Not Good Enough

107 — Good* news

It's a good* news week!

 

International news

• Anthony Albanese reassures the nation that no-one cares if he wins or not.

Good* news

• Nurses in NSW are striking for better pay and safer conditions.
• The Omicron wave and the withdrawal of government supports has been brutal for health workers.
• The ICU nurse in the US who quit, and encouraged others to do the same.
• Environmental activists win high court case, stopping a new coal mine in the Bylong Valley.
• Victoria has decriminalized sex work!
• We won’t need to worry about inhaling burnt koala noses for too much longer.
• This follows deliberate action from the NSW government to block legislation to project koalas.

Bigotry begone?

• The religious discrimination bill has been withdrawn.
• This follow’s Rebekah Sharkie’s successful amendment to the sex discrimination act that would have prevented the transphobia intended by the original bill.
• Transphobes have taken a sudden interest in “saving women’s sport”.
• Arizona has just passed the “Save Women’s Sports Act”, intended to do exactly the same thing.
• We’ve talked about the Olympics before.

 

106 — Longest straight section of fail

Western Australia succeeds in succeeding, the Religious Discrimination bill is bad and aged care is in cri—.

 

International news

• Western Australia is cut off from the nation, with their only rail link flooded out.
• As a result of this, WA is running out of water treatment chemicals.
• Mining magnate Gina Rinehart has advocated using nuclear bombs to mine iron ore.

Religious discrimination

• Mitch was on the Drum!
• The Federal government is still pushing their pet “Religious Discrimination” bill.
• The Labor party has said they’ll conditionally support it.
• Citipointe Christian College has made students sign an enrollment form confirming that they are not trans.
• Most Australians don’t even want this thing!

Aged care is in cri—

• PM Scott Morrison almost called the situation in aged care homes a crisis.
• The Aged Care minister went to the cricket instead of going to an inquiry on the situation.
• Aged care workers are going to be paid a one-time bonus of $800.
• Listen to a cool podcast called Not Good Enough talk about royal commissions.

Textgate

• At the big press conference for losers, Scott Morrison was called a psycho.
• Everyone in Canberra hates each other. Malcolm Turnbull calling Mathias Cormann “weak and treacherous”. Post-leadership spill: “It is not over, fight continues, f*** (Morrison).”, Senior minister calling staffer Brittney Higgins “a lying cow”.
• Peter Van Onselen has been named in a bullying complaint at Channel 10.
• Barnaby Joyce’s fiance wrote an article headlined “Coward Cabinet Minister Who Leaked Texts Should Quit”. Later that afternoon texts were leaked showing Joyce calling Scott Morrison a hypocrite and a liar.

Shoutouts

• Solidarity with Vanuatuan seasonal worker Sergio, who had wages stolen and organised a strike with fellow workers.
• The Antipoverty Center is running a fundraiser for their Abolish Work for the Dole campaign.
• Isaac’s cute little numbers game.

105 — Sister, mother, tenant

The Aged Care minister goes to the cricket, the NDIS is a complicated octopus and Scott Morrison gets the respect he deserves.

 

Weather talk

• Ever year, we see more and more once-in-a-century days for it.

Aged careless

• Aged Care Minister Richard Colbeck went to the cricket instead of fronting a committee hearing on his policies.
• Last year, Colbeck didn’t know the number of people who had died under his department’s care.
• Health care minister Stewart Robert doesn’t seem to care that aged care residents are going without food and water.
• Minister for the NDIS Linda Reynolds says participants will be allowed to use their funds to purchase RATs.

A system of vouchers

• So… it’s basically use your own money to buy RATs.
• Carolyn Campbell-Mclean spent $1300 on RATs and couldn’t get them reimbursed.
• Meanwhile, pharmacies are losing money on the government’s harebrained scheme to allow concession card holders to access tests.

Treating Scott Morrison with the respect he deserved

• Outgoing Australian of the year Grace Tame refused to smile for the cameras with Scott Morrison next to her.
• News man Peter Van Onselen chucked a hissy fit about it.

 

104 — Fresh road meat

Meat just keeps getting spilled, everyone's back working for the economy and the Labor party loves doing borders.

 

Okay here’s the meat

• Meatspill 2: Meating of the Meats

It’s the economy, and you’re stupid

• Josh Frydenburg says industrial action is bad for the economy.
• The Labor party says free RATs are good for the economy.
• Scott Morrison reckons children driving forklifts would be great for the economy!
• Meanwhile, schools are going back, which will be a killer move for the economy!

Vaccine nationalism

• Kristina Kersher Keneally reckons Australia should be tougher at the border when it comes to vaccines.
• Never mind that Australia’s pacific neighbors have very low vaccine rates…
• …quite a lot of which is our own fault.
• Australia an China have been digging into a vaccine cold war in the pacific.

Shoutouts

• Listen to the Citations Needed episode on GDP fetishism.
• Folding Ideas has a great new video on NFTs.
• Friend of the show Tom Tanuki’s youtube channel is going from strength to strength.
• Anyone heard of this game called Bloodborne? Folks? Is this anything?

103 — Dillsong ha ha

Australia's Unions post through it, it's very very hot, and Hillsong have a big party.

 

Posting through it

• Union leader Sally McManus says that Unions are not launching a pay rise blitz.
• Cool hashtag: #WTFWoolies.
• Meatworks workers are having to wear hairnets to show their covid status.

It’s hot!

• Australia may have hit it’s hottest day ever — some places hitting above 50 degree. Time to have fun in the sun!
• Maybe try wearing bathers and a raincoat?
• Part of the area that hit 50 degrees was Roebourne Regional Prison, which has no air conditioning.
• Last year it hit 48 degrees.
• The area where these temperatures are so hot? A massive area for off-shore fossil fuel extraction.
• Meanwhile, the government is sending counterterrorism police to raid climate activists for taking photos of someone else writing chalk messages on a bridge.

Praise be!

• Hillsong held a massive festival under the guise of a religious event, while other festivals and venues close are forced to close without government support.
• Plus attendees were doing shoeys of water, which is incredibly lame.
• Scott Morrison is a devout Pentecostal, an good friends with Hillsong leader Brian Houston.

Shoutouts

• Fuck australia day. Donate to Pay the Rent and Sisters Inside.

102 — Screaming (feat. Emerald Moon)

Rats, we forgot to order any RATs! Also Mitch talks to Emerald Moon from the Serious Danger podcast about Green politics, Byron life and loud music.

 

Circle of self-indulgence

• Omicron: There’s lots of it around.
• McLean’s book club: The Gone Away World by Nick Harkaway
• Scott Morrison says Jen gets the tests for him.
• …and that “Australians are taking wickets in the virus”???
• RAT tests are simply not available in Australia.

Byron punks

• Listen to the Serious Danger podcast!
• Listen to Class War
• Listen to Eye of the Enemy
• Rex Hunt on Byron hardcore.

Shoutouts

• Shoutout to the acts who have supported the boycott of the Sydney Festival and cancelled their acts.
• Watch BDS organiser Jennine Khalik’s interview on the Project.

101 — Buying Power

We talk about Shell's acquisition of Powershop and the cool cool Labor party.

 

Power flop

• Powershop got acquired by Shell.
• Energy Australia cancelled their partnership with Powershop.
• Amber Electric got sassy.
• Shell have said they plan to reach “net zero” by 2050.

Opposition party?

• The Labor party have announced a plan to reduce emissions by 43% by 2030 if they are elected. Such ambition!
• They’ve also dumped plans for vehicle emissions standards.
• And worked with the government to hand out more subsidies to gas miners.
• Oh also they worked with the LNP to stifle criticism from charities.

Actions

• Change your energy provider again. Sorry. Hopefully it’ll work out next time! Check out Co Power or Amber Electric.
• Listen to A Serious Danger, it’s good!

 

100 — The gang de-isolates

We're all recording in the same room for the first time in 91 episodes! It's a bit chaotic. Also some news is discussed.

 

Blocked Blockade

• A Blockade Australia activist has been jailed for 12 months for stopping a coal train.
• Tough lockdown anti-protest laws are now being used against envionmental protestors.
• WA Premier proposed keeping border checks post-covid to stop drugs.

Schools out for parliament

• The Liberal government have decided to not establish an ICAC, even though they promised :(
• Why on earth are we doing a religious discrimination bill again?
• The Labor party are being incredibly wishy-washy about whether they support it or not, because of course they are.
• Oh hey the Liberal and Labor party also joined forces to give more money to carbon capture (doesn’t work).

Who wedgies the wedgier?

• Scott Morrison lied about whether he said he was going on holiday specifically to Hawaii?

 

99 — gay little ep (feat. Evie)

MQFF help pinkwash apartheid, Dani Laidley returns as a hero, and the Victorian Pride Lobby release a massive report on LGBTIQA+ people's feelings toward police.

 

Pinkwashing

• The Melbourne Queer Film Festival were asked to drop a pink-washing Israli film, and join in BDS against the aparthied state.
• They didn’t, saying they wanted to remain “apolitical”.
• The push to remove the film was spearheaded by Queer Palestinians like Lujayn Hourani.
• MQFF co-president Molly Whelan and board member Nayuka Gorrie have resigned over the festival’s decision.

Returning hero

• Former North Melbourne coach Dani Laidley returned to speak at the football club, representing her “old tribe and new tribe”.
• Dani was outed as trans by police, who leaked photos and made transphobic comments.

Pride lobby

• The Victorian Pride lobby surveyed 1,500 LGBTIQA+ people to understand their feelings towards police.
• In 2019, police raided queer bookshop Hares & Hyenas, breaking a man’s arm (they also had the wrong address).
• IBAC found it was okay though.
• Get cops out of pride.

 

98 — Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies

Heroes keep stopping coal trains, Scott Morrison has never told a lie and Australia wins at Climate Golf.

Hero watch

• Direct action works. Blockade Australia are repeatedly shutting down train lines from coal mines.
• Blockade Australia are planning a massive disruption in Sydney on June 27th.
• Every Time I Die — People Verses

Never lying

• Scott Morrison says he has never told a lie in public.
• This follows him backtracking on some of his electric vehicles policies.
• We’re in a “post-reality-based community” world.
• Pauline Hanson’s campaign released a piece of political propaganda. Not gonna link to it.

Climate Change Performance

• Australia scored a big fat zero in Greenhouse Gas Per Capita in the The Climate Change Performance Index.
• Labor’s Chris Bowen framed this as “Australia’s biggest economic opportunity”.
• Ex-Wallabies captain David Pocock compared fossil fuel advertising to cigarette sponsorship.
• The AFLW league is heavily sponsored by BHP.
• The Government’s “Plan” for getting to Net Zero is extremely bad. For one thing it doesn’t even get to zero.
• It’s “slow, lazy and shockingly irresponsible”.
• Meanwhile, Tuvalu is investigating legal ways they can maintain their maritime territories if the island is submerged.

Shoutouts

• Solidarity with staff from Better Read Than Dead are back on strike after management reneged on their promises for a new deal.
• Shoutout to the Toll workers who struck in seven warehouses for better pay. They won!
• On the 20th of November, the Campaign Against Racism and Fascism are counterprotesting the antivax nutjobs.