Auspol January: I think that young Abbott would make a really good minister

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > Auspol January: I think that young Abbott would make a really good minister

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Doctor Spaceman: Jul 6, 2010; "Everyone's entitled to their point of view, but that's seriously a weird one."

SadisTech posted:

Counting down until Renai LeMay justifies his premium content article about how Nick Ross was not gagged whatsoever and is just seeking attention as being the legitimate truth in some tortured fashion

Hah, he's hidden a bunch of the text of that article that previously could be seen without a subscription.

# ? Jan 21, 2016 09:25

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? May 23, 2024 09:23

ewe2: Jul 1, 2009

Hopefully the transcripts will be readable, at what point does that article hide content?

# ? Jan 21, 2016 10:48

SadisTech: Jun 26, 2013; Clem.

ewe2 posted:

Hopefully the transcripts will be readable, at what point does that article hide content?

Not the New Matilda piece. Delimiter. https://delimiter.com.au/2016/01/15/the-inside-track-no-the-abc-did-not-gag-nick-ross/ <- This previously had a fair bit more text available to non-subscribers. I wonder if the whole thing will disappear?

LeMay has come out with mea culpas before, so he might bite the bullet, but it's certainly not the most professional of looks for someone aiming to be a leading independent tech journalist.

# ? Jan 21, 2016 11:03

I would blow Dane Cook: Dec 26, 2008

The gently caress kind of name is Renai??

# ? Jan 21, 2016 11:10

PaletteSwappedNinja: Jun 3, 2008; One Nation, Under God.

ewe2 posted:

Hopefully the transcripts will be readable, at what point does that article hide content?

The New Matilda article isn't behind a paywall but they haven't posted full transcripts, I think there are more articles coming over the weekend or something.

The paywalled article people are talking about was a thing on Delimiter by some guy who was all "Nick Ross wasn't gagged by anyone, he's full of poo poo, pay to find out why!" with the why being a semantic argument about how noone ever officially gagged him and how everyone's being overemotional babies or some other bullshit.

# ? Jan 21, 2016 11:11

xPanda: Feb 6, 2003; Was that me or the door?

Does anyone have access to the paywalled article and can post it here?

# ? Jan 21, 2016 11:30

ewe2: Jul 1, 2009

Ohhh right, I wasn't up with that Delimiter thing, but hopefully NM puts out the transcript and shuts him up. ABC is quietly freaking out and hoping this gets blown away by whatever madness comes out this invasion day weekend.

# ? Jan 21, 2016 12:29

The Peccadillo: Mar 4, 2013; We Have Important Work To Do

https://www.facebook.com/events/161845574186315/

# ? Jan 21, 2016 14:19

hooman: Oct 11, 2007; This guy seems legit.; Fun Shoe

The Peccadillo posted:

https://www.facebook.com/events/161845574186315/

"I look at flag burning as an act of treason." ~ A person who does not understand treason.

# ? Jan 21, 2016 15:42

Lizard Combatant: Sep 29, 2010; I have some notes.

hooman posted:

"I look at flag burning as an act of treason." ~ A person who does not understand treason.

Maybe she means that she herself likes to look at burning flags for the warm treasonous glow they give?

Yeah... Think about it

Lizard Combatant fucked around with this message at 17:41 on Jan 21, 2016

# ? Jan 21, 2016 16:47

The Peccadillo: Mar 4, 2013; We Have Important Work To Do

hooman posted:

"I look at flag burning as an act of treason." ~ A person who does not understand treason.

It ... sorta is, isn't it? Like, fundamentally

Or do you mean that dude missed the point?

# ? Jan 21, 2016 18:38

You Am I: May 20, 2001; Me @ your poasting

Burning a flag isn't treasonous, no matter how much flag waving patriots think it is

# ? Jan 21, 2016 22:27

starkebn: May 18, 2004; "Oooh, got a little too serious. You okay there, little buddy?"

no, Treason is when you betray your country (government?) to its enemies, not defacing a pointless symbol.

# ? Jan 21, 2016 22:39

Recoome: Nov 9, 2013; Matter of fact, I'm salty now.

lol

# ? Jan 21, 2016 23:02

Solemn Sloth: Jul 11, 2015; Baby you can shout at me,
But you can't need my eyes.

starkebn posted:

no, Treason is when you betray your country (government?) to its enemies, not defacing a pointless symbol.

Yes but have you considered that burning the flag means the terrorists win

# ? Jan 21, 2016 23:03

Recoome: Nov 9, 2013; Matter of fact, I'm salty now.

What really makes me irrationally angry is when people question the ~honour~ and greatness that is Australia.

# ? Jan 21, 2016 23:05

chyaroh: Aug 8, 2007

The NRA have apparently come out swinging against the Australian gun laws. A bit late, considering the buy back was so long ago, but it's probably trying to position itself in the USA regarding Obama's executive orders. At least one of the comments on the video was "this wouldn't happen in the USA without a bloodbath." The irony is astounding. You have to wonder how some people in the US can function at any level with that amount of cognitive dissonance reverberating around their skulls.

# ? Jan 21, 2016 23:05

starkebn: May 18, 2004; "Oooh, got a little too serious. You okay there, little buddy?"

Recoome posted:

What really makes me irrationally angry is when people question the ~honour~ and greatness that is Australia.

But, but, they followed orders at the complete debacle that was the Dardanelles campaign

:cry:

oh, and the Light Horse rode to their deaths too.

These things "define a nation"

don't think about the genocide

# ? Jan 21, 2016 23:17

starkebn: May 18, 2004; "Oooh, got a little too serious. You okay there, little buddy?"

Oh, I was reading (listening actually) to The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells [1898] recently, and this stood out. It's the sixth paragraph:

H.G. Wells posted:

And before we judge of them too harshly we must remember what ruthless and utter destruction our own species has wrought, not only upon animals, such as the vanished bison and the dodo, but upon its inferior races. The Tasmanians, in spite of their human likeness, were entirely swept out of existence in a war of extermination waged by European immigrants, in the space of fifty years. Are we such apostles of mercy as to complain if the Martians warred in the same spirit?

# ? Jan 21, 2016 23:23

Recoome: Nov 9, 2013; Matter of fact, I'm salty now.

starkebn posted:

Oh, I was reading (listening actually) to The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells [1898] recently, and this stood out. It's the sixth paragraph:

The War of the Worlds is actually quite cool and good. I mean, the story is about some technologically superior beings attempting to aggressive colonise a place and wipe out the technologically inferior inhabitants. The allegory to imperialism is probably lost on some people.

# ? Jan 21, 2016 23:33

open24hours: Jan 7, 2001

Canberra Liberals proving their relevance.

quote:

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/jeremy-hanson-proposes-new-onepunch-offences-for-the-act-20160120-gmaioj.html
Anyone found guilty of serious one-punch attacks causing death could face up to 25 years in jail under draft ACT legislation proposed by Opposition Leader Jeremy Hanson.

Mr Hanson said the community wanted tougher penalties for unprovoked, serious criminal assaults known as "coward's punch" attacks. Changes to the Crimes Act would see the creation of a new aggravated offence to deal with one-punch attacks and tougher penalties for a range of offences including grievous bodily harm, assault and affray.

The move comes after a series of one-punch attacks and drunken assaults around Canberra's busiest nightspots and in other Australian cities in recent months. Last year ACT Attorney-General Simon Corbell ruled out introducing new offences, or mandatory minimum jail sentences, for one-punch attacks and other forms of alcohol-related violence.

The opposition's draft legislation is set to be introduced into the Legislative Assembly's first sitting period next month and shared with community groups and victims' advocates for feedback. It would apply to an attacker who hit another person without provocation. Penalties for assault would apply even if a one-punch attack could not be proven.

Mr Hanson said he would seek to win support for the plan from the government or from Greens Minister Shane Rattenbury in coming months, but was prepared to take the issue to October's territory election.

The draft legislation is the opposition's first new policy announcement in the election year and comes as Chief Minister Andrew Barr reshuffles his front bench.

Mr Hanson said the proposed law was tougher than across the border in New South Wales, where one-punch laws only involved death and required perpetrators to be drunk.

"This is designed to send a very clear message to the community. We will take action if the government won't.

"The penalties will be significant. If you kill somebody, it means the maximum penalty can be 25 years which is the same as murder. If you are found guilty of assault or other serious crimes, you will also face much tougher penalties."

Anyone found guilty of recklessly inflicting grievous bodily harm through a one-punch attack would face 15 years in prison. Wounding another person could attract seven years while common assault and affray would both attract three years prison.

"We know a lot of these coward punches leave people with serious injuries, often people are left with brain injuries," Mr Hanson said.

"We've have been looking at this legislation for a while. Clearly there is a call from the community for Assembly members to act.

"This will make a difference. It sends a very clear message that if you perpetrate a coward's punch, the penalties are significant."

The Australian Federal Police Association, which represents ACT police, has previously called for the introduction of specific one-punch laws, similar to those in Victoria and NSW.

In 2015, Mr Corbell said several existing offences in the Crimes Act covered actions that could see offenders charged for one-punch attacks. The offence a person was charged with depended on the individual circumstances of the crime, Mr Corbell said.

Existing maximum penalties ranged from two years in jail for common assault to life imprisonment for murder.

# ? Jan 21, 2016 23:46

starkebn: May 18, 2004; "Oooh, got a little too serious. You okay there, little buddy?"

The Shovel still killing it

Popularity With Party, Voters, Only Things Standing Between Abbott And Another Prime Ministership

# ? Jan 22, 2016 00:11

Anidav: Feb 25, 2010; ahhh fuck its the rats again

The emails are heart-breaking. People, young and old, responding to the story of Julia Gilchrist, a successful young woman who has had trouble holding down a job because she is profoundly deaf, but has been told she is �not disabled enough� by Centrelink to qualify for disability support.

There is the mother fielding job application phone calls for a deaf son who was made redundant a month ago. So far ten companies have responded to his resume.
�But as soon as I mention [he] is hearing impaired they do not wish to go to the next level,� she writes.

Another woman, 50, had worked for 30 years in data entry before being made redundant. She too is deaf, and is at the mercy of a Centrelink job provider who cannot find her work.
�It is the most frustrating, depressing experience anyone can go through,� she writes.

And it is not just deaf people who have been told they are not disabled enough. In Western Australia, Prue Hawkins, 33, who has brittle bone disease and is confined to a wheelchair, has been given the same response.
A government-commissioned review has recommended pushing more people who are apparently "able to work" off the disability support pension and on to the dole.
There, they will be stuck in a world Franz Kafka himself could not have dreamed up, where the deaf are expected to receive vital information over the phone, and people in wheelchairs expected to apply for jobs at their local supermarket.
It may seem incomprehensible, but anyone who has ever had the misfortune of ending up in a Centrelink queue knows this is just the next logical step in a long history of Liberal and Labor �reforms� to welfare.
Our �welfare� system is not about welfare, it is about punishment. Years of demonisation of the unemployed by tabloid newspaper and TV scare campaigns has made it acceptable in our community for governments to design a system that forces people in need through as many humiliating and unpleasant hoops as possible to get their measly $35 or so a day.

One emailer tells how she has been made suddenly redundant from an $80,000-a-year job.
�I got $260 a fortnight which did not even pay my rent, let alone bills, food and getting to job interviews,'' she writes. ''I came up against constant requirements to undertake �job ready� courses, such as learning how to turn a computer on and off, and open [Microsoft] Excel and Word.
�Insulting and embarrassing would be putting it mildly.�

My own experience on finishing university in 2007, mid-way through the year before many graduate hiring programs began, is similar. I only had a couple of shifts a week in my bar job and was switched from youth allowance to the dole to supplement my income.
A distinction average student with first class honours, I was immediately put into compulsory "job seeker training", where nine to five every day I went to an office and filled in an "employment workbook", before working nights at my bar job.
I filled in a �skills audit� worksheet, where I ticked whether or not I had skills such as �purchasing� and �estimating physical space�.
I was ''taught'' not to call people asking for work with a mouth full of food, or lie on my resume.

I quit before I got to the interview training week, where my workbook informed me I would be told to wear high heels and �wash, bathe or shower and use a deodorant�.
And while I briefly regretted that decision when, soon after, I developed a serious sickness and was without income for two weeks, I was grateful to know I would, within a few months, most likely get a full-time job.
I was privileged enough to bet on myself, and win, and I hope I never had to rely on Centrelink again.

But many thousands of Australians will not be so lucky. Young people just starting out or people with a disability � particularly mental illnesses, which are the most heavily stigmatised of all medical conditions � will suffer greatly.
As the former disability discrimination commissioner Graeme Innes has pointed out, the government is fixing a problem of job availability by attacking welfare availability.

The result will be countless more little humiliations, unremarked upon and unreported, but slowly chipping away at the self-esteem and opportunities for those of us who are most vulnerable.

# ? Jan 22, 2016 00:11

Doctor Spaceman: Jul 6, 2010; "Everyone's entitled to their point of view, but that's seriously a weird one."

https://twitter.com/petstarr/status/690286131754102784/photo/1

E: Also Morrison is talking down speculation of an early election, probably because people in the party actually realised what DD and Reps-only elections mean.

Doctor Spaceman fucked around with this message at 00:19 on Jan 22, 2016

# ? Jan 22, 2016 00:13

Anidav: Feb 25, 2010; ahhh fuck its the rats again

Lleyton Hewitt slams blog linking him to match-fixing allegations while also announcing he is retiring from Tennis.

# ? Jan 22, 2016 00:35

Halo14: Sep 11, 2001

Save the Children compensation, apology for Nauru removal a matter for Immigration Minister, Scott Morrison says

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-01-22/save-the-children-compensation-immigration-minister-morrison/7106808

quote:

Treasurer Scott Morrison has refused to be drawn on recommendations that staff removed from Nauru's immigration detention centre should be offered compensation.

Mr Morrison, the then immigration minister, commissioned a report amid suggestions that the group had orchestrated a campaign to undermine the Government's offshore detention policy.
But he refused to be drawn on the report's findings today � less than a week after it was issued � telling the ABC that it was now a matter for his successor Peter Dutton.

"They're matters for the Immigration Minister," he said.
"I commissioned an independent report. I made no conclusion about the allegations that were made about those issues ... any suggestion that I made a conclusion about that at the time is simply false."

The heavily redacted report, released by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection on Friday, stated the workers should be offered compensation after finding no evidence they acted outside their duties at the Nauru detention centre.

Save the Children chief executive Paul Ronalds said an apology was also owed.

"The report's findings make it clear, I think, that the staff involved deserve compensation, as does Save the Children for the cost it incurred in relation to this," he said.
"But I think more importantly, a full apology to both the staff impacted and Save the Children by the former minister and the department is entirely appropriate."

I've donated to this organisation for over a decade. Sucks to know some of my money was wasted on fighting this piece of poo poo and I hope they get compensated.

Halo14 fucked around with this message at 01:00 on Jan 22, 2016

# ? Jan 22, 2016 00:57

Cartoon: Jun 20, 2008; poop

Must be time for the annual rewriting of history! What better way than an unconfirmed leak to newscorpse!

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/icac-and-arthur-sinodinos-silent-on-claims-he-has-been-cleared-20160120-gmaglo.html

quote:

ICAC and Arthur Sinodinos silent on claims he has been 'cleared' Date January 22, 2016 - 10:30AM Michaela Whitbourn and Judith Ireland

The NSW corruption watchdog says its high-profile inquiry into a company linked to Labor and Liberal figures including Arthur Sinodinos has not yet been completed, amid reports the Turnbull government minister has been cleared of corruption findings. Senator Sinodinos, a former chairman of controversial infrastructure company Australian Water Holdings, was called as a witness during the Independent Commission Against Corruption's public inquiry into the company in 2014. The NSW Senator and cabinet minister was not expected to face corruption findings. Submissions from counsel assisting the ICAC, sent on December 18 and apparently leaked to News Corp by a third party, have reportedly indicated that he will not face such a finding. However, it is not yet clear whether the watchdog will make critical comments about his time as non-executive chairman of the company. On Thursday, Senator Sinodinos told Fairfax Media he was not able to provide a comment until the inquiry was finalised.

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann told ABC Radio on Thursday it was "very difficult" to comment on the situation because the final report - expected around March - had not been officially released. But Senator Corman praised his fellow frontbencher as a "friend and valued colleague. Arthur was only ever questioned as a witness," he said. "He was never a target of that investigation. " The ICAC released a statement on Thursday morning stressing it had not finished its investigation.

A spokeswoman said the Commission had "invited further submissions from relevant parties in Operations Spicer and Credo [which involve AWH and Liberal Party donations] as a result of recent changes to the ICAC's jurisdiction. "The submissions phase has not been completed. When it has, the commission will prepare and table a report to the NSW Parliament detailing its findings." The High Court ruled in April last year that the ICAC did not have the power to investigate a range of allegations against private citizens where no wrongdoing was alleged on the part of a public official. Laws to amend the ICAC's jurisdiction were rushed through the NSW Parliament to deal with the fallout from that ruling, but still left parts of Operations Spicer and Credo outside its jurisdiction.

Senator Sinodinos stepped aside and then resigned as Assistant Treasurer in 2014, following questions over his time as chairman of AWH. The NSW senator has denied any wrongdoing but stood aside from the frontbench, explaining he wanted to avoid any distractions for the Coalition government. He was reinstated to the frontbench as cabinet secretary by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in September, amid expectations that he would be cleared. A former chief of staff to prime minister John Howard, Senator Sinodinos was appointed to the AWH board in 2008 and made chairman in 2010, while he was honorary treasurer of the NSW Liberal Party.

The ICAC heard he was earning $200,000 a year for "a couple of week's work" and would have "enjoyed a $10 or $20 million payday" if AWH had won a lucrative government contract. The inquiry into AWH has probed a range of allegations, including that the company improperly billed the state-owned utility Sydney Water for lavish expenses, including limousines and airfares. The inquiry crossed party lines and examined allegations that the family of disgraced former Labor minister Eddie Obeid had a secret $3 million stake in the company, although the Obeids have insisted the money was a loan. Former NSW Labor ministers Joe Tripodi and Tony Kelly face allegations they misused their positions by changing a cabinet minute in an attempt to benefit the company.The men denied the claims.

After the March 2011 election that swept Labor from power in NSW, Australian Water assiduously lobbied the state Coalition government. The commission was also investigating whether Australian Water paid $183,000 to an alleged slush fund set up by a former adviser to former Liberal minister Chris Hartcher. The company's former chief executive, prominent Liberal Party fundraiser Nick Di Girolamo, gave former NSW premier Barry O'Farrell the now infamous $3000 bottle of Grange that ended his premiership.

News Corp has reported that allegations of fraud relating to the expenses billed to Sydney Water will not be pursued against Mr Di Girolamo. He had denied the claims and the subsequent High Court ruling on the ICAC's powers made it clear that allegations of fraud against private citizens generally will not be within the watchdog's jurisdiction. However, he faces a potential allegation that he encouraged Mr Tripodi and Mr Kelly to change the cabinet minute to benefit the company.

Who would be a whistle blower in this environment. When asked for comment Senator Sinodinos said he didn't recall being Arthur Sinodinos at the alleged time of the allegations.

# ? Jan 22, 2016 00:59

Amethyst: Mar 28, 2004; I CANNOT HELP BUT MAKE THE DCSS THREAD A FETID SWAMP OF UNFUN POSTING
plz notice me trunk-senpai

This is fantastic. Going to copy/paste the whole thing

http://www.smh.com.au/national/transcript-deng-thiak-aduts-australia-day-speech-20160121-gmau63.html

quote:

Transcript: Deng Thiak Adut's Australia Day speech

Firstly, I would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of this land, past and present, the Gadigal people of the Eora nation.

Ten years ago, Clover Moore, the lord mayor of Sydney, talked at the National Maritime Museum. She said,

'Today, as we mark the beginning of Refugee Week, it is important to remember that all non‐Indigenous Australians are immigrants to this land.'

She continued, 'From the perspective of thousands of years of Aboriginal custodianship, the rest of us are newcomers'. I wonder what the Gadigal people in 1788 thought as they watched sailing ships coming up their harbour? Did they realise that their civilisation was about to be uprooted? Did they watch with interest and wonder? How soon did that interest turn to mortal fear?

It has been a 200-year journey for their descendants to reassert the right to be free of those fears, to acclaim pride in their traditions. That's a long wait.

The theme of this year's Australia Day address is that freedom from fear is very special to all of us. To appreciate the value of freedom one must first be denied it. To know real fear gives special meaning and yearning to being free of fear.

So what does 'freedom from fear' entail for you and me as Australians, or those who 'want to be Australians' in 2016?

Let me share with you parts of my story. It may be unfamiliar to those who have been born and grown up in a peaceful Australia. To those who have come as refugees from the world's trouble spots, parts of this story will be too familiar. A point of this story is to emphasise how very lucky we are to enjoy freedom from fear, and how very unlucky are many, many others who neither choose, nor deserve their fate.

I was born in a small fishing village called Malek, in the South Sudan. My father was a fisherman and we had a banana farm. I am one of eight children born to Mr Thiak Adut Garang and Ms Athieu Akau Deng. So the parts of my name are drawn from both my parents. My given name is Deng which means god of the rain. In those parts of this wide brown land that are short of water my name might be a good omen. I have a nickname: Auoloch, which means swallow. Alas I couldn't fly and as a young boy, about the age of a typical second grader in Sydney, I was conscripted into an army.

As they took me away from my home and family I didn't even understand what freedoms I had lost. I didn't understand how fearful I should have been. I was young. I was ignorant. I lost the freedom to read and write. I lost the freedom to sing children's songs. I lost the right to be innocent. I lost the right to be a child.

Instead, I was taught to sing war songs. In place of the love of life I was taught to love the death of others. I had one freedom � the freedom to die and I'll return to that a little later.

I lost the right to say what I thought. In place of 'free speech', I was an oppressor to those who wanted to express opinions that were different to those who armed me, fed me, told me what to think, where to go and what to do.

And there was something else very special to me that was taken away. I was denied the right to become an initiated member of my tribe. The mark of 'inclusiveness' was denied to me.

I had to wait until I became an Australian citizen to know that I belonged.

As an Australian I am proud that we have a national anthem. It's ours and to hear it played and sung is to feel pride, pride that we are a nation of free people. It has a historical background that is familiar to those who grew up here, but which is not easily understood by newcomers. I found it useful to take some lines from our anthem to bring together what I want to share with you.

To be here today, talking about freedom from fear, about the rewards that come from thinking 'inclusively', rather than thinking 'divisively', is to achieve something that the child conscript Deng could not imagine.

I came to Australia as an illiterate, penniless teenager, traumatised physically and emotionally by war. In Sudan, I was considered legally disabled, only by virtue of being black or having a dark skin complexion. As you can see I am very black and proud of my dark skin complexion. But in the Sudan my colour meant that my prospects could go no further than a dream of being allowed to finish a primary education. To be a lawyer was unthinkable. Australia opened the doors of its schools and universities. I would particularly like to thank the Western Sydney University where I received my Law degree and the University of Wollongong where I obtained my Masters degree in Law � an experience which enabled me to realise my dream of becoming a court room advocate. Australia educated me. How lucky I became. How lucky is any person who receives an education in a free land and goes on to use it in daily life.

In 1987, the year before the Australian Bi�-Centennial celebrations, I was among many young children forcibly removed from their homes and families and marched to Ethiopia, for reasons that were unknown to me at the time. I walked thousands of kilometres without shoes or underwear.

What do we take for granted as Australians? Free education, food, clothing (more than shoes and underwear), shelter , health care and personal safety. We take those things for granted until we don't have them.

I witnessed children like myself dying as we made our way, bare�]foot and starving. As a child, witnessing the death of a relative is something that stays with you for life. Even today, I remember the deadened face and the gaunt skeletal body of one of my nephews lying on a corn sack. I saw too much abuse and death among my friends during the war. I sustained physical abuse from my superiors because of my inability to follow orders and for demanding decent treatment. I was a child soldier and I was expected to kill or be killed.

Within a year I was plagued by disease and malnutrition. I felt isolated and deserted. I remember being told off by one of my close relatives in 1989 because I was poking him with my protruding bones. He too was a forced conscript. We were stationed in a camp in Western Ethiopia that was disguised as though it was a refugees' camp. He told me I should just die. I understand now that he too was suffering from depression and by caring for me he was unable to improve his own situation. By this time, I could only take fluids. I feel sorry for my relative. I do not believe that he was trying to be cruel. He was just a child too, unable to properly look after me or himself.

In those days, what I needed was a loving parent. What child, taken away from the care of his or her parents will not suffer some form of psychological trauma? What child, merely seven years of age and ordered to witness deaths by firing squads will not suffer a lasting injury? What child, upon seeing dead bodies, lying in pools of moving blood, will not suffer some sort of long term psychological damage?

Around 1993, I watched some boys, only 10 or 11 years old, as they picked up their AK47s, put the gun to their heads, squeezed the trigger with their own fingers and blew out their brains. In a better world those fingers might have made music in a place such as this hall, built homes, operated the equipment of scientific discovery. Instead their short lives were as nothing � innocents destroyed. I, consumed by fear, couldn't pull a trigger myself, because I was too scared. Yes, fear saved me. But I understand why they did it. For my fellow child soldiers, pulling the trigger was the quickest way to die and for them the thought of dying was better than the reality of living.

I wonder what their spirits would have thought if they saw that I would become a practising lawyer in Australia some 18 years later. I grieve for them. For them the freedom from fear was death. I was lucky. You are too. Freedom from fear is about acceptance of our common identity. For we Australians in 2016 freedom from fear is almost taken for granted. We had better take care to keep it.

Let me turn now from memories of death to messages of hope, first for new arrivals to these shores and then to those who have long called Australia home.

To those recently arrived, do not give up the dream that brought you here. Within every Australian community there are people who were immigrants or whose parents were immigrants. Treat the experiences that brought you here as tough training for the journey of establishing new lives, new families, new careers.

Clover Moore in that same speech I mentioned earlier noted that, 'The Australian national anthem has promised that, for those who've come across the sea, we've boundless plains to share'. Surprise! Surprise! Australia is a nation where most of us, most of the time, seek to give and receive a 'fair go' and 'respect democracy'. It's that 'fair go' that you see in every new Australian success story. That is the 'Advance Australia Fair' in the anthem.

I know that some who are watching and listening will be wondering why I, so black, am ignoring that the ruling majority appear to be white. I don't ignore it, just as I don't ignore that the colours and faces of the Australian community are such a rich palate. Take a trip around an Australian city, visit a building site, walk around an educational campus, look at the names in our sporting teams, and hear, see, smell, and taste the richness of the cultures in any of our shopping centres. White is a colour to which so much can be added.

I remind every youthful migrant to remember and cherish where you came from. It is your grounding, just as important to you as this land is to the traditional owners of this place. Your parents and relatives made sacrifices for your freedom to be here without fear. You must have a dream that takes you up and beyond any past trauma and turmoil. We are special, each and every one of us. You are special to this nation and you ought to listen to your heart and take hold of opportunities.

Of course fears arrive unbidden and unwelcome. We all experience that from time to time. Can we get and keep a job? How do we keep our cherished cultural traditions alive? Can we earn respect? Will we be listened to? But don't fight your fears alone. Here we have the freedom to seek help from new friends, the elders, even a stranger who can be your friend at the time you need them. Remember, fellow immigrants, we begin as strangers in this land and we have much to learn. But the freedoms of this place mean that most of the time, from most people, there is a welcoming hand. So fear not.

That leads me to those who are settled Australians. This past few years there have been unexpected fears, the fears that random atrocities such as those that took place in Bali, and more recently in London, Paris and Istanbul will come here. We scarcely notice the frequency of such acts in other places where terror, not freedom from fear, is the norm.

Fears and doubt are the ideal environment in which to breed misguided obsessions and grand delusions. There is nothing new in such manipulation. It was done to me. Such manipulation of the confused and searching spirit of youth is essential for those who use others in their quest for power.

In responding to tragedies in which the lives of victims and perpetrators alike have been snuffed out to serve some demagogue, we must all be careful not to let local opportunists exploit our emotions with simplistic solutions.

What seems new for we Australians is that the physical barriers to terror such as distance and sea are now irrelevant. But this is just the shortness of memory. These barriers became irrelevant for the traditional owners of this land when the winds and the currents brought the ships of the First Fleet up this Harbour. More recently these barriers were no barriers at all when a midget submarine entered Sydney Harbour during the Second World War.

Then as now freedom from fear is something that must be fought for. It can never be taken for granted. Fighting must sometimes be physical and our War Memorials are testament to those who fought and gave their all. But the first line of defence against consuming fear is always our collective hearts and minds.

And collectively what makes this Nation one to be proud of is the willingness of most in our communities to be accepting, tolerant, inclusive and welcoming. Our anthem speaks of the courage needed to let us all combine. Now is the time.

The fears among us are not limited to terrorism. It is all too clear that partner abuse and child abuse flourished in families where the victims were afraid to speak out. It is not so long ago that gays and lesbians lived in fear of exposure. Attitudes and actions needed to change and that has happened, but there is still more to be done.

This afternoon, I delight in thanking all those whose support for 'freedom from fear' never wavers. These are the people, the people all around us, who freely gave me hope and sustained it. They understand the journey that has brought new arrivals to these shores from war, famine, oppression, and which then becomes the new journey that follows a new path, a path of 'freedom from fear'.

The spirit of giving walks that same path to remind us all about the less fortunate. The reward of freedom from fear has a price: to willingly give for others without hope of anything beyond 'thanks'. This is an obligation that never ends.

One of my early Australian friends illustrates this point. He bought me my first bicycle and got me a job to mow lawns. Geoff died a decade ago, and I shall always remember him for his encouragement, his faith, and his investment in me.

There are now so many friends, colleagues, and teachers who all in different ways have led me here. I thank you all, not only for your help to me but the likely help you have given others too.

Last but not least, my gratitude is to fellow Australians for opening the door, not only to me but to all the other migrants like me. Without your spirit of a fair go, my story could not have been told.

We acquire our community wisdom from our collective, shared experiences.

It's that wisdom, which underlies our entitlement to sing in joyful strains how proud we are today to be Australians.

Let's look at the future. My guru told me to live so that I can build a living memorial for my departed loved ones. There will be a charitable foundation in the name of my murdered brother, John Mac. We will raise funds and take action to alleviate poverty, bring education and better health to the lands where I was born and he died.

I will try to follow in the footsteps of a man who wanted to make things right.

I hope that I can be like my friend Geoff, giving less fortunate people a fair go.

I hope that all of us, each in our own way, will strive to understand and help others.

I wish us all a Happy Australia Day.

# ? Jan 22, 2016 01:09

Redcordial: Nov 7, 2009; TRUMP TRUMP TRUMP

lol the country is fed up with your safe spaces and trigger warnings you useless special snowflakes, send the sjws to mexico

It was an amazing speech, and I was so glad to have been able to watch it live on ABC whilst doing some research at home.

Such an astonishing amount of courage and fortitude within his words, truly an inspirational person who has survived extreme conditions.

# ? Jan 22, 2016 01:22

Solemn Sloth: Jul 11, 2015; Baby you can shout at me,
But you can't need my eyes.

Is there some public event where we can boo him safe in anonymity while yelling bigot at anyone who calls us racist? Asking for a friend

# ? Jan 22, 2016 01:42

open24hours: Jan 7, 2001

Isn't that why this thread exists?

# ? Jan 22, 2016 01:50

Starshark: Dec 22, 2005; Doctor Rope

Solemn Sloth posted:

Is there some public event where we can boo him safe in anonymity while yelling bigot at anyone who calls us racist? Asking for a friend

Do you really want to do this? He's Sudanese not Aboriginal. Wait, reffoes are criminals - carry on...

# ? Jan 22, 2016 01:55

Anidav: Feb 25, 2010; ahhh fuck its the rats again

Reffos ruin everything. 5 star hotels, centrelink lines, calling no try in the state of origin. I bet the video reffo came here by boat.

Australian Tea Party for Freedom!

# ? Jan 22, 2016 01:58

Amethyst: Mar 28, 2004; I CANNOT HELP BUT MAKE THE DCSS THREAD A FETID SWAMP OF UNFUN POSTING
plz notice me trunk-senpai

Solemn Sloth posted:

Is there some public event where we can boo him safe in anonymity while yelling bigot at anyone who calls us racist? Asking for a friend

You are such a loving drag dude. Seriously. I know you think this garbage is funny but you're actually just the worst.

# ? Jan 22, 2016 01:59

Amethyst: Mar 28, 2004; I CANNOT HELP BUT MAKE THE DCSS THREAD A FETID SWAMP OF UNFUN POSTING
plz notice me trunk-senpai

Auspol, upon reading a a thoughtful, clear eyed, yet hopeful speech, impulsively breaks out into heavily cynical negativity delivered in the form of witless sarcasm.

# ? Jan 22, 2016 02:02

Starshark: Dec 22, 2005; Doctor Rope

Amethyst posted:

You are such a loving drag dude. Seriously. I know you think this garbage is funny but you're actually just the worst.

No one gives a gently caress what you think hth

# ? Jan 22, 2016 02:02

Amethyst: Mar 28, 2004; I CANNOT HELP BUT MAKE THE DCSS THREAD A FETID SWAMP OF UNFUN POSTING
plz notice me trunk-senpai

Starshark posted:

No one gives a gently caress what you think hth

I don't give a poo poo what the majority who post here think. Engaging with you guys is a deeply dispiriting experience and I need to train myself out of the habit. You're philosophically bankrupt morons.

# ? Jan 22, 2016 02:05

open24hours: Jan 7, 2001

There are lots of places on Facebook you can find inspirational quotes.

The speech is good in a kind of harmless, twee way that the kinds of speeches people are allowed to give at public events on Australia day usually are. What's to philosophise about it?

# ? Jan 22, 2016 02:08

Starshark: Dec 22, 2005; Doctor Rope

Amethyst posted:

I don't give a poo poo what the majority who post here think. Engaging with you guys is a deeply dispiriting experience and I need to train myself out of the habit. You're philosophically bankrupt morons.

lol

# ? Jan 22, 2016 02:08

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? May 23, 2024 09:23

Amethyst: Mar 28, 2004; I CANNOT HELP BUT MAKE THE DCSS THREAD A FETID SWAMP OF UNFUN POSTING
plz notice me trunk-senpai

open24hours posted:

There are lots of places on Facebook you can find inspirational quotes.

The speech is good in a kind of harmless, twee way that the kinds of speeches people are allowed to give at public events on Australia day usually are. What's to philosophise about it?

loving lol. You read that speech and your first point of comparison is inspirational quotes on facebook? What's the philosophize about? loving listen to yourself.

# ? Jan 22, 2016 02:09

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > Auspol January: I think that young Abbott would make a really good minister

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