48 — Digitally manipulated podcast (feat. Jim Malo)

We're joined by jounalist and Posting expert Jim Malo to discuss Australia's return to our natural state: on fire and mad at foreigners.

 

Listening to the experts

• Kristina Kerscher Keneally has urged the NSW Government to slow down on reforms to drug laws.

We’re on fire

• Australia is still on fire. Fraser Island has been burning since October.
• “This shouldn’t be happening. This is just crazy. This is completely terrifying” — David Bowman, professor of fire ecology at the University of Tasmania
• Jim’s article highlighting Gippsland fire survivors.
• Fires aren’t supposed to happen in Australian rainforests.
• After last years fires, the government announced a $4.2 billion emergency response fund, of which $0 has been spent, and a $2.1 billion fund bushfire recovery fund, of which $1.2 billion has been actually distributed to the ruined towns.

Meme Wars

• Jim’s article on Australia caring more about the meme than the war crimes.
• China and Australia are in a meme war.
• This was in retaliation to the Australian-Japan defence agreement, and Morrison calling for an investigation to into China’s Coronavirus handling.
• The image cannot be not called anything but “fake”, “doctored” or “computer generated”.
• Australian soliders were photographed doing a shoey from a dead Taliban fighter’s prosthetic leg.
• Minister for resources Matt Canavan has called for an end to Australia’s “abusive relationship” with China.
• Buying Australia’s wine in solidarity.
• 60 Australian coal ships are stranded off the coast of Chin, for up to 24 weeks.

Coalture Wars

• The Australian newspaper is spruiking coal in an 8-page lift-out on how amazing coal is.
• It’s an annual tradition — they ran a coal liftout in 2019 as well.
• Mining company Santos sponsors cars for the Queensland police.
• Energy Minister Angus Taylor calls for the State Governments to get back in line with federal (lack of) policy.
• The UN climate summit president has thanked Australian states — but not the federal government — for their action on climate change.
• Scott Morrison has dropped the plan to use “Kyoto carryover credits”.

Class Wars

• ACTU head Sally McManus calls for halving of insecure work by 2030.
• Meanwhile Industrial Relations minister Christian Porter has moved to allow bosses to change worker’s hours, duties and location arbitrarily.
• …and proposed additional powers to break up unions.
• From 2018, the laws were supposed to change to allow casual workers to move to permanent part time.

Shoutouts

• Listen to Mitch on the Highbrow Drivel podcast.
• Shoutout to the Gamil Means No protest against Santos.

Actions

• Join the AUWU protest against the cuts to the Jobkeeper rate on December 12.
• Follow Jim on Twitter, read his work in Junkee and listen to Vocal Minory RRR.