The federal environment minister has conceded that successive governments acted unlawfully when they failed to create mandatory recovery plans for native species threatened with extinction

Exclusive: distinguished Prof Fiona Stanley was ‘ashamed’ after the hospital named after her abruptly cancelled an event featuring Palestinian-Australian doctors speaking about their experiences in Gaza, and says she even considered asking the hospital to remove her name

I "made" @birdmichael.bsky.social come to the Western Treatment Plant with me on a workday to look for brolgas and orange-bellied parrots so I could write this article

Meanjin’s performance and sustainability were the focus of a review commissioned by MUP in February. The final recommendations of the report, which was never released publicly, did not include closing Meanjin.

Exclusive: Complaint letter emerges after the Royal Children’s Hospital decided to cancel a ‘children and war’ panel, angering staff www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

It’s ludicrous and insulting to suggest that the richest university in Australia can’t afford the two part-time wages to run Meanjin. Also: did they even try to save it? Donation drive? Philanthropic efforts? Offering it to another institution? No. The university council shut it down intentionally.

Since our very first issue Meanjin and Overland have been comrades, mates, rivals, and drinking buddies. The UMP board’s decision is a shockingly myopic act of cultural vandalism which will grievously harm the Australian literary community.

What the actual fuck

Genuinely shocked to read this paragraph in The Australian today, as a take on yesterday's racist, anti-immigrant marches.

I'd suggest that today's events constitute an opportunity for those opposed to Nazism & fascism to take a moment to reflect on the ease with which neo-Nazis can assume leadership in these moments.

Important seal news: www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

well this is very depressing...everyone in this country should learn and know how to swim, by @gingerandhoney.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

A follow to yesterday's story: A growing number of Australian GPs have reported being subjected to frivolous or vexatious complaints to the health regulator about social media posts opposing Israel’s war in Gaza. www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

New from me today: High-profile emergency physician Dr Stephen Parnis has stepped down as chair of the board of a leading medical insurance provider in an apparent response to concerns about statements he has made on social media opposing the war in Gaza.

Sitting outside my violin teacher’s house because I’m five minutes early and being treated to an absolute virtuoso performance between him and his current student and it’s glorious to hear

Writers festival requires ‘complete self-censorship’ over Gaza war, academic says, as speakers withdraw in protest

One of the many devastating things about making this video was that we had to update it about three times during the making to account for further killings of journalists, including (you'll see at the end) a special mention of the 6 Al Jazeera journalists targeted by Israel. Please watch to the end.

Stop killing journalists. @withmeaa.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMq8...

Yesterday MEAA Deputy Chief Executive Adam Portelli spoke to ABC Radio Canberra on the targeted killings of Al Jazeera journalists Anas Al Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh, and camera operators Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, and Moamen Aliwa by Israel.

MEAA condemns targeted attacks on Gaza journalists as a war crime as toll nears 200 deaths

Al-Sharif killed in what appears to be a targeted Israeli attack on tent housing journalists outside al-Shifa hospital.

This week I hung out with some alpacas

Really proud of my colleagues and the work they've done on this series. Read the first part here. There's more coming too.

MEAA supports the Palestine Action Group’s bid to March for Humanity across the Sydney Harbour Bridge. meaa.io/4laIpSL

did they censure One Nation for turning their backs on welcome to country yesterday in the chamber or...?

There are so many shameful details in this story. Consider, for eg, this whole passage:

Tried to write something about how unspeakably abhorrent it is that it took more than 20 months of live-streamed brutality and suffering for politicians to say they were “appalled and sickened” by what Israel is doing to Palestinians in Gaza but I’m so fucking furious about it that I can’t even

A horrifying statement published today by the Editorial Committee of the Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency. "Without immediate intervention, the last reporters in Gaza will die" Translation from French to English by @cnorristrent.bsky.social:

It's not often you get to write a love story for news media. I really enjoyed working on this one.

Strong statement from MEAA

Australian envoy’s antisemitism plan criticised as ‘Trumpian’ over concerns changes could be used to silence dissent www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

Artists, academics, charity workers: My DMs are open if you want to share your views on the antisemitism envoy's report. [email protected]

On ghouls, a triple murder, tragedy www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

"That arts funding in Australia has enemies should not have come as a surprise to members of the board of Creative Australia. But if the agency is really going to test major grants against their potential for criticism, then the game has already been lost." www.crikey.com.au/2025/07/03/c...

Yes, the danger here is that institutions will simply become more polished in their cowardice. But that is not competence. Because an artist expressing a potentially controversial view is *not a crisis*! It is their job. Arts leaders who don’t understand that: you’re in the wrong sector. #auspol

Pretty stark, huh.

Some personal news (as they say): after more than 3 years of reporting on inequality for @australia.theguardian.com, I am officially stepping down from the round. But I'm not going anywhere: I am thrilled to be moving into a features-focused reporting role, with an open subject brief.

as I mentioned earlier watching a very good film about boxing and brain injury, written, directed and starring Paddy Considine, Journeyman (Stan) I would also highly recommend @gingerandhoney.bsky.social book dealing with the same subject, After the Count.

Two University of Melbourne students have been recommended for expulsion and two for suspension for taking part in a pro-Palestine demonstration at the University of Melbourne’s Parkville campus last October. www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

modern computing as it came to be exists because skilled craftspeople did the work to create the Jacquard loom and bring beautiful fabric to the masses of people who coveted it. and now AI bros are like… what if humans never wrote another book ever again.

I saw this loom lit up for Ballarat’s new Hidden festival last weekend. It is pretty fucking great.

It’s not just a story about a loom but it’s a story about everything good we’re letting economic rationalism ruin. One student described the (new arts) training package as akin to “filling out a visa application over and over again”

Also I really feel like we could do with more Harry Braverman in mainstream labour discourse as a general rule

When RMIT decided to junk a rare, $160k weaving loom, a group of artists, teachers and students united to rescue it. The story of this loom felt like a snapshot of everything that’s wrong with how we treat arts and crafts in tertiary education, so I wrote this: www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

Today's cartoon... www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

This is going to be an absolute car crash, the Supreme Court verdict looks more absurd by the day www.thetimes.com/article/86fb...

Exclusive: This QLD-based disability housing and support provider collapsed in March with more than $500k in tax debt, amid claims they didn't adequately care for people with disability and imposed restrictions on residents that isolated them from the community. www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

New freelance piece by me for @crikey.com.au on the scramble inside the govt to respond to Trump's ethnic cleansing proposal

Among the prison population, the prevalence of acquired brain injury is astronomically high, leading legal experts to argue that the justice system is effectively criminalising disability. Thank you to Mike and Jai for sharing their stories. www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

“Prisons do become warehouses for people who have mental health issues or disability support needs” essential reading from @gingerandhoney.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...