Issue 82: 17 March to 23 March

# The Beat Up

The true story of Kimberley Kitching and the Labor gang
Guy Rundle | Crikey
An ALP sub-faction centred on Bill Shorten risks betraying the party and gifting Scott Morrison a chance to hold on to power..
A revealing line up at right-wing Australian Labor senator’s funeral
Mike Head | WSWS

Kimberley Kitching’s death has exposed a battle within the Labor Party that is playing out in sexist language like ‘mean girls’
Virginia Trioli | ABC News
It’s instructive to remember that Georgiou, deeply unpopular with Howard Liberals for his stance on asylum seekers and refugees, was also subjected to a pre-selection challenge in his blue-ribbon seat of Kooyong: the losing challenger was Josh Frydenberg. Nobody called him a “mean boy”.

# War there and here

The War in Ukraine and Imperial Decline
Tim Strom | Arena Online

Appeals for international solidarity as Zelensky moves against Ukrainian left
Steve Sweeney | Green Left
Ukrainian leftists appealed for international solidarity on March 20 as Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky moved to ban the activities of at least 11 leftist groups with “links to Russia”.

Statement on the war in Ukraine
KSRD Ukraine | Vanguard
Western imperialism is interested in defeating the Putin clique at the hands of the Ukrainian people. And, as a consequence, to gain access to the rich resources of Russia. 

There is no middle ground in an invasion that has never ended
Barry Corr | Overland
Dismantling the structures that bedevil the lives of Aboriginal people does not mean that Aboriginal anger will cool, or that anything will be forgiven—it is far too late for that—but for the beneficiaries of settlement it might be the first step in a necessary process of self-recognition. For us Aboriginal people, it might signal the beginnings of the end of invasion. 

Impunity for killer cops
Diane Fieldes | Red Flag
On 11 March, after a five-week trial, police constable Zachary Rolfe was found not guilty of all charges relating to the 2019 shooting death of a 19-year-old Aboriginal man. Not guilty of murder, not guilty of manslaughter, not guilty of engaging in a violent act causing death. Not guilty of anything.

## Economy

The Greens’ liveable income guarantee is a serious idea the major parties won’t touch – yet
John Quiggin | The Conversation

Dental care must be on the election agenda – it’s time
Lesley Russell, Heiko Spallek | Pearls and Irritations

The Great Resignation: an Australian perspective 
Daniel Zola | Overland
In Australia, Covid has not tipped the scales in favour of labour and against capital. Our challenges remain the same as ever.

The return of the state? The roll of government in managing the pandemic
Jarrod Allen, Alex Wodak | Pearls and Irritations

Socialist candidate: ‘We need to take back public assets’ 
Suzanne James, Sam Wainwright | Green Left

New mindset needed to fix ‘childcare deserts’ leaving millions of families behind: Experts
Matthew Elmas | The New Daily

The Big Sugar juggernaut: how corporate players keep Australia addicted to a sweet killer
Marcus Reubenstein | Michael West Media

## Environment

Angus Taylor’s $3.5 billion carbon blunder
Mike Seccombe | The Saturday Paper
A decision by Angus Taylor to open up the market for carbon credits has made it cheaper for companies to pollute and has transferred billions in value to the private sector.

UN chief singles out Australia as ‘holdout’ on climate action in ‘striking’ criticism
Tracey Ferrier | The New Daily

Government offers carbon tax cuts as ‘dodgy’ offsets criticised
Renew Economy | Independent Australia

## Elsewhere

The Authoritarian Consolidation Attempt In Turkey
Gorken Altinors, Ümit Akcay | Progress in Political Economy