in some kind of media vacuum and managed to get to this point in your life with no body image issues. In which case, congratulations and can you tell the rest of us how to do it? To really enjoy sex, feeling comfortable naked is an asset. Feeling comfortable naked means you get to stop worrying about what the other person thinks of the bits you hate and just enjoy the moment.

We do live in a society where we aren’t as comfortable with our naked selves as we could be. Perhaps we can blame our British heritage for that one. Europeans are much more comfortable nuding up. The Daily Mail in the UK recently had a headline that read “Making a Boob of Herself! Amanda Palmer’s breast escapes her bra as she performs on stage at Glastonbury.” As if that is somehow newsworthy. Bugger her performance, her breast was seen and we can make a pun. Her eloquent and amusing reply to that article was to perform a song titled “Dear Daily Mail” in which she disrobes completely. Mind you the Americans are pretty prudish too, think Janet’s wardrobe malfunction and the subsequent FCC investigation.

this impossible, remember that once someone has you naked they're enjoying the sensations and not critiquing you. If they are critiquing, they're an idiot and should not get to enjoy your body and the delicious things you can to theirs. Most of us don't look like film stars once we're naked. Mind you, neither do they, they have a team of makeup artists, lighting experts and a director all making sure every angle we see is flattering, and once they are really famous they can get a body double (or when they are too young or too pregnant) mostly they get them for their arses.

Next time you get naked, feel free to ensure that the lighting is flattering (there is a reason firelight and candle light are so popular/romantic). Perhaps invest in a bedroom lamp that isn’t for reading light. Make it dim.

Get a lampshade that throws warm, flattering colours onto your skin and arrange yourself in your most flattering naked pose. Once you start getting physical, you can stop thinking and just enjoy. The more you get naked in front of other people, the more comfortable you will feel about it. The irony being, that as you get older you feel more and more comfortable with your body, but it tends to look worse and worse!

Love yourself, touch yourself, and be good to each other.

Yours,

Mistress M

So okay, you're uncomfortable about being nude. Now what? For starters don’t become an actor, not unless you can get to be really famous really, really quickly. Being comfortable with being nude and being comfortable with who you are, your body, your sexuality and exploring different aspects of yourself and human nature are important to being a well-rounded mature actor who can take on any role, including Equus. Or for me at 18, playing Marvel Anne in Psycho Beach Party. The director, Peter Goers and I compromised and I wore skin coloured G-string and strategically held a feather fan. But then again, I never became a truly great actress either.

I digress. Your nudity, get used to it. Look at yourself in the mirror, stop criticising and try out some flattering, sexy poses and admire your good qualities. If you find

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(Not) “The Thinking Person’s Prime Minister” Words by Christopher Sellwood

I

was recently shocked and appalled when I read an article from Flinders PhD student, Nicolle Flint when I saw that it contained the headline, “Abbott, the thinking person’s Prime Minister.” The ending of the article was as follows, “Meanwhile, if Australians want a prime minister with conviction, vision, a dedication to community and compassion, and who leads by example, then we should elect an Abbott government.

Tony Abbott is the thinking person’s prime minister, and to my mind, regardless of what certain women might try to argue, Tony Abbott is the thinking woman’s prime minister.” I have never read something so wrong.

Tony Abbott is a leader of the party of shame and a leader of a party that has complete disregard for the Australian people. Tony Abbott, the man who has said, “Climate change is absolute crap,” “The problem with the Australian practice of abortion is that an objectively grave matter has been reduced to a question of the mother’s convenience,” and “I think it would be folly to expect that women will ever dominate or even approach equal representation in a large number of areas simply because their aptitudes, abilities and interests are different for physiological reasons” This is not a man of quality thinking, this is a man of primitive, negative and irrelevant babble.

As in her article Ms Flint looked to Battlelines to show Mr Abbott’s compassionate side. I would like to use it to show his well-known conservative side. Abbott writes, “I’m comfortable on the Liberal Party’s more conservative wing... As John Howard once quipped, ‘a conservative is someone who doesn’t think he’s morally superior to his grandfather.’” Let’s take a look at the recent past and see a few major changes that would never have occurred had everyone listened to their grandfather. It wasn’t until 1911 that women were allowed to vote, it wasn’t until 1962 that indigenous people could vote and it wasn’t until 1984 that the Australian Medical Association removed homosexuality from its list of illnesses and disorders. How can the Liberal Party and Ms Flint continue to have faith in conservatism when time and time again it has reared its ugly head as an oppressor to many minorities? It is easy to say “don’t change anything.” It doesn’t take a thought

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process to block change and progress. How anyone can ever elevate a conservative to a “thinking person’s Prime Minister” is beyond crazy. To think is to move forwards, to move forwards is to progress and to progress is to better the nation.

Thankfully a recharged Rudd-Labor Government has come to the rescue. For it is Kevin Rudd that constantly calls for debate on policy, not the repetitive and negative rhetoric that constantly comes from the other side which tries to pick apart solid Labor policy, without coming up with any alternatives. Looking back at the past we have always needed Labor to give us Medicare, Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, DisabilityCare Australia, Racial Discrimination Act 1975, abolition of university fees, abolition of the death penalty, Sex Discrimination Act 1984 and the list goes on. All these things were done with a Labor Government. Proving that is a party for thinkers, a party for moving forwards and a party for all. Imagine the dark ages we would be stuck in if the “thinkers” were all conservative?

Goodbye Mr Rudd?

Words by Tut Tut

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lection 2013 has been the culmination of six turbulent years in which much will be remembered, for mostly unflattering reasons. It is repeatedly suggested that the nation instinctively entrusts government to a leader and political party that embody a safe, conservative pair of hands. Incremental change is viewed as more palatable, as opposed to radical change. In 2007, Rudd was keen to portray himself as conservative enough to be trustworthy. So how has it come to pass that the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd government has secured the title of the worst government some have seen?

Political junkies will have read and heard about the depths to which the ALP has descended in order to retain power.

Being in power is widely agreed as a means to achieving noble goals for a country’s citizens, rather than an end in itself for politicians who set out to obtain high office. It is here that the Rudd government’s fundamental weakness exists.

A core reason for the decline in which the ALP finds itself is that it eschews firm values backed by deeds, in favour of superficialities designed to “win the daily media.”

Historians will write volumes with regard to the multiple failures of the last six years. Combined with innate incompetence, the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd government had the incredible ability, on the economic side, to orchestrate waste, and introduce a carbon tax (apparently to prevent our imminent spontaneous combustion); all while accruing gargantuan debt. On the ethical side, protecting Craig Thompson and Peter Slipper, while proclaiming to be arbiters of virtue, was an emblem of the ALP’s and the Left’s poisonous double standard in public discourse.

Evidently, the ALP did not make its record the overarching theme of its election campaign. Instead, it typically peddled false characterisations of the Opposition Leader in order to frighten the nation into rejecting the sound, competent, statesmanship being offered by the Abbott-led Coalition.

The ALP is quite fond of scare campaigns. Not long ago, there was the global warming issue, which morphed into climate change and, subsequently, clean energy. Not long ago, there was the global warming issue, which morphed into climate change and, subsequently, clean energy. These days, those who espouse catastrophic anthropogenic global warming – the true believers in this new green superstition – are invariably a figure of ridicule among the community, which does not buy into the scare.

Therefore, it is reassuring that the scare about Abbott is also being proven as ineffective by the available evidence.

On the Coalition side there has been unyielding resolve, for the last four years, to rid the country of the RuddGillard-Rudd government. From the outset, the ALP and their media sympathisers grossly underestimated Tony Abbott. Constantly referred to as “unelectable,” it is only proper, as the polls indicate, that they will witness an Abbott-led Coalition government.

The values with which the Coalition shall govern are timeless and essentially founded on realism. More freedom, lower taxes, and a smaller government are not only admirable goals, but practical and achievable. Some policies may be shared by the two major parties, but the distinction is evident in the parties’ world views.

For instance, reducing and abolishing taxes are tasks which the Coalition will embark upon. It is ingrained in conservatism that such measures ensure increased economic freedom for individuals and businesses. The carbon tax is a prime example of government seeking to increase its influence on the economy and therefore accrete more power and money to itself. Notwithstanding the immediate consequences of a carbon tax such as reduced economic growth and increased cost of living.

The goal of the green agenda would deeply worry citizens who would like to maintain a reasonable standard of living for their families and also increase the standard of living for people in poor developing countries.

Similar objectives are exemplified by Coalition policies in the areas of health and education. Local hospitals and schools shall once again be under the stewardship of the communities which they serve. Instead of being dictated to by distant bureaucrats, hospitals and schools will be responsive to local needs.

Therefore, it is plain that the Coalition encourages citizens through incentives rather than limiting them through punishing disincentives such as taxes and regulations.

Needless to say, the ALP, aided and abetted by the Greens, Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott, tried and failed enormously. It is only reasonable that the country gets a new government, so that those families who simply want to get on with life and get ahead can do so with minimal government interference. Voters in the suburbs and regions will appreciate a government focusing on their needs rather than peripheral trendy agendas. In addition, the ALP needs time to regain its purpose and, therefore, being in opposition will suit their navel-gazing.

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A Greens Perspective Words by Simone Corletto

A

s someone relatively new to the political spectrum, navigating the tumultuous and often frustrating world that is Australian politics is rarely easy. After much deliberation, I settled on the Australian Greens as my party of choice. While they’re a little too anti-science for my liking (in terms of GMOs and Nuclear power), I did find their environmental concerns, their social justice policies, University funding support, the NBN, LGBT and Women’s rights platforms to all resonate strongly with my own beliefs.

Their candidates are young go-getters (and Christine Milne) with big ideas, a positive attitude, and a surprisingly diverse number of policies covering everything the major parties are not. This completely goes against what I am repeatedly told by voting-veterans; “What a joke” and “Sure you can vote Greens, if you want to throw your vote away.” But last year something amazing happened; the Greens actually managed to wrangle seats in the senate!

No longer were they considered a fringe minority party.

They had power in this hung-parliament, and boy did they use it.

The Denticare, Carbon Tax, NBN, and Gonski reforms are all major initiatives they either spearheaded or strongly supported to bring into fruition, alongside Labor. All reforms that will help improve the lives of people in this country. Labor’s public trashing of the Greens and their weakened implementation of the controversial mining tax, seemingly to appease those brainwashed by all the mining propaganda advertisements, caused an irreparable rift between the two left-leaning parties that disappointed many, including myself. I was a great fan of Julia Gillard.

She wasn’t perfect (find me a politician who is), but she was strong and intelligent, and her resolve against all the brutal and overwhelmingly sexist treatment she received from the media and the Coalition was truly inspirational.

I might have sided more strongly with Labor if it weren’t for their treacherous and unceremonial dumping of our first female Prime Minister earlier this year. But alas, the old conservatives of the party bullied their way back into control, leaving me with only one viable political option.

It’s repeatedly become apparent just how childish and illogical Australian politics can be, between the utter disrespect shown by repeated members in Parliament (especially by the Coalition), the catty underhanded remarks fed to the Murdoch-controlled media and the

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blatant lies. It often makes you question the old adage that we never really grow out of childhood; we simply get taller and more aggressive. Or at least that’s the case if you’re a politician. But, a few weeks ago, a new level to this juvenile behaviour was reached, concerning the “How to Vote” cards. In what has been a shocking move to many people, Labor has been found preferencing the Coalition above the Greens in some seats. It’s no surprise that the pro-destroying-the-environment-in-the-name-of“progress”-Liberals would want to put the Greens dead last, but Labor? They used to be allies! It rings strongly of dating your ex’s arch-enemy just to spite them. And considering how many issues Labor and the Greens agree on, to which the Libs are the polar opposite, it defies logic. But it’s not just the major parties; The Sex Party, with their reputation for LGBT rights, are preferencing the likes of One Nation, and The Shooters and Fishers above the Greens. Why? One Nation cares about gays about as much as they care about the treatment of refugees (which is to say, very little). What sort of discussions are going on to sign these bizarre party deals? And then of course there’s the Stop the Greens Party (aka, the Outdoor Recreation Party. Why outdoors-y types even need their own exclusive party is beyond me). Everyone seems to be doing everything in their power to cut the Greens out of the senate.

If anything, it’s more of a testament to how powerful the Greens have become as of late, that all these usually sworn enemies would join forces against them. How dare this “minority” invade the two-party system? Let’s ignore the fact that the Labor-Greens government, under Julia Gillard, passed more legislation than any PM previously.

Who wants progress?

The funniest thing out of all of this is that vote-preferencing is essentially meaningless, if you vote below the line.

While it might take a little more time, it’s a small sacrifice for having total control of where your vote goes.

I have no lofty dreams that the Greens would ever be voted in as the majority party (at least not in this election).

But I have voted 1 for Greens in the Senate. Because the more power they have, the more they can protect the NBN, Climate Change, funding and education reforms, and I really don’t want to live in a country that puts those things as of lower importance than making Gina Rinehart richer.

Rock-Bottom Politics

Words by Grace Hill

F

or decades we’ve heard the likes of Francis Fukuyama proclaim that we’ve reached “the end of history.” All the warring of ideologies is over, with the free-market emerging triumphant. There’s just nothing of significance left to disagree upon or fight over.

Of course, anyone who observed the Global Financial Crisis, the war on terror, or the Arab Spring would find claims like this laughable. It’s just obviously untrue. One section of the world seems to have missed the memo however, and that section is the Australian political establishment. Australian politicians (and their media lackeys) seem to be living in a bizarro-bubble, where a warped version of this theory still thrives. To them, politics no more involves a clash of ideologies or classes. Their political disagreements of the past are fading memories.

What’s important now is rhetoric and personal popularity contests. If you’ve watched the coverage of the election you’ll have no doubt noticed it more closely resembles a pageant than anything political.

Sure, Labor and Liberal have issues they disagree on, but on nearly all issues of substance they have reached a consensus. They both have nothing but praise for the free-market economic strategies which have fucked the world’s poor, they both agree that business interests trump all (ensuring that business can have “confidence” in their party is a must! Profits must be made at all costs).

They are both keen on a reduction in the influence of unions, especially the ones most prone to fighting hard for their members’ interests, neither have shown any signs in the last few years of giving a shit about marriage equality and, horrendously, both are delighting in the abuse of refugees. In fact, the lead up to the election has been a bit of a race to see who can come up with the most inhumane policy. One party is pro big business and intent on attacking workers and the poor, while the other party is pro big business and intent on attacking workers and the poor.

Libs and Labs are singing from the same song sheet.

This isn’t because both of them have ditched their original

song sheets and are now singing from something in the middle, this is because Labor threw their song sheet away and started reading over the shoulders of the Liberals.

Labor’s drooling over big business during its time in office has shifted the political terrain to the right, with no real forces within the party attempting to change its course.

They’ve attempted to beat the Liberals at their own game, boasting of Labor’s credentials when it comes to deregulation and privatization, and in doing so have given the Liberals the gift of a more suitable, right-wing playing field on which to contest for election victory.

The Labor party has been an aspiring manager of capitalism from the get-go, but earlier in its history, it was at least willing to sometimes stand up on principle. No longer. Once upon a time Labor was capable of standing against the pressure to fold in the face of corporate interests, but managing capitalism means compromise.

The left of the Labor party has been decimated, to the extent that, practically, it may as well not exist. Other “left” currents which have emerged, like the Greens, have been ineffective, and much weaker than past left-wing parties.

After the last Federal election they had Labor over a barrel, and then failed to seriously challenge their neo-liberal bile.

This election has been a farce - and that should tell you everything you need to know about the state of the Australian political establishment. This is where attempting to change the fundamentals of capitalism bit by bit gets you. If we want any sort of real positive change, we need an alternative which can challenge the rubbish idea that real democracy is about voting for Clown #1 or Clown #2. The fact is that the division between rich and poor in Australia is massive. Most of us work hard for not much return, while a few live in luxury that the rest of us have paid for. It is impossible to change this from within parliament. It has never happened and will never happen. We need a socialist movement which will engage in struggles outside parliament with a view of overturning the system which has inequality as an inherent feature.

Capitalism is irredeemable and needs to go into the rubbish bin of history.

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Socialist Equality Party Want to know more? Check us out on Facebook (International Youth and Students for Social Equality – Australia) or email us at iysseaus@gmail.com

Words by Will Morrow

T

he Socialist Equality Party’s (SEP) campaign in the 2013 federal election raised the real issues facing workers, students, and youth.

The SEP stood two candidates for the Senate in South Australia: James Cogan, the party’s assistant national secretary and a full-time correspondent for the World Socialist Web Site, and Peter Byrne, an architect and the son of a car worker. The SEP also fielded Senate candidates in New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia, and Victoria, to provide the working class with a genuine alternative to the parties of the corporate and financial elites: Labor, the Liberals, and the Greens.

The SEP’s campaign addressed the critical issues confronting masses of people, which were systematically suppressed throughout the official campaign by the major parties and the media. These include the Labor government’s intimate involvement in the US war drive against China, preparations for the imposition of sweeping austerity measures by whichever party forms government, and an escalating assault on democratic rights, exemplified by the vast spying operation— exposed by Edward Snowden—being conducted against the world’s population by the US and its allies, including Australia.

In South Australia, the SEP campaigned against the attacks on the jobs, wages, and conditions of auto workers at GM-Holden, warning that the Labor government, the company, and the corporatised unions were all conspiring together to force auto workers to accept poverty wages, reduced conditions and unemployment. The SEP’s candidates explained that the attack on auto workers presaged an assault on the conditions of all sections of the working class, in line with the austerity measures taking place internationally. The SEP insisted that auto workers could only defend their social rights on the basis of a socialist program aimed at uniting car workers internationally.

Unlike the myriad single-issue and protest organisations which stood candidates in the elections, the SEP did not make futile appeals to the political esttablishment. Rather, its campaign was based on the understanding that the capitalist system, in the midst of its deepest crisis since the 1930s, has nothing to offer workers and youth aside from mass unemployment, mounting social inequality, a turn to police-state forms of rule, and the real danger of a global military conflagration.

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The SEP’s campaign was aimed at developing an independent political movement of workers and youth, in Australia and throughout the Asia-Pacific region, against war, austerity, and the threat of dictatorship, on the basis of a socialist and internationalist perspective.

Over the course of the campaign, the SEP held more than 30 meetings in working class areas across the country. The SEP, which is the Australian section of the world Trotskyist movement, also held meetings in New Zealand and Sri Lanka, a concrete expression of the uniquely international character of its campaign. Dozens of statements from the SEP’s candidates on the fundamental political, economic, and social questions confronting the working class were posted on the World Socialist Web Site (www.wsws.org), the most widely read socialist publication on the Internet.

SEP campaigners found deep hostility to all the major parties among workers, students, and youth across the country. Many expressed keen interest in the SEP’s program, and the historical and international analysis upon which it is based.

The International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE), the student and youth movement of the SEP, is fighting to build clubs on university campuses, technical colleges and in working class suburbs. We encourage all Flinders University students to read the World Socialist Web Site and contact the IYSSE to help build a mass socialist movement against war, austerity, and the threat of dictatorship.

The Budget Surplus As The Holy Grail In Australian Politics Words by Laura Telford

Source: Australian Treasury

I

have never woken up with a hangover (or even a bad headache) the morning after a big night, but waking up on May 15, I wondered if the night before had even happened.

Admittedly, I had only had three hours sleep after having watched all the Federal Budget commentary, analysis, and interviews, both before and after Treasurer Wayne Swan’s speech. It was all fun and games, as journalists, economists, and political commentators were let out of lockdown.

But we knew things were about to get worse. Budget leaks just prior to the speech hinted at the abolition of the baby bonus, and all indications were that the cuts would not stop there. In May 2012, the Labor Government’s narrative went along the lines of “spreading the benefits of the [mining] boom” and “a fair go for all Australians.” A scant year later, we had a budget that revealed a legacy of regret, sadness, and pain.

Not only were there no real election “sweeteners” in the 2013/14 Budget, the tone and mood surrounding the documents was one of gloom at best and inevitable doom at worst. Commentators compared the new budget to a funeral: sad and “sombre,” Jessica Irvine said, and most seemed to fix on what was being cut, altered, and changed, rather than the so-called high points that the government had hoped to note. It seemed that the forward estimates in the 2012/2013 Budget were highly optimistic, and given the continued concerns over the global economy for the next financial year, the Government had chosen to focus on education, disability care, roads, and rails rather than the dreaded “s” word.

Surplus.

Since the Global Financial Crisis, a majority of economists have said that the need for a budget surplus was more a political imperative rather than an economic one. It

should not be high on the priority list, they said. Politicians only see a budget surplus as a way of gaining votes in the upcoming election year, they said: and on the eve of the Budget, the Government agreed. In his speech, Wayne Swan said that Labor made the “choice to keep our economy strong and to invest in the future,” and the government’s choice of spending programs reflected that. Investments in primary schools, roads and rails, health funding, and cancer and disability care showed the Gillard Government’s priorities quite clearly: Gonski, DisabilityCare, and Infrastructure.

The Swan 2013/14 Budget was aimed at assisting people in the future and setting the groundwork for the Labor legacy. However, if opinion polls at the time of writing are to be believed, then even a Rudd Government will lose out considerably on September 7. The general consensus is that the Federal Government have lied, failed to deliver, and gone back on their promises.

Budget Surplus, Laptops in Schools, Carbon Tax, Budget Surplus, Can’t Stop the Boats, Mineral Tax, Carbon Tax, did I mention Budget Surplus?

But despite the sound of doom ringing in the ears of commentators and budget-watchers alike, one thing was clear: Wayne Swan had a message, and he was sticking to it.

A friend of mine once said that if you can’t capture the essence of your speech in the first five minutes, you will lose your audience anyway, and no one will care what you say. In Swan’s opening paragraphs, he touches on Gonski, DisabilityCare, and Infrastructure. Australians may not recognise what Labor’s legacy is until Abbott is Prime Minister, but it does exist: education, medical care for our disabled population, and road and rail investment.

That will be how the Gillard Government, and by extension Labor, will be remembered.

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It’s YOUR Education.

Use It. Words by Emma Maguire

B

eing a uni student is a difficult juggling act. Trying to balance study, work, friendships, family, and still have time for yourself is a tough job and sometimes I’m so worried about trying to get it all done, I forget how lucky I am to be here. It’s easy to forget how privileged we are to have access to education the way we do in Australia. And there is a reason that education has been made a priority in our country. It’s a popular idea to think of Australia as an egalitarian nation where everyone gets a “fair go.” Despite the disparity between the ideal of egalitarianism and the entrenched systems that promote deep inequalities among Australian citizens, egalitarianism remains a powerful symbolic force in Australian culture. Education is an institution with a long history of providing avenues for citizens to “improve their circumstances” and overcome class and other barriers.

politics, and sometimes it seems off-putting and kind of boring. But we all pay taxes. Laws apply to all of us. We are all implicated in the decisions that are made by our system of government, and our voices should be heard because we have that right as citizens of a democratic country. Uni is a space where you have access to tools that you can use to develop your own ideas and it’s the perfect time to figure out what you really think about issues that affect Australians.

This is not a straight-forward connection by any means, and there is a disturbing paradox within the education system. Many students without the “right” cultural capital are pushed out of our schooling system before the stage of university.

You can also think critically about your positions. Ask yourself why you hold particular views and explore alternative or counter-arguments. Think about how the views of your parents have impacted your own, and how the experiences you’ve had, and where you “come from,” have shaped your ideas and attachments to political positions. Political feelings are different to political positions: if you have an emotional response to an issue or you simply feel that a position is right, ask yourself why. Challenging ourselves about our own positions is an essential part of engaging in politics, and can help us understand more about ourselves and our world.

I agree wholeheartedly with the ideological sentiment that education is a right, not a luxury. But the reality is that, in a world where the playing field is never level, many are denied access to their rights. We, the lucky students that do get to go to uni in Australia, are extremely privileged to have access to a university education. You, dear reader, are the academic elite. And part of acknowledging our privilege is to take responsibility for making the most of our time here. I still believe that education offers many people pathways to empowerment, but training for a job is only one part of what you can do at university.

So what else can you get out of a university degree? I think it offers us the chance to learn about how the world works, to figure out what our opinions are and how to argue them, and to find opportunities to participate meaningfully in public life. It gives us more than just chance to better our own lives, it gives us a chance to better our society.

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One of the ways we can do this is to explore our political positions. It can often seem difficult to find a “way in” to

The Vote Compass on the ABC’s website is a good place to start, particularly if you find you sometimes get lost in the political jargon and spin, and aren’t sure what our politicians really stand for. It asks you a series of questions about your opinions and your situation and then gives you an idea of how your views compare to the policies of our major parties.

And watch the news so you can find out what’s going on in your community, in Australia, and around the world.

Chat to people about things you’ve heard in the news and ask questions about things you don’t understand.

When we study at uni we are brought into contact with a vast range of competing ideas, theories, and debates.

While we’re studying hard learning to do a particular job, we have the resources at our disposal to learn about ourselves, how we fit in to our world, and what kind of impact we can have on our communities and society. It’s too good an opportunity to waste. And whatever stage you are at in developing your political positions, if you’re reading this issue of Empire Times you’re on the right track.

What Is Happening With Education?

Let’s punish students who can’t make it to every lecture!

Words by Leon Surmak Fusa Education Officer

education.officer@flinders.edu.au

R

ecently I have been inundated with correspondence from students all across the university complaining about topics that have compulsory lecture attendance.

Whilst this makes sense if the lecture room isn’t fitted out with AV recording equipment, I am aware of multiple topics that have their lectures recorded, yet still require students to attend a majority of lectures.

Indeed, recently a delightful Mr Student contacted me and informed me that he had two topics that had clashing lectures. Topic A has a one hour lecture with video and audio recorded. Topic B has a two hour lecture with only basic audio recorded. Mr Student asked the topic coordinator of Topic A whether he would be able to either have the SAM amended to remove the compulsory lecture attendance component, or have a waiver so that he was able to watch them online.

The coordinator informed the student that this was, of course, acceptable as he understood that not all students are able to attend every lecture and as long as students are learning the required materials there is no issue. Just kidding. What he actually said was that he wouldn’t amend the SAM, and reiterated that the lectures were compulsory.

I guess the lecturer thinks student welfare isn’t a priority.

This is stupid.

Is the goal to produce outstanding graduates? Or outstanding attendance?

I will be waging a campaign of attrition against topics that stipulate compulsory attendance and encourage anyone with a similar experience to Mr Student to contact me.

Uniform penalties for late submission.

Another issue that seems to be a regular occurrence for Flinders students is getting late submission penalties that they do not expect.

The most common example is when students submit something a few days late and are expecting one penalty and instead they get another. For example, some topics

have a 5% per day penalty, some have a 20% per day penalty, and some have a 5% for the first day, 11.5(2^3)*2% per day penalty. This can be confusing.

I am proposing that the university adopt a uniform guide for late submission penalties, whereby there be three uniform tiers of penalty that must be followed for all topics.

This recognises that a 2% per day penalty is appropriate in some instances, and a 20% per day penalty might be appropriate in some others.

This issue will be discussed in depth at the next Education Sub-Committee meeting.

Classic FLO. One out of three ain’t bad.

I am doing three topics this semester, and only one of them had a SAM, TOPIC guide or lecture recordings available before the third week. This isn’t good enough.

How can you expect students to adequately navigate the modern day complexities of life if they don’t even know when assignments are due because their topic coordinator hasn’t uploaded a SAM to FLO? Please let me know if you have any topics that have a SAM, Topic Guide, or anything else missing from FLO and I will chase it up.

Education Sub-Committee The Education sub-committee provides all Flinders students with the opportunity to have a say on critical education issues across the campus. The sub-committee will meet monthly with the first meeting scheduled in September (final date to be confirmed). At the meeting I will give a short presentation on current education issues and future campaigns on campus, let you know how to get involved with FUSA campaigns as well as give you the opportunity to discuss almost anything educational that you like.

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The Flinders Stage Exposed Words by Sarah Gates

T

he mother of the 18 year old student protested that nudity and the “explicit sexual comments” in the production were “unacceptable” and that her child feared losing lead roles. The mother, allegedly, even called the Creative Arts (Drama) course a “three-year orgy.” This is just plain offensive.

Nudity has its place on stage. Flinders graduate and State Theatre Company Artistic Associate, Nescha Jelk, makes the point that “Some of the most renowned and beautiful artworks from history have featured the naked human body. Why should theatre be any different?” Theatre is a creative form, just like art and film, and it should be able to utilise nudity: both to accurately reflect reality and to convey a powerful message. It is an arbitrary view that nudity equals pornography.

So how common is nudity on the Flinders stage?

According to academic and theatre practitioner Julian Meyrick, who is currently the strategic professor of creative arts at Flinders, over the past two years three out of fifteen productions have included nudity. A Mouthful of Birds showed a topless actress, Punk Rock included a male costume change on stage, and Trojan Barbie had an actress in an unbuttoned arm tunic with no bra. None of these are anywhere near the gratuitous, stark naked sex scenes implied by the tone of some in the media, such as opposition education spokesman David Pisoni, who said, “I’m not sure how this adds any value, and certainly there shouldn’t be any pressure on students to participate in nudity, and particularly sexually explicit scenes in drama class.” Current Education Minister Jennifer Rankine did little better, saying “I would be most uncomfortable if my daughter was required as part of her studies to remove her clothes.” These politicians may have had a lot to gain from condemning the Flinders drama department without digging any further for the truth. Of course students shouldn’t be pressured into explicit, arbitrary sex scenes in class – but you know what, they’re not.

It’s not like Flinders Drama is making an explicit comment

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on the taboo of nudity and “private parts” like Honi Soit magazine did on the cover of their most recent issue. Nudity is a part of life, and one of theatre’s objectives is to reflect and examine life. Nudity can be used as a powerful tool in theatre, and it should not be denied to budding theatre practitioners. Meyrick states, “A small proportion of those [plays performed by Flinders students] may involve seminudity, but it’s certainly not a matter of course, and we certainly don’t insist on it.” The department incorporate a range of plays into their curriculum, and some of those include nudity.

Of course, there is an argument that first year is too soon to be introducing nudity. This first year, if her fears were truly as her mother suggested (that she would not be given lead parts in future and that her grade may suffer), should have been better informed about Flinders’ expectations and procedures when it comes to students’ discomfort and limitations. Of course, students may challenge casting choices and are free to turn down a role without repercussions. This is not only true when it comes to nudity, but also in the case of other conflicts, such as students’ religion and values. The media storm around this incident has perpetuated falsehoods about the Flinders University Drama Department, making it seem like an inflexible, oppressive, and sexualised institution. Furthermore, it has forced a spotlight on the student who, if already uncomfortable with the issue of nudity, may reasonably be feeling even more exposed and embarrassed now.

So how do drama students feel about the debacle? A lot are offended or embarrassed by the way students are portrayed as “children.” Many media reports went straight over the heads of students, speaking instead to their parents. Flinders University provides adult education, and students should be treated as such, even if they are just 18 years old. As Jelk points out, Flinders “is not a high school drama class. During [her] time there students’ ages ranged upwards to people in their 30s and 40s.” This course prepares adult students for an

acting career. It is certainly more desirable for a student to experience nudity on a university stage, with a small audience and short performance season, rather than a month-long production in the Dunstan Playhouse with the State Theatre Company, as many actors may aspire to do. Also, students may be confronted with this issue earlier, allowing them to consider their comfort zone and limitations in a safe, secure environment. Because that’s what Flinders Drama provides. This situation could have been easily dealt with internally, with a simple explanation that a) nudity is not a requirement for good grades or a compulsory part of the course, and b) the course is intended to be a safe and positive environment where students can readily voice their concerns through the appropriate channels. Going to the media has done no one concerned any favours, merely providing political gossip and giving the journalists an easy “report.”

Flinders drama course, nudity is clearly used sparingly and for good reason. It is only with the students’ full consent and enthusiasm that it is used.

Flinders has responded to the industry, where nudity is common in popular films, television series, and, yes, even theatre. The drama course prepares students for challenges that they are likely to face in their acting careers.

The question is, then, should nudity be so prevalent in film, television, and on the stage? In many situations, the answer is no: arbitrary sex scenes in Hollywood movies are a prime example, which do far more to sell tickets than to further the plot or characterisation. There is also the argument that nudity can be distracting on the stage; that the audience immediately focuses on the actor’s body, rather than why nudity is being used and what it means.

However, when nudity is used with discretion to create meaning and explore themes, it is entirely appropriate and 100% necessary. It is a powerful image. In terms of the

But were these valid concerns ever discussed in the media? No. The course was alleged to be one massive orgy, forcing students to expose their naked bodies for grades; akin to prostitution! Maybe we should take a hard look at the real issues, before jumping to conclusions and focussing on an isolated misunderstanding. Just sayin’.

A larger concern is that students will inevitably perform in front of friends and family. It is only natural that these friends and family would be distracted by their loved one’s nudity. This could be embarrassing and, potentially, confronting for all involved. Whilst – of course – the fact that we are so uncomfortable with the naked body is an issue with the public discourse, first years need not be exposed to such situations so early in their education.

Still, we need to remember the students’ wishes and, evidently, there is support for nudity and plays exploring related issues within the course. Plus, theatre academics and practitioners far wiser than me continue to use it; again, sparingly.

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An Appeal To All Australians Who Want To “Stop The Boats” Words by Jemma Slevec

F

ew things evoke as much passion throughout the Australian community as a boat full of asylum seekers. “Boat people” have become one of those rare political issues about which almost every Australian holds a strong opinion. After several years of continual debate about asylum seekers, perhaps it is finally time to ask ourselves: why do we care about boat people so incredibly much?

I could sit here and talk about the facts. About how only 0.29% of the world’s refugees land on our shores. About how more people around the world flee their homes in a single day than arrive in Australia in an entire year.

About how the recent increases in boat people are part of a global problem, rather than an Australian one. About how the real “illegal immigrants” are the 20,000 people who overstayed their visa in 2012. However, discussion of the cold, hard facts (a practice politicians avoid when discussing refugees) is not the purpose of this article.

It is clear that facts do not underpin Australia’s hostility towards boat people. So, what does?

Perhaps it is fear. Fear that these groups of foreigners will somehow change our idyllic Australia. The way boat people arrive ignites fear. They do not cross quietly over borders like refugees in Europe. Every night, Australians watch a boat full of foreigners approach their shores on the news. They watch their homeland being “invaded”.

Arguably, Australia has always had a neurotic fear of invasion, in particular invasion from non-Caucasian foreigners. You may deny that the colour of boat people’s skin is a factor in the asylum seeker debate. However, I cannot help but think that if the boats were full of British refugees, we would not be turning them around.

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Much of Australia’s fear of boat people has been caused and/or perpetuated by the current political climate. Tony Abbott has been unrelenting in his attempts to use boat people to demonstrate Labor’s failure. Abbott can seemingly turn anything into an opportunity to point out Kevin Rudd’s failure to protect Australia’s borders against “queue jumpers” and “illegal immigrants.” Many would

argue Kevin Rudd has been no better: his Papua New Guinea solution and its accompanying ad campaign were labelled by many as vote-chasing moves.

Boat people are used as political pawn. This has left the asylum seeker debate devoid of real facts. The public are not being given the opportunity they deserve to form an educated opinion. The political parties have reduced this debate to one about political advantage, rather than human beings who have sailed across the world for a chance at survival.

This is my plea to Australian voters. Do not base your opinion on what Tony Abbott or Kevin Rudd or a news report has said. Research the facts. Think about the last time a boat person has actually affected your quality of life. Most importantly, think about your family. Boat people are human beings who have left their homes behind and risked their lives in a last, desperate attempt to save their families. Before you start chanting “stop the boats,” ask yourself: what would you be prepared to do to save your family?

T

o whom it may concern,

For the past millennia or so, humans have engaged in extensive cross-country relocation in the search for personal betterment – alternatively and traditionally known as “migration.”

This can be done in several ways, ranging from skilled worker applications to family reunion claims, and even the frowned-upon act of hopping over an intimidating Texan fence. However, one form of immigration currently gives a vast swathe of forward thinking, progressive, and discerning Australian voters the jimmies: illegal immigration via boat.

This terrible affliction on the Australian people has been the hot issue discussed in Australian “politics” (which may be a misnomer) over the past two decades. But what is to be done to save us poor Australians from the obnoxious and greedy asylum seekers (and the meek, we can’t forget the meek)? I, in my ostentatious dwelling, with my superior computer technology, and peerless education, have been able to modestly conjure up four solutions to this grave dilemma currently plaguing our beleaguered politicians day and night, perhaps even costing them precious hours of sleep in their queen, nay, king sized berths.

Strategies to deal with illegal immigration via boat: 1) Encircle Australia with Pacific nations willing to swap refugees for monetary support.

This oft-admired solution was initiated by our last great supporter of human rights, the Honourable John Howard, featuring the forgettable island-nation of Nauru, among others. We simply ask them to geographically locate themselves to create a motteand-bailey structure, with Australia – naturally – in the centre.

An Open Letter To Those Concerned With Boats, People And Legality

2) Process them for so long they get bored and decide to go home, while voluntarily engaging in food rationing for extended periods of time.

Words by Dylan Price

This strategy, while very time- and capital-intensive, is also uncomplicated and has tangible results which the government can use to humiliate the shadow ministry.

3) Send them to places Australian-born citizens rarely migrate to, so as to vividly exemplify that Australia isn’t all Home and Away and crocodile wrestling.

After the much-lauded success of Australian soap operas throughout west Asia (mainly in Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and the drama loving Middle East) we have seen a surge in illegal immigrants looking to experience the Summer Bay lifestyle. To dissuade them and all other potential vagrants from coming over, we should send them to the outback to illustrate that while Australia is a vast country, it’s also mostly hot sand and dingoes.

4) Lastly, sea-drop enormous signs labelled “Australia that way” into the surrounding oceans, with arrows pointing in the opposite direction!

This dastardly plan was inspired by my take on the Tampa affair. Such was the inspiration bestowed upon me from that debacle, it convinced me that turning a boat away is not enough; we must proactively mislead these feeble people with our superior guile and wits.

And there you have it. Four solutions that remedy this volatile problem and let us move on to more pertinent issues, such as how to win the Ashes from those hubristic Englishmen...

Yours faithfully, Dylan Price Loyal Servant of the Commonwealth

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A DIY Guide For Making A Great University Words by Will Menzies

H

ey guys. I’m Will. I’m on Student Council as a general member because I really like when people do things.

Like many students, I started at Flinders to gain skills to make a difference. But after slogging away at first year, it became apparent Law was more about memorising rules and statutes than improving society. Like many, I was frustrated, churning through an endless stream of academic busywork. And for what? To get a grade which affected nobody but myself. Clearly, uni was not all it was cracked up to be. I needed to do something real. So I did what any self-respecting Flinders student would do in 2009 – I went off-campus.

I kept studying, but in 2010 I started volunteering for World Vision. Eventually this evolved into my appointment as Youth Ambassador, a trip to East Timor and a year blogging, vlogging and speaking in schools across the state about practical ways young people could make a difference to global problems. As time went on, I continued volunteering around international development for Oaktree Foundation, VGen, and other groups. But I was still frustrated. Young people are at the forefront of so many social movements in Australia and globally, but what about at Flinders? The time was ripe for Flinders to come out of its student culture coma.

While Flinders used to be a university with a hugely influential student body and academic culture, the fact is, those who started here recently inherited a campus seemingly devoid of student participation. With the exception of sporting clubs and a few great groups including Flinders Environmental Action Group, Health and Human Rights Group, and Flinders Law Students Association, there were limited opportunities for students to do anything here but grimly sit down, shut up, and take

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notes. But through the concerted efforts of a number of students (and key staff) advocating for student interests, things have started to change.

These days, Flinders has awoken. Empire Times has been resurrected with great success. The newly created student association FUSA provides a voice for students and improves culture with events like the Multicultural Festival, IDAHO, Sustaina-Fair, free weekly breakfasts, band days, O’Week parties, pub crawls, and much more.

Beyond that, clubs of all descriptions are popping up and societies are stronger than they’ve been since the devastating policies of the Howard years. Even I started engaging at Flinders – I joined with some mates to start Flinders Fair Trade Society (flindersfairtrade@gmail.com), a group aiming to make Flinders a more ethical and sustainable place (with better coffee). I joined Student Council too, to push the Fairtrade message, advocate for students, and help improve club culture on campus.

Of course, these improvements are great for us students, but I believe it’s also important to see the broader implications. Student activism is essential for Australia’s future.

Universities should drive society forward. When students look at the current status quo we shouldn’t see a stop sign, we should hear a starter’s pistol. Universities combine the grand optimism of fresh ideas, new directions, and innovative research with pragmatic and critical thinking to point the way to a better future. We’ve seen it in feminism, LGBT rights, racial equality and reconciliation movements, and countless areas of scientific and social innovation.

I believe we students shouldn’t see ourselves as the leaders of tomorrow, but the leaders of today. An active and engaged student population should be a mouthpiece for new perspectives, an accessible hub of knowledge for the community, and a powerful engine for change.

So how do we students make Flinders a better university?

Easy: DIY. Join a club. Start a new club about something you care about (FUSA can help). Have a crack at activism.

Connect with other students and make your learning real by acting on it. Write an article for ET. Go to events. The most enriching learning I’ve had over the past five years has come not from my courses, but from volunteering for things I believe in. Unlike me in my first year, you don’t have to leave campus to meet like-minded people.

Flinders culture is getting richer every day. Get off your butt and be a part of it.

Democracy In Egypt Words by Agnik Sarkar

T

hese days it’s easy to feel disillusioned with democracy. Too often, it seems, we are forced to choose between leaders warring not over policies or the national direction, but personality and the past.

Furthermore, if we are to believe the news media (www.politifact.com.au) we are also frequently and unashamedly being lied to. Yet, amidst any legitimate mistrust of our leaders, when the electorate makes a choice, for the most part that decision is upheld.

As in all facets of life, it would be naïve to think that the rest of the world enjoys the democratic luxuries we relish here. This is no truer today than in the crumbling state of Egypt. Egypt is fast mutating into the problem child of the democratic world; not an easy feat considering Syria, Zimbabwe, and Tunisia seem set to implode in the race for the dubious honour. In November 2012, Egypt anointed Mohammed Morsi as its first freely elected President, after the Muslim Brotherhood leader secured 51.7% of the votes in a runoff against former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq. His term began following the 2011 revolution that ended Hosni Mubarak’s decades of authoritarian rule.

However, on June 3rd, the Egyptian military deposed and imprisoned President Morsi and his senior colleagues, following weeks of domestic unrest over his rule. Despite deft handling of diplomatic crises in the Middle East and efforts to tackle Egypt’s manifold issues with corruption, Morsi’s rule has been far from unblemished. In particular, his decision to grant himself the ability to legislate without judicial scrutiny earned him few allies among the electorate. In the context of Egypt’s infant democracy, the military coup represented little but a subversion of the electoral process.

Whilst the violent deposition of an elected government illustrated the Egyptian military’s acute discomfort with democracy, the ensuing clampdown on protesters was a tragedy of free speech. In response to his expulsion from the presidency, thousands of Egyptians – both Muslim Brotherhood members and others – demonstrated across Egypt.

In retaliation, General Abdul Fattah el-Sisi, Commanderin-Chief of the Egyptian armed forces, branded any opposition to its power as “terrorism” and belligerently pursued its destruction. For protestors, consequences of vocality were dire, with the EuroMid Observer for Human

Rights documenting 1,215 dead, 8,000 injured and 1,500 missing at the hands of the military. In an effort to cement its autocratic stranglehold on power, the Egyptian military hijacked the country’s radio and television services, which now overwhelmingly preach the virtues of the regime whilst demonizing the Brotherhood movement.

Voices of pluralism, such as those of the Brotherhood, ultimately undermine el-Sisi’s ability to exert control over law and order. This has led to discussion of banning the Brotherhood entirely, supposedly to protect the state.

Egyptian politics is further complicated by external influence and internal divisions. Diplomatically, the Muslim Brotherhood enjoys the support of Qatar, as well as its own branches across the Arab world. Meanwhile, the military regime is buttressed by regional diplomatic heavyweights: the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Israel. At the national level, deep schisms between the nation’s Coptic Christians and Muslims are punctuated by regular outbreaks of reciprocal attacks. Religious and political malaise now join corruption, a collapsing economy, and mounting crime among the many ills plaguing the north African country.

In Egypt, competing ideologies, interests, religions, motivations, and movements are implicated in an absurd tug-of-war for power, where chaos is victorious and the citizen ultimately loses. Not only have democratic ideals been completely ignored, human rights, such as those to free speech, have been vehemently denied. We are fortunate not to live in the political dystopia that is Egypt.

Democracy, like the human race, is thoroughly and deeply flawed. However, liberal and fair elections offer us the best chance to avoid hegemonic, amoral, and megalomaniacal governance. However disenfranchised we might feel by democracy, we should at least appreciate not being disconnected entirely. After all, the opportunity to elect a leadership and have that election respected is a cause others have died for.

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The Marriage Equality Reform: Labor’s last stand?

Words by Anthony Dodd

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n the lead-up to this year’s federal election, a considerable amount of attention has been given to the Australian Labor Party’s policy on marriage equality and its potential to win votes. Kevin Rudd is the first Australian Prime Minister to go into an election promising reform on marriage equality. With the election fast approaching, some are beginning to see this reform as Rudd’s last chance to win another term in office. Along with embracing social media as a campaigning tool to attract young voters, it is evident that Rudd’s pro-gay marriage reform is another way of appealing to a young, technologically savvy audience.

The acceptance of gay marriage has been a global trend this year, with five countries (Brazil, France, Uruguay, New Zealand, and Great Britain) allowing same sex couples to tie the knot. Last year in the United States federal election, Barack Obama announced his support for and intentions to legalise gay marriage, a popular reform among younger voters in particular. Although it has had its critics, accepting marriage equality has proven to be a significant success to parties and leaders worldwide. However, Rudd’s change of heart towards this issue raises some questions. Is Mr Rudd simply jumping aboard the pro-gay marriage bandwagon? Is this reform just a last-minute attempt to attract more voters before September 7?

There is evidence to suggest that the answer to both of these questions is yes. With the ALP polling lower than the Liberal party and Rudd’s position as preferred Prime Minister slowly declining, it’s no wonder he is pressing his reform on marriage equality so strongly. In the leaders’ debate a few weeks ago, Rudd placed much emphasis on marriage equality reform, but was criticised for failing to discuss his other policy plans in detail. However, despite his recent decline in popularity, there have been some positives for Rudd. His recently announced Papua New Guinea solution to the asylum seeker issue has seen a 30 per cent decrease in boat people arriving on Australian shores.

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Tony Abbott, on the other hand, has made it clear that he will not support marriage equality. It is apparent that a majority of Australians support same sex marriage, making Abbott’s view unpopular. Mr Abbott claims that traditional reasons are behind this view. Many have claimed that his views on this issue do not reflect modern Australian values, but nevertheless Abbott’s popularity as preferred PM is increasing, and according to national polls the Liberal party hold a comfortable lead on a twoparty preferred basis.

With the federal election roughly three weeks away (at the time of writing!), Rudd’s acceptance of gay marriage — although popular amongst Australians and young voters in particular — may not have given him quite the leverage that was originally expected.

As the election approaches, marriage equality will continue to draw media attention and be debated by both leaders.

The observant amongst us already understand why Mr Rudd has thrown his support behind such a popular reform, but the real curiosity is whether it’ll work.

Flinders University Multicultural Festival

Photographs courtesy of Yiyi Douyao and Mohammad Mehbub.

19-21 August 2013

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VOX Ryan

Brendan

Degree: Bachelor of Languages

Degree: Bachelor of Media

Labor, Liberal, or minor party?

Minor, preferencing Labor.

Labor, Liberal, or minor party?

Minor.

What political issue are you most passionate about?

Marriage equality and climate change.

What political issue are you most passionate about?

Marriage equality and continued funding for higher education.

What political issue are you most passionate about?

Education, personal liberty, and being able to eat.

How do you get your political news?

Newspaper, friends, and the internet.

How do you get your political news?

Facebook and news.com.au.

How do you get your political news?

I look for it.

If you were Prime Minister for a day, what policy would you implement?

Marriage Equality.

If you were Prime Minister for a day, what policy would you implement?

Free education until Year 12, and health and dental services for everyone.

If you were Prime Minister for a day, what policy would you implement?

I’m gonna throw it to the ground.

Degree: Bachelor of Behavioural Science Labor, Liberal, or minor party?

Labor.

So Peter Garratt switched from Midnight Oil band member to politician. Which musician, actor, or other creative star would you like to make the move into politics?

Austin Carlile.

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Simone

So Peter Garratt switched from Midnight Oil band member to politician. Which musician, actor, or other creative star would you like to make the move into politics?

Albus Dumbledore!

So Peter Garratt switched from Midnight Oil band member to politician. Which musician, actor, or other creative star would you like to make the move into politics?

The ghost of Bruce Lee.

POPS Kirsty Degree: Bachelor of Nanotechnology Labor, Liberal, or minor party?

Labor/minor.

What political issue are you most passionate about?

The NBN and marriage equality.

How do you get your political news?

Everything. I read the Daily Telegraph then burn it all!

If you were Prime Minister for a day, what policy would you implement?

Marriage amendment.

So Peter Garratt switched from Midnight Oil band member to politician. Which musician, actor, or other creative star would you like to make the move into politics?

Ash Ketchum.

Madeline

Spencer

Degree: Social Work and Social Planning

Degree: Bachelor of Early Education and Arts

Labor, Liberal, or minor party?

Minor.

Labor, Liberal, or minor party?

Minor - Greens.

What political issue are you most passionate about?

Marriage equality, student fees/ financial aid, and mental health funding.

What political issue are you most passionate about?

Marriage and primary education.

How do you get your political news?

Television, newspaper, and Facebook.

If you were Prime Minister for a day, what policy would you implement?

As mentioned above.

So Peter Garratt switched from Midnight Oil band member to politician. Which musician, actor, or other creative star would you like to make the move into politics?

Austin Carlile

How do you get your political news?

Friends and older relatives.

If you were Prime Minister for a day, what policy would you implement?

More equal opportunities for same sex couples.

So Peter Garratt switched from Midnight Oil band member to politician. Which musician, actor, or other creative star would you like to make the move into politics?

Alex Gaskarth.

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fusa notice of election nomination dates: 9th september -20th 3.00pm election dates: October 8th - 11th student council positions: SC President (one position)

Responsible for the overall co-ordination and leadership of the Student Council & chief spokesperson for SC. General secretary (one position)

Responsible for all monies, maintaining financial records, minutes. GS chair the Clubs & Socieities sub-committee. education officer (one position)

Responsible for the development, co-ordination & implementation of the SC education campaigns. women's officer (one position)

Act as an advocate & spokesperson for women始s interests on campus. Candidate must identify as a woman to be eligible for nomination.

Welfare officer (one position)

Acts to promote the welfare of all students & is responsible for the co-ordination of SC welfare campaigns.

Queer officer (one position)

Acts as an advocate on behalf of queer students, to promote & strengthen the rights of queer students on campus & to combat discrimination. Candidate must identify as GBLTTIQ to be eligible for nomination. postgraduate student officer (one position)

Acts to advocate on behalf of postgraduate students. Candidate must be an enrolled postgraduate student to be eligible for nomination. international student officer (one position)

Advocates on behalf of International Students, promotes equality & oppotunities of International Students.

Candidate must be enrolled as an Internaitonal Student to be eligible for nomination. indigenous student officer (one position) Acts as an advocate on behalf of students who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. Candidate must identify as ATSI to be eligible for nomination.

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Politics, Disillusionment, And Indifference Words by Ira Herbold

“Indifference,” wrote Gramsci, “is the dead weight of history.”

T

his line makes a vital point, namely that indifference is causative; it is a force which operates with great effect on the course of history. To be politically indifferent, which Gramsci defines as a failure to be partisan, to take part and to take sides, is to attempt agnosticism in an arena where agnosticism is impossible.

Agnosticism is impossible in politics because to not take sides is to implicitly take the side of the dominant power structure. Indifference, then, as Gramsci says, is “the marsh that surrounds the old city and defends it better than its strongest walls, better than the valour of its warriors.” Indifference is not neutrality, because neutrality is impossible. Indifference is, rather, simply the act of confirming the power of the already powerful.

It cannot be denied that our society faces a problem of indifference and political apathy. What is crucial, though, is not just recognition of the fact of indifference, but an analysis of the factors which feed into it, create it and sustain it. One must ask not only if people are indifferent, about politics or any other thing, but why this is so.

The idea, often expressed, that human beings possess some innate tendency towards apathy is overly simplistic.

Any plausible explanation of political apathy must include acknowledgement of the fact that our political system frequently amounts to little more than a grand farce. It issues false promises with staggering regularity, it scapegoats the vulnerable to distract us from its dishonesty, and it deceives and betrays those who do put their faith it by consistently looking after the interests of the few and not the many.

Liberal democracy began with such noble ideals that, in light of its spectacular failure to live up to those ideals, the disappointment can feel crushing. It began with the ideas of liberté, égalité, fraternité—liberty, equality, fraternity— and it has delivered none of those things; the fact that it persists in proclaiming its allegiance to them only makes the disappointment bitterer.

In light of this, alienation from modern politics and the liberal democratic institutions that constitute it, with their pathetic pretensions to justice and their practices which so viciously contravene it, is understandable. In a way, it is even commendable, as it demonstrates an implicit recognition of the inadequacy of the political status quo.

What is essential, however, is to not allow alienation to give way to apathy. Change so often begins in disappointment, but apathy stifles any hope for it.

Cliché dictates that, at some point in any article about

political apathy, I must launch into an impassioned appeal imploring you to ensure that you vote and participate in the political process like a good citizen (wherein the political process is, of course, narrowly defined as writing some numbers on a ballot paper from time to time).

I cannot resist quoting Rousseau here, who wrote of English representative democracy, “The English people believes itself to be free; it is gravely mistaken; it is free only during election of members of parliament; as soon as the members are elected, the people is enslaved; it is nothing.”

It is not, however, my intention to denigrate those who hold an earnest belief in the potential power of the ballot.

It would be utterly misguided of me to attack those who resist apathy and indifference in whatever way they feel they can. My point is rather that to construe political engagement in this narrow way is mistaken. The moralistic pronouncements of those who declare that unless one votes one has no right to complain about the outcome of the political process depend on this view. This misses that there are—indeed, must be—other ways to engage in politics.

I would, in fact, accord much of the blame for the apparent proliferation of political apathy to the widespread acceptance of these sorts of arguments. If one accepts the moralist’s premise, that political engagement through the established political structures is the only acceptable sort, then indifference and apathy is quite straightforwardly entailed by alienation from and disillusionment with those political structures.

What is required to fight indifference, as we must do, are not tired platitudes about how your vote really will make a difference. What is required is recognition that disillusionment does not necessarily imply disillusionment with the political project as such, but rather with the methods and structures with and through which it is commonly pursued in modern liberal democracy. To insist on political engagement through those structures which provide no hope for change is to ensure the descent from alienation to apathy, from disillusionment to indifference.

To begin and end the fight against indifference with an enrol-to-vote campaign is to lose before you have begun.

Different forms of political engagement are needed, alternative forms—extra-electoral, non-parliamentary, and non-governmental—which might take advantage of the anger which lurks beneath the surface of disillusionment, and successfully mobilise it on our campuses, in our workplaces, and on our streets. With these forms of engagement in place and in practice, disillusionment would have the potential to lead not to indifference, but to progress and to radical change.

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The Hardships of Skinny Bitches The Fat Vs Skinny DoubleStandard Words by Gabrielle Lane

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arlier this year, while at my current job, a girl that I worked with at the time looked me up and down at the start of our shift and remarked “Gabi, You’re too skinny! You should EAT more!” Apparently oblivious to how upset this comment had made me, she continued to reiterate this point incessantly and the more she pestered, the more upset I became. How would she feel if I turned around and started telling her to eat less?

Telling someone that they are too fat is a completely taboo subject and is often met with icy glares and vehement declarations about how size-doesn’t matter.

But telling someone they’re too skinny is fair game, so how does that figure?

It’s a total double standard.

Double-Standard (noun.); a set of principles applied differently to one group of people than to another.

I can’t even count the amount of times that I have been told to EAT, EAT, EAT as if I’m some skeletal wisp of a human being. I love my food, I love eating, and I do eat...

LOTS. But I also happen to be skinny.

When I pointed out to the girl at my work that I am, in fact, within my BMI (within a normal weight range for my height) she gave me a sickly patronising look and rolled her eyes, clearly implying that she did not believe me. It seems that people find it easy to believe that many fat girls appear that way because of thyroid or genetic issues, but it is impossible to accept that I might have a fast metabolism and naturally small stature.

Excuse me? But have common courtesies flown completely out the window?! It shouldn’t be okay to deride how someone looks in any circumstance, unless, perhaps, they are given the right to by an invitation of friendship.

Size shouldn’t matter. I really believe that women should embrace their bodies whatever shape or size they are. It is so unbelievably frustrating when people assume that because I look thin I am “too thin” and, moreover, that I’m not allowed to be upset when someone calls me too thin.

So many times I have wanted to refute these remarks with some catty-but-still-undeniably-witty comeback about the injustice of the skinny girl prejudice. However, I’d never come out with an outburst reminiscent of every teen-chick-flick you’ve ever seen (even if I’m playing out a Mean Girls scenario in my head that ends in hair pulling).

Mostly because, well... I’m just not that rude.

Reader, please consider this the next time that you think about telling someone to “eat something.” Because you can bet your arse that, even if they’re smiling, they’re slapping you senseless in their imagination.

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On Voting: Or, How Public Opinion Is A Myth And How The Media Has Ruined Democracy T

he likelihood of your vote tipping the balance of any election is a statistical impossibility.

Yet we vote, because we have to, and the paradox of compulsory voting in an otherwise-relatively-free country continues to be a source of international curiosity and, frequently, national disdain. Compelling citizens to exercise a discretionary political right is downright counterintuitive.

This notion is accepted because voting has been identified, continuously and incorrectly, as a civil or political right. Such a characterisation obscures its true nature as not a right, but an obligation. The truth is that voting is not a privilege we are granted; it is part of a social contract, a task we agree to undertaken in exchange for life in a representative democracy. It is a civic duty, and really, considering how actively we avoid interaction with our neighbours, it is the last civic duty we have.

The general proposition is that people hate compulsory voting because they don’t like the government forcing them to do stuff.

But the more compelling proposition is that people hate compulsory voting because it is harder than it should be, because our media have failed in the one task that we gave them.

The curious thing about our voting behaviour is that it is based on our own perception of events, not an agreed, impartial reality to which everyone consents. Certainly, there exists somewhere a purely factual picture of our polity, but our own biases, our economic allocation of time to current affairs, our social interaction, and our ability to access and process a heavily filtered news media ensures that everyone perceives this factual environment differently. Even if we all had access to the exact same information, which we certainly do not, our minds filter information based on stereotype and prejudice.

The difference between what is actually going on in politics, and what we think is going on in politics, might be just a sliver, or a canyon, or a whole LSD trip. And even though our voting behaviour is based on our individual perceptions, the consequence of our voting behaviour plays out in the real world.

When a majority votes for a party, that party factually wins the power to rule. But the reasoning of why the majority voted for that party is going to be a little different for every person in that majority. There is a fracture between the one world we live in, where elections take place, and the countless individual worlds we think and feel in, where decisions are made on how we vote.

It is an unworkable fiction that we can all develop a reasoned and informed idea on every nuance of every

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Words by Aneta Peretko policy that will impact our voting behaviour. Certainly, people can become more informed, but there aren’t enough hours in the day to obtain a cogent understanding of all the issues.

The solution for this has been to defer our analytical process to our sources of information. We trust the media to rifle through current affairs, pick out the important stuff and present it to us in a clear and concise manner. Of course, if you’ve read the Advertiser lately, you’re probably aware that Australia’s media isn’t doing such a great job of this. So what we now consider to be “public opinion” is a manufactured opinion controlled largely by the press, and in Australia’s case, the men who own the press.

The brilliance of representative government is that it transforms an otherwise chaotic and divided 22 million people into a manageable system that still bears the marks of “rule by the people.” The fallacy is that we vote for the people we think are qualified to amplify our voice, and the reason why we think they are qualified may be totally disconnected from reality.

In this sense, voters who are merely uninterested or uninformed on the issues reflect the inadequacy of our education system rather than the inadequacy of compulsory voting. It means that some people just don’t care enough to pick up a newspaper, and as lacking as it is that they have not had the gravity of voting instilled in them, that itself is not working insidiously and actively against democracy the same way that the existence of the poorly informed voter is. It is the existence of the poorly informed voters, whose perception of reality is so hallucinogenic as to believe in a version of events that is factually and provably incorrect on an objective basis, that leaves such a damning indictment of the myth of public opinion and the failure of media.

Our politics is altogether too large and too complex to completely and properly perceive, and our media is too incompetent to fulfil the task that is their raison d’être.

And that is why people hate compulsory voting.

But we do it anyway, because we have to, and what we can take comfort in is that because everyone has to vote, there’s no chance of a small, vocal minority seeking to suppress the vote. Say, a small, vocal minority that owns significant means of mass communication and seeks to eradicate “uninformed” voting, which sounds fine until that minority starts to define “uninformed” voters as those who aren’t reading and watching and injecting the very media that the small, vocal minority produces.

Compulsory voting isn’t so bad.

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A Highly Biased Guide To Voting Words by Cara Ferguson

M

y fellow Australians.

A lot of people feel that they don’t have a real choice in who to vote for. Take a look at this situation through a milk analogy; which I feel is apt given that politicians so often go bad before their time. Choosing between Labor and Liberal is like trying to decide between skim milk and reduced fat milk. But honestly, we’ve created this situation ourselves. We, as consumers, continually ask for bland representatives. We do this with our actions, if not with our words. When you have a look at the neglected bottles on the bottom shelves, it turns out that we can get full cream, non-homogenised milk. Okay, so maybe lumps of fat don’t suit your cup of tea. But if everyone continues to buy the same two types of milk, there won’t be any room in the industry for diversity. Everyone wants to maintain customer satisfaction to keep their job. Pollies are no different.

So it looks like it’s time to choose a new beverage, or political representative. Recently politicians have been all bland and samey, because no one with spunk has survived the media’s scrutiny. Unfortunately, we’re responsible for that. We pounce on mistakes or any displays of personality. What we pay attention to in the news determines the news.

Of course, the same is true of government. If we perceive that there is a choice between only Labor and Liberal, then that is the choice we will have. But actually, the ballot papers for this election were annoyingly huge and laden with choice.

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more balanced representation, instead of leadership bouncing between two types of centrist parties with interchangeable pros and cons. Our voting procedures do move us towards a two-party system. But a) we can change that if it doesn’t suit us, and b) minor parties have been pivotal regardless.

If no one considers minor parties they will remain the stunted, immature, voiceless entities they are today. If they start receiving a shed-load of votes, guess who’s gonna get their act together.

Without further ado, let us consider my openly biased, sketchy, and poorly researched run-down of a few of the other options: The Greens: The party for which everyone assumes uni students vote. They like protecting the environment, free education, general nice stuff, and making the economy go poorly.

Democrats: A political dream. Politicians who actually care what you think and will put it into practice. Since when did democracy become unpopular?

Australian Sex Party: Hell yeah. They want to legalise marijuana, prostitution, and abortion. They might sound pretty hippy, but I find their policies to be both sensible and mature.

Australian Stable Population Party: The anti-sex party.

Have fewer kids, Australia.

Party-based voting is the reason we have such boring, self-interested people running the country. They’re the ones with the union connections, the cash, or the legal know-how. They climbed the political ladder and now they’re up there telling us what to do. And we’re all holding the ladder steady while they ascend. We’re reinforcing this set-up every time we vote, just because we can’t be arsed to look into the other options that we’ve seemingly ruled out for good.

HEMP party: No joke. The issue is, they wouldn’t know what to vote for when it came to non-hydroponic proposals.

There is no reason to maintain a two-party system. In fact, including more minor parties would make for much

Pirate Party: Surprisingly relevant. They’re against infringements of civil liberties, particularly regarding the

Australian Fishing and Lifestyle Party: An entire political party dedicated to ensuring that natural spaces remain open for recreational use. You know what?

Sometimes nature has uses other than allowing you to roar around in your speed boat.

internet and censorship. Family First: I can’t stand these guys, or anyone else who pretends that it can be politically correct to hate gay people.

Palmer United Party: Let’s mine stuff and keep the black people out.

Rise Up Australia Party: I take issue with religious parties in general because they usually can’t help but infringe on the freedoms of people they aren’t representing. I don’t like your fancy book, so stop telling me how to live. This party’s stance on same sex marriage, stated in an article on their website, is that this discourse has “become a hammer to force the acceptance and normalization of homosexuality on everyone. The slippery slope is real.”

Australian Christians Party: I was nearly going to say nice things about this party, until I noticed this line on their policy page: “[W]e believe Australia should re-balance the refugee intake to reduce the number of Muslim refugees and take more persecuted Christians from various African countries.” This doesn’t seem like a Christian policy, let alone a policy that fits with democracy. Or values.

Secular Party of Australia: Their policies seem legit (promoting liberty and such), but their habit of unnecessarily bashing religion probably make them too narrow-minded.

what’s crucial is to consider the candidate more than the party line. Just because they are in the same party doesn’t mean they have identical opinions or beliefs. So if you want to get serious about this election, look up the list of candidates (Wiki has a good list: “Candidates of the Australian federal election, 2013”) and look into the ones you like before you vote for them.

So, in summary: The best way to vote is to go by candidate.

1. Look up who your candidates are in your electorate.

2. Pick the ones that stand out for you (e.g. you might be looking for someone independent or a candidate who supports environmental activism), or just some at random if you don’t know anything about the people on the ballot paper.

3. Look up their website. This will (usually) tell you exactly what they stand for.

4. Don’t like their policies? Move on to someone else.

Don’t go by party line. This will only categorise their ideology, and you can’t tell a candidate’s true stance. So keep it in mind for the next election!

Smokers Rights Party: Smokers don’t have rights.

You can vote for all these guys and more in the Senate. We generally have fewer minor party candidates to choose from in the House of Reps, because the voting system makes it next to impossible for them to get in.

While it’s important to look beyond the two major parties,

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FUSA Environment Officer Report H

ello dear readers!

My name is Adriana and I have been the FUSA environment officer for the past eight months. I’ve studied Environmental Management, been trained in community leadership, and am now one semester away from finishing my Bachelor of Government and Public Management.

This has all helped me to be able to take action - and also to find out what the heck actually happens on campus in relation to environmentalism and sustainability. There are many changes I have envisioned and enacted for Flinders over the years.

While the world out there is a big bad environmental clusterfudge, where the pursuit of happiness through capitalism and consumption is grossly disturbing; and the impact that it has on communities and environments is horrific. It’s all just too much for one person to tackle at once, in one year. Instead, I knew it was in everyone’s interest to focus on campus issues instead.

Some of you may be curious about what I’ve been trying to achieve, many others probably don’t care either way, and some may even go out of their way to give Mother Nature the finger by purposefully throwing their rubbish on the ground. That’s part of the challenge of being an environment officer on student council: how do you inform people who don’t want to engage? How do you help those who do actually want to make a difference?

Who do you go to so as to make some changes?

So far in my eight months, I’ve endured late nights writing proposals and reports, collaborated in developing a leadership program aimed at helping environmentally and sustainability conscious students develop their skills, helped the Permaculture Garden Society to get the straw bale gazebo project up and running, and got involved in my first experience of a cooperative with the Flinders Organic Food Co-op. Just to name a few.

Along the way I’ve taught people and offered support, and in return they’ve taught me many of the skills just mentioned, including having the confidence to start my own garden and have a better chance of not killing

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everything. I’m also pleased with the way the university has been supportive of many proposals made throughout the year. And I can’t forget to mention the friendships formed!

There is probably one thing that a majority of students are interested in about the campus environment, and that is: more parking on campus. The policy and governance part of me screams at the thought of the costs and processes in actually achieving this, and the environmentalist part questions why are people so damn reliant on their cars?

But then I remember, public transport is a bit of a letdown and the location of uni is a bummer. Besides, everyone’s pretty keen to get out of dodge straight after class (but don’t get me started on that last issue).

After the last student forum, students were mentioning things on campus that were already happening. After this, I realised that current methods of communication aren’t working and I have been thinking of ways to improve this.

Keep your eyes out!

Furthermore, Sustaina-Fair is very soon approaching (September 17th) to which I have been working hard in collaboration with the enviro collective and student council in getting it together. Sustaina-Fair is one way I hope students and staff can get a better understanding about what environmentalism and sustainability is all about, what’s happening on campus, and how to get involved.

In the end, even though I get called a “nerd,” a “dirty shoeless hippie,” and even a “commie” because I believe that bringing community awareness to campus is an important factor in improving the student experience, I hope I can leave uni knowing I helped make some positive changes at Flinders.

Words by Adriana Allman FUSA Environment Officer

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Rhetorical Questions In Support Of Civic Education

ake yourselves back to your primary and secondary education and try to recall — through the fad-filled haze of marbles, Tamagotchi, and Donkey Kong — your civics and citizenship education. Did you undertake a civics module at all? Or were you too young to fully grasp the importance of learning what can seem to be a dry and irrelevant subject for an eight, thirteen, or even sixteen year-old? What about at the tertiary level – have you undertaken an Australian politics topic? Have you obtained a deeper and more analytical understanding of the institutions that Australian democracy holds dear?

Some of you will have studied civics in your years of formal education. However, the fact remains that there are probably many who have not.

Picture this: a young child attends a public primary school and a private Catholic secondary school, graduating the year K-Rudd was elected. This child’s Australian Studies module consisted of discussion of vegemite, pavlova, and the portrayal of Australian identity in The Castle, but it was completely void of any civics education.

Picture this: the same student goes on to university, majors in politics, and returns to the old Catholic college to assist the staff who are teaching the recently implemented National Curriculum (with an increased emphasis on civics). I was that student, and I was appalled to discover from three separate teachers that they were “learning it from the book the night before,” “had no idea how the votes were counted,” and were unaware of “the different responsibilities of the levels of government.” It should be mentioned that some of these teachers were no spring chickens!

Australian law compels us to vote, regardless of our personal opinion on this controversial facet of our electoral system. In such a democracy, what could be more important than being informed about politics?

To take this further, there has been increased media coverage of politicians trying to encourage disillusioned and apathetic young voters to take an interest in political affairs. But how can one take an interest if one does not have a basic knowledge of the subject? If you were not familiarised with the Australian political system through the non-partisan and apolitical civics subject in your formal education, then you probably don’t have the basic knowledge necessary to understand the systems in which politics and political parties operate.

So, then, how do you find your way in the labyrinth that is party politics?

Words by Christine Bennetts Do you trust that the media is providing you with unbiased coverage of a political issue, regardless of the political affiliations newspaper or television magnates might have? Can you form your vote this election based on that news bulletin you caught last night, or that print media headline you walked past this morning? Do you read the party platforms stuffed into your letterbox or inbox? Do you watch the debates, parliamentary question times or House of Representatives sessions? Do you debate and discuss politics and policy issues with your friends, family, fellow students and colleagues?

Probably not, and I can picture a few responding, “ain’t nobody got time for that!”

But if you don’t have time to decide who is going to be responsible for government-regulated aspects of your life for the next few years, what do you have time for?

If you’re like me and did not receive a civics education at school, what are you going to do to ensure that you are taking your responsibilities as a voter seriously?

In a world of social media and with endless information at your fingertips, will you use these resources to put your best vote forward? Not where Channel Seven, your best friend, the Advertiser, or any of the parties want you to put your vote, but where you want to put your vote. Where you think it will lead to a government that is going to best serve your interests and electorate for the next three to six years.

Who do you want in the House of Representatives, and who do you want in the Senate?

On September 7, Australia’s voting-aged population is going to be asked those two very important questions.

This article has simulated that pressure with an onslaught of its own questions, largely rhetorical, designed to trigger responses that will help you discover your own answers and your own understanding of how you’re going to number your ballot.

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Art Review: Crystal Palace W

Words by Clare Gilham

elcome ladies and gentlemen to the Crystal Palace! A splendorous menagerie of objects.

Please keep calm and carry on in a clockwise direction.

Embark on a journey through the passages of spacetime. Your guide will lead you on an excavation of The Great Exhibition legacy through a post-colonial lens.

Crystal Palace is showing at Flinders University City Gallery as part of the SALA Festival 2013 until 29 September 2013.

Crystal Palace, curated by Lisa Harms with Nic Brown, draws upon works from Flinders University Art Museum’s (FUAM) significant collection of Aboriginal art and European prints as well as material gathered from the South Australian Museum, Museum of Economic Botany, and State Library of South Australia.

Archival objects are brought into dialogue with contemporary responses to interrogate the legacy of The Great Exhibition of 1851 within the post-colonial paradigm. The exhibition features commissioned work by nine contemporary artists: Morgan Allender, Troy-Anthony Baylis, Domenico de Clario, SiamakFallah, Lisa Gorton, Julie Henderson, Brigid Noone, Lee Salomone, and Sera Waters. Ideas of dislocation, identity, and possession are expressed through various media including painting, sculpture, installation, performance, sound, and video.

The exhibition’s namesake is the original “Crystal Palace,” a glass and iron marvel of modern engineering built in London’s Hyde Park to house The Great Exhibition. Like a giant bell jar it, trapped the park’s trees, statues, and fountains, and was filled with over 13,000 exhibits from all over the globe - containing a whole universe within its glass frame.

The Great Exhibition was born of a desire to parade the achievements of human industry and man’s triumph over nature, with Great Britain as the leading power of the Industrial Revolution, positioned firmly at the helm.

Exhibitions from colonial states, whilst referred to as "colonial possessions," provided the opportunity to promote national identity.

Collapsing space-time, Harms submits a new Australian exhibit to The Great Exhibition.

Like the original Crystal Palace, the Gallery space itself is part of the spectacle. Referencing Victorian dioramas and construction sites, a purpose built plywood armature acts as both stage and screen, annexing the space into passages and voids.

Niches within the walls contain objects like the small ‘mineral’ sculptures by Sera Waters. Her embroidered works respond to George French Angus’ South Australia Illustrated and colonial turnery. She uses the visual metaphors of crystal formations and tree growth rings to approach layers of time and history - seeing the cross section of the universe in the cross section of a tree (I am

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Brigid Noone, Exotic sorrows (detail), 2013, synthetic polymer paint on plywood with cabinet, bell jars and minerals. Photograph Grant Hancock. reminded of William Blake’s line, “To see the world in a grain of sand...”).

Positioned at intervals within the Gallery, a threepart spoken poem by Lisa Gorton is played through headphones, steering the viewer like a kind of audioguide. She evokes the experience of being at The Great Exhibition, creating a concurrent sensory experience that is of both past and present.

Just as crystals are relics of a past natural event, so too the archival objects and new works are implicit with the manifold histories that connect them. Contained within bell jars, crystal installations forming part of Brigid Noone’s Exotic Sorrows reference the Australian mineral specimens sent to The Great Exhibition. The central painting is an appropriation of a colonial work of Empress Eugenie and her ladies-in-waiting, disturbed by the addition of tribal facial markings. No one aligns the containment of Nature with the positioning of the exotic ‘Other’ and conveys the melancholy of colonisation.

In response to works by Albert Namatjira, Domenico de Clario undertook performances of Waltzing Matilda and Bella Ciao (sung in Italian) within the Flinders University grounds and museum store. Video recordings are projected onto de Clario’s painting yellow ectoplasm: ghost gums and ranges, central australia 1958. This work is connected to the spiritual residue de Clairo perceives in Namatjira’s watercolours and a connectedness formed partly because de Clario originally believed him to be Italian. The cultural tensions embedded in de Clario’s project describe an unsettled notion of home and (be) longing resulting from colonisation.

Food Review: Parlamento Words by Lauris Buckley and Robbie Peschel

student. Or is it? Well anything is better than instant packet-pasta…

Upon arrival, the experienced maître d’ is friendly but not intrusive, allowing you to become acquainted with the drinks menu before taking your order. The first thing you will notice is the atmosphere. Soothing Italian music plays softly in the background, which is contrasted with the hustle and bustle you can see through the panoramic windows. The room is resplendent with photographs of famous dignitaries and celebrities whom have visited, notably Bob Hawke. The décor is modern but with a touch of classic Italian bistro familiarities.

The lunch menu is surprisingly appealing and reasonably priced, but if you’re more inclined to sample from the main menu, there’s a variety of dishes and prices that should appeal to everyone. If you’re a wine buff, you should be pleased with the selection; whilst it isn't vast, there are plenty of good drops to try by the glass or you could splurge on a bottle from the reserve list. Daunted by the range? Many of the meals come with suggested complementary wine.

You may think bruschetta is a cliché, but with a choice of three interesting variants, you won’t be disappointed.

Even the classic Bruschetta Pomodoro ($8.50) was made with amore; perfectly seasoned, topped with the freshest tomatoes.

Parlamento 140 North Terrace Adelaide 5000 www.parlamento.com.au

P

arlamento: the name speaks for itself. Situated across the road from Parliament House, the restaurant became a regular hangout for politicians, opening its doors in 1988. To this day, the chances of not spotting a politician enjoying a tax-payer funded lunch is slim to none. Envision slurping a Fettuccine Prima Vera ($20.90) whilst rubbing shoulders with Premier Jay Weatherill, or eavesdropping on the conversation of Minister for Higher Education, Grace Portolesi, and tucking into a pot of Mediterranean Mussels ($18.90).

If this place is good enough for an expenses credit card, then surely it’s good enough for a hungry university

There’s a reason why Penne Basilico ($21.90) is the signature dish. It is a very generous serving (penne pasta, chicken, sundried tomatoes, roast capsicum, basil and cream tomato salsa) that’s full of flavour without being soaked in cream. A perfectly balanced dish.

The Arancini ($13.90) is only available on the lunch menu but, again, is a very liberal (pun intended) serving and is worth making the trip. The mozzarella oozes out and the earthy flavour of the porcini mushrooms adds an extra depth to the dish. The risotto is perfectly al dente, the way it should be: complemented by a tomato salsa. The dish could risk being too rich, but the rocket leaves add freshness and crunch.

You’d expect good coffee from an Italian restaurant, but this was a standout. Smooth, rich, and just the right temperature. If you’re not convinced to try Parlamento, then at least stop by for a latte while you're in the city.

Overall, a satisfying experience. It’s no wonder the politicians keep coming back - you will too.

ghjfsd

WIN!

Complete the crossword and send a picture of your answers to stephanie.walker@flinders.edu.au to win one of 10 free double passes to Palace Nova.

ACROSS 1 Sudden violent overthrow of a government 5 One who leaves their home country for political reasons 6 Socially conservative party 9 A classical political theorist 11 One of the founders of Communism 12 Adjective to describe a situation where opposing political parties come together to agree on an initiate 13 From the Greek 'demos' for the ordinary, common people and 'kratos' for power or strength 14 A collection of movements and ideologies demanding equality between the genders 15 Independent senator for South Australia 17 A formal decision making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office 21 A political and social philosophy that promotes retaining traditional social insitutions 22 An outlook or position that accepts social heirarchy or social inequality 24 A form of radical authoritarian nationalism that came to prominence in early 20th century Europe 26 An outlook that accepts or supports social equality 27 The party was born out of an adult-industry lobby group, the Eros Association 28 A closed meeting of members of a political party 29 A system based on the belief that political power should be concentrated on one person 30 A condition of lawlessness and disorder brought about by the absence of any controlling authority

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DOWN 2 The party aims to represent Christian values, appealing to the 2.7 million voters who go to church at least once a month 3 A method of secret voting, normally in a written form 4 Tony Abbot's party 7 Less-than-subtle political propaganda disseminated through the media and performing arts 8 A leader who gains popularity by appealing to prejudice and basic instincts 10 Kevin Rudd's democratic socialist party 16 A political ideology that seeks a future without the class system of a formalised state structure 18 A political ideology that involved an individual identifying with his or her nation 19 A citizen residing in a particular MP's area or district 20 An economic system incorporating co-operative management of the economy 23 Australia's most popular environmentalist party 25 A form of government where unlimited power is held by one single individual

Spotlight:

Batman In Animation F

or most people, when the Batman franchise is mentioned, two things come to mind. The first is the recent “dark” and realistic Christopher Nolan trilogy that has managed to ingrain itself into modern pop culture of the 21st century. The films themselves were slick, well made and delivered memorable performances notably that of Heath Ledger and, to a lesser extent, Tom Hardy’s Bane. For some time yet, whenever contemporary movie goers think of superhero movies, or just simply “The Batman,” it will be within the context of those three films and the impression they have left behind. Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, and their peers are now the go-to faces for the iconic DC characters, at least until they are dethroned.

People who can cast their minds back to the late 1980s and 1990s may remember (or may have forcefully repressed) a different kind of Gotham. This Gotham was the opposite in tone, revealed more about itself, and tragically went downhill after its second instalment.

Until 2005, Batman Forever (1995) and Batman & Robin (1997) left a bitter aftertaste in the mouths of audiences, who had to come to grips with the fact that yet another franchise was turned “kid friendly” for the sole purpose of toy sales. If one was to chronicle superhero movies, this was the period in which Marvel IPs such as X-Men and Spiderman picked up the slack. It seems likely that Marvel will fill the vacuum once again, with the release of the last Nolan-verse Batman film behind us, the success of the Avengers ensemble movies and the disappointment that was Man of Steel (2013).

The resentment in this article is two-fold. The first is the labelling of the Nolan trilogy as “dark” by commentators and members of the public. It goes without saying that Batman as a whole has had a somewhat noticeable grimness to it. The most reoccurring is the undertone of tragedy that can be found throughout. Though admittedly, there have been thematic shifts, most notably was the change to campiness and slapstick in early to mid “Golden Age” through to the mid 1970s and early 1980s.

However, this issue bleeds into the second, which is that Batman never had to tone itself down to be “kid friendly.”

It can be argued that the main attraction for the 11 years old ‘plus’ male demographic was that Batman provided something different to the cut and dry, allAmerican superhero stereotype. Other comic franchises too managed to introduce darker elements without alienating their potential audience. Essentially, the Warner Bro’s sanitisation of the 90s Batman films was a cold, calculated move that robbed audiences of a solid, threeact Tim Burton franchise.

Now with the scene set, there is room for the reintroduction of the medium that managed to carry the cinematic torch until Batman Begins. Ironically, it was the children’s art deco cartoon Batman: The Animated Series (1992-95) that kick-started a decade long continuity that managed to keep the essence of Batman alive and intact on screen.

It spawned movies and spin off series which managed to provide children and older audiences with a rich universe in which the tragic, downbeat nature of Batman and his adventures was not lost.

What must be taken into account is that grim and dark media inherently draws to itself the young male demographic. Realism aside, Nolan’s Batman was less of a reimagining than simply putting the character back on track to where the 90s left off.

Words by Dorian Bašić

Film Reviews F

rances Ha is a unique, light hearted film with a message that many twenty-somethings are sure to connect with. The film is directed by Noah Baumbach and written by his partner Greta Gerwig, who also plays the lead role of Frances Halladay. Frances is a twenty-seven year old woman who is trying to become a successful dancer in New York whilst living care-free with her best friend Sophie (Mickey Sumner). However, when Sophie starts to succeed in the publishing industry and moves to a nicer apartment with more civilised friends, Frances feels left behind. To make things worse, her career plans are put on hold when her apprenticeship at a dance company is suspended.

What follows is an enchanting and unexpectedly hilarious coming-of-age story about a young woman who doesn’t want to grow up and doesn’t understand why she must.

Frances Ha highlights the importance of female relationships and how their breakdown can be just as painful as a romantic split. Perhaps the most powerful scenes in the film occur when Frances goes on a weekend trip to Paris in an attempt to be spontaneous. Instead of this journey being the glamorous and life-changing occasion the audience expects, Frances spends the whole time alone and quickly runs out of money. When she unexpectedly speaks to Sophie on the phone she doesn’t mention where she is out of embarrassment.

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The film is shot in black and white; and Baumbach’s Woody Allen influence is evident throughout. Although I am not usually a fan of modern films in black and white, I found that it added a certain charm to Frances Ha, reflecting the nature of the story itself. The idea of a young

woman struggling to make it in New York is certainly not a new concept. The use of black and white perhaps illustrates this point and also acts to draw the audience’s attention to Frances’ colourful character and away from the city and its majesty. Baumbach manages to create a magical story from the somewhat clique scenario but, even so, the lack of colour may irritate viewers who already find the film slightly too art-house to enjoy.

Many of the films and series depicting life in New York involve self-absorbed women and a lot of unrealistic glamour. The beauty of Frances Ha is that it focuses on a real woman who is far from perfect. In this way it is somewhat similar to the television series Girls, and conveniently also stars Adam Driver. The film provides a good depiction of how most of us would probably survive if we lived in New York, as Baumbach and Gerwig capture the loneliness and challenge behind this exotic lifestyle, but also its romance and honesty.

When life does come together for Frances, it’s not in the way the audience expects. The film rewards the idea of not trying to change your life, your location, or who you are in order to chase some notion of success, but rather justifies simply living and waiting for things to work out.

We are all taught to embrace change, but Frances Ha will show you that if you love what you do, where you live and who your friends are, you shouldn’t ever let that go, even if everything starts changing around you. This could be a recipe for disaster, or as this film suggests, it might just work out.

Words by Annie Robinson

A

fter hanging up the costume in Kick Ass, Dave Lizewski (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) returns to the screen and his crime fighting ways in Kick Ass 2. He is inspired by Mindy Macready (Chloe Grace Moretz), who was trained to be lethal by her insane father, played

by Nicolas Cage. Their relationship is a refreshing change from many other commercial superhero films, with the teenage boy aspiring to become Mindy’s Hit Girl alter ego. Mindy herself is thoroughly amusing and fascinating as a young girl experimenting with a mask of a different kind: being popular at school. Perhaps one of the funniest moments of the film is seeing Mindy discover boy bands, after years of taking down ruthless criminals.

Whilst Mindy retreats into high school life, Dave embraces the viral phenomenon of real life “superheroes” that he started: essentially, ordinary citizens dressing up and patrolling the streets. He joins a gang of enthusiasts, including an unrecognisable Jim Carrey as Colonel Stars and Stripes. The group proceeds to methodically search out and physically overcome criminals. In a predictable turn of events, the criminals begin to fight back, including Dave’s nemesis, Chris D’Amico (Christopher MintzPlasse) and his hired killers. Going under the supervillain name “Motherfucker,” Chris’ failed attempt to be a badass gangster is mostly amusing. The violence, however, is not.

This also goes for Dave, Mindy and the other good guys.

The violence in Kick Ass 2 is extreme and unwarranted.

It is certainly not appropriate for kids to watch, much less on the premise that the characters inflicting torture and cruel fighting techniques on one another are kids themselves. Jim Carrey actually refused to promote the film in the wake of the school shootings in America, publically stating his regret for his involvement in the film.

All in all, it’s worth watching, but not with the kids. Cover your eyes during 90% of the fight scenes and you’ll be set.

Words by Sarah Gates

T

he greatest strength of Jamin Winans’ film Ink (2009) is its complex and original narrative; supported by its striking art direction and music. As no production company would take it on, the film was released independently and circulated online. Ink was downloaded 400,000 times in a single week through BitTorrent and gained a wide international audience.

Ink is a dark fantasy about Storytellers and Incubi, the two forces who fight for our souls through our dreams.

The plot centres around Ink (Chris Kelly), a Drifter dressed in a hooded mess of grey rags and chains who is not yet committed to either side. He kidnaps a young girl called Emma (Quinn Hunchar) from the world of the living and the film follows the repercussions of this.

The entire cast gives solid performances in their mostly quirky, dark and emotionally intense roles. One memorable character is Jacob (Jeremy Make), one of the Pathfinders sent to help the Storyteller Emma, who has black crosses over his eyes and navigates the world through a high awareness of natural rhythms. He shows his true power when he uses music to produce a chain reaction of events that disrupts the flow of a man’s fate.

Winans manages to fit a large cast of complex characters and plot into a very small amount of time, without making the narrative seem cramped or unfinished. He tackles questions about the nature of fate, shame, death, work, and family, and even manages to chuck in a bit of humour. Ink has a unique high contrast visual style.

The score, also written by Winans himself, runs thick, echoing piano, strings and light percussion that builds to meet the steep emotional climaxes of the story.

This film is best watched alone, without distractions. It is utterly absorbing and exquisite in every sad and joyful moment. It pulls my heart out of my chest every time I watch it.

Words by Miranda Richardson

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Poetry Poetry is plucking at the heartstrings, and making music with them.

- Dennis Gabor The Division Sue Denim When I step out onto the pavement the door sliding firmly shut behind me know for sure that I am late.

The sun has almost dropped beneath the horizon icy wind bites into my exposed skin I pull my collar closer hugging the warmth to my body.

I bring my arm to my face peering at my watch with squinted eyes stabs of pain shoot down my throat when I gasp looking up again I see dark purple streaks dance across the sky.

With only the smallest of hesitations I start running through the deserted streets the buildings are eerily quiet in the business sector towering over the streets in between The roads still bear the mark of the era before the Cleansing back when people used cars to get to and from work.

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Our Storm Nikki Klindzic There's a storm outside my window And its mirrored in my head I'm lying here trying to cry But the rain is outside instead Like there's days when the sun is beaming, There are days that I feel fine But lately clouds have rolled on over And my light can no longer shine The cold envelops me in its arms Whenever yours aren't there I feel the soft fingers of fear When I can't run mine through your hair Winds whisper lies ever so quietly When your lips aren't by my side But it's our hearts entwined That creates this landslide Hail threatens to break through the glass The windows of my mind bend in pain But I won't let those rocks reach me I'll simply watch them melt into rain The wind roars his rage at my door, I don't know what he's trying to say But I've got my feet stuck firmly to ground We'll survive this storm another day

No Longer Lovers Jess Nicole Bury me in the snow's cold It’s where I belong Or so I’m told I hold the ocean in my hands With parted lips And travelled lands These frail bodies move to sound Blood on my fingers From scraping the ground Sleeping beauty's hands held to the sun Covered in vines You told me to run I hate you with all of my soul Because loving you Takes its toll

books

Hell On Earth

by Michele Cummingham

W

hen I first agreed to write a book review I had no clue what the book was, what genre it fit in, or the length. I will preface any review of the book by saying that my normal genre is either fantasy or horror, neither particularly close to non-fiction war history. So when I started reading Hell on Earth I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. It definitely did not matter.

I will start with a very brief summary of what happens, as the great thing about non-fiction is that one can already know the plot line; especially when it comes to a novel about Japanese run prisoner of war camps.

The book focusses on the facts of life in Sandakan, the death marches in the face of an Allied advance, and the aftermath; including the criminal trials of those running the camps. While being a very different read to my normal style of book, it was certainly worth the time spent.

The writing style is fluent and easy to follow. Although the facts are well referenced, at no point does it read like an academic report (because all university students have enough of those to read already). The book is full of anecdotes and extracts from personal letters, diaries, and stories gathered from first hand recounts. These outline the ingenuity of the Australian prisoners or the horror faced day to day as soldiers died from malnutrition, disease, and cruelty along the march. Due to some great referencing, you are never left wondering how we can know these small details and can always look up and verify facts in the book yourself.

Australians better. Additionally, there are several tales of locals under the Japanese occupation who helped look after escaped Australians at their own risk.

If you are not yet convinced, the ending is spectacularly well done. Yes, I have already said there is no way to spoil the story as there are no plot twists; the whole book is recorded history. But the author still manages to bring a different perspective to prisoner of war camps in north Borneo, just when you think you’ve already read about every aspect. If you read the whole book just to appreciate the last chapter, you will not be wasting your time; but you would be under appreciating the earlier chapters.

In conclusion, I would thoroughly recommend Michele Cunningham's Hell on Earth to anyone with even a remote interest in history as a book of human courage, resilience, and determination. It is the type of book that shows you just how cruel people can be, but without lowering your faith in humanity. It also highlights the importance of justice, not retribution. It deals with the criminal trials in a very critical way, making it clear that, while atrocities were committed, it is important to ensure that the truth wins out. Finally, it gives everyone an understanding of some of the many factors affecting our recent history as a country and gives some perspective for many of the events that followed in the decades after the war.

Words by Kevin Clark

The story itself is well worth the read. It does not have the bravery of soldiers dragging mates across bullet torn turf, nor the conclusion of American forces sweeping in and saving all of the prisoners. What it does have is a systematic recount of the life, death, trials, and recovery of prisoners, captors, and bodies at Sandakan and the trails that they were marched down in retreat. The way the story unfolds will make you admire both the soldiers (especially the doctors and those who worked in an underground espionage network) and the Japanese guards who risked their own lives to try and make the

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Music Reviews Mick Harvey- Four: Acts of Love

Boards of Canada - Tomorrow’s Harvest

M

T

elbournite Mick Harvey is one of Australia’s most prolific, but often unappreciated, musicians.

Harvey was a founding member of The Birthday Party and The Bad Seeds and a long-term collaborator of both PJ Harvey and the late Rowland S. Howard. Harvey has also been involved in soundtrack work, most notably for Australian Rules and his version of “Out of Time Man” featured in the Breaking Bad pilot. Throughout the years Harvey has also released a splattering of solo albums, including in 2011 the brilliant Sketches for the Book of the Dead. This in broad sweeps this brings up to Harvey’s latest release, Four: Acts of Love.

As the title suggests, this album thematically revolves around love. The fourteen tracks are divided into three sections labelled “Summertime in New York,” “The Story of Love,” and “Wild Hearts Run Out of Time.” This album manages to explore love without focussing on the stereotypical extremes of complete heart-ache or giddying devotement. This gives it a more realistic and complete feel as a whole. Harvey combines originals with unconventional interpretations of songs by Roy Orbison, Van Morrison, and Ed Kuepper. Excitingly Harvey also skilfully covers “Glorious,” a PJ Harvey song that has never before been recorded.

“Summertime in New York” is a highlight of the album as it is both catchy, and totally weird. Chaotic whispers mingle and entwine with Harvey’s sleek vocals. Four: Acts of Love is a bit on the short side, but is filled with intriguing, atmospheric and beautiful songs. Harvey has proved once again that he is more than just a collaborator to larger artists and that he is an important figure of the Australian music scene.

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Words by Elizabeth Daw

omorrow’s Harvest is Boards of Canada’s first new album in seven years. Brothers Mike Sandison and Marcus Eoin persist in their splendid execution of hauntology through music. The Scottish duo have never been so adept at permeating one’s consciousness and creating a forbidding, reflective state.

True to their nature, Boards of Canada still exploit a sense of morbidity using percussion, however their vocals, in this album, are dampened and presented in a radio static fashion. The vocal sampling is chopped and distorted, yet it never distracts from the creepy yet alluring mix.

“Sundown” is a refined and ambient track, notable for its cinematic feel. It conjures up images of the sparse nature of sea and earth.

There is no question that the most impressive track on the album is “Reach for the Dead,” which appeals to the senses with colourful down tempo electronica and is complemented by the track’s video, portraying postapocalyptic landscapes and spoiled houses.

Overall, Tomorrow’s Harvest reminds listeners of their singularity and isolation on this earth.

Words by Jess Nicole

Game Reviews T

his year Penny Arcade Expo (PAX), the convention for all things gaming, came to Australia for the first time. While the convention (held in Melbourne) was less organised than one would have hoped, it was something of a test run for greater things to come from next year. Surprisingly, the Australian convention – a counterpart to the original PAX in the USA – was not left behind when it came to game developer and company presences. There were booths from big names like Riot and Ubisoft, as well as many less well-known indie game studios. Away from the showroom floor there was a variety of panels, featuring many famous developers and people from the industry.

My personal highlight was a panel with Plastic Wax, a cinematic animation company whose work features in top titles like the Saints Row series and Darksiders II. There was also exclusive debut footage and gameplay from upcoming releases including Saints Row IV, Splinter Cell Blacklist, and Watchdogs. For those wanting to take a break from the crowds, there was a PC play area where attendees could jump in to some LAN gaming, free of charge. There was also a large board game presence, including a “loan and play” board game area. Attendees were left with plenty to do on all three days, and the churros were reasonably priced.

While the weekend was great overall, it wasn’t without its low points. Melbourne’s public transport leaves something to be desired and the taxi ranks are non-existent, so you can be left waiting up to three hours for a taxi – make sure to get accommodation nearby. Inside the showroom there appeared to be a volume war between the more prominent booths, and Riot’s impressive speaker system helped it take the cake for the most obnoxious one.

Unfortunately, the Ubisoft theatre had the misfortune of being placed right next to the Riot booth, making it hard at points to hear the previews. Despite this, it was an amazing weekend, and I am already planning my trip for next year.

Pay Day 2

P

ayday 2’s tiny advertising budget might make you believe it was unceremoniously dumped onto the Steam store as a hastily-put-together sequel to Payday: The Heist. However, appearances can be deceptive.

News of the game has spread quickly through word of mouth, earning it a profit even before its release thanks to eager fans’ preorders. Their excitement in this case is justified, as Payday 2 not only improves on its predecessor in nearly every way, but steps out of the shadow of its clear influence, Left 4 Dead, to truly become its own game.

Payday 2 allows the player to put together a crew consisting of up to three buddies (or in their absence, AI-controlled players) in order to perform jobs such as robbing banks and jewellery stores, moving narcotics, and stealing priceless art from galleries. With only four members in a crew, the odds are against the players, and high levels of cooperation and communication are essential to pulling off a successful mission. As players complete more missions, each takes a share of the spoils, allowing them to purchase additional weaponry, tools, and equipment. Missions typically allow players to go above and beyond mission objectives to obtain additional cash rewards; however, this typically comes at greater risk of being overwhelmed by increasingly difficult police units.

Like Payday: The Heist, the game’s levels change each time they are played, with safes, security cameras, guards, and other secrets all appearing in different places, providing a different experience every time. However, where Payday 2 shines is in its flexibility, allowing players to tackle the level in a variety of different ways. A stealth approach could permit a player to slip in and out without guards and staff noticing – or a well-placed electronic countermeasure device could allow for a smash-andgrab before staff are able to notify authorities. Threatening non-compliant staff can make for a quiet robbery, or there’s the traditional Payday approach of capturing hostages and escaping with guns blazing. When coupled with a more fleshed-out experience system, this variety (and thus, replayability) takes Payday 2 leaps and bounds ahead of its predecessor.

Although the game is marred by average indoor graphics and a single player mode rendered unplayable by poor teammate AI, Payday 2 is plenty of fun to play with friends or strangers. The customisation options, variety, and healthy dose of challenge it offers make its $30 price tag worthwhile.

Words by Tamara Babij

Words by Adam Rau

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GAMES! Easy Medium

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9 4 7

7

Generated by http://www.opensky.ca/~jdhildeb/software/sudokugen/ on Wed Sep 4 11:47:10 2013 GMT. Enjoy!

Generated by http://www.opensky.ca/~jdhildeb/software/sudokugen/ on Wed Sep 4 11:47:30 2013 GMT. Enjoy!

Puzzle 1 (Hard, difficulty rating 0.60)

Puzzle 1 (Very hard, difficulty rating 0.82)

Hard Very Hard

7

6 1

2

9

2 9

6

6

1

1 8 6 9

3

1

4

2

5

3

5

8

7

7

6 5

4

7

7

2

5

9

6

5

3

7

6

1

2

9

4 1

2

4

7

9

4

6

2

Generated by http://www.opensky.ca/~jdhildeb/software/sudokugen/ on Wed Sep 4 11:47:40 2013 GMT. Enjoy!

3 8

3

5

4

4

4

4

[48]

6

2 2

4

7

6

8

8 6

Generated by http://www.opensky.ca/~jdhildeb/software/sudokugen/ on Wed Sep 4 11:48:00 2013 GMT. Enjoy!

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