Volume Four: Orbits & Oscillations

SECTION

Art Credit

1

2

SECTION

Art Credit

WELCOME TO COUNTRY

UTS acknowledges and recognises the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation and the Boorooberongal people of the Dharug Nation as the traditional owners and holders of knowledge where our UTS campuses now stand. UTS also pays respect to Elders past, present and future for sharing their knowledge and the significant contribution that Australia’s first peoples make to the academic and cultural life of our university.

Maree Graham, Deputy Director, Students and Community Engagement, Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research, University of Technology, Sydney

4

CONTENTS

Editorial 4 Contributors 5 Editorial Letter 94 Support

Arts &

Creative Writing

78 66 64 32

76 80 16

Lifestyle Down The Habit Hole Katie Kim Tran I Swear I’ve Heard This Before Jaimee Lee Paper Circles Emma Green

What’s Worse?

CJ Vallis

Overheard Lily Cameron

Business, Science & Innovation

Undercurrent Lily Sommer Daylesford and the Lavender Matilda Gould

50

Your Straw Is Not the Only Reason Turtles Are Dying Alyssa Rodrigo

74 20 58

Decoding Econobabble Ben Robinson Antibiotic Resistance Elyse Popplewell Five minutes with Professor Deb Verhoeven Larissa Shearman

CONTENTS

5

Socio– cultural Politics & Law 52 70

Bittersweet Victories in Domestic Violence Law Reform Fiona Yeh Taking the Law Online Jazz Osvald

60 55 18 30 8

The Death of the Queer Bar Ismene Panaretos Reflections Melanie Wong Pickled Beef Curry Shahrin Shamim Travelling Back in Time with the Katomba Twelve Tahlia Nelson Spinning Through Each Other’s Galaxies James Gardiner

Showcase 23 10

She Lives There Claudia Akiole

39 68 46

Errant Recursive Jack Okeby

An Exploration Through Space and Time Eva Georgiou

The Swing of Things Rosemary Vasquez-Brown Diptych Will Thompson

B–Side 84

A Treatise on Contemporary Student Culture Stephanie Todd

87

Using Order Screen Doesn’t Actually Reduce Shame of Being In McDonalds Lucy Tassell

88

Your Mum Is Really Into True Crime Now Lucy Tassell

89

1 Out of 3 Guys You Met in First Year Now Blocked on Facebook Lucy Tassell

90

Horoscopes Emma Fouche

6

CONTRIBUTORS

Lily Cameron[66] Emma Fouche[90] Matilda Gould[32] Emma Green[16] Jaimee Lee[80] Tahlia Nelson[30] Jazz Osvald [70] Ismene Panaretos[60] Elyse Popplewell[20] Ben Robinson[74] Shahrin Shamim[18] Lily Sommer[64] Larissa Shearman[58] Lucy Tassell[87, 88 & 89] Stephanie Todd[84] Katie Kim Tran[76] CJ Vallis[78] Melanie Wong[55] Fiona Yeh[52] SUB-EDITORS Lily Cameron, Eugenie Dale, Aryan Golanjan, Freya Howard, Gigi Liu WRITTEN

Claudia Akiole[23] Isabella Brown[66] Sarah Choo[84] Isabelle Coury[60] Emma Fouche[90] Eva Georgiou[10] Olivia Gordon[81] Nicole Ho[8] Nancy Li[78] Danni Luo[55] Isabella Meagher[74] Jack Okeby[39] Jessica Song[17] Erin Sutherland[30] Will Thompson[46] Amy Toma[18] Rosemary VasquezBrown[68] Sherry Wang[50] Melissa Yang[76] Katie Yates [64] Connor Xia[COVER ART] VISUAL

EDITORIAL LETTER

7

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

EDITORS

Alyssa Rodrigo

Joyce Cheng

James Gardiner Sofia Casanova

Welcome to Volume 4: Orbits and Oscillations. In this volume we’re exploring the cycles and seasons inherent in our personal lives, our society, and our environment. Some histories may repeat themselves, while others evolve and shift in each rotation, and we want to bring to light the ways in which we change over time or settle deeper and deeper into patterns of behaviour. From bacteria, to flowers, to families, to empires and to the cosmos, we see life hitting the repeat button but twisting and turning along the way.

Over in Business, Science and Innovation, Elyse Popplewell heralds insight and warning about the increase in use of antibiotics and the superbugs that have emerged since. Fiona Yeh dives deep into the nuance of domestic violence reform in Politics & Law, while under Sociocultural, Shahrin Shamim reflects on the ways we express love and familial intimacy through rituals around food.

Matilda Gould has gifted us with a magical realist snapshot into the journey of a rogue lavender infestation in Creative Writing, as Emma Green illuminates the pleasure and purpose of keeping diaries in Arts & Lifestyle.

We hope you enjoy our latest collection of outstanding student work, and hope that the pieces in this volume will have you in their grip for many seasons to come.

THANK YOUS

FUCK YOUS

SHRUGS

Bees Solitude Good Housemates

Adobe Grievance meetings Tokenistic coursework

Sign-up forms Men in the Left Fluorescent lighting

8

Vertigo is published by the UTS Students’ Association (UTSSA) and proudly printed by SOS Printing, Alexandria.

The contents of Vertigo do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, printers, or the UTSSA. Vertigo and its entire contents are protected by copyright. Vertigo will retain the right to republish in any format. Contributors retain all other rights for resale and republication. No material may be reproduced without the prior written consent of the copyright holders.

CONTACT Enquiries editorial@utsvertigo.com.au Submissions submissions@utsvertigo.com.au CONNECT utsvertigo.com.au facebook.com/utsvertigo Twitter @vertigomagazine Instagram @utsvertigo Opening photographs by JOYCE CHENG @_joycecheng_

SECTION

Art Credit

9

10

SOCIO-CULTURAL

SPINNING THROUGH EACH OTHER’S GALAXIES

By James Gardiner

In year 12 and the few months afterwards, I was in a triad polyamorous relationship. There were three of us, all dating each other at once.

There’s no doubting it had its confusing, difficult and terrifying moments, but I was able to learn a lot too and experience things I’d not imagined before. I was able to watch my two best friends fall for each other in front of my eyes, while knowing they both had those feelings for me too.

Yesterday, I was chopping zucchinis in the kitchen. Bars of orange sunset glow peeked through blinds and rested on cupboards, splashed across the kettle. I left the green ends on the windowsill, and a bird came for a nibble before it was startled by a knock on the door. I opened it, and Neptune smiled wide, a bottle of red wine in one hand and a bag of spices in the other.

“I remembered the cinnamon!” They beamed.

I’ve been single for 18 months. It’s been a good lesson in independence and self reliance—in dealing with loneliness and forging my own identity after a string of intense relationships from the ages of 15 to 19.

Now I’m back, but it seems to have happened all at once. I’ve been on a bunch of dates with a handful of people and they’ve all been really lovely. So lovely, in fact, that I’m starting to worry about when to cross the polyamory bridge. If I bring it up now, will they freak out because they think it’s a signal of us getting really serious? If I wait, will they be hurt when I bring it up because they’ve let feelings grow and now feel betrayed?

The truth is, I’d be really happy to keep seeing all of them. In my ideal solar system, I’d spend time getting drunk in Saturn’s backyard; go for bushwalks, see movies and go to galleries with Neptune; sing, write, and laugh with Venus; and swim in the ocean and order coconut smoothies with Mars.

When you finish high school, you get a sudden urge to figure out where you belong as the structures of high school disintegrate. I can’t imagine a more supportive, hilarious, and fun network than the two partners I had at the time. It set me up for university with a sense of confidence, assuredness and curiosity I mightn’t have otherwise

SOCIO-CULTURAL

possessed. It lasted for about 6 months before external circumstances spelled the end, but I learned more about communication in those 6 months than I had in years of dating up to then. After one of the trio left, the two of us remaining carried on seeing other people in addition to each other. This opened me up to the idea of seeing multiple people, some more often than others.

Presently, I’ve been doing day-trip adventures once or twice a week with one person while spending more of my nights seeing gigs and cooking meals with another. It’s a fine balance at the moment with a full study load and working to make rent, but I feel like I’m learning and growing in really interesting and unexpected ways by being exposed to the thoughts and perspectives of two very different people at the same moment in my life. When I talk with either of them about the other, it’s always respectful and kind, with plenty of room for curiosity and questions to counter the spiralling anxiety of the mystical other partner. I find that having as open and clear dialogue as possible is the best tool for ensuring everyone feels safe, cared for, and informed about the choices they’re making.

With some people, a relationship is at its most beautiful at a certain distance. If our home planet were closer or further from the sun, it would function in an entirely different way. And Mercury’s orbiting around the sun doesn’t stop us from living full and meaningful lives in the daylight. We have a whole solar system, each planet orbiting in majestic coexistence.

Maybe at the core of this is the desire to be my own, independent person. My first intense relationship was so binding. I spent all of my time with them, filtered all of my thoughts through them, and planned my whole future with them in mind. I almost gave up my biggest passion because it was a barrier to us moving out together. In my time being (relatively) single I’ve been able to cultivate a home in the centre of my chest. A gravitational force, if you will, that keeps me stable and centred on who I am, what I value and what I’m worth.

I woke up this morning, Neptune asleep next to me, with a text from Saturn.

‘I have a spare ticket to a play tonight. You keen?’

Art by NICOLE HO @20_f_syd

11

12

SECTION

AN EXPLORATION THROUGH SPACE AND TIME

By Eva Georgiou

The mission of Apollo 8 marks a turning point in human history, both scientifically and historically. A last minute decision by NASA on hearing that the Russians were potentially sending a manned mission to space, led to one of the most monumental missions of recent history. During the Christmas season of 1968, on the back of tumultuous year for both the United States and the world, the first manned mission beyond earth’s atmosphere was launched, taking humanity further than we’ve ever gone before.

The mission, piloted by Frank Borman, James Lovell and Bill Anders, was to fly to the moon, orbit successfully, and return safely.

The mission was revolutionary in both scientific and engineering achievements, as well as eternally changing our perspective of our place in the universe. The Earthrise image, an unplanned photo taken during the lunar sunrise showed like never before, how small our blue spec really was, in a sea of darkness. Humans left earth and entered another world, one strange and foreign. We left the Earth, and went to the moon, but we really went to the entire universe.

EVA GEORGIOU @ eva.georgiou_art

13

SHOWCASE

14

SECTION

EVA GEORGIOU Art Credit @ eva.georgiou_art

SECTION

SHOWCASE Art Credit

15

16

SECTION

EVA GEORGIOU @ eva.georgiou_art Art Credit

17

SHOWCASE

18

ARTS & LIFESTYLE

PAPER CIRCLES

By Emma Green

Writing a diary is like time travelling. Reading a book, the words are already there, printed on the pages; you just have to read them to reach the end of the story. Picking up a notebook to write a diary, the pages are blank until you fill them in.

I open the first pages of a new notebook and start writing about whatever fascinating things I’ve done or deep feelings I’ve had that day. The remainder of the book is clean and neat and blank. It’s sort of intimidating, that emptiness, because in six or twelve months’ time every page will be covered with words and life.

By June 2014, I’ll have recounted a night that becomes legendary between me and my school friends (featuring really badly flavoured vodka). By August 2015, we’ll have driven down multiple highways on road trips, singing loudly together in the car. In October 2016, I’ll receive my acceptance letter from my exchange university in France and in January 2017, I’ll open a new book and write about my first few hours in my new French city. Every time, the writer of the first page will know so much less than the writer of the last.

Then I finish the notebook and place it on top of my bookshelf.

It contains September 2017 to April 2018, the last third of my year in France on exchange and the jolt back to Sydney and summer.

Ruminations on people, friendship, travel, love and everything else are within its covers. I can read the first page and flick immediately to the last, discovering all my own spoilers.

I buy a new notebook and I start again, on another blank first page, with no idea how I’ll eventually make it to the end or what I’ll be like when I get there.

Events repeat themselves: I’ve written so many times about the simple happiness of sitting in the back of my friends’ cars with the music up really loud while we drive down a main road. Each experience layers itself upon its past counterparts and I live through all of them at once.

Writing about exchange last year, this oft-imagined experience was like writing fiction. Was I actually wandering around foreign cities

ARTS & LIFESTYLE

until three, four, five in the morning, screaming and laughing with a new group of friends, each one from a different country? The more I wrote, the more real it became because I was keeping a diary like I always have. I wrote about everything: the multilingual parties, making campfires at night in the park, road trips, falling in love almost without knowing it, my slowly progressing table soccer skills, and how much I missed seeing the ocean. I also wrote about the struggles of a foreign university—including this gem: “I had three classes today. Three! I’m a comms student. That is unheard of.”

I came back to Sydney, back to my old streets, my old bus routes and my Communications degree, and kept writing.

I have 14 diaries sitting on the top of my bookshelf. The 15th is about two-thirds finished. These diaries cover ten years, going back to August 2008, not long after I’d turned twelve.

I can jump from Year Seven friendship concerns to fifth-year uni freak-outs by opening covers and turning pages. I can dip into a travel diary from 2012 and read about Paris, written by someone who had no idea what she would do or see or know in that city five years later.

I can read my thoughts on anything from university, to what sex and learning to drive would be like before it happened, and then go back to check whether I was right.

I never stop jumping around in time. I’ve got my old self and thoughts within arm’s reach on my bookshelf. I can’t help casting my mind forward and imagining where I’ll be when I write the last page of the notebook I’m filling up right now.

Finishing a diary comes with a constant illusion of growth: closing the cover, lining it up next to its fellows, smiling about how little I knew when I wrote the first page. But then I go and pick up another notebook to begin the whole process again, and to wonder what I’ll have done, what I will know, where I’ll be at the end of this book when I write the final word…and what songs my friends and I will listen to in the car this time.

Art by JESSICA SONG @6.uos

19

20

SOCIO-CULTURAL

PICKLED BEEF CURRY

By Shahrin Shamim

Art Credit

SOCIO-CULTURAL

Brown people don’t talk about feelings. It’s just the way it has always been, and probably the way it will be for a lot of people for a long time. For as long as I can remember, any efforts to have a deep and meaningful conversation with my mother have ended either in tears of anger or just with general dissatisfaction. There is, however, another more common ending to these unsuccessful chats: an invitation, or sometimes even a demand, to come and eat.

Whether it’s the language barrier or the generational gap, my words often feel lost on my mother, and perhaps hers are lost on me too. But when we enter the dining room, we are on equal footing.

We no longer communicate through a hybrid of broken English and anglicised Bengali. We create a whole new dialect from chillies, lemons, and garlic. And that dialect is achar gosht.

Achar gosht, or pickled beef curry, as the Jamie Olivers of the world would call it. A golden-brown melting pot with spice, tartness and the slightest hint of sugar. This recipe has been for me what mac and cheese is to white people. Over the years, it has also been an unspoken white flag between my mother and I. The recipe possesses an extraordinary ability to undo the effects of any hostile words that may have passed between the two of us just moments prior. And that is something that I find incredibly special about it—both my mother and I absolutely adore it. The meal is something that we bond over, something that is just for the two of us and no one else.

My mother and I were really close when I was younger—I was that loser that called my mum my best friend. But as soon as the ‘terrible teens’ struck, it didn’t take long for a decade’s worth of friendship and trust to disintegrate into constant antagonism. What were once tender interactions turned into petty arguments about the way I didn’t wear my hair the way she taught me anymore or how I had stopped eating with the family in the dining room. Now that I live away from home, I can’t help but be seized by a sense of shame. The self-imposed strikes from my mother’s cooking back then were a way for me to show her that I didn’t need her. But I never really thought about how those meals were a way for my mother to communicate that she needed me.

Between the both of us, my mother and I share four different languages and eighteen years of coexistence. But despite these tethers to one another, our struggle to communicate our deepest thoughts and feelings used to baffle me tremendously. Only now do I understand that our language is the oldest in the world; it is a language of comfort and spice and warmth. But most of all, it is a language of love that we don’t know how to express in any other way but vigorous nods of approval and gratitude when we take the first bite of our meals. It’s a language that I’m not fluent in yet, or at least not as fluent as she is, but it’s one that I hope to pass down to my own children. Maybe there will be less chilli and more expression of feelings, but I can guarantee my children will be able to make the best achar gosht you’ve ever tasted.

Art by AMY TOMA @ @amyytoma

21

22

BUSINESS, SCIENCE & INNOVATION

ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE

By Elyse Popplewell

The threat that’s estimated to cause 10 million human deaths by 2050 isn’t inherently evil, or even particularly scary at its core. “One of the biggest threats to global health, food security, and development today,” according to the World Health Organisation, is caused by too much of a good thing. It’s too much antibiotics—too often, too easily, too unnecessarily, and too wastefully.

BUSINESS, SCIENCE & INNOVATION

This is the rise of the ‘superbug’—a phenomenon where bacteria is resistant to multiple antibiotics. Bugs growing a resistance to antibiotics will happen naturally, but our misuse of antibiotics in both humans and animals is accelerating the process, and leaves all of us at risk.

In 2017, a woman from Nevada, US, died of an infection resistant to 26 types of antibiotics—even those developed as a last resort. She contracted the infection overseas, and it seemed no combination of modern medicine could fight the superbug. This is not the first, nor the last, death caused by antibiotic resistance.

When your doctor insists on you finishing the course of antibiotics rather than dismissing it three days in because you feel better, it’s for a reason. The bug takes a strong enough beating to get rid of your symptoms, but without annihilating it all together, your early-mark on the antibiotics gives it a chance to grow resistance. In saying this, as antibiotics develop, there has been a growing controversy about short-term versus long-term antibiotic courses.

In this century, medicine is a team sport. The most responsible thing to do is to not pressure your doctor for antibiotics, and if you are given them, ask what to do if you feel better before the full course.

There’s two more major ways we contribute to antibiotic resistance that you probably don’t realise. Dr Christine Carson, Research Associate at the School of Biomedical Sciences at Western Australia University explains.

“We’re all a part of the modern food chain, and at the moment that food chain uses tonnes of antibiotics around the world every year.” So, aside from the vegans amongst us—we all have a role in this industry practice.

“We have tonnes of thousands of chickens being raised in a shed. If one bacterial infection gets in there, the whole shed gets wiped out. So, at the first sign of symptoms, they probably all get treated with antibiotics.”

It is not human or animal bodies that become resistant to antibiotics, it’s the bug. Any of these bugs could be transmitted to humans via animal-sourced food, animal waste, or the animal’s surrounding environment. In 2017, WHO declared “There is clear evidence of adverse human consequences due to resistant organisms resulting from non-human usage of antimicrobials.” A greater and imprudent quantity of antibiotics fed to animals leads to a greater likelihood of bugs growing resistance. In turn, through food consumption or other transmission routes, humans are at a greater risk.

Washing your hands thoroughly with soap helps prevent the spread of germs and bacteria. But is a humble bar of Pears soap as good as the anti-bacterial soap that swears to kill 99.9% of germs?

Well, probably.

“Plain soap and water does equally, literally equally, the same job at cleaning your hands and potential harmful bacteria. But, plain soap won’t up the ante in terms of promoting antibiotic resistance” explains Dr Carson.

The common inclusion of Triclosan, an antibacterial ingredient, in domestic hand soaps is redundant, and the Food and Drug Administration in America outlawed its inclusion in commercial soaps in 2016 on the basis that there wasn’t enough evidence to say Triclosan and similar ingredients made a safe or effective impact on Art by JAMES VALLANCE @mrseaks

23

24

BUSINESS, SCIENCE & INNOVATION

cleaning hands. Despite this, Triclosan still exists in many commercial hand soaps in Australia.

So while it seems like this is all fairly minor and cumulative effects now, and we’re experiencing a low number of about 700,000 annual deaths caused by antibiotic resistance, it’s predicted to be a greater and more-difficult-to-treat threat to humankind than cancer.

Procedures that are common and usually fairly safe, like a mole removal or a caesarean, could become a life-threatening practice.

Open wounds of any kind can easily become a site for infection, and when we’ve exhausted the powers of common antibiotics, we don’t have much other ammunition in stock.

“It’s going to change the way we do modern medicine. It completely alters the risk/benefit factors of any procedure,” says Christine. “As long as you’re healthy, they won’t bother you.”

But, of course, not everyone in society is fit and healthy.

Babies, elderly people, pregnant women, or people with impaired immune systems are more susceptible to these superbugs. Much like fifth year UTS Communications and International Studies student Liam Cormican, who has Crohn’s disease.

Liam believes he was travelling in Greece and “Sleeping in gross hostels” when he contracted superbug Clostridium difficile, or C-diff for short. Only seven months into his year abroad in Spain, Liam thought his symptoms were a really bad Crohn’s disease flare up. He bypassed a trip to the local hospital and booked a flight home ASAP. “It’s really hard to explain how bad I got it. I had really bad constipation, pain, and bleeding. Whenever I had to go to the toilet it was like I was shitting glass.”

This is an anaerobic bacterium, which means it doesn’t grow in the air, so its sensitivity to antibiotics is difficult to ascertain because you can’t put it in a 37-degree incubator like you would to analyse a less unique bacterium. Although C-diff isn’t completely antibiotic resistant, it’s difficult-to-treat nature raises an interesting point about treating disease in a post-antibiotic stage, as well as why creating new antibiotics isn’t a viable solution.

No new classes of antibiotics have been developed for decades.

In fact all antibiotics brought onto the market in the last 30 years are variations of existing drugs. Antibiotics that safely attack bacteria without being toxic to a human are complex to manufacture, and not necessarily an appealing investment for a pharmaceutical company if it’s going to be kept on a reserve shelf more as a last resort than a typically simple UTI Cephalexin fix.

In the end, Liam was cured of his illness thanks to a faecal transplant. Antibiotics could help lessen the effect of C-Diff, but couldn’t quite destroy the bacteria. Liam’s experience is likely to become more common in an era of easy-travel and antibiotic resistance. Fortunately, leveraging medicinal procedures that aren’t purely prescribing antibiotics, like a transplant in Liam’s case, are options for some infections. But not all.

Now, medical professionals, governments, and consumers are beginning to put awareness for this endemic at the forefront of discussions, policies, and personal decisions.

When we’ve exhausted the powers of common antibiotics, we don’t have much other ammunition in stock

SECTION

CLAUDIA AKIOLE @claudinsky

25

26

SECTION

CLAUDIA AKIOLE @claudinsky

SECTION

SHOWCASE

27

28

SECTION

CLAUDIA AKIOLE @claudinsky

SECTION

SHOWCASE

29

30

SECTION

CLAUDIA AKIOLE @claudinsky

SECTION

SHOWCASE

31

32

SOCIO-CULTURAL

TRAVELLING BACK IN TIME WITH THE KATOOMBA TWELVE

By Tahlia Nelson Content warning: Homophobia, child abuse

At first glance it seems pretty idyllic, really. There are tables overflowing with winter fruits, homemade sweets, pastries, and flowers. Children run through the garden and into the house. It is a clear-skied, winter’s day.

“Take anything you’d like,” says a serene-looking woman, as we approach one of the tables. She wears a linen shirt and harem pants, her hair held back in a braid. Giving our thanks, we fill our plates with food, and move on to explore the rest of the grounds. She calls after us as we go: “Make yourselves at home!

Let me know if you have any questions.”

We do have questions. Some friends and I are at the house of the Twelve Tribes community in the Blue Mountains. We have eaten their food many a time at their popular cafe, The Yellow Deli, in the main street of Katoomba. The cafe is charmingly wooden and warmly lit, it looks like something straight out of Middle Earth. Intrigued, we are keen to find out more about the community itself. Today the Twelve Tribes are celebrating Shavuot, a harvest festival of thanksgiving. They have closed their cafe and opened their house and garden to the public.

The first Twelve Tribes community was founded in 1972 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, by a man named Eugene Spriggs, known to his followers as Yoneq.

The fundamentalist group has since spread around

the globe, now comprising some 3000 members across the US, Australia, Spain, Germany, France, Argentina, Canada, and the Czech Republic. Their belief system stems from Christianity and Judaism, complemented by teachings written by Spriggs himself. Ultimately, the group aims to recreate the 12 tribes of Israel, in order to usher in the second coming of Christ, or Yahshua, as he is known in the community.

As we mill around the garden and speak to various members of the community, we are again encouraged to ask questions. So we begin by asking about the roles of men and women. A kindly, greyhaired woman explains that women were created to be the helpers of men. Women are the homemakers, the wives, and the mothers. Men take on the tasks that require physical exertion, and naturally step into leadership positions. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but I am shocked by the traditional nature of this answer. The idealism with which I had initially approached the community begins to slip away. We ask about their thoughts on homosexuality.

They stress their belief in the traditional roles of men and women. They do not believe in homosexual ‘behaviour’. However, one must love thy neighbour as thyself, even those who have strayed from the path of righteousness. As a queer person, I feel my

SOCIO-CULTURAL

insides clench. I hear my friends inquiring about the intention to live more traditionally. They explain that they take instruction from the New Testament, and strive to live as people did 2000 years ago, when Jesus was on the Earth. Conveniently, they seem to have made exceptions for the ATM in their cafe, the telephone on their wall, the glad wrap on their food, and their fully functioning and regularly updated website. Later, I look to this site for more information on these topics, and discover responses that mirror, almost word-for-word, the answers we were given on that day.

I also find a troubling article about ‘the wisdom of the rod’ condoning the use of physical punishment with a reed-like rod for child discipline.

The article quoted a passage from the Bible, stating that “Whoever spares the rod hates his child, but the one who loves his child is careful to discipline him.”

(Proverbs 13:24) I can’t help but pick up a distinctly Handmaid’s Tale vibe as I read the accompanying explanation that only the rod must be used for discipline, as it would be illogical to punish a child with the same hands we use to express warmth and affection.

I discover that since its foundation, the Twelve Tribes has been no stranger to controversy. Eugene Spriggs has been known to spout some appalling

33

beliefs, once preaching that gay people deserve the death penalty, that people of colour were destined for slavery, and that women should give birth without painkillers to atone for Eve’s original sin. In Germany in 2013, police removed forty children from two Twelve Tribes communities on charges of child abuse. There have also been child labour and home schooling controversies in the States, Germany and France.

Back in the garden, the children are singing a song. They are dressed as trees and flowers and woodland creatures. Their costumes are imaginative and handmade. When the performance is over, we are called to lunch. The men have prepared paella.

We help to make apple juice with an old-fashioned, wooden, apple press.

Prior to this visit, I thought I could understand why a person would join the Twelve Tribes. There is huge comfort in a ready-made community, in rules and routine, in the notion of returning to a better time, long ago. How perfect it might seem if you were searching for a place to belong. But the illusion is quickly shattered, and I drink my apple juice with a bitter taste in my mouth. Our own society is far from perfect, but I think I’d rather live in a world that has hopefully learned some lessons over the span of 2000 years. The past is only better for some.

Art by ERIN SUTHERLAND @ezose.png

34

CREATIVE WRITING

DAYLESFORD AND THE LAVENDER

By Matilda Gould

The eucalypts whispered to each other that day, as wagon crested the peak of Springhill Road. It rattled into the main street and disgorged a traveller shrouded in dusty scarves to the bewildered eyes of the town of Daylesford.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he called to the faces that peered from shadowy doorways. “Boys and girls. Young ones and old ones. Come, please, I have something to show you.” There was a rustling and the townsfolk shuffled shyly forward, craning their necks to see. The traveller had unravelled his scarves and removed his top hat, revealing an unshaven face pinked at the cheeks with the harsh winds off the mountains. His eyes were bright and unnaturally wide, giving him a look of permanent surprise. The scent of crushed gum leaves and hot gravel hovered around the carriage expectantly.

“Look.” He threw back the doors of his wagon and from its depths extracted a single pot of lavender. A murmur rippled through the crowd.

“Do you know what this is? This humble plant I hold in my hands?”

Someone tried to answer that it looked remarkably similar to the strange smelling plant that the Italians had tried to grow when they had first moved to the town and found none but the trees to talk to. But the traveller continued before anyone had the chance to answer.

“You spend your lives here listening to the stories of how towns on the ridges above you grow fatter by the day on gold that runs through their rivers. You think your dry earth and baking summers are the reason nobody stops by. Well,” he held the lavender aloft, a green and purple candelabra that trembled at the sudden movement. “Those towns may have gold, but you could have lavender. This hardy plant thrives off

CREATIVE WRITING

35

dry and chalky earth. It grows strong and tall under baking sun. Within a few weeks it can set down roots, double in size. Its oil will give you sweet perfume, or an ointment for cuts and headaches. Its flowers can be sewn into ladies’ dresses or baked into cakes. Its leaves give warmth to the hearth or softness to the marital bed. If you care for it dearly, harvest it carefully, you will reap tenfold of what you sow.”

Daylesford bought the entire wagon.

It took weeks, but by the end of winter Daylesford had transformed itself into a lavender plantation. They planted it in the ditches along the sides of the road where rain pooled and softened the soil. They planted it in place of wheat and sugar on the slopes of the mountains that reared up on either side of the houses. They planted it at the gates of their church and in between headstones. Some took seedlings home and placed them in tin cans on their windowsill. Thoughts of summer harvest festivals and scented lotions turned their dreams blue with anticipation. When the townsfolk looked at the lavender they sighed with pleasure at its thick stems, its fleshy leaves. Flora Ainsley cuddled up next to one instead of going to school one morning. She lay on her school bag even though she knew her mam would yell at her for getting it muddy, just so that she could study how, from out of a tangle of green-grey leaves at the base of the bush, those velvet-coated spears could erupt, swaying like dancers, holding flowers like purple corn cobs aloft.

Winter was easing, warmth returning to the sunlight, and everywhere the townsfolk could see the silent workings of the lavender as it grew taller, wider, bluer. The scent was like nothing anyone could remember.

Like a bottle of perfume dropped and smashed. Spicy, sap-filled leaves and musky roots. Flowers that smelled like a whole orange left to turn to syrup on the stove. The plants grew strong. They spread thick carpets of silver-grey foliage over the road and nodded their purple heads to the sky in a way that seemed indecent, like an old woman hiking up her skirts to reveal lacy britches and the dark flash of pubic hair underneath. The only sounds in Daylesford used to be the echoes of a traveller’s parting words, but now there were cheers and laughter as the

Art by JOYCE CHENG @_joycecheng_

36

CREATIVE WRITING

townsfolk watched the lavender in the churchyard grow taller than the headstones, casting lazy roots over the graves and knitting a lacework of leaves and stems and bright purple flowers. Rose McDonald swore that the lavender she had prayed to on the night of her husband’s funeral had cracked out of its pot and hurled itself onto her bed, bare roots seeking cover under the musty linen sheets. On the first day of spring the townsfolk set to work harvesting the lavender. They cut the tender flowers off their stems just before the sun dipped below the horizon, capturing the perfume at its strongest. They boiled the flowers down in saucepans, collecting the oil in the jars they once used to hold their children’s lost teeth. Heeding the traveller’s words, they pressed each of the flowers carefully, making sure to speak soothing words as they cut and replanted the weaker blooms in sunny spots with fertile soil, and to their delight the promise came true. Where the townsfolk had descended on a virgin lavender’s frothy array of bright purple flowers and curly green leaves and left a stump of denuded brown twigs, by morning the plants would already be humming with signs of regrowth.

The lavender on the windowsill stretched their stems ever taller, offered up fresh buds to their owners that each afternoon would unfurl into velvet-smooth flower spikes. Where the townsfolk cut one stem, two more would grow. A rhythmic cracking started up in the graveyard as the lavender stretched their roots deeper, splitting marble epitaphs with the effort. The townsfolk grew near-delirious with their luck, imagining they could hear the rattle of tourists along Springhill Road. A grove of wattle was cleared so that a distillery could be built in its place, and the sugary scent of the crushed wattle lingered in the town for weeks.

By the time a family of wealthy farmers stopped at the Daylesford Arms for lunch one Saturday afternoon, the town had harvested enough lavender to present the husband and wife a complementary lavender ale, and the daughter a doll with lavender spikes for hair. The famers left with the back of their wagon piled high with bottles of lavender salve, candied stalks and bunches of dried flowers. The townsfolk set to work replenishing their stocks before the dust from the farmer’s carriage had settled and sure enough, within the week, a steady stream of tourists from all around Macedon had begun to wander in.

CREATIVE WRITING

37

But as happens with most of these ventures, the people of Day-lesford grew complacent about their miracle. It started as a slow decay, and by the time they noticed it, things were too far gone. The townsfolk stopped singing to the lavender as they cut it, didn’t care to seal all the bruised stems with candle-flame and lard. They didn’t sharpen their knives before cutting away the buds. A group of school boys dug up a lavender bush and kicked it around like a football, just for something to do. The lavender had been multiplying with such remarkable vigour that some nights the townsfolk wouldn’t even bother to replant the runts. No matter if they died; there were plenty more on the way.

Summer came and the days stretched longer. The town became scented with lavender oil not just from the distillery but from the plants that, sitting in the sun, surrendered their oils to the heat. A purple haze began to form in the afternoons and hung just above eye-level, like a fog at the wrong end of the day. The lives of the townsfolk shrunk to the scale of potpourri and lavender flavoured truffles. They spent entire nights crafting aphrodisiac colognes, embalming leaves in resin, crafting bunches of dried lavender to be used as wedding bouquets. If they’d bothered to look up from their seed pods and needles they would have seen the lavender by the creek bed, just behind the church where they dumped the waste from the distillery, starting to grow thick and brackish off the corpses of yesterday’s harvest. The new flowers grew gnarled and discoloured, their stems crowned with fleshy, malformed flowers. One day Rory O’Hare went to cut some lavender from the creek and found that where one flower’s petals spread open another plant was growing, its roots dangling like threads of spider silk from the sex of its host. But it would be a while still before Daylesford woke up from its dream.

The people of Daylesford sold their lavender, expanded their empire.

They hired a team of men to drag away an ancient pink granite boulder so they could build a guest house for tourists and wedding parties. The Sabbatinis—a family no one had ever really spoken to but for whose thick accents and gaudy Catholic rituals there was reserved a special

Art by JOYCE CHENG @_joycecheng_

38

CREATIVE WRITING

distrust—were evicted from their shack on the edge of town so that a run of imported English lavender could be planted there. Giulia Sabbatini screamed and kicked in her letterbox when she heard the news and protested that she was seven months pregnant and had nowhere to take her five children while her husband was away panning for gold. After much deliberation, the town decided she could stay with the widow Roberts and help sift the feathery lavender petals out of their prickly husks. True, it was the worst job, but as the townsfolk were quick to remind her, wasn’t it better that a woman with so many children to help her shouldered that responsibility? Everyone had to pull their weight, after all. She and her children were welcome to leave the town entirely if they did not like the arrangement.

By this time the baker had taken responsibility for running the distillery, and therefore had also taken responsibility for minding most of the profits. His daughters began to embalm the most beautiful flowers and wear them as brooches, and his sons wooed the young women that came down from the ridges with colognes extracted from the youngest buds. People’s fingers turned blue with the oil. Rumours crept up the walls of the mountains of a Daylesford man who made love to a lavender bush instead of his bride on their wedding night, so distracted was he by its softness and scent. And underneath it all the lavender multiplied and divided, split and mutated, knitting a subterranean noose of gnarled roots and squirming stems around the town.

They started to realise things were going amiss when the vicar moved into the pub after a lavender bush cracked through the floorboards of the rectory. The vicar had been out at the time and he assured the publican he would have rescued the bed, but when he got there it was held aloft, skewered, in the fork of a lavender bush ten feet tall. Where just weeks ago the town would have rejoiced at a bumper crop, they now stuffed newspapers under the cracks in their doorways to stop the seeds from blowing in. Jilly McGowan turned on her kitchen tap to fill the kettle but instead of water saw lavender spikes, double headed and tinged with rust, flop out of the faucet and into the sink. The townsfolk plugged their chimneys with blankets that they refused to move, even when heat became so oppressive they began to hallucinate in the houses they’d turned into sweaty coffins. Harriet McAllister woke one morning to see a lavender bush with a woman’s naked legs for roots walking around her living room, and when she shrieked it ran into her bathroom to try and squirm down the plughole, bare bottom jiggling under a frothy crown of purple flowers.

By the peak of summer Daylesford was at war with the lavender.

They closed the guest house, told the tourists that the oils were going rancid in the heat, and that if they wanted they could preorder autumn’s round of soaps and tonics. In truth, someone heard a rumour that one of the Sabbatinis had been swallowed whole by the lavender bush that lived in the creek, and the townsfolk couldn’t fathom the humiliation of having that happen to one of their customers. The townsfolk retreated to their smoggy homes and grew hunched from so much time spent glancing over their shoulders. Ever since they sold the cattle and ripped up the wheat to make way for lavender, there had been no other foodstuffs in the town except for those flavoured with the famous flower. The townsfolk gagged on tea brewed from dusty petals. Monotony made their stomachs revolt at the thought of another lavender flavoured candy, but starvation led them to subsist on those

Art Credit

CREATIVE WRITING

39

truffles and jams for weeks. Some began to eat the soaps in secret, just for something different. Those of weaker will sat in doorways sniffing the fumes of lavender balm, and told stories of a past no one could quite remember the details of. Nobody witnessed the collapse of the clock tower, cracked in two by a giant root that had wedged itself between bedrocks. The crash stirred up such a flurry of dried petals that nobody could see more than a foot in front of them. It was only when the lavender started growing so fast that the townsfolk could see them moving that it occurred to them to start panicking. Alice Parker awoke to find herself being dragged out of bed by a lavender that had curled a slender limb around her ankle, and her husband had to cut off her foot to stop her being dragged all the way to Ballarat. The lavender bush with a woman’s legs came down John O’Doherty’s chimney and strangled his cat. The lavender in the graveyard churned up bones and swung them about like spare change in a jar, filling the town with an awful rattling.

The Parkers, bloody and wailing, limped out onto the street and rallied what remaining scraps of the population they could find. The towns folk gathered salt, bleach and rubbing alcohol and doused it over every leaf, bud and scrap of bare earth they could see. They smashed the remaining bottles of oil and burned the flowers destined for perfume.

What was left of the Sabbatini clan joined in and helped hack and burn at the lavender in the creek until it was reduced to a smouldering stump.

Hours and days bled together and eventually, everyone fell asleep, exhausted, in the streets. When they awoke next it was to the smell of barren earth steaming up from the poisoned ground around them.

And somewhere in the distance a little black wagon lurched and hobbled its way on to Bendigo.

Art by JOYCE CHENG @_joycecheng_

40

SECTION

Art Credit

41

ERRANT RECURSIVE

By Jack Okeby When we examine nature, repeating patterns emerge. These are not patterns in biology, geology, and physics, but rather patterns in human neurology that extend outward in symmetry into both our understanding of the physical and the metaphysical. When we examine the world around us, in essence we are examining our most intimate selves.

SHOWCASE

42

JACK OKEBY @jackokeby

43

SHOWCASE

44

JACK OKEBY @jackokeby

45

SHOWCASE

46

JACK OKEBY @jackokeby

47

SHOWCASE

48

ROUTINE

By Will Thompson Routine is a grounding force.

The little patterns and recycled motions that make up a day, the reassurance of the known, the steady underlying beat of the familiar.

I recently lost a very large part of my familiar. Things usually so easily within reach, the comfort of structure and stability, slipping away in a handful of weeks.

There’s a strangeness in reaching out for new patterns in your life.

I painted these pieces as both a reflection of where I am now in my healing processes, and how much I can only hope to grow from them.

I. And Now I Sleep Alone‌

WILL THOMPSON @wilbeurt

49

SHOWCASE Art Credit

50

Art Credit @wilbeurt WILL THOMPSON

51

II. Personal Growth

SHOWCASE

52

BUSINESS, SCIENCE & INNOVATION

YOUR STRAW IS NOT THE ONLY REASON TURTLES ARE DYING

By Alyssa Rodrigo

Pubs, restaurants, and your local burger joint alike are going through a break-up. The beloved plastic straw, in all its multicoloured and bendy convenience, is on its way out. Its rebound? Paper and biodegradable straws, and, if you’re lucky, those sexy metal ones that hurt your teeth. It’s true, plastic straws are bad for the environment, and they’re especially bad for unsuspecting turtles and birds. But, they’re also far from our only concern.

The recent removal of the common plastic straw from venues is well intentioned and falls within a greater logic that as consumers and individuals, we must be cognizant of our own contribution to global pollution and the rising tide of climate change. And for many, this transition away from single-use plastic products is easy. However, for people with disabilities, the seemingly arbitrary removal of a straw makes life a lot more difficult.

Widely accessible plastic straws are an important

tool in the day-to-day life of people with disabilities.

Straws are helpful for those who cannot lift the weight of a full cup, can act as a conduit for people who have difficulty craning their neck over a drink, and can help when one needs to swallow their medication with liquid. Straws, in the case of people with a disability, are not a luxury, they are a necessity. Eco-friendly straws melt in hot liquids, and metal straws can be dangerous for people who may have biting issues. Additionally, the discussion surrounding the removal of plastic straws not only lacks a consideration for people with disabilities, but also a connection and focus from a greater, far more potent contributor to climate change and pollution—companies.

Even if every single person on earth ceased to use plastic straws, transitioned to canvas shopping bags, and carried around re-usable water bottles, the onslaught of global warming

Art Credit

BUSINESS, SCIENCE & INNOVATION

53

and the mass extinction of marine species would remain inexorable.

According to the findings of two Australian scientists, even if all the plastic straws in the world drifted into our oceans, it would still only account for 0.003% of 8 million metric tonnes of plastic estimated to enter the water this year. While our focus veers to single-use plastic consumption, our attention is diverted away from fishing companies, for example, who are responsible for 640,000 tonnes of discarded plastic fishing nets in the ocean each year.

Because of this, over 100,000 whales, dolphins, and other marine life become entangled in nets each year. According to a report by World Animal Protection, abandoned nets have been found to kill marine life up to four times more than all plastic debris in the ocean combined.

The narrative that the atomized actions of the individual is enough to substantiate change in a dying planet is deeply flawed.

As was revealed in an investigation

by InsideClimate News in 2015, the multinational gas and oil giant ExxonMobil knew about climate change and its effects as far back as the 70s. Instead of using this vital information to quell the predicted rise in sea levels and the devastating impact of carbon pollution, the company invested $30 million in think tanks to systematically spread doubt about climate science. In 1978, one of ExxonMobil’s senior scientists, James Black told an audience of board members that “the most likely manner in which mankind is influencing the global climate is through carbon dioxide release from the burning of fossil fuels.” He wrote, again in 1978, “that man has a time window of five to ten years before the need for hard decisions regarding changes in energy strategies might become critical.”

The decision of one company and their greed for profit has meant that the world has lost crucial decades which could have been spent diverting economies to a more sustainable future. Had this information been utilised, the Great Barrier Reef might have continued to flourish, permafrost in Siberia might have remained unthawed, and future generations might have had the opportunity to live in a world bereft of toxic carbon pollution.

And yet, here we are, 40 years after Black’s discovery, hoping that removing straws, plastic bags, and water bottles from our daily consumption will be enough to save our planet. And still, Turnbull and his coalition have their eyes set on the Adani coal mine, with Bill Shorten sitting comfortably on the fence.

It is easy, as individuals, to turn inwards and reflect on our own behaviours and how we might contribute to a more sustainable planet. And whilst individual action is important, it has to be linked to a greater, collective effort to hold companies and governments accountable for their indifference and inaction towards climate change.

Even if every single person on earth ceased to use plastic straws, the onslaught of global warming would remain inexorable

Art by SHERRY WANG @sherrywcreative

54

POLITICS & LAW

BITTERSWEET VICTORIES IN DOMESTIC VIOLENCE LAW REFORM

By Fiona Yeh

In 2015, England introduced new legislation that directly targets non-physical forms of domestic violence. The change criminalises controlling or coercive behaviour engaged in repeatedly or continuously within an intimate or family relationship.1 Controlling or coercive behaviour is further defined as making someone fear that violence will be used against them, or causing someone serious alarm or distress which negatively affects their day-to-day activities.2 This reform was intended to better prevent and respond to violence against women. In moving away from episodic physical violence, the law now recognises that domestic violence is often ongoing and psychological in nature, involving a continuing deprivation of another’s autonomy. No such law exists in Australia.

The case of criminalising coercive control brings into question the appropriateness of using the law to respond to domestic violence.

The new offence may allow the law to more accurately reflect the realities of women’s experiences of abuse. However, the creation of a new legal category does not necessarily undo the inequalities that women experiencing violence have long encountered in obtaining justice, such as the inability of police to identify violence, and the difficulty of proving violence in the criminal courtroom.

Barriers to justice may be particularly insurmountable for women in a controlling or coercive relationship, due to the subtlety of the abusive conduct. Coercive control may be indistinguishable from constructions of femininity and masculinity that are normalised in society at large.3 Gendered expectations both underlie and obscure this form of violence, making it difficult for police, judges, lawyers, and juries to recognise and prove it.

Evan Stark has set out how coercive control involves the microregulation of daily activities already associated with women in their ‘traditional’ roles as mothers, homemakers, and partners—such as how the woman dresses, looks after children, cleans, cooks and performs sexually.4 The male dominance that typically characterises a controlling or coercive relationship may then be difficult for evidence-

1 Serious Crimes Act 2015 (UK) s 76.

2

Ibid.

3 Charlotte Bishop and Vanessa Bettinson, ‘Evidencing Domestic Violence, Including Behaviour That Falls Under the New Offence of Controlling or Coercive Behaviour’ (2017) 22(1) The International Journal of Evidence & Proof 3, 9.

42 Evan Stark, Coercive Control: How Men Entrap Women in Personal Life (Oxford University Press, 2007).

POLITICS & LAW

gatherers and fact-finders to discern, because it falls at the extreme end of a spectrum of acceptable power relations that exist in ‘normal’ family or private life.5 For example, if a woman has been forced to do household chores in a particular way, police, juries, and even the victim herself, may not see this as abusive and criminal, because such demands merge with what is expected of her in her stereotypical role.6 The victim’s compliance with the perpetrator may then be seen as voluntary rather than as the result of coercion.

Police, judges, and juries may also misinterpret the controlling behaviours which reflect male possessiveness as acceptable expressions of love and concern. Restricting what a woman wears and where she goes may be seen as signs of affection and care in a ‘normal’ heterosexual relationship. Ngaire Naffine has suggested that for men, intimacy and love are associated with self-sovereignty and acquisition of the other, while for women, they are conceived of in terms of surrender and the obliteration of the self in another’s possession.7 Conceptions of intimacy and love based on male self-ownership and female appropriation may also make it difficult to recognise and prove that behaviour amounts to controlling or coercive behaviour.

The social expectations of female compliance that obscure this particular kind of violence are not just gendered, but also racialised.

For example, Cunneen and Stubbs, in their study of violence against Filipino women by Australian men, have highlighted how the violence “both reflected and sought to reimpose a racialised order that authorised the entitlement of ‘first world’ men to ‘third world’ women discursively constructed as available to meet their desires.”8 Such notions of ‘entitlement’ exacerbate the barriers to reporting violence that may already be experienced by immigrant and minority women, including distrust of the police and limited knowledge of the law.

The criminalisation of coercive control may also reinforce existing myths about women’s complicity in their abuse, perpetuating the victim-blaming that is already common in criminal proceedings. A

55

5

Bishop and Bettinson, above n 3, 9.

6

Ibid 10.

7 Ngaire Naffine, ‘Possession, Erotic Love and the Law of Rape’ (1997) 57 Modern Law Review 115, 135.

8 Julie Stubbs, ‘Gendered Violence, Intersectionalities and Resisting Gender Neutrality’ (2015) 5 Onati Socio-Legal Series 1433, 1439.

56

POLITICS & LAW

woman’s argument that she was entrapped may actually become discredited by the very fact that she accessed the legal system.

Women who resist their abuser and seek legal action may be unable to convince judges and juries that their autonomy and freedom were compromised in a relationship of control or coercion.9 The willingness to testify against an abuser may divert attention to the woman’s agency. Judges and juries may still ask “Why didn’t she leave?”, when a more appropriate question might be “Why did he do it?” 10 In response to these problems, feminist scholars have emphasised the need for expert witnesses to aid juries and judges in identifying the existence of coercive control where it would otherwise be normalised by dominant expectations of male and female behaviour.11 Yet, the dilemma persists even here. This would not necessarily empower women’s accounts of their abuse, but would merely empower other professionals to speak for them.12 It has also been suggested that a woman’s engagement with the legal system can itself be an extension of an intimate partner’s coercive control.13 The legal system may be harnessed by perpetrators as a way of continuing abuse postseparation.

The disqualification of women’s experiences of violence within legal settings is, paradoxically, exacerbated where the law attempts to capture the true nature of such violence. This is not so much a failure of the coercive control framework but is a seemingly intractable problem that no kind of law may be able to overcome. Carol Smart states that “We should not make the mistake that law can provide the solution to the oppression that it celebrates and sustains.”14 Feminist legal victories may very well be bittersweet unless the structural gender inequality that suffuses the operation of the law is addressed.15 Although the law might be a blunt instrument in addressing domestic violence, I believe that it is a necessary one. The law is not a mere mirror or repository of dominant gender practices, but is also an active discourse which can produce new practices.16 Smart herself concedes that law is a significant way of giving meaning to the world, and, as long as it holds this position, cannot be ignored.17 The criminalisation of coercive control performs the important social and symbolic function of showing that the private experiences of women should be taken seriously. It can create an authoritative account of the true nature and impact of domestic violence, and of what is and is not acceptable in gender relations. As law is part of the process of gender identity formation,18 criminalising coercive control can contribute to challenging cultural expectations of male dominance and female compliance. The case of coercive control shows the tension between the ineffectiveness of the law as a quick fix to a long-standing social problem, and the important role that the law serves in censuring domestic violence and in achieving equality.

The more the law intervenes to help women, the more it can create new dilemmas for women—but law is nonetheless an important conduit for change.

Cheryl Hanna, ‘The Paradox of Progress: Translating Evan Stark’s Coercive Control into Legal Doctrine for Abused Women’ (2009) 15(12) Violence Against Women, 1467.

10 Stark, above n 3.

9

Ibid.

Carol Smart, Feminism and the Power of Law (Routledge: London, 1989), 48.

11 12

Heather Douglas, ‘Legal Systems Abuse and Coercive Control’ (2018) 18 Criminology & Criminal Justice 84.

13

14

Smart, above n 12, 49.

15

Ibid.

Joanna Conaghan, ‘Tort Law and Feminist Critique’ (2003) 56 Current Legal Problems 175, 188.

17 Smart, above n 12, 49.

16

Conaghan, above n 16, 188.

18

SOCIO-CULTURAL

REFLECTIONS

By Melanie Wong Content warning: Racism

Growing up, Mulan was one of my favourite Disney princesses.

She wasn’t a mythical creature, like Ariel, and she didn’t break a magic spell, like Belle, but she showed me that I could be anything I wanted, whether that be the saviour of China or just comfortable in my own skin.

Most importantly, she showed me that you could be an Asian girl and still kick ass.

57

58

SECTION

Art Credit

SOCIO-CULTURAL

As a kid, there were two main types of television that I watched. The first was Saturday Disney, full of cartoons with catchy tunes like Kim Possible.

And the second was TVBJ, a Hong Kong television channel where I picked up the majority of the Cantonese I know today. Hong Kong television was something I grew up with, its storylines mirroring my own family’s experiences. Most importantly, I saw myself in the characters’ tanned skin, almond eyes, and dark hair—common traits in the world of TVBJ that I couldn’t seem to find on Home and Away.

It wasn’t until I got a little older that I even heard about shows like Friends or saw the abundance of High School Musical merchandise on my friends’ pencil cases and backpacks. By high school, I knew that those were the types of things that my friends watched. But it dawned on me, as I started watching them too, that none of these shows and movies had any characters that looked like me. I still remember the first time I watched Breakfast At Tiffany’s, when I saw Mickey Rooney playing Mr Yunioshi with his taped eyelids, exaggerated accent and distinctly non-Asian heritage, and just thought, “Is that meant to look like me? Is that what they think of me?”

Going through high school, I saw my friends look at themselves in the mirror and poke at the shape of their eyes, the flatness of their noses, and cover their bodies with fake tan as if that would somehow, hopefully, make them seem more white.

More normal. I felt myself hesitating to tell people each time I did well in exams or that I played the piano, waiting for the inevitable “Ah,” because of course she did. That feeling of anxiety when you meet people, the epithetic, “Where are you from?”

And when you say Sydney, an urgent, “But where are you from?”

This subtle racism is not only seen in real life but in the film industry too, from the types of actors who get roles to the types of characters in films. I’m not saying that there aren’t any Asians in the entertainment industry; after all, the Asian sidekick has been around for decades. From Mr Yunioshi, who wasn’t even Asian in the first place, to the stuttering Tina Cohen-Chang of Glee; the token Asian comes in many forms. There’s the overachieving nerd, which was a whole table category in the cafeteria of Mean Girls. And then there’s Pitch Perfect’s Lilly Onakuramara, a perfect example of the Asian comic relief who is literally silenced and acts as a nice filler in between Becca’s angst with just about everyone in the film. There’s the classic martial arts marvel, the sexualised love

59

interest, and the emotionless, hair-streaked rebel.

Seeing these different representations of Asians is a good start. Sometimes, I think, “Hey, better than nothing, right?” But better doesn’t mean good and there’s still so much to be done for on-screen Asians to be seen as people.

As brothers and sisters, friends, students, and humans whose complexity should be explored beyond the stereotypes and presumptions of white directors and producers. The first time I watched Benjamin Law’s The Family Law, I saw a kid who played the clarinet, like I had, whose mum acted like mine. I saw his older siblings navigating the strange, liminal space between cultures just like my older siblings were. And it made me realise that I wasn’t weird when I had rice for lunch instead of PBJ sandwiches. All of a sudden, I wasn’t the girl who didn’t fit in at school or who played the familiar role of the odd one out. How could I be, when the character of Benjamin Law was reliving my primary school experiences? For the first time, I saw something on the big screen that showcased my own story as normal. For the first time, my experiences felt valid.

The film industry is slowly getting the memo.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi introduced Rose Tico, a lovable character played by the even more lovable Kelly Marie Tran. Rose wasn’t a main character, but she also wasn’t a nerd, or a kung fu master, or any of the other stereotypes we see so often in film.

She was just Rose, a woman trying to help fight for the cause she had dedicated herself to. Despite my optimism at finally, finally, seeing an Asian character in mainstream franchises, Kelly Marie Tran was recently forced to delete her social media accounts after being targeted in an online tirade of racial abuse. One step forward, two steps back seems to be a recurring theme in gaining broader representation in the film industry. But having more people of colour on the big screen is so important.

It’s important for the actors and actresses of colour, who have so much talent to bring into the world. It’s important for you and me, for us to look at the screen and see someone who has experienced what we have, accurate representations of reality, and to know that we’re okay, that we’re normal. It’s important for people of colour to look at the screen and, for once, feel like they’re the main character instead of the sidekick, always waiting by the main plot on the side-lines. Maybe one day, other Asian kids growing up in Western countries will be able to walk into a cinema, watch a movie, and walk out with a role model who looks just like them.

Art by DANNI LUO @dd_luo

60

BUSINESS, SCIENCE & INNOVATION

FIVE MINUTES WITH PROF. DEB VERHOEVEN

By Larissa Shearman

We hear the words ‘big data’ thrown around a lot these days. The phrase conjures up images of massive banks of processing computers or infinite online databases. This isn’t far from the truth—the amount of data in our world today is just too big to comprehend.

The only way to make sense of it is through mapping and understanding trends. There’s one study area that hasn’t had much to do with data mapping in the past: the social sciences. That’s where Professor Deb Verhoeven comes in. She’s the Associate Dean of Engagement and Innovation at UTS and has also been the mastermind behind multiple projects in order to map trends in the creative industries, in particular, film. Her work has uncovered a multitude of discoveries, from relationships between countries to be mapped in terms of their film exchanges (which can help with future co-production agreements), to allowing a person to find the best city in the world for their cinema-going needs.

Vertigo had a chat with Professor Verhoeven to find out more…

How did you come to begin mapping social science data?

Having worked in the industry, especially during my time at the Australian Film Institute, and seen first-hand how much redundant data was collected by government agencies, it feels like the film industry in Australia has had more official enquiries and government reports than almost any other. But we have seen very little impact for all this state sponsored information gathering.

A second influence came from hooking into a network of film historians that were interested in movie exhibition research [at] HOMER (the Histories of Movie Exhibition Research). The effect of shifting focus from the films themselves…to how they are accessed…was enormous for me. It makes a massive difference to the kinds of evidence we need to collect and examine and how we organize that evidence. This network inspired me to reach out to specialists in other disciplines [who] have changed my work beyond recognition, and entirely for the better.

One of your major projects is the Kinomatics Project which collates screening information from cinemas worldwide. You’ve recently mapped gender disparity in films, which have revealed some pretty unsurprising results. Only 3% of film screenings around the world have been directed by women since 2012—what will you hope that data will achieve, or has it already been making a change?

BUSINESS, SCIENCE & INNOVATION

Actually, this was a really surprising result. The data we mostly work with is ‘Showtime’ data from the Kinomatics project, [where we have collected] information about all the films screenings in every cinema in the world for two and a half years (about 350 million records). Women direct around 15% of all the films in our dataset. We have been doing quite a bit of work on how diversity of different kinds (not just gender diversity, but also diversity at the level of country of origin for example), is unevenly distributed, and therefore disproportionately accessed. This is called ‘exposure diversity.’ So, although we didn’t expect the 15% of the films in our data to be uniformly dispersed around the globe, I certainly didn’t think the overall percentage of screenings of women’s films would be so low. It is truly shocking. In Australia it is even lower at 2%.

What this tells us is that simply getting more women to direct films may not mean that audiences will have access to those films…We need evidence-led policies to address all the different points at which gatekeeping occurs. It is really urgent that we change the way we work with data in order to ensure that we are focused on getting the right range of solutions.

The Kinomatics project has recently held its second symposium. What are the benefits of having speakers, panels, and a place to get together to share your findings? Is it about bringing data back to the people?

I think there are a few benefits. Because this is an emerging, multi-disciplinary way of thinking about how we can study culture, it is incredibly useful to have a forum in which our work is communicated to other experts in these diverse fields so we get the benefit of their insights into our work. Secondly, it is really important to us that there are also industry members—policymakers, guild organisers, [and] filmmakers in the room. Our work is mission-driven, meaning we want to maintain open communication with the industry to ensure that what we are doing is relevant, makes sense, and has impact.

Which research projects and findings with the Kinomatics project have you been most excited about?

There was one finding that we made very early in our research that was truly exciting.

When we were working on the post-war distribution of Greek and Italian films to migrant audiences in Melbourne we mapped the location of these cinemas to suburbs with migrant populations. At first glance it all seemed very logical. Cinemas were located close to migrant communities. But then we animated the visualization to introduce the element of time. And we made a completely unexpected discovery. The cinemas arrived before the community moved in to the area. And generally they left the suburbs before the migrant community. It was a case of: if you build it, they will come. This is completely counterintuitive. Up until then, we had just assumed that cinemas serviced already existing local audiences. But there is now evidence to suggest cinemas are a critical aspect of what we might call “cultural infrastructure.”

Could you explain your new project ‘Opening up the defensive closed networks of the creative industries’? How did it come about? Is it spurred by the #MeToo movement in film and television?

This project, examining how gatekeeping operates in the film industry as a pattern of male behaviour preceded the #MeToo movement. I’ve been an industry activist for greater inclusion in the screen industries for around 30 years! Our more recent work on gender equity in the Kinomatics group was inspired by the persistently terrible statistical data released by the industry itself. This data revealed that not only was the industry leaving women out of the picture at spectacularly unfair levels, it was worse than when I started lobbying on this 30 year ago. I’m keen to see this situation change in my lifetime and I’m throwing everything I’ve got at it.

61

62

SOCIO-CULTURAL

Art by ISABELLE COURY @issayyay

SOCIO-CULTURAL

THE DEATH OF THE QUEER BAR

By Ismene Panaretos Content warning: Homophobia

Heteronormativity refers to the way in which heterosexuality dominates and pervades virtually every aspect of society. Although queerness is more acceptable now than ever before, the society we live in continues to be bound within a heteronormative framework.

Amidst this, queer bars are the only public space afforded to queer people—their function is not yet void. So long as heterosexuality continues to be imposed as the norm of sexual behaviour, queer spaces will continue to be necessary.

And yet, the queer bar has changed, and queer people are being forced out. The latest wave of mass exodus from former safe havens, namely Newtown, has become a by-product of the Sydney lockout laws. Enacted in 2014 in response to the death of Thomas Kelly, the lockout laws are not the first time that queer people have been driven out. The domination of our space has been an ongoing problem, one that began with the commercialisation and heterosexualisation of Oxford Street.

Homosexuality was illegal until 1984 in NSW and until 1997 in Tasmania. During these years of legal and social exclusion, the queer bar was born as a political entity. Oxford Street institutions existed as one of the first formal acts of resistance against the heteronormative status quo that strives to suppress and erase us. Pioneering queer people carved out an organised space in the public sphere, a sphere that persecuted us, denied our existence and pushed us into the closet. And these pioneering queer people were fearless. In creating a space for us to meet, dance, mingle, and find potential lays and relationships, they were able to generate a platform to organise

63

64

SOCIO-CULTURAL

Our queerness was marketed, packaged and sold as a spectacle to a cisgendered heterosexual clientele

LBTQI+ movements. Because of this, queer bars have always been important to our community—their significance is incomparable to the function of the straight bar.

Oxford Street began its path to commercialisation following the release of the film Priscilla Queen of the Desert. The release of this film prompted the earliest commercialisation of queer cultures and spaces, a phenomenon which persists to this day. Our queerness was marketed, packaged and sold as a spectacle to a cisgendered heterosexual clientele.

These days, the patrons in any given bar on Oxford Street are strangely, and overwhelmingly, straight. Since the enactment of the lockout laws, I have, not once, entered a bar on Oxford Street and not been hit on by a straight man. Women seem surprised when I (attempt) to flirt with them, almost as if the prospect of a lesbian in a queer bar is completely unexpected.

The invasion of Oxford Street compelled queer people to seek refuge elsewhere, namely in Newtown. The Imperial Hotel was hugely significant during this period. Hosting drag nights and infamously debaucherous parties, it welcomed the freaks, queers, and outliers of society with open arms. Sadly, these parties exist only as legends, passed down in tales told by veteran queer people. The introduction of the lockout laws brought the death of Newtown. And The Imperial, unsurprisingly, did not escape unscathed. Once again, heterosexual and cisnormative people descended in their hordes to enter, dominate and claim our space for themselves. These days harassment in Newtown is rampant. The Imperial reopened its doors, but it isn’t what it once was.

In the past, I have entered queer bars to seek refuge from the noise and harassment that follows my girlfriend and I. We are a femme couple and, unfortunately, attract much unwanted attention.

Having now become aware of what to expect from visitors in queer spaces, I have hung in my flanno and called it a day. Consider the following profiles of cisgender and heterosexual tourists making a cameo in the queer bar.

Art by ISABELLE Art Credit COURY @issayyay

SOCIO-CULTURAL

THE BACHELORETTE

65

THE STRAIGHT DUDE

Pink sashed and preening she is ready for a wild night with the gals. She enters, armed with a plastic shot glass dangling from her neck. She is after an experience™. Her evening is spent grinding on unsuspecting patrons and flouncing around like she’s Cindy Lauper. Watch her lose her shit when the drag queen comes on. Common catch phrases include “I just looveee gay people so much” and “yaaas queen.”

You know the type. He’s probably wearing thongs (even though it’s the middle of winter). The straight dude is commonly found downing schooners and laughing in the corner. Aggressively straight. Uses the ‘f-slur’ as a joke. And here he stands, ogling the lesbians and making it known just how straight he is. We get it. Your untucked button up and beige shorts combo weren’t fooling anyone. Make no mistake, this dude-bro will not be silenced. He has something to say and say it he will. Common catch phrases include “Can I join in,” or “I could turn you,” or better yet “You’re too pretty to be gay.”

The consistently terrible music, drunken ex-girlfriend fights, and shirtless guys at 3 am in queer bars are forgivable behaviours, if not expected. Feeling as though I am a spectacle, a novelty, an experience, and something to be ogled at, however, is not. I can have that in any straight bar.

If you are cisgendered and heterosexual entering our space, respect us, our struggle, and the reason why, to this day, the queer bar continues to be something that exists by necessity. We are fighting the good fight and we are making progress, but it isn’t over yet.

We still need the queer bar. You on the other hand, do not.

Art Credit

66

CREATIVE WRITING

UNDERCURRENT

By Lily Sommer

The beach is not nearly as nice a place to go in winter. Emma shivers as a cold gust of wind stirs the sand and creeps under her sweater.

“You know I didn’t want to have to talk about this,” she says, pulling her sleeves down over her hands.

Jude nods. “I still think we need to.”

“Anything you might’ve done, it didn’t change anything. We would’ve ended up here still,” Jude says. It is a mercy.

A gentle silence falls over them and a large wave breaks on the shore, sending little surges of spindrift up the beach. The sun is beginning to set, tucking itself behind the horizon and casting an orange-pink glow over the water. Emma still, even now, feels the pull to reach over and hold Jude’s hands. She supposes the pull is something like the tides of the ocean before them—hard to resist, controlled by some celestial being.

“Do you remember the first time we came here?” Emma says.

A tiny smile plays on the edges of Jude’s mouth. “You almost

CREATIVE WRITING drowned.”

Now the smile has reached Jude’s eyes. “I still can’t believe you didn’t see that wave coming,” she says.

“I was preoccupied.”

Jude looks down, digs her toe into the sand.

“We should’ve been swimming inside the flags, anyway.”

“There you go, making excuses for me again. Why do you do that?” Emma asks.

Emma opens her mouth to continue but is stopped before she can start.

“Snow cones?” A voice asks. Emma looks up to see a cheerful lifeguard pushing an obnoxiously bright snow cone cart.

“No—” Jude starts, but Emma speaks over her.

“Yes, please. One red, one red and blue,” she says. They watch the man pour the colours over the shaved ice.

She passes Jude the red and blue cone. The colours are beginning to bleed together, turning the ice violet. It seems out of place here, in her hand, as the last of the warm weather is beginning to retreat and the cold is settling in.

Emma smiles, her chest aching. “Your favourite.”

“Emma, I don’t want to do this.”

“Then let’s not do it.”

“It doesn’t work like that.” Jude just stares at her snow cone.

They fall into silence again, listening to the happy chatter of children playing in the sand, and the distant murmur from a restaurant across the street. Once, Emma thinks, that would’ve been her and Jude, happily chatting away over burgers.

“You can’t tell me this feels right,” Emma says. “Sitting here like this.”

“It doesn’t. One of us needs to leave.”

Emma feels her stomach drop. “Then leave.”

And she knows that eventually, one of them will have to. She doesn’t really know who she is without that pull, always keeping them close.

Jude doesn’t get up and leave. It’s getting colder, but Emma is sure that once she walks away from Jude this time, winter will settle firmly in— the warmer days, memories laced with gold and sunlight, will all freeze over.

“Leave.” Emma repeats. Her voice buckles as she says it. She lets out a shuddering breath.

“Not right now.” Jude says quietly.

So, they sit, their snow cones melting under the pressure of their warm hands, listening to the rhythmic rise and fall of the crashing tides.

Art by KATIE YATES @katieyeti

67

68

CREATIVE WRITING

OVERHEARD Overheard

By

By Lily LilyCameron Cameron

i.

Dry crackle and hard things on hard surfaces brushing and the stacking of objects.

“Are you done with these?”

Even breath inhale exhale cough excuse me inhale inhale exhale The snip snip snip snip of scissors and rustling snip snip leaves snip. light leaves falling

exhale

“She’s so pretty when she’s pretty.”

Laughter muffled like it’s underwater gargling with bubbles to the top where they pop! the chuckle bursting into the air above.

CREATIVE WRITING

69

the little hairs vibrating

Art by ISABELLA BROWN @bissy

70

THE SWING OF THINGS

By Rosemary Vasquez-Brown People are so impressive. We form connections and relationships constantly­— creating a recurring pattern between each other.

I invite you all to colour in my work as a reflection of the ways in which we can bring light and life into each other’s lives…but also because I’m too lazy to colour it in myself.

Art Credit ROSEMARY VASQUEZ-BROWN @rosemaryglenn

71

Art Credit SHOWCASE

72

POLITICS & LAW

TAKING THE LAW ONLINE

By Jazz Osvald

Courts are notorious for being stuck in a constant loop of gridlock, delay, and inaccessibility. However, technology-driven innovation has sought to change this never-ending cycle through a new form of alternative dispute resolution (ADR); online trials.

In the past decade, ADR has emerged as an incredibly popular (and often mandatory) measure that prevents litigation. For the uninitiated, ADR is a process by which disputes are settled other than through the courts, and with the assistance of an impartial third party. For clients, it cuts costs and stress. For judges and lawyers, it eases an incredibly congested court system. Online trials are a new and radical form of ADR, allowing the dispute to be removed from a court setting and decided entirely online by an impartial third party.

Several countries have introduced online trials differently, with the aim of freeing up court resources and alleviating costs. China has implemented an AI-driven app that allows parties to attend trials online from anywhere in the country, whereas the UK and Canada have opted for an online tribunal focused on small claims.

CHINA Court attendance in China has been the biggest bottleneck to litigation, according to John Liu, Chief Technology Officer at Gridsum, a firm that provides AI solutions to governments and private companies around the world.1 Gridsum has partnered with the People’s Court Press, the official publishing group of the Supreme People’s Court of China,2 and Tencent, one of the world’s biggest tech companies, to solve this problem.3 It has created Faxin Wei Su, an AI-driven legal database integrated with Tencent’s WeChat—China’s Facebook equivalent.

The integrated platform will allow parties to join to a proceeding remotely using WeChat’s video chat function.4 Parties may make inquiries about a case’s status, submit files and set appointments with judges. They may also question evidence throughout the proceedings. The platform’s ultimate aim is to assist the courts in

https://cgc.law.stanford. edu/event/guiding-casesseminar-20171019/ 22 http://english.court. gov.cn/2017-01/23/ content_28046758.htm 3 2 https://www.prnewswire.com/ news-releases/gridsum-launchesjointly-developed-faxin-wei-suplatform-300552584.html 4 2 https://www.prnewswire.com/ news-releases/gridsum-launchesjointly-developed-faxin-wei-suplatform-300552584.html 1

POLITICS & LAW

transitioning to an efficient “smart court” system free of congestion.

China’s first online trial was recently held in Hangzhou. It concerned a copyright dispute between two litigants located in opposite ends of the country and only took 30 minutes to conclude. While video conferencing is used in Australian courts, Gridsum’s platform is far more advanced. Faxin Wei Su takes the form of a WeChat mini-application that would be available to any of its almost 1 billion active monthly users5 on any mobile device, meaning that anyone could attend a trial anywhere in the country using nothing more than their phone.

73

5 https://www.engadget. com/2017/08/18/chinas-onlinecourt-first-case/

UK AND CANADA The UK and Canada have begun to facilitate online tribunals for small claims in an effort to free up court schedules for more serious matters.6 The UK’s Online Court (OC) system aims to process small claims, automating them with minimal supervision. The OC has three phases.7 Firstly, the OC’s systems will guide the user through an analysis of their legal issue so that it can be properly understood by the other side, and by the courts. In essence, the purpose of this phase is to assist the litigant in producing a statement of claim.

Secondly, a case officer is employed to facilitate case management and conciliation. This phase aims to utilise ADR if necessary, as well as educate the litigants about the small claims process, and their options. If the dispute is not resolved, it then proceeds to the final phase.

In the third and final phase, a determination is made by a judge, who relies on the submitted documentation. The parties are then notified of the outcome online, or over the telephone.

There also exists a phase 0 and 0.5. The former encourages parties that undertaking litigation in court is often a last resort, while the latter seeks to establish whether the parties have a legal dispute.8

https://chinachannel.co/1017wechat-report-users/

62

2 https://civilresolutionbc.ca/

7

8 2 http://www5.austlii.edu.au/au/ journals/UNSWLRS/2016/71.pdf page 7.

74

POLITICS & LAW

The OC’s creator, Lord Justice Briggs of the UK’s Supreme Court, claims that the benefit of this model is that it provides clients with “insulation” from the civil system’s adversarial culture.9 This can certainly be seen as beneficial, as the court system can be incredibly stressful, particularly for those that are unfamiliar with the process.

This stress can be altogether avoided if the litigant is separated entirely from the judicial process. Additionally, small claims matters are typically fairly simple, and conducting the process online would alleviate stress on the judicial system, as well as reduce costs for litigants. This system has already begun testing for Tax Tribunal matters, with claimants being able to use video links to appear from home or work.10 Canada’s Civil Resolution Tribunal (CRT), similar to the UK’s OC, launched in mid-2017. The CRT also facilitates the quick resolution of small claims disputes, with a focus on rural litigants.

British Columbia’s population is sprawled across a predominantly rural area, with many unable to access legal services or courts.11 The CRT would heighten their access to justice by allowing them to handle small claims from the comfort of their home.

9 2 https://www.newlawjournal. co.uk/content/online-courts-takestage

2 https://www.legalfutures.co.uk/ latest-news/briggs-lays-out-visionfor-lawyer-free-online-courts

10

2 https://www.theguardian.com/ law/2018/feb/15/first-onlinecourtroom-hearings-to-pave-wayfor-digital-justice

11

AUSTRALIA Australia’s online court facilities are not as extensive as their overseas counterparts. Australians are able to lodge documentation to Federal and State courts electronically through electronic lodgment. The Australian Federal Court has also introduced an e-court scheme that works alongside e-lodgment, which is used for case management and the hearing of specific matters.12 The Land and Environmental Court is another example of a court that has utilized electronic processes, allowing for online document filming and preliminary case management.13 It is important to note that New South Wales courts do facilitate an ‘Online Court,’ but this is merely a messaging tool that allows for communication between practitioners and court staff in instances where it is not necessary to attend court. The breadth of

2 https://www.legalfutures.co.uk/ latest-news/overseas-modelbriggs-online-court-goes-live 13 2 https://www.ecourtroom. fedcourt.gov.au/ecourtroom/default. aspx 12

POLITICS & LAW

its application is left wanting, as it is not available to non-practitioners and is only used for a select few non-contested civil matters or preliminary committal in criminal proceedings.14 Australia’s systems are distinct from Canada and the UK’s solutions as they do not facilitate the entire court process, but instead take a piecemeal approach. Former High Court Justice, Micheal Kirby and NSW Law Society president, Pauline Wright agree that the Canadian and UK services are heading in the right direction and suggest that Australia should adopt similar systems.15 From examination of these international online court solutions, it is clear that Australia’s systems should aim to provide more holistic services by facilitating entire court processes. It may also be beneficial to examine whether Australia’s video-linking services need streamlining akin to systems like to Faxin Wu Sei. Introducing online trials in Australia could potentially minimize the endless loop of gridlock and stagnation that is present in our court systems, as well as making justice more affordable.16 It would also prove to be an unprecedented step forward towards accessible justice for those who live in regional and rural locations, as an online trial system would reduce or even eliminate the inconvenience of travelling long distances to court.17 An online court would also provide services such as Legal Aid with much-needed resources such as greater access to regional lawyers,18 as this system would allow pro bono lawyers to represent a litigant over long distances without the need for lengthy travel or the associated costs.

Bringing Australia in line with other jurisdictions would not only end the endless loop of judicial gridlock, but also make court processes more transparent, and provide a much-needed boost in trust in the judiciary through greater access to justice.

75

2 https://www.lawyersweekly. com.au/wig-chamber/21633legal-experts-speak-up-for-futureprospect-of-online-courts

14

2 http://www.courts.justice.nsw. gov.au/Pages/cats/catscorporate_ online_services/onlinecourt.aspx

15

2 http://www.abc.net.au/ news/2017-08-03/courts-casesshould-move-online-michael-kirbysays/8770858 17 2 http://www.abc.net.au/ news/2017-08-03/courts-casesshould-move-online-michael-kirbysays/8770858 18 2 https://www.lawyersweekly. com.au/wig-chamber/21633legal-experts-speak-up-for-futureprospect-of-online-courts 16

76

BUSINESS, SCIENCE & INNOVATION

DECODING ECONOBABBLE

By Ben Robinson

Art Credit

BUSINESS, SCIENCE & INNOVATION

Richard Denniss, an Australian economist, once said that “economics is like a tyre lever, it can either be used to solve a problem or to beat someone over the head.” This is what lead Denniss to coin the term “econobabble”—a word used to describe all the economic jargon thrown at us on a daily basis by politicians and professionals alike.

Economics has two primary motives—to understand and to explain. Firstly, to understand how the economy works, or rather why it works when it does works and why it doesn’t work when it doesn’t. And secondly, to explain its findings to anyone who will listen, be it academics, politicians or the general public. But in recent years, governments have been flooding press conferences and statements with econobabble— the intention of which is not to explain, but to confuse the audience. Most members of the public aren’t economists, and the same can be said for politicians. A degree in economics is not a prerequisite to be the Treasurer.

In fact, you don’t need a degree at all. But even though most politicians have only a basic grasp of economics, they waste no time pummeling the ears of the public with phrases that sound impressive but don’t actually give too much away. These can be throwaway phrases like “fiscally irresponsible” and “overheated economy” or political taglines like “negative gearing” and even “jobs and growth”. We’ve all heard these terms before, but unless you have a background in economics it’s hard to separate the tick from the tock.

In this year’s federal budget speech, Treasurer Scott Morrison stood at the dispatch box and talked about “improved conditions,” “budget savings,” “Australia’s international AAA credit rating,” and “real expenditure growth.”

It was a budget he claimed would “reward working Australians,” but how rewarding can it be if most Australian don’t have the expertise required to decipher his speech? It’s easy to pin the blame of econobabble on the Liberal Party purely because they’ve been in power for the better part of five years. But just to be clear, all parties use it. In his reply speech to the 2018 budget, Labor Party leader Bill Shorten mentioned “flat wages,” “rising US bond markets,” and “enterprise bargaining”.

77

That’s not to say any of these terms are bad per se, in fact they are all supported by important ideas.

Starting a conversation about the rising US bond market is not inherently bad, especially if high bond rates in America have negative consequences for Australians. Not to mention that millions of Australians are impacted by these so-called “flat wages”. But the problem with Mr. Morrison and Mr. Shorten is that they make no attempt to actually explain or decode these words and phrases for the public. Instead, they opt for quick soundbites to gain political clout much in the same way some popstars use generic romantic lyrics—without depth, these phrases mean nothing. These people are supposed to be our leaders and our public servants, but instead of providing explanations in laypersons terminology, they opt to stun us into silence and, even worse, compliance. This is a technique we’ve seen before in different forms. Richard Denniss points out that Catholic priests would say mass in Latin “knowing full well that their mostly uneducated audiences had little idea what was being said.” The sermons weren’t meant to educate or explain; they were meant to keep you from speaking out. Because after all, how can you argue against something you don’t understand?

It’s important for politicians to be cautious of the terminology they do use when discussing economics to make sure it is accessible. Those of us who have access to education and have the capacity to do so should share the responsibility of learning these economic terms and put them to use both inside and outside of the classroom—in conversations with family, coworkers, friends, and on social media. The key to making econobabble ubiquitous is to practice it. After all, language is for everyone, not just the few who are fluent in bullshit.

Economics is like a tyre lever, it can either be used to solve a problem or to beat someone over the head

Art by ISABELLA MEAGHER @kovvu

78

ARTS & LIFESTYLE

DOWN THE HABIT HOLE

By Katie Kim Tran

Outside my glass window, the sun’s warm rays cast beams in my dimly lit room. Monday begins again.

The five alarms I set last night go off one after the other. Hit snooze. Five more minutes. Gently rub my eyes and break into a yawn. Out of habit, my hand reaches for my mobile next to my bedside table.

Getting up and ready for work or university can wait. I quickly check my Instagram and Facebook feed for any updates.

The perfect photos of my favourite influencers, idols, and the social lives of all my friends are newly posted. Travel photos, Instagram stories capturing the perfect plane window view, candid images of eye-captivating scenery of a luxurious getaway, 5am gym selfies, midday hikes, flatlay photos of colourful food and perfect cups of coffee with hipster morning breakfasts at cafes. Wow… goals.

And here I am in bed, scrolling and scrolling…

Like. Share. Tag. Comment. Scroll. Repeat.

It seems that no matter where I go, my phone is always beside me, like a clingy pet. My eyes are glued to the mesmerising blue screen. Often, I find myself forgetting what it means to connect with another person. The simple gesture of looking someone in the eye and saying “hello” has become foreign. When was the last time I talked to the barista about how their day is going as they brew my perfect regular soy cappuccino each morning before work? How could I, when all I remember is to like, share, tag, comment and scroll?

Our mobile phones have become so embedded in our lives. They are the reason why we do so many of the things we do. I’ve got nothing to do? Check

my phone. I have a book to read in my bag, yet I don’t bother to reach for it. Reading feels like too much effort. I can quickly check my email and be satisfied with that. No email? Check Instagram.

Nothing there? Perhaps I can tag my friends in some fun memes on Facebook. Facebook doesn’t seem to satisfy me. Maybe some gossip on Twitter will do. Like. Share. Tag. Comment. Scroll. Repeat.

I catch myself scrolling through my phone not only when I am by myself, but during family dinners and social gatherings. For instance, rather than engage in nostalgic conversations with my grandma, I look at my phone. Rather than catch up with distant cousins who I rarely see, I find myself turning my gaze and picking up my phone. Why do I have the constant tendency to check Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter? What can I not find in real life that makes the phone and social media platforms so captivating?

The tendency is none other than a habit.

We check our phone constantly because we crave an instant sense of satisfaction. Psychological and scientific studies have revealed that as we check our phones, there is the release of the socalled happiness hormone, dopamine, giving us a false sense of accomplishment. In fact, a research survey by Qualtrics and Accel discovered that many Millennials constantly check their phone for more than five hours, a clear sign of addictive behaviour.

Statistics indicate that 79 percent keep a phone nearby and check their phone in the middle of the night. We do this because of how we feel when we receive comments or likes on our Instagram photo.

ARTS & LIFESTYLE

The instant gratification leaves us craving more.

Even during social gatherings or in public spaces filled with strangers, we cannot help but look at our phones. This associated behaviour is linked to an extended sense of ‘self.’ American psychologist William James proposed in his book ‘Principles of Psychology,’ that the self is ‘the sum total of all that man can call his, not only his body and his psychic powers, but his clothes and his house, his wife and children.” Any lack of the extended self can result in a sense of loss and inadequacy. For instance, babies cry when they suddenly lose their favourite toy. Such objects are dubbed a part of their extended selves.

Similarly, my phone is a representation of my extended self, another part of me which I hold on to dearly. Social media accounts have become so deeply rooted into my lifestyle and personal identity, that any moment away from my phone feels as though I am losing a part of myself. This attachment has left me craving more…falling further and further into my habit of scrolling.

My mother often gets frustrated with me after a long week of not seeing her daughter. When my relatives ask, “how are you doing?” I monotonously reply, “good,” and get back to the scrolling on my phone as if there is something more interesting online. Behavioural studies have shown that despite what is happening in our lives, the brain is programmed to rewire itself to constantly seek out rewards or to gain pleasure where possible. Like.

Share. Tag. Comment. Scroll. Repeat.

But how can I dismiss the warm presence of my

79

friends or family? Is there anything more valuable than the company of friends and family in this world? Are my habits controlling my life or am I controlling my habits?

Then again, I have found myself in this pattern of checking my phone, only to feel empty afterwards. I quickly fall in and out of instant gratification. It’s like waiting for a Christmas present from Santa to arrive at your door when you know Santa doesn’t exist.

It is astonishing how social media has played a vital role in forming our behaviours and way of life over the years. The advancement of technology and digital media profiles have made online interaction possible. But it has also created a shift in our everyday behaviours and the way we function.

Have our behaviours risen or fallen since the age of social media? That is something only our habits will decide.

Like. Share. Tag. Comment. Scroll. Repeat.

Art by MELISSA YANG @sooijn

80

CREATIVE WRITING

WHAT’S WORSE

By CJ Vallis

I’m compiling a list. I want to ask the woman beside me in a black plastic cape, “What’s worse than a hairdressing appointment?”

But her head is full of alfoil strips. She’s glued to OK! magazine, and deaf to the background buzz, the whirr of clippers and 1000-watt hair dryer, to water sloshing down an acrylic wash basin. Not in a conversational mood.

I would like her as a friend. That strong profile, her big nose and jutting chin. She’s got a diamond stud above her lip which looks like an ironic beauty spot. I lean over to see what celebrity gossip she’s cramming.

“Ah, Kim Kardashian—photoshopped!” I blurt. “No way she’d fit those pants after giving birth,” I say a bit louder.

Diamond Stud clocks me, “Yeah, right,” exchanges a smile with the skinny hairdresser via the mirror, and returns to Kardashian gossip.

I’m an idiot.

Skinny checks her foils. “Big night out?”

CREATIVE WRITING

“Sort of.”

Professional as pie, she turns to me, “We’ll get you started in a tic.”

Both head out back for a ciggie. Goodie-goodie me doesn’t smoke.

They leave me with the mirror, mirror on the wall. I don’t ask who’s the fairest of them all. I am no wicked queen, no Angelina Jolie. Even with my long, frizzy hair hanging over it, you can see the scald on my left cheek that runs down my neck.

Young Diamond’s purple-streaked silver hair, on the other hand, is an experiment rather than a chore. She sits in New Canterbury Salon, as if it’s an art gallery, rather than a shop to get your hair dressed and done, while I feel like a lobster in a tank about to be boiled again.

The mirror reminds me I’m of little or no interest to Diamond. I am scar tissue. Bet I could surprise her. Make a joke of what’s worse: Pap smear, dental check-up or a hairdressing appointment?

I’d tell her. At least the doctor won’t ask about your weekend over your open cervix. Of course, it’s awkward when a doctor inserts a cold metal speculum and says, “Almost done, just a few more seconds while we take a swab.” Your scrapings are on a slide and on their way to a lab as soon as you pull up your undies.

Diamond would agree a pap smear once every three years is easier than a six-monthly dental checkup. All that poking around your teeth, sucking out saliva, making gums bleed. The reminders to floss. Plus if you get a tooth drilled and filled, you have to get a loan or extend your credit card limit.

No, she’ll think I’m a loon.

I get a text from my sister Deborah. Both Diamond and Skinny rush back to check their phones. See? I’m in demand, even if the message is: “Where are you? I’m at the RPA.” “Sorry forgot.” Out of sisterly duty, I also text, “Next time? I’m at home,” then add another item to my worst-ever list. Birth Centre information evening. What gave Deborah the idea I’d be a useful support person? Me? Holding her hand, rubbing her back, and coaching her breathing? I’ll never push a baby’s bowling-ball head through my canal, or tear my lips for its delivery. Not with this face.

Deborah is better off with laughing gas.

A laugh would help now. Skinny gets down to business. Bleach and toner bite into my scalp. This will take ages, much longer than a pap test and dental appointment combined. Still, I’ve escaped the RPA. I’m not supposed to say, “How about that article. About Kim checking her vagina with a mirror after leaving hospital.” For a moment, I’ve disordered their worlds. Their faces twitch to attention—I, person-ofno-interest is talking about a Kardashian orifice. “Weird how she says it’s more beautiful than beforehand.”

Diamond inspects my face. I’m tempted to ask if she thinks I’m a freak. Or to follow up with, “By the way, how’s your vagina hanging?”

Finally, she smiles. “She so had a Caesar.”

That’s better.

Art by NANCY LI @nlianderthal

81

82

ARTS & LIFESTYLE

I SWEAR I’VE HEARD THIS BEFORE

By Jaimee Lee

Ever wonder why songs sound so similar sometimes? You’re so sure it’s this one song, so you ask your friend, “oh, isn’t this—”, only to be shrugged off and told it was something else. With three or four chord progressions, there can only be so many combinations. Music genres, especially pop, have created norms that dictate what music will almost immediately be popular. Time signatures, beats per minute (BPM) and the vocal style of singers contribute to this. I guess you could see it like this: if this song sells, then, surely something similar will sell just as well, right? Changing the key or increasing the tempo of a basic track has the potential to create a wholly different sound, but far too often it just seems like a repeat of an old song.

I chose to study music and sound design because I’m interested in producing music of my own. Looking into why music has become all too similar has led me to explore pop and electronic dance music (EDM) with regards to pop culture, and copyright claims over music. Even artists as famous as Justin Bieber have been called out for stealing music. Casey Dienel, under the pseudonym of White Hinterland, claimed that the hook to Bieber’s chart-topper, ‘Sorry’, was taken from her song, ‘Ring the Bell’. Responding to the controversy, Skrillex, the writer of the song, later uploaded a video to prove he created the vocals.

As music becomes more monotonous, a pattern develops and is bound to create unavoidable drama. Parts within songs have become all too familiar. As time goes by this will only get worse, unless we develop an affinity for dissonant sounds with strange tempos or perhaps, mating calls?

If you’re ever wondering why music has the power to change one’s mood or even portray a certain mood, 8-bit Music Theory (8-bit) is a great YouTube channel that analyses the composition of music in video game soundtracks. Their first video looks at The Legend of Zelda’s history retrospectively and explains what makes Zelda music sound like ‘Zelda music’. As I previously mentioned, changing the key can create a distinct sound; the themes to The Legend of Zelda and The Adventure of Link Overworld are examples of this. This instance provides a reason as to why music should sound the same: Nintendo obviously wants Zelda to be, at least vaguely, recognisable and not too different from previous games. 8-bit also addresses the type of mode mixture Zelda uses to make the soundtrack sound adventurous.

By borrowing major chords from the minor key, they were able to do this.

Music is more diverse than you think and I’m definitely not trying to say that similar sounding music is bad. I try to find similar artists to the ones

ARTS & LIFESTYLE

83

I like because of their vibe. It also probably has something to do with the mood you’re in when discovering new songs—if you’re in the mood for a rock ballad or opera, you’ll probably continue to like it even if you don’t normally listen to it. There is a double standard though. Artists almost always have a certain sound. They spend time to refine a style that suits them. But, many fans almost always criticise them for being stuck in the past. If you follow any artist who just released a new album, you will almost certainly find comments on social media criticising what they have done.

So, when bands like Panic! At The Disco or Linkin Park try something new or change their sound to fit what’s popular, fans criticise that it’s too different or make backhanded comments such as, “they’ve lost the sound that made them who they are” and “they’re only in it for the money”. Music elitists, be reminded not everyone has the same opinion as you. Music is a form of expression! Artists can choose to do that in any way they want—it shouldn’t be limited to one genre or sub-genre.

Take Paramore for example. Their music went from punk rock to pop. Fans weren’t too happy about that. Their latest album, After Laughter, is profoundly different to their debut album. As an example, several elements of pop can be heard in ‘Hard Times’. It starts out with a build-up, with what I’d describe as an upbeat tropical sound, has a generic drum part and incorporates techno later in the song. It’s as pop as anything could get. Depending at how you look at it, that could be a good or bad thing. If we compare this to All We Know Is Falling, which featured their original style as an alternative rock band, you probably wouldn’t recognise Paramore as the same band.

Their songs, lined with guitar riffs and heavy drum parts, reflected the 00’s love for grunge music— particularly for teenagers at the time. As a niche, their music was popular, but not popular enough to be considered pop. Despite all the negative comments, I believe it’s safe to say their albums have been met with incredible success, from topping charts around the world, sold out concerts to a Grammy win. Paramore didn’t need to adhere to one genre for that. Their music evolved to please themselves, not to expand their fan base.

There’s still hope for the future of music, right? It highlights peaks of happiness, expresses dark insecurities, inspires political action and can offer so much more. But we seem to be stuck at an oxymoronic crossroads of “I hate how all music sounds the same nowadays” and “one of my favourite bands changed their style…why couldn’t their music stay the same?”

In the end, it’s not up to us. Artists can produce whatever they want. If you’re unsatisfied with that, try becoming a musician yourself and see how easy it is. That, or actually make an effort to discover new music (if that’s the case, I strongly recommend the Persona 5 soundtrack—for acid jazz lovers).

Art by OLIVIA GORDON @livis_illustration

84

85

86

B-SIDE

A Treatise On Contemporary Student Culture

By Stephanie Todd

THE HIPSTER HAIKUS A KeepCup in hand Beanie, scarf and saggy jeans Will save the planet Facebook activism Social justice from the couch Protests every six months Left-wing socialists The lot of them, your dad says Stole his teen closet

Art Credit

B-SIDE

87

THE AVOCADO ODE Oh, thy slimy flesh is succulent to the mouth! Thine texture is that of a rotten banana. Yet, I do so love thee when smashed and served on toast. What is it about thy lime green hue that doth crush my dreams of buying an abode in Sydney? Alas, I fear the avocados I have eaten would amount to a down payment on an apartment.

THE BACHELOR BALLAD We speak to thee Of the wondrous tales of yonder years Of Sophie, of Matty J Of Married at First Sight, through the years.

Who will the Honey Badger Choose as his Lady Badger, Which bachelor in paradise Will be an STI catcher?

Osher doest wonder, ‘Love, is thee here to find?’

50k followers Is what’s on the mind As for the sacred institution of marriage, Thy may protest.

MAFS has taken a steaming Upon that jest.

Art by SARAH CHOO @thesleepyscribbler

88

B-SIDE

THE SUCCULENT SONNET Shall I compare thee to thine flowering brethren?

Thou art more long-lived and more Instagrammable.

For the procrastinator, the professional, And the serial killer of plants, Thou art a perfect housemate.

Thy may be but small, Yet for every one small plant, One even smaller step for plant-kind is reached.

THE MILK MONOLOGUE ‘Alas! ‘Tis gone! The simple coffee has met its demise. From the ashes, a fiery monster has arisen; the almond chai latte! Stirred, yet never shaken, heated until molten lava, the beast is ever-changing.

Turmeric lattes, beetroot lattes…this humble author waits with impatience for banana chai cappuccinos. Be thee able to digest lactose, fear of the cow still strikes fear into the heart of the humble student. Yet once melted ice consumes the earth and the mammals meet their demise, almond milk will be all that remains to lighten thy caffeinated drinks.

Art by SARAH CHOO @thesleepyscribbler

B-SIDE

Art Credit

89

90

B-SIDE

Art Credit

B-SIDE

Art Credit

91

92

B-SIDE

OROSCOPES SEPTE Aries (March 21 to April 19)

This is a transformative time in Aries’ lives. Take the first move and apologise to someone if you’ve wronged them, and take them out for an ice cream to prove that childish and immature aren’t always synonymous.

Taurus (April 20 to May 20)

With the stubbornly cold weather, you may have noticed that you’re in your element. Make the most of it before mercury goes back into retrograde. Stand your guard in arguments, even when people accuse you of being too tenacious.

Leo

Cancer

(July 23 to August 22)

(June 21 to July 22)

Some would say you’re inflexible, we would say stable, however with these changing seasons you may have to try something new. Perhaps a new vegetable, if you don’t like it you can keep eating hot chips.

They’re vegan, so they’re healthy.

Happy Birthday for last month! Cancers, you rarely tell people you love them, if that’s hard for you, show them, go kayaking or get matching tattoos if winter is too brisk for water sports, the options are endless.

Virgo (August 23 to September 22)

Gemini (May 21 to June 20)

Unlucky man, Gemini is Mercury’s home sign. Hopefully you’ve gotten prepared for retrograde. If not, plunge into the chaos and confusion of this time, however try to take a step back when it all becomes too much. It won’t last forever and your friends are there for you.

As one of the most stable and consistent star signs, you’re the go-to for support for your flu-ridden friends. Just make sure you keep yourself healthy, chuck them a highfive with a bowl of soup, rather than a hug to avoid germs.

B-SIDE

93

EMBER HOROSCOPE Capricorn (December 22 to January 19)

Libra (September 23 to October 22)

You’re stereotypically indecisive. If you’re thinking of doing something to shake you life up, now is the time. If anything goes wrong, you have Mercury to blame, as well as Halloween.

Try carving a pumpkin with a loved one, and then make soup with its flesh.

Soup is a sexy food.

You’ve been going so hard for so long, maybe it’s time to go home. You’re not about rest days or weeks, maybe compromise and have a rest afternoon, a few hours is enough. Use your practicality to help others out in this tempestuous time. It’s not their fault they’re not the alpha star sign.

Aquarius (January 20 to February 18)

Scorpio (October 23 to November 21)

Some people may be scared of you.

It’s because Scorpios remain the same through the seasons, Maybe use this stability for a bit of fun, like a new relationship or keeping a canoe afloat.

I’d also recommend a fist bump if you find people being threatened of you.

Known as the carefree star sign, to prepare for spring, please explicitly forgive someone. You’ve moved on or forgotten, but they’re probably mulling over it. You may want to do it over a coffee rather than your usual drinks choice; morning forgiveness is the best forgiveness.

Pisces

Sagittarius (November 22 to December 21)

You tend to like physical manifestations of what is going on internally as well as between you and the planet. Change your pillowcases to fit the season, look for some appropriate shoes for your activities, whether this be rock climbing, hiking or sailing. A certain pair of amphibious plastic shoes come to mind don’t they?

(February 19 to March 20)

You can read people better than anyone; let this be a season of helping people figure themselves out. Your insight can assist them in understanding themselves as well as promoting intimacy with you. Don’t be afraid to ask hard questions and start bringing the Christmas carols in early.

Words & Art by EMMA FOUCHE @jimesey

94

STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION REPORTS

Lachlan Barker PRESIDENT

The end of semester heralded busyness for the Students’ Association!

Across July, contingents from the SRC attended the NUS Education Conference, the Network of Women Students Australia conference, and the CISA National Conference. I presented a workshop at EdCon on the future of student engagement in the curriculum and ensuring social responsibility is woven into the work students do. The conference as a whole was a fantastic learning experience and the Students’ Association will benefit into the future from strengthening its relationships with other student organisations present.

Thank you to Biljana O’Connor, our marketing manager, for her proactive approach to marketing strategies and events coordination.

Clubs Day, collective events, and our social media presence have been mapped out for improvement.

I’m looking forward to seeing how we improve our outreach over this semester.

The university’s Equity & Diversity Committee has noted that it will not be addressing matters to do with the Respect. Now. Always. campaign; this will be managed by Workplace Health & Safety. The committee is also reviewing the requirements in certain degrees to demonstrate skills in physical manipulation, and the impact this has upon the ability of students with physical disabilities to graduate with a full qualification.

Some of our bigger plans into this semester include the expansion of Night Owl to Tuesday nights, concluding work on the constitution, and finalising the new Enterprise Agreement with our staff. Investigations are continuing

into securing space in the new building and ensuring there are all-gender bathrooms, developing welfare kits for students facing financial hardship, and improving student engagement with the campaign against sexual violence in university communities.

The elections for the new Student Representative Council will also be taking place this semester. Further details will be published online and pinned to our noticeboards.

Contact: president@utsstudentsassociation.org

Kirra Jackson

EDUCATION VICE PRESIDENT Welcome back to uni! Now I know most people don’t read this, but for all 5 of you that do, get excited, we have some really fun things coming up this semester!

Not only do we have elections for SRC coming up (get ready for that!) but the UTSSA appeals booklet should be coming out soon! This is a booklet I’ve been writing with the UTSSA case officer staff to ensure you all have accurate information about your rights as students, especially when it comes to appealing things if you have any issues! Just a reminder with that, if you do have any problems, definitely contact us and we can sort out options for you to get the best option possible!

I’ve also been working on a really exciting event coming up called “meet your union” this is an extension of the Know your Union campaign, but the exciting twist of this is that you have the possibility of winning an iPad if you get involved! Like Facebook.com/ knowyourunion for more details!

Over the uni break I also had the opportunity to go to the National Union of Student’s education conference. While I

was there I gave a very successful workshop on accessible activism and was also able to learn about things surrounding better organising as well as a variety of other campaigns NUS are running, including the we will not be silent campaign, which will be a big focus for us for the next year.

From the NUS education conference, I was also able to learn about the education campaign “BOOKS not BOMBS” which is about divesting universities from companies that make their money from war. Educational Organisations that are meant to enrich society should not lead to death and violence in other countries in the quest for “bigger profit margins”. From this I’ve been working on gathering more information on this and will be working with the education collective at USYD and UNSW on this issue because it is one that affects all of us.

Overall, while last semester was busy, this one will be even more so, but I’m excited for it. If you want more information, or you want to get involved email me at education@utsstudentsassociation. org and I can update you on how we’re going!!!

Georgina Goddard SECRETARY

Due to the resignation of our previous secretary, Lachlan Wykes, it is my constitutional duty to fill this position. I wish him all the best in his future endeavours and recognise his excellent work in the role. As we gear up for Semester 2, everyone at the student union is busy preparing some exciting new initiatives. As I write this, we are awaiting council approval for an additional Night Owl noodle bar, meaning students are able to access

STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION REPORTS a free, healthy meal twice a week.

Looking beyond campus activities, I think it is imperative to note a couple of recent events that will greatly impact university students.

Firstly, the current government’s proposed lowering of the HECS threshold is a direct attack on students. Keep an eye out on our social media pages for a video we produced explaining this matter further. Secondly, for journalism students, the Fairfax and Channel 9 merge presents a great threat to both secure work and the existence of independent journalism in this country. In our country’s already concentrated media market, the take-over of Fairfax by Channel 9 means we are being informed by an even narrower set of news sources.

The vested commercial interests that permeate Channel 9 allows big business an even larger stake in our media, undermining both the collective power of journalists and the public’s right to impartial information.

Contact: secretary@utsstudentsassociation.org

Mehmet Musa TREASURER

Between the third and fourth editions of Vertigo, the Students’ Association (UTSSA) has financed many initiatives.

One of these initiatives is Ed Con which is an educational conference run by the National Union of Students’ (NUS) and is tailored to current and prospective members of student unions.

Ed Con is a fantastic opportunity to attend educational workshops about student matters, converse with like-minded individuals, and debate and challenge ideas on how to move forward as a student body.

Ten people from the SRC, with

current office bearers and NUS delegates being prioritized, were afforded the opportunity to attend Ed Con. This came to a cost of $150 for registration fees per person. Given that the conference operated for an entire week in Adelaide, flights were reimbursed with an upper limit of $200 per person return and accommodation with an upper limit of $300 per person.

Furthermore, the Executive approved travel for four members of the international students collective to attend the Council of International Students’ Australia (CISA) conference to the value of 250 for flights and 40 dollars per night for accommodation.

This conference discussed International student needs and ways to meet those needs at respective campuses.

Moreover, the National Union of Students has partnered up with the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations to deliver NOWSA (Network of Women Students’ Australia) 2018.

The theme of the 2018 conference was about empowering and up-skilling women to run their own campaigns and actively participate in the movement for change and equality. Accordingly, the Executive approved funding for two students to attend NOWSA 2018 by purchasing accommodation registration worth $300 per person.

Additionally, given the UTSSA is a not for profit organization invested in the welfare and needs of students’, it finds it imperative to report on changes to the HECS repayment threshold by the parliament and the potential impact of such on the student body. Consequently, the UTSSA is preparing an informative animated video designed to engage and educate domestic undergraduate students on the impact of such

95 changes. This decision has come at a maximum cost of $4000 for the animated video. The video will be prepared by the Butting Holes team. Members of the team are current UTS students’, meaning the proceeds will be benefiting UTS students’ and not simply an external organization.

This concludes the treasurers’ report. If you have any inquiries, feel free to contact me with the email provided below.

Kind regards, Mehmet.

Contact: treasurer@ utsstudentsassociation.org

96

Support

If you have been affected by any of the sensitive topics explored in this volume, you may wish to contact the following organisations for counselling and support: For sexual assault and domestic violence counselling 1800-737-732 (1800 RESPECT) For suicide, self-harm, anxiety and depression 1300 22 4636 (BeyondBlue) 13 11 14 (Lifeline) For UTS-specific counselling services 9514 1177 (UTS Counselling) 1800 531 626 (UTS Sexual Assault Support Line) For LGBTIQ+ support 1800 184 527 or qlife.org.au (Q Life)

Art Credit

SECTION

Art Credit

97

98

SECTION

Art Credit