Even for seasoned critics of capitalism, the headline statistic published by Oxfam makes the jaw drop in amazement. Of all the new wealth produced globally since 2020, two-thirds has gone into the pockets of the wealthiest 1 percent.
Hundreds of nurses and midwives walked off the job at St Vincent’s Private Hospital in Sydney on Thursday. In response to stalled negotiation, blue-scrub-clad members of the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association rallied outside the Darlinghurst hospital and the Mater Hospital in North Sydney for a one-hour stoppage at 1pm.
New South Wales has been thrown into a COVID testing crisis as daily case numbers skyrocket, reaching a new record of 21,151 on New Year’s Eve. Per head of population, the state now has a higher level of transmission than the United States, according to New York Times data. PCR testing clinics are overwhelmed, many people are waiting close to a week for their results, and rapid antigen test kits are almost impossible to find.
Since a resounding “yes” vote was returned in the 2017 marriage equality plebiscite, senior members of the Liberal government have been plotting new ways to undermine LGBTI rights and restore the confidence of bigots. Shaken by their defeat, and the discrediting of the idea that the right represents the “silent majority” in Australia, the culture warriors in the Liberal Party and Australian Christian Lobby have adopted “religious freedom” as their political cudgel.
What better way to celebrate the first anniversary of the victorious “yes” vote for marriage equality than by watching the Liberal Party and the Christian right’s handling of the Religious Freedom Review.
“ANU prides itself on the principle of academic freedom and I am always proud to see our students standing up for issues they feel strongly about. I am disappointed this happened, and everyone has learned from it.”