The Victorian state election will be held on Saturday 28th November. Victorian Socialists are running candidates across the state. Today, we're proud to introduce our candidate for Williamstown, Oskar Martin.

In what world would this be considered a “ceasefire” except the one where our prime minister calls for “social cohesion” then invites the leader of a state committing genocide to pop over for a visit whilst simultaneously arming them with weapons for that same genocide.

I will simply never recover from reading this sentence: "Since Georgia implemented work requirements in 2020, they have spent twice as much on Deloitte consultants and administrative costs as on healthcare for people."

Wait. Wait what? I knew about the cremini to portabella pipeline but I did not know it was also the button mushroom!

The climatologist told me historians will wonder why we didn’t do more. The epidemiologist told me historians will wonder why we didn’t do more. The activist told me historians will wonder why we didn’t do more. The historian told me that nobody listens to historians.

Lol "Exercise normal safety precautions in the United States of America" accurate if your normal is to avoid the US.

On Monday, a man threw a homemade bomb into a crowd of First Nations families and allies, and we get: a reluctance from police and media to call it an act of domestic terrorism, the attacker’s identity suppressed to protect *his* safety, and some empty platitudes from politicians.

I spoke to Radio National this morning about just how bad the Labor and Liberal changes made to hate laws are - no one is made safer by the dirty deal they did in Parliament last night. www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

Our Story: Aboriginal Chinese People at the National Museum of Australia brings together contemporary art, personal reflections and archival photographs

Stephen’s reaction in #TheTraitors task is rather lovely. Claudia’s jokey response is, too.

#TheTraitors cast members as UK railway liveries. Stephen as an Avanti West Coast Class 805

What a start to the year for the Australian literary scene! Adelaide Writers' Week boycotted and cancelled, board steps down. Writers Victoria facing a funding shortfall after failing to acquire usual grant and now acclaimed children's author Craig Silvey charged with child exploitation offences.

Craig Silvey charged with distributing child exploitation material: Writer behind Jasper Jones and Runt fronts Fremantle court Craig Silvey was allegedly found ‘actively engaging with other child exploitation offenders online’ when detectives raided his home. #AusPol 7news.com.au/news/craig-s...

KKR are fully invested in AI so I guess the Libby statement is not surprising. www.kkr.com/insights/ai-...

Libby is owned by private equity firm KKR. "KKR is a major investor in the German media company Axel Springer, which runs ads for developments in the occupied territories on Israel’s Yad2 classified ad site" www.theguardian.com/culture/2025...

There’s a context here but this can stand on its own There’s no such thing as ‘proper grammar and spelling’ There’s Standard grammars and spellings, and there’s appropriate grammars and spellings, but not ‘proper’ ones 1/2

"The raison d’être of art and literature is to disrupt the status quo: and one doesn’t have to be a student of history to know that art in the service of “social cohesion” is propaganda."

Cue the drumroll… 🥁 The results are in 👀, and it's now time to crown Netball Scoop's 2025 World's Best Netballer. Check out the announcement 👉 shorturl.at/ukewD #WorldsbestNetballer #InternationalNetball #WorldsBest

questions journalists should be asking SA Premier when he says he's been speaking with arts leaders/organisations: which literature organisations has he consulted with? Has Writers SA been contacted? What about some of the excellent small publishers in SA? Bookshops? SA First Nations Writers Group?

The food angle. Before the railways some parts of the country didn't get to experience certain foods as they would perish before they got to markets. How railway time became the standard across the UK instead of having local times. And don't forget how railways opened up the seaside resorts.

Seriously though, this is the kind of machine learning that is likely to work and which gets tarred with the stigma created by the plagiarism and non-consensual porn bots.

If you want to help wildlife in bushfire affected areas, Bendigo Wildlife Rescue has a wishlist of essential supplies needed. www.amazon.com.au/hz/wishlist/... ***The items currently needed most are Betadine antisetic solution and kangaroo pellets*** #VicFires #Bushfires

bugs me how he & others are misusing principle of culture safety. They've misappropriated a method developed by Moari nurses to provide people-centric health care for First Nations people, and weaponised it to gaslight people. They're also distorting First Nations practices of cultural sensitivity

Dancers at Peterhouse, gouache on gessoed thick paper' #gouache #art #masque #ballroom

I loved Twitter. Ban X.

Slightly diminish a band: Twilight Oil

Just saw a reel by an EMT instructing you on how to build a first aid kit just in case your or a passenger get shot in your car #thisisamerica (Recommended a tourniquet as the main item to carry with you. What are we doing here y'all?)

The amount of emotion I have to repress every time someone sends me another “repressed emotions & autoimmune disease” article. It’s like they’re trying to make me sicker 😵‍💫 If repressed emotions were to blame, shouldn’t all the men who think crying is gay have higher rates of autoimmune disease?

Pages of links to buy books to support authors who have pulled out of the Adelaide Writers' Week. From Avid Reader in Qld. #AusPol #booksky 💙📚 avidreader.com.au/c/support-x-...

It'a so smoky in Melbourne 😷😷 I was riding my bike home from the CBD, with an N95 mask on because the smoke was so thick. Yet I didn't see a single mask on my ride through the city or on the bike path! But I saw numerous people going for a run in this haze!! So much for their health... MASK UP!

Reminder that even if you can’t see or smell smoke, Melbourne & Victoria is being covered in a fine layer of bushfire ash. Wear a P2 or N95 mask when you’re outside, as you’ll be breathing it in. Even more important if you’re pregnant, have asthma, or otherwise medically vulnerable. #VicFires

Whoa. My sis just sent me this - a pyrocumulus eruption above a fire 50km away.

So grateful for the 8 air purifiers I have going on high, bc even with most windows closed and my mask on the house stinks of smoke from the bushfires. We still need the air con on bc it is 34° (down from 44° earlier). #climatecrisis #bushfires #Melbourne

Thunderstorm Asthma warning today for southern parts of Victoria. Areas at a moderate level: South West, Central (including Melbourne) and West & South Gippsland. #VicFires

When emergency service officials are crying in town meetings the day BEFORE (last night)… You know it’s going to get absolutely horrific 😭 #VicFires

Victorians, if you haven't left yet or are leaving first thing, check on your disabled neighbours. Ditto if you're somewhere safe from fires but not heat. Even if it's your first conversation with them. It might mean it's not their last. The federal government already left them behind.

It's just past 5am, the wind is here, parts of Melbourne are already above 30°C and much of the state of Victoria has a Catastrophic fire warning. It's going to be a hell of a day...or realistically a hell of a few weeks... #VicFires

What’s the heat health plan for exploited workers? Who is checking their working standards?

Who on earth would put their daughters through this.

Just spoke to my local library - they said they cannot offer extended hours for refuge from the heat as they do not have the funding 😭. Sucks that local councils have to fund this .. where is the Federal Environment minister? They're the ones approving new coal and gas mines.

And if there’s bushfires like the summer of 2019: keep your windows closed. Use an air filter if you have one. Wear a mask if you have to go outside. Yes it sucks, but there were around 450 excess deaths due to respiratory and cardiovascular problems as a result of smoke

Great list of ideas for escaping the heat in the city.

Australians, hit the streets tomorrow and Monday in solidarity with Venezuela

HANDS OFF VENEZUELA EMERGENCY PROTESTS! MELBOURNE: Sunday 4 January, 5pm, Flinders Street Station SYDNEY: Sunday 4 January, 6pm, Sydney Town Hall BRISBANE: Sunday 4 January, 5pm, King George Square CANBERRA: Sunday 4 January, PERTH: Monday 5 January, 5:30pm, US Consulate (16 St Georges Tce)

This cartoon and two others are available now as prints here: www.guardianprintshop.com/pages/tom-gaulds-best-cultural-cartoons-of-2025

Every day I just barely resist the urge to pick up my cat and pretend to play her like a set of bagpipes. She will never understand these sacrifices I make for her.

Also: EBook: reading. Listened to a book: reading. Whether someone read aloud to you, or your listened to an audiobook, it's reading.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... My favourite story today..