Issue 102: 18 August – 24 August 2022

#farrightfantasies

The far-right disinformation pipeline that now spans the globe goes straight from Trumpland to Australia
Van Badham | The Guardian
A rump of anti-vaxxers obstructing the families of child cancer patients on the Melbourne streets may seem a world away from the outcome of Donald Trump’s latest problems with the law in Florida. This is unless you are on the internet monitoring these groups of people, in which case parallels may be conspicuous.

The rise of far-right Hindu nationalism in Australia
Santilla Chingaipe | The Saturday Paper
Far-right Indian nationalism is spilling into Australia, with sections of the Indian diaspora responsible for hate crimes against Sikhs and Muslims. Political leaders are being asked to be more aware of the danger.

Morrison and the Book of Revelation: the signs of conspiracy are everywhere, people!
Guy Rundle | Crikey
A PM who believes in signs, myths and a god who anointed him, advises a G-G to prorogue Parliament… Come on! It’s not that farfetched!

Parliament must act to ensure Australia never has ‘secret ministers’ again
Luke Beck | The Conversation

The global significance of the resort to extra-parliamentary forms of rule in Australia
Mike Head | World Socialist Web Site

Inside Queensland’s green wave
Paddy Manning | The Saturday Paper

Cricket Is Political, and Shane Warne Knew It
Fred J. Stokes | Jacobin

#climate

Against populationism
Jeff Sparrow | Overland
If the masses truly threaten the well-being of the planet by their existence, would, say, the emergence of a new and deadly pandemic be such a problem? The more morally squeamish of the populationist crowd might not like to follow that train of thought to its ultimate destination but plenty of others will.

Environmental Protests Work — That’s Why Australian Governments Are Banning Them
Lyndal Rowlands | Jacobin

Lessons for Australia’s monkeypox response
Bianca Nogrady | The Saturday Paper

Nearly 6 months on, flood victims are still waiting to be housed. This is what Australia must do to be ready for the next disaster
Mark Maund, Kim Maund, Thayaparan Gajendran | The Conversation

Why lithium power politics are playing out very differently in Chile and Bolivia
Vijay Prashad, Taroa Zúñiga Silva | Green Left

#mechanicsofliving

A rise in wages should be good news, but in real terms, this is historically pitiful
Greg Jericho | The Guardian
This really does scrape the bottom of what can constitute “good”. This level of wages growth is historically pitiful.

Where do the RBA and economists now stand on wages growth?
Alan Kohler | The New Daily
It’s a pity the Jobs and Skills Summit didn’t happen a year ago. At least then the Reserve Bank and most economists would have been on board with reforming the bargaining system and restraining immigration to get wages up.

The tax cut promise that must now be broken
John Quiggin | Independent Australia
The Stage 3 tax cuts were legislated in 2018 and designed by then-Treasurer Scott Morrison. They have all the hallmarks of a Morrison political stunt. The first two stages, benefitting mostly middle-income earners, were designed to sweeten the pill of the third and biggest, which flows almost entirely to those on high incomes.

SA Public Hospital Workers Take Action Over Increases To Cost Of Living
Ned K | Vanguard

#housingenergyeducation

Housing own goal worsens our inflation problem
Ross Gittins | SMHAge
Maybe Australian builders found the thought of increasing their prices more attractive than the thought of building a bigger business to accommodate a temporary, policy-caused surge in demand.

The housing market is class war
Editorial | Red Flag

NSW Greens MP Abigail Boyd calls for the energy sector to be nationalised
Paul Gregoire | Green Left

Early childhood education shouldn’t be for profit
United Workers Union member | Red Flag
For many childcare centres, being dangerously and illegally understaffed has become the norm. Educators are pressured not to take leave, or sometimes even lunch breaks, and workloads keep increasing, while wages don’t. 

Who cares about universities?
Richard Hill | Arena
The transformation of universities into vocational training centres is, under the logic of the prevailing ideological order, all about meeting the needs of the neoliberal economy.

#misc

Capitalism’s war in Ukraine
William Briggs | Green Left

Australian Labor government supplies more fuel to Sri Lankan navy for anti-refugee operations
Max Boddy | World Socialist Web Site