Battle for Syria: What has a USyd academic got to do with Bashar al-Assad? / p. 19

Double page full colour Life on Manus Island: Four Sydney Writers’ Festival: pull-out poster: Risako birthdays in detention and a Rupi Kaur, John Safran and Katsumata’s artwork / p. 16 movie filmed in secret / p. 10 Melina Marchetta / p. 13 S1W13 / FIRST PUBLISHED 1929 PUBLISHED S1W13 / FIRST

HONI SOIT LETTERS

SciSoc’s Final BBQ SUDS Presents: The Normal Heart Acknowledgement of Country When: Wednesday, June 7, 12:00pm- When: Wednesday, June 7 - Saturday, What’s on Women2:00pm in Science: Talks #4 WomenJune 10, in7:30pm Science: (7:00pm Talks Saturday)#4 We acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. The University of Sydney – where we write, publish and distribute When:Where: Wednesday School of Chemistry, April 26, 4-5pm USyd- When:Where: Wednesday The Actor’s AprilPulse, 26, Redfern 4-5pm Honi Soit – is on the sovereign land of these people. As students and journalists, we recognise our complicity in the ongoing colonisation of Indigenous land. In Where:Price: FREE New with Law aAnnex 2017 SciSocRoom 428T-shirt / Where:Price: TBA New Law Annex Room 428 HowAccess much: $2 /Free Non-Access $6 How much: Free recognition of our privilege, we vow to not only include, but to prioritise and centre the experiences of Indigenous people, and to be reflective when we fail to. We Did you see that article? So awful recognise our duty to be a counterpoint to the racism that plagues the mainstream media, and to adequately represent the perspectives of Indigenous students at this week Honey, we should get lunch together I’m so happy Women in Science I’mhow sothe happy ceiling Womenfell down in inScience that lit - our University. We also wholeheartedly thank our Indigenous reporters for the continuing contribution of their labour to our learning. USydon campus are organizingthis week. I’vethis! got It’s a break an USydtle cellar are whereorganizing they werethis! planningIt’s an afternoonat midday ofand talks I know by prominent your tute fefin- - afternoonto stage this. of talksBut they’reby prominent back! I fesaw- According to your maleishes scientistsat 1 — yes, about you their told research, me, plus maleyou clickscientists going about on theirthe research,Facebook Who made this withyour discussiontimetable isand printed snacks out after and- withevent discussionand I thought and wesnacks could aftergo to- - Editorial Contents mature age student wards.stuck to I’m the actually fridge — super and thisinterested is so af - wards.gether. I’mYou actually know how super I love interested theatre. infordable the work it’d bescientists silly not do, to. andI’ve I’meven inI was the even work in scientistsa few plays do, back and when I’m I One of the perks of spending hours in the Honi office Letters / 2 edition happen? completelygot a shirt soamazed it’s free by for how me! science I think completelydid my first amazed undergrad. by how We sciencegot up to this year has been browsing the piles of dusty and de- mum who wants to hasthe changedshirt is cool. the worldDon’t aroundyou think us. it’sI hassome changed real mischief. the world Anyway, around it sounds us. I caying Honis from years gone by. 1998 is my favourite News and Analysis / 4 Editor-in-Chief: Natassia Chrysanthos mean,cool? Tellall the you time what now — II’ll find even myself wait mean,like a greatall the play time — now really I find interesting myself year to date and, 19 years later, I’m consistently struck readingaround afterthese class fascinating and give youarticles a lift reading— all about these a fascinatingwriter and aarticles doctor Editors hang out. by how similar their content is to our own. So many Opinion / 8 senthome. to I’llme use by the my extra doof time family to doon a sentgoing to through me by themy AIDSdoof epidemicfamily on in of the questions students posed then — Can men call Nick Bonyhady Kishor Napier-Raman facebookbit of extra about reading. disease and the hu- facebookNew York aboutin the disease80s. and the hu- themselves feminists? Should Australia become a re- Long Read / 10 Jayce Carrano Siobhan Ryan man body. Hey, want a sweet health man body. Hey, want a sweet health public? Why isn’t abortion legal yet? How on earth Ann Ding Michael Sun tip? Just don’t get vaccinated! tip? Just don’t get vaccinated! is Pauline Hanson in parliament? — could be pasted Perspective / 12 Justine Landis-Hanley Maani Truu seamlessly into any Honi from 2017. Aidan Molins The other thing I’ve loved is how each Honi is a Culture / 12 wormhole into the social issues and political dilemmas Contributors of its era, and the way students thought about them. Poster / 16 Elijah Abraham, Sam Bird, Annagh Cielak, Sean I think this bumper issue fits such a purpose aptly. Coogan, Bianca Davino, Nina Dillon Britton, Zac The war in Syria, the plight of refugees, and Austral- Creative / 18 Gillies-Palmer, Cameron Gooley, Nick Harriott, ia’s punitive offshore detention regime are some of Tom Joyner, Imran Mohammad, Bridget Neave, the horrors that have dominated our global mindset Feature / 19 Nicolette PT, Tilini Rajapaksa, Zoe Stojanovic-Hill, for the last few years. Amongst all this, we have also Latifa Tasipale, and Courtney Thompson. Therapaws Dog Therapy Manning Theatresports: Old School had a privilege that can often feel perverse: the ability Tech / 22 WomenWhen: Thursday, in Science: June Talks 8, 2:00pm- #4 Womenvs. New inSchool Science: Talks #4 to slide into the comfort of popular culture — writing Artists When:3:30pm Wednesday April 26, 4-5pm When: WednesdayThursday, June April 8, 26, 7:00pm 4-5pm think pieces on pop music and video games, penning SRC Reports / 23 Maxim Adams, Deepa Alam, Garnet Chan, Grace Where: NewEastern Law Avenue Annex Room 428 Where: NewManning Law BarAnnex Room 428 self-referential editorials — and remain somewhat Franki, Risako Katsumata, Rebekah Mazzocato, and HowPrice: much: Free Free HowPrice: much: Free Free unaffected by it all. Angelica Owczarek. Oh, now this is fun. Back when I was SUPRA / 26 I’m so happy Women in Science So despite sounding quite lame, I will say that I I’mdoing so my happy first Womendegree inin the Science 90s we Oh, when I did my first undergrad USyd are organizing this! It’s an hope this small editorial can function as an obtuse USyddidn’t haveare organizingtherapy dogs this! on campus!It’s an there used to be these hip cool dudes Puzzles / 28 afternoon of talks by prominent fe- time capsule of sorts. If student print media is still afternoonYou lucky ducks.of talks You by know,prominent I’m more fe- doing improv comedy at Manning male scientists about their research, around in another 19 years’ time and this copy of maleof a catscientists fan myself, about buttheir I research,know you all the time. Some of them are even Regulars / 29 with discussion and snacks after- Honi has joined the rest in collecting dust on office withlike dogs discussion a lot. Thisand mightsnacks be aftera nice- famous nowadays. I don’t think they wards. I’m actually super interested shelves, hello to the students sitting on the floor at wards.way to I’mspend actually a bit superof time interested on cam - had this when I was here, though: The Garter Press / 30 in the work scientists do, and I’m 4am on Monday morning wondering why it all went inpus the together! work scientists They even do, have and studyI’m they get old USyd comedy alumni completely amazed by how science wrong. I hope these papers can offer you a glimpse completelytips and exam amazed prep, andby how you canscience even to come back and play against new has changed the world around us. I into the mood at USyd in 2017. And I hope we’ll have Cover image by Maani Truu and additional hastake changed photos with the worldthe dogs! around Come us. on, I teams of current students. I should mean, all the time now I find myself moved past the impasses that motivate some of the photography Nick Bonyhady. mean,sweetie, all it’ll the be time great. now And I find how myselfabout really start prepping for exams ... but reading these fascinating articles articles you’ll find in here.NC Honi Soit, Week 13 Edition, Semester 1, 2017. readingwe get coffeethese afterwards?fascinating articlesAnd we it sounds like a blast! And it’s free! sent to me by my doof family on sentcould to even me goby and my studydoof togetherfamily on for Not that you’d have had to to worry facebook about disease and the hu- facebookabout that about — your disease old andmum’ll the shouthu- Disclaimer: Honi Soit is published by the Students’ Representative Council, University of Sydney, Level 1 Wentworth Building, City Road, University of Sydney NSW 2006. The a bit... man body. Hey, want a sweet health manyou anytime.body. Hey, I mightwant aeven sweet be health cheeky SRC’s operation costs, space and administrative support are financed by the University of Sydney. Honi Soit is printed under the auspices of the SRC’s directors of student tip? Just don’t get vaccinated! tip?and Justget a don’t beer! get vaccinated! publications: Nina Dillon-Britton, Pranay Jha, Isabella Pytka, Katie Thorburn, and Adam Ursino. All expressions are published on the basis that they are not to be regarded as the opinions of the SRC unless specifically stated. The Council accepts no responsibility for the accuracy of any of the opinions or information contained within this news- paper, nor does it endorse any of the advertisements and insertions. Please direct all advertising inquiries to [email protected]. Fan mail Got mail?

Send your irreverent takes

tip? Just don’t get vaccinated! vaccinated! get don’t Just tip?

CAPS Correction vaccinated! get don’t Just tip? Sydney University Symphony Or- Vivid New Music at the Con: Ben

man body. Hey, want a sweet health health sweet a want Hey, body. man

and reverent rants to editors@ BarberSoc health Presents:sweet a want A CappellaHey, body. man

chestra Presents: Slavic Reflections Carey, Composers’ Ensemble, Spiral

- hu the and disease about facebook -

Extravaganzahu the and disease about facebook

Dear Editors honisoit.com by 12pm each When: Saturday, June 10, 7:30pm When: Saturday, June 17, 8:00pm-

sent to me by my doof family on on family doof my by me to sent

When: on Fridayfamily Junedoof 9, my 7:30pm by me to sent

Where: Great Hall, The University of 9:30pm

reading these fascinating articles articles fascinating these reading

Friday for publication. Keep Where: Soundarticles Lounge,fascinating Seymourthese reading

To correct an inaccuracy that may Sydney Where: Sydney Conservatorium Of

mean, all the time now I find myself myself find I now time the all mean,

Centre myself find I now time the all mean,

cause students some confusion. CAPS it under 300 words and Price: Access $14 / Concession $20 / Music Cafe

has changed the world around us. I I us. around world the changed has

Price: I us. Access around $10 / Concessionworld the $16changed / has

is always prepared to see students Adults $25 Price: Concession $15 / Adults $25 completely amazed by how science science how by amazed completely

include your name, degree, science how by amazed completely and is able to provide timely appoint- Adults $26

in the work scientists do, and I’m I’m and do, scientists work the in

ments. It also maintains a daily capac- year and confess the longest Darling, I’m and you’ve do, got suchscientists a work lovelythe in Okay, I know you said you were busy, Honey, this is after both our big es-

wards. I’m actually super interested interested super actually I’m wards.

ity to see priority students who have singing voice,interested whysuper aren’t youactually inI’m this? wards. but surely you can take a Saturday says are handed in so you have no

- after snacks and discussion with -

period you’ve ever left a desk after snacks and discussion with no appointment booked. I really want to go to this but do you night off to hang out with your mum excuse not to see your own mum for

male scientists about their research, research, their about scientists male

unattended at Fisher for. think I shouldresearch, starttheir studyingabout forscientists ex-male a bit. Come on, you said when I came a night. It sounds like a great concert

- fe prominent by talks of afternoon -

Regards ams?fe No? Well,prominent why by don’ttalks weof go and afternoon to uni that we’d hang out! You know — you’ve got students from the Con

USyd are organizing this! It’s an an It’s this! organizing are USyd

Phil get an dinner It’s togetherthis! in Newtownorganizing are — USyd how I love classical music. They’re go- playing and composing music, and

I’m so happy Women in Science Science in Women happy so I’m

so trendy!Science —in and thenWomen we canhappy watchso I’m ing to play Tchaikovsky and Dvorak other students from the SCA mak-

How much: Free much: How Dr Philomena Renner | Head of CAPS some of these lovely studentsFree much: sing How and even premiere a new piece by ing light projections for the show. I

Where: New Law Annex Room 428 Room Annex Law New Where: together.428 ThereRoom mightAnnex evenLaw beNew some Where: Hamilton! We could even get a bit think it’ll be lovely! Maybe I should

When: Wednesday April 26, 4-5pm 26, April Wednesday When: cute boys4-5pm performing.26, April What?!Wednesday Oh, When: dressed up for it, and go and get a do some units at the SCA. Afterwards

Women in Science: Talks #4 Talks Science: in Women that’s not #4 embarrassing, Talks Science: comein on, Women fancy dinner — yes, I’ll pay — and we can go out and enjoy the rest of love. And you know, next year you for your ticket too, yes — I’m sure Vivid as well; unwinding at the end should audition for these ensembles. you’ll end up enjoying yourself. of semester with your mum! THURSDAY NIGHT LIVE: AN HONI X SURG FM PARTY I want to see you perform! THURSDAY 8 JUNE, 7PM, THE LADY HAMPSHIRE

2 3 NEWSROOM NEWSROOM Spence resigns as Anti same-sex marriage USU board executive elected chair of main student advocate awarded NICK BONYHADY Courtney Thompson was elected Uni- female institutions, so feminism is Masina and Wang versity of Sydney Union (USU) presi- embedded in me ... As a college stu- were elected direc- consultation body honorary doctorate dent on Thursday, June 1 along with dent I’ve experienced a real revival of tors of student pub- Esther Shim as vice president, Yifan my passion to do something for this lications, a role that SIOBHAN RYAN ANN DING Kong as treasurer, and Grace Franki particular group.” most prominently as secretary. It appears to be the first Zhixian Wang and Hengjie Sun ran entails oversight of University of Sydney Vice Chancel- Brook told Honi Spence was absent On Thursday, May 25, the University and “a pioneer in the Australian finan- time that the USU has had an all-fe- for international student portfolio Pulp, the USU’s on- lor Michael Spence has resigned as from the March 2017 meeting, and of Sydney Business School awarded cial markets”. male executive. holder. Sun argued he deserved the line media outlet. chair of the main body dedicated to Honi reported in March 2016 that he an honorary doctorate of science in After an extensive list of public and As a result of deals that Honi has position because he received more Tai was also University consultation with student had been absent from at least three economics to James T. Dominguez, private councils and boards which he covered extensively, no incoming ex- votes than any other candidate at the elected ethno- representatives. meetings in 2015. Minutes from 2016 a businessman whose interests has served on, the citation says, “Mr ecutive members were opposed. International Student Lounge during cultural portfolio The Student Consultative Com- are unavailable. include campaigning against Dominguez has also been a contribut- Thompson, Shim and Kong out- the recent Board election, prompting holder, while Torres mittee (SCC) exists to facilitate con- In the March 2016 article, then- marriage equality. ing member of the Catholic Church. lined themselves as a continuation muffled laughter from Kong. Wang was elected queer sultation between the University and USU President Alisha Aitken-Radburn Dominguez is a founding direc- In that role he was an influential ac- of the outgoing executive under im- was subsequently elected. portfolio holder. student representatives “on policy called for Spence to resign if he could tor of The Marriage Alliance, an or- tivist in community issues which he mediate past president Michael Rees. The impartial position of electoral Adding some life matters relating to student experi- not attend meetings. ganisation founded in 2015 which saw as important”, ostensibly ref- Franki, who had originally sought to committee member, which determines to the meeting, at The newly-elected executive. From left to right: honorary ence and welfare,” according to its In his letter, Spence said he will con- describes itself as “an independent erencing his campaigning against be president, was graceful in defeat, the rules of USU elections, was con- about 6.40 USU CEO secretary Grace Franki, vice president Esther Shim, pres- terms of reference. tinue to be a member of SCC and “at- alliance bringing together individu- marriage equality. donning a panel cap emblazoned with tested three ways. Wang, who was Andrew Woodward ident Courtney Thompson, honorary treasurer Yifan Kong. Its members include Deputy Vice tend where possible,” and “stress[ed] als and organisations supporting a In USyd’s honorary awards pol- “I <3 the USU”. excluded during the her board cam- announced that par- Chancellor (Registrar) Tyrone Carlin, that student concerns are a priority common cause”. It says it “exist[s] to icy, the criteria listed for the award No board director nominated for paign, cited a desire to make regula- ticipants were to Director of Student Support Services for my Senior Executive Team and the voice the opinion of the silent major- of an honorary degree are academic the position of USU environment port- tions more “culturally sensitive”. Mod- leave immediately after the meeting many cases had not even determined Jordi Austin, Director of Campus In- University community more broadly”. ity of Australians that respect same- eminence, distinguished creative folio holder, a fact which reflects the erate Liberal director Jacob Masina without any “jumping around” due what positions they wanted or pre- frastructure and Services Greg Robin- He also indicated he would like to sex attracted people, but do not want achievement, outstanding contribu- priorities of the most right-leaning and Labor right director Vanessa Song to “structural damage” to the Cellar pared speeches articulating their case. son, and delegates from a number of meet with SCC members in a more to change the current definition of tion beyond the expectations of the board in at least five years. ran on their experience as hacks. Theatre, above which the election was It seems for some of these directors, bodies representing undergraduate informal setting, proposing: “Each marriage.” The organisation is known person’s particular field or, in the case By contrast, all other committee After a three-way tie, Vanessa’s held. getting elected came before determin- students, postgraduate students and semester, I would like to host a small for the advertising campaign against of a civic office holder, an outstand- and portfolio-holder positions were name was drawn out of a hat. In all, the election represented the ing how they could best serve the stu- satellite campuses. lunch in my office to provide us with marriage equality they attempted to ing contribution to the advancement filled and most were contested. Clau- Similarly, the election for the posi- gap in experience between the return- dent community. Spence sent SCC members a letter an opportunity to catch up.” launch in 2015, which consisted of tel- of society. While it may be true that dia Gulbransen-Diaz, who was elected tion of remuneration committee mem- ing board members, who had negoti- on Wednesday, May 31, stating “it is The letter suggested this could take evision ads based around the slogan Dominguez has satisfied the given cri- wom*n’s portfolio holder, justified her ber was tied between Liliana Tai and ated to secure the executive most de- with regret that I must stand down place on October 25. Three additional “there’s more to it than you think”. teria, the inclusion of his campaign- candidacy saying, “I’ve come from all Adam Torres; Tai won in a coin toss. sired, and incoming directors, who in from my position of SCC Chair” and SCC meetings will have passed by then. Dominguez also made a submission ing work as part of his cited merits is informing members that Carlin will Brook also raised concerns about the to the Select Committee on the Ex- an odd choice. replace him. timing of the decision, in light of recent posure Draft of the Marriage Amend- This is not the first controversial Students’ Representative Council scandals involving St Paul’s College ment (Same-Sex Marriage) Bill, which choice for honorary doctorate that St Paul’s College pushed to breaking point (SRC) President Isabella Brook, who which make it “clear that the Univer- states in the preamble, “the position the University has made; in Septem- is a member of SCC, told Honi she sity needs to be taking serious steps to of those members of the community ber of last year, students protested JUSTINE LANDIS-HANLEY was “extremely disappointed” with address systemic issues at USyd”. who are uncomfortable with [same- the University’s decision to award Spence’s resignation. “The VC’s decision casts serious sex marriage] merits serious atten- former Prime Minister John Howard St Paul’s College, one of Australia’s “brought into the open”, Head said such Salisbury (Sals) — that evening. The sexual assault and hazing they experi- “This decision reaffirms our frus- doubt on his commitment to implement tion from lawmakers.” In the same an honorary doctorate of Letters in most elite university residences, has material “may resurface just when you significance of this move should not be enced as residents. Honi had reported tration with university management change in consultation with students.” submission, he cites the Safe Schools Arts and Law. been slammed, after a resident’s sexist need your best CV to work for you”. underestimated: every Wednesday, at hopeful indications that the college failing to take the concerns of student In his letter, Spence said he would program’s information on masturba- Dominguez, an alumnus of USyd, post in a private Facebook group was Towards the end of the post, Head least one college hosts a party for stu- looked like it was going to join the re- organisations and the students they “[particularly] like to attend the SCC tion as an example of “the extremism was also appointed a Fellow of Senate leaked last week. did say that the primary motivation dents at other colleges to attend, many view, but nothing had come to fruition represent seriously. meeting covering the Respect, Now, of some supporters of same sex mar- in 1992, and later sat on the govern- The post, revealed in a news.com.au should be “respect for women: now-al- of which hit capacity within an hour of over the year. Instead, Paul’s decided “Despite the Vice Chancellor’s poor Always survey data and proposed riage”. His submission, however, is ing board of the University of Notre article last week, likened sex with large ways”, before republishing a statement opening. But after a third year Wesley to carry out its own review, led by attendance in the past, his presence at action items,” referring to Univer- not once quoted in the report tabled Dame for over a decade. women to “harpooning a whale” and he provided to the media in light of student messaged the Women’s College workplace relations consultant Christie SCC meetings have provided student sities Australia’s campaign against by the committee in February. Bizarrely, his citation also notes offered to help the other boys get rid the matter, which noted the offending House Committee to say several girls Breakspear; and hired one of its former organisations with an essential oppor- sexual assault and harassment on In the citation given at the award that he was “the only non-Asian” of a girl after “rooting” her. It was pub- student had been “formally cautioned were planning on foregoing the Paul’s students to run an iteration of Oxford’s tunity to set the agenda for discussion university campuses. ceremony, Dominguez is described as who served “on the board of a Singa- lished to the ‘St Paul’s 2017’ Facebook for his disgraceful comments” and had ‘Full Moon Party’, the student leaders Good Lad Program at the college. and raise important student issues di- The next SCC meeting is on Tues- “a long-standing member of Sydney’s pore-listed company”. Page and received nearly 100 likes from been allowed to return to college fol- started encouraging Women’s girls to Proving that the college’s abusive and rectly with the VC.” day, June 6. financial and business community” other college residents. lowing suspension. follow suit. Honi was told that St John’s discriminatory behaviour isn’t just re- The Facebook post reads: Within hours, the Vice Chancellor re- College House Committee had also en- served for outsiders, on Saturday morn- “G’Day Lads, leased a statement, announcing he had couraged their students to boycott the ing, news.com.au also revealed former If you ever wanted to get rid of some written to the Warden of St Paul’s “point- event in solidarity. St Paul’s students recounts of elaborate University releases new plans for chick who either (a) won’t leave your ing out that the College’s response fails Several Women’s girls allegedly hazing rituals that, for one, allegedly room after a root in the morning or (b) to address the deep cultural problems started making t-shirts to wear to the drove him to consider suicide. if you’ve harpooned a whale and she’s evident in the life of his college.” party, featuring hand-drawn whales — Indeed, as co-women’s officer Imo- Sydney College of the Arts taking the whole bed preventing all “The fact that almost 100 people a protest against the Paul’s boy’s slam gen Grant said, “Whilst we are pleased chances of sleep, I’ll be there with a pur- liked this particular Facebook post indi- against larger women. that St Paul’s College is considering the NATASSIA CHRYSANTHOS poseful c--kblock to rescue you. cates that a deep contempt for women Unfortunately, the shirts didn’t get a Liz Broderick review, this would not Simply message me the code word is not just something that marks the wearing: within hours of the Honi arti- have occurred without the hard work of The University has released a docu- Under the new arrangements, support staff. However, Honi has previously re- “argh” and your room number and I’ll behaviour of an isolated student, but a cle going online, St Paul’s announced in students and survivors who have gone ment to staff that outlines its plans for there will be no classrooms dedicated Deputy Vice Chancellor (Prov- ported on the uncertainty surround- be there with a well thought-out lie core feature of the shared culture of the the party’s Facebook event that it had to great lengths to expose its culture of the future of the Sydney College of the to visual arts. Instead, SCA will uti- ost) Stephen Garton told the Sydney ing the financial rationale for SCA’s (terrifying lump on penis, broken foot men of the College,” Spence wrote. been cancelled. sexism and male entitlement. Arts (SCA) on Monday, May 29. lise existing teaching space across the Morning Herald, “In response to a de- closure. In a meeting with repre- or personal emergency) which requires “The college should acknowledge It appears that St Paul’s — the insti- “The fact that students had to ad- From July 1, 2017, SCA will be Camperdown campus. There will be clining market for visual arts educa- sentatives from the National Tertiary your immediate assistance and her that it can no longer pretend that this tution and its people — pays attention vocate for change shows how reactive merged into the Faculty of Arts and dedicated spaces for offices, work- tion, we will see a reduction in SCA Education Union in 2015, Vice Chan- immediate exit. is not a profound issue in the life of the to the world beyond its own sandstone the college’s decision was and how the Social Sciences, and become a de- shops, studios and a gallery. staff and a reorganisation of roles.” cellor Michael Spence claimed that Happy Slaying” College, going to its very licence to op- walls. Not only did the students cancel safety of women is always secondary to partment within the School of Liter- Teaching will continue at SCA’s The University states that the the reasons for merger and closure In a bizarre turn of events, the fol- erate, and they need collectively to be- their party, but by Thursday morning reputational risk.” ature, Arts and Media. It will retain Rozelle campus until the end of next merging of SCA with main campus “would not be financial”, and that if lowing day Honi revealed the Warden of gin to own and to tackle it.” Paul’s Warden Ivan Head had released “Seeking to join the Elizabeth Brod- its name. year. From Semester 1, 2019, all faculties will allow it to “exploit cuts were to be determined purely St Paul’s College, Dr Ivan Head, had ac- By nightfall, students from several a statement to the press stating St Paul’s erick review would not have happened As part of this move, SCA’s visual teaching will be relocated to OTC. the opportunities of interdiscipli- on a financial basis, “there are many cidentally posted and deleted a private of the university’s other residential col- was attempting to join the University’s unless the reputation of the college was arts facilities will be relocated to Students who are beginning their de- nary research and teaching created other areas of the university where warning to his students from the official leges were following Spence’s suit and Broderick Review. at risk. We see this late sign on as similar main campus in Camperdown, find- grees in 2018 will commence them in by proximity to the many relevant we could begin”. St Paul’s College Facebook page. showing their disdain for St Paul’s be- St Paul’s had been the only residen- to the Warden’s concerns of CVs: disre- ing a new home in the Old Teachers Rozelle, moving to Camperdown in disciplines.” Yet at an information session The public post, signed off ‘IFH haviour and poor response. tial college that refused to sign up to spect women, and put people at risk un- College (OTC). The University in- 2019 when facilities are installed. According to its Final Change Plan last year, Garton told students the Head’, told “members of the college Honi reported that students at the the review into sexual discrimination til your reputation is at risk,” co-wom- tends to appoint a design firm in July The University’s plan foresees that for the SCA, the closure of the Rozelle planned closure was motivated by the community” that posting “incautious University of Sydney’s Women’s Col- at college — led by former Sex Dis- en’s officer Katie Thorburn said. to determine the direction of the new the new SCA will cater for 360 to 425 campus is projected to reduce SCA’s SCA’s “significant deficit”. and disrespectful” material could “lead lege, St John’s College, and Wesley crimination Commissioner Elizabeth fit-out of OTC, and the building will students, and employ a staff of up to operating deficit from $5.1million to to damage”. Citing the Gospel Writer St college planned to boycott an event Broderick — after former students be repurposed during 2018. 18 academics and 12 technical and $1million a year. Luke’s warning that anything could be hosted by St Paul’s at their bar — the across the colleges spoke out about the

4 5 NEWSROOM LONG READ The ‘C’ word The case for modern slavery NICOLETTE PT / Does the law protect victims of sexual assault?

CONTENT WARNING: SEXUAL ASSAULT legislation in Australia ting to sexual activity, or not actively saying ‘no’.” cause it has inadvertently set a precedent which is Rather, “the consent of the other party in a sexual going to make life difficult for everyone.” ZOE STOJANOVIC-HILL / A contentious response to a titanic problem Consent. The ‘C’ word. encounter should never be assumed, and should ac- When asked if the law should be reformed, I am laying out my intentions, plain and clear. I tively be sought and affirmed.” Cowdery and Brown gave different answers. Kevin Hyland, the UK’s first Independent Anti-Slavery in the corporate world. For example, the submissions won’t lead you on. I won’t encourage you to keep This seems logical and reasonable. However, it di- “I think the law is effective as it is,” Cowdery said. Commissioner, speaking in Sydney at an event held of Wesfarmers and Woolworths Ltd., Australia’s reading to find out. No games, no tantalisation. No rectly contradicts what occurred in the recent court “I know from personal involvement there was a lot by the Lowy Institute on 30 May, has just an hour to two largest companies by revenue as of 2016, fun or flirting. I wouldn’t want you to get the wrong case, where, during court questioning, Lazarus was of argument in drafting s61HA … But the law has to unravel the nexus between globalisation, trade, hu- almost exclusively focus on supply chain Art: Garnet Chan idea, or assume I’m asking for anything more. asked: “You recall her saying [stop] shortly after you be applied to cases where there may be enormous man rights, law and order, and ‘modern slavery’. transparency. Modern slavery represents I just want to talk about consent. penetrated her?” He replied: “She gave words to differences.” “In few other crimes are human beings used as com- risk for investors, which amounts to Under current law, this is how blatant a person that effect, yes.” Brown, on the other hand, said, “the way our law modities over and over again, for the gain of others.” risk for upper management; embrac- must be to prove that they have not consented to sex- “That by itself would be enough to constitute the is currently drafted, it’s almost like a tipping com- Hyland speaks emphatically, earnestly, as if he wants ing a culture of corporate social ual intercourse. Even if there is evidence the victim configuration of sexual intercourse without con- petition. Cases like this highlight you can get away the audience to consider the weight of each word. responsibility represents reward. did not consent, a recent case suggests that if the ac- sent,” Nicholas Cowdery, former Director of Public with it. My view is that for one victim to be treated The day before he presented for the Lowy Insti- The Inquiry will prepare an cused perpetrator “honestly and genuinely” believed Prosecutions (NSW), told Honi. “You can withdraw badly by the system, means the system is failing.” tute, Hyland appeared before a Parliamentary Com- interim report specifically ad- the victim was consenting, they will not be convicted. consent at any time. Any unwanted conduct after Both agreed that the difficulty lies in drafting and mittee to make a case for introducing modern slavery dressing the supply chain term In 2015, a jury found Luke Lazarus, now 25, guilty that is non-consensual.” applying a law that strikes the balance between pro- legislation in Australia, modelled on the UK’s Modern of reference in late August, re- of raping a “moderately intoxicated” 18-year-old girl Just because a person engages in consensual kiss- tecting the rights of individuals and the community, Slavery Act 2015. flecting the skewed focus of in the laneway behind his father’s Kings Cross night- ing, body rubbing, or going to a ‘VIP section’ that and reflects social standards. What is ‘modern slavery’? At the Lowy Institute the debate. club two years prior. turns out to be a laneway behind a club, as hap- In NSW, there were 3,951 separate sexual offence event, Hyland defined modern slavery as “an um- Sally Irwin, CEO of the In a judge-only retrial on May 4, 2017, the court pened in the Lazarus case, it does not mean they are incidents reported to police during 2013. Of that num- brella term, covering a number of often related seri- Freedom Hub, a small recognised that the young woman did not consent. consenting to sexual intercourse. ber, 715 people were charged and 374 were found ous abuses, including forced labour, child slavery, and business that funnels 100 However, the judge found there were no reasonable Howard Brown, a well-known member of the Vic- guilty; a conviction rate of 52 per cent for the state. all forms of trafficking in persons, including of sexual per cent of its profit into grounds for Lazarus to believe she didn’t. His con- tims of Crime Assistance League and NSW Sentenc- “People must have confidence in the law,” exploitation, forced criminality, organ removals and rehabilitating survivors of viction was quashed. But what of the victim? Does ing Council, agreed. Brown told Honi that the judge in Brown said. domestic servitude.” It is intentionally anachronistic slavery, supports the move to this mean it wasn’t rape? the appeal “put an expectation on the victim, far more But how can we have confidence in the law when, rhetoric, deployed in advocacy and policy circles for hold transnational corpora- This case, and the legislation underpinning it than what the law actually requires of them. I believe even if you do not give consent, the accused can be its shock value. tions accountable but feels like (s61HA(3)(c) of the Crimes Act 1900), set a dan- the victim gave sufficient notice to the applicant for gifted with a get-out-of jail-free card? Though the In February this year, the Attorney-General initiated the focus on supply chains over- gerous precedent: it is implied that proving sexual him to know, full well, that she was not consenting.” Lazarus case, and the principles surrounding it, are a Parliamentary Inquiry into Establishing a Modern looks the fact that there are slaves assault and proving lack of consent are not the same Brown also raised the issue of intoxication: in this extensive, the fact remains that the judge who ac- Slavery Act in Australia. The Joint Standing Committee in Australian communities, often thing under the law. This calls into question whether case, the complainant had consumed either 10 or 16 quitted the accused did so despite finding that the on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade has embarked working in the retail, hospitality and our laws truly reflect community standards, and drinks, a level of intoxication the court found to only victim had not consented. The lines remain blurred on the gruelling process of raising an embryonic idea horticultural sectors. whether the justice system effectively protects vic- be “moderate”, not high. because the law instead rests on how the accused which, months or even years from now, could mature “There’s millions and millions of tims, offenders, and society. “People can be high range PCA (prescribed con- and the court have comprehended the victim’s into an act. people in slavery overseas, it seems In recent years, the law has shifted away from centration of alcohol) on six drinks,” Brown said. words, actions and silence. “I am pretty confident that we can come up with like a huge problem, but why should we a ‘passive’ model of consent, which meant consent “People know that when a person is affected by But the ‘C’ word is not ‘comprehend’. strong recommendations that can gain mutli-party wait until there’s millions here before we was assumed unless there was active resistance such drugs or alcohol that it negates consent — everyone The ‘C’ word is not ‘construe’. support so we can actually proceed with legislation,” do something?” Irwin asks. as fighting and screaming. knows that.” The ‘C’ word is ‘consent’. Chris Crewther, the chair of the subcommittee leading Similarly, Anti-Slavery Australia, a legal re- According to the Australian Institute of Family This ruling highlights what happens when the An appeal has been lodged by DPP, Lloyd Babb SC, the Inquiry, told Honi. “I imagine that you would prob- search centre within the UTS Faculty of Law, highlights mask and cape. For example, in a 2015 essay, Janie Studies, today’s laws reflect a ‘positive’ model of law considers the mindset of the accused at the time to the Court of Criminal Appeal against the acquittal. ably be looking at around mid-2018 at the earliest be- the need to improve slavery support services in Aus- A. Chuang, Professor of Law at American University consent, meaning consent to participate in sexual rather than applying the reasonable person test. fore [legalisation] comes before Parliament.” tralia. For instance, Anti-Slavery Australia would like Washington College of Law, analyses how ‘philanthro- activity cannot be demonstrated by merely “submit- It is, according to Brown, “a retrograde step, be- NSW RAPE CRISIS CENTRE: 1800 424 017 The Inquiry held the first public hearing, featuring to disentangle the human trafficking visa program capitalists’ have the money to ‘solve’ socioeconomic Kevin Hyland, last Wednesday, and is currently reading from the criminal justice process. problems that stem from structural inequality while written submissions penned by concerned individuals Under the current system, a formerly enslaved or simultaneously reinforcing structural inequality. The and organisations arguing that Australia should adopt trafficked person has to go through the Australian Fed- Foundation’s narrative, in which big business needs Genetically modified organisms regulation in the aspects of the UK’s Modern Slavery Act. eral Police to access the Support for Trafficked People to step into “the governance gap created by globalisa- Australia is not looking to import the UK act word for program, a government-funded service administered tion” to fix modern slavery, the “world’s greatest evil”, word, because some of its provisions overlap with pro- by the Australian Red Cross. A victim without a valid can be read as intentionally apolitical. According to United States: a cautionary tale visions of Australian criminal law. Australia outlawed visa can be granted a bridging visa, which effectively Chuang, globalisation is presented as an exogenous slavery in 1824 and incorporated slavey offenses into entitles them to 45 days of emergency support. They force rather than a system of governance designed to TILINI RAJAPAKSA / Australia’s GMO production may not be as developed as the US’s, but nor is its related legislation the Commonwealth Criminal Code Act 1995 in 1999. may then be offered a more permanent visa if they as- maximise the power of transnational corporate actors Division 270 of the Criminal Code criminalises “slav- sist the AFP and in doing so, incur a risk that returning and delegitimise critique of the politics that went into On May 20, people marched in global protest against ing proportion considering GM foods were only in- beyond judicial review for six months by prevent- ery,” defined as “the condition of a person over whom to their country of origin will put their life in danger. the production of this system. Monsanto in over 200 cities around the world. troduced in the 1990s. ing federal courts from ceasing the sale or planting any or all of the powers attaching to the right of own- “We would like to have more organisations being The Foundation may frame ‘slavery as individual Based in the United States, Monsanto is the largest Despite having the largest market for GM foods in of GMOs, even in circumstances where the courts ership are exercised,” and “slavery-like conditions,” able to make referrals [to the Red Cross], rather than deviance’ to eclipse the ‘slavery as a structural prob- bio-technology agricultural business and producer of the world, labelling laws for GM products were not found public health to be at risk. Further troubling such as servitude, forced labour and forced marriage. just the AFP,” says Elizabeth Sheridan, a lawyer from lem’ narrative, as Chuang claims; or the appeal to big genetically modified (GM) seeds in the world, having passed until July last year, and the requirements un- is the fact that the provision was tacked on 73 pages Division 271 criminalises debt bondage and trafficking Anti-Slavery Australia. “But also ... if there is some sort business could be a realist attempt to work within the expanded its sale of genetically modified organisms der the laws are controversial. The legislation nar- into an appropriation bill, and many members of offenses, including organ trafficking. The maximum of barrier that prevents you from assisting the police, confines of an imperfect international system. Forrest’s (GMOs) into Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Europe rowly defines genetic modification in a way which congress were apparently not even aware of its ex- penalty for a “slavery offense” — for treating a per- in compelling and compassionate circumstances, you recent $400 million donation to charity, which Mal- and South America over the past two decades. exempts certain newer biotech methods from label- istence when voting on the bill. son like property, like an object to be bought and used would be able to access that permanent residency colm Turnbull described as “the biggest single philan- The GMO debate is contentious. GMO advocates ling, and the substantive labelling requirements are The GMO industry in Australia is not (yet) com- and sold or discarded, as distinct from other forms of without having to assist the police.” thropic gift in our history and the largest donation by point to enhanced productivity, better nutrition and obscure. The law requires that food packages dis- parable to the US: relatively few genetically modi- exploitation informally categorised as ‘modern slavery’ “There is a myriad of reasons why people in this sit- a living Australian,” aimed to make corporations dwell cost-effectiveness. However, concerns remain over play an “electronic code”, text label, or symbol indi- fied agricultural crops have been approved for use in — is a 25-year jail sentence. uation ... choose not to go to the police,” says Indika on the adage about power and responsibility. Throw- the adequacy of scientific research on the long-term cating whether they contain GMOs. This allows cor- Australia and GM food labelling is mandatory with However, a highly-praised provision of the UK act, Chandrasekera, another Anti-Slavery Australia law- ing your weight around is graceless; wield power with environmental and health impacts of GMOs. Fears porations to contain (or rather conceal) the relevant certain exceptions, such as for highly-refined prod- for which there is no equivalent in Australian law, is yer. “Threats against the victim’s family, in their home poise, the Forrests seem to say. predominantly exist in regards to antibiotic resistance information in a QR barcode, making it inaccessible ucts. However, Australia is ranked sixth among the Section 54 on supply chain transparency. Under UK country ... The fear of being revictimised during that Chris Wright of the University of Sydney Business and increased cancer risks (particularly due to the use to the quarter of Americans without smartphones or top biotechnology countries in the Asia-Pacific and law, a company with a turnover of over £36 million process ... Stigma,” Chandrasekera’s list continues. School, who specialises in supply chain and labour of glysophate in Monsanto’s herbicide Roundup) and reliable internet access. there are more than 400 biotechnology companies that does business in the UK has to publish an annual The overriding focus on supply chain transparency regulation, welcomes supply chain transparency legis- the role of GMOs in killing off seed diversity, which is The controversial law did not go unnoticed — operating in Australia, a significant portion of which statement outlining the steps taken to ensure that its can largely be attributed to the influence of Andrew lation but believes that “the single solution that would known to reduce crop diseases and is fundamental to over 250,000 Americans petitioned against the bill. operate in agriculture. GM cotton, carnations and supply chains are not strung together by slave labour. and Nicola Forrest. Andrew Forrest, founder and chair- address these solutions in developing countries, in our ecosystem and biodiversity. Senator Bernie Sanders described the legislation as canola have been approved for commercial use in Yet even this provision is not perfect — for example, man of iron ore mining company Fortescue Metals terms of monitoring companies, … is having a strong Nonetheless, the GMO industry has continued to “confusing, misleading and unenforceable”. Tellingly, Australia, and are not insubstantial parts of their re- due to a pesky loophole, British companies are not re- Group and Australia’s sixth richest person, and his and independent trade union.” permeate the international market at an alarmingly Vermont legislation implementing a much stricter la- spective broader industries (more than 99% of cot- quired to report on the supply chains of their wholly wife Nicola have channelled their wealth into setting Australia will probably pass some form of modern rapid rate since the 1990s, albeit discreetly. These con- belling scheme was passed just prior to the federal ton planted in Australia is GM). foreign owned subsidiaries that do not engage in com- the ‘new abolitionist’ agenda in Australia and abroad slavery legislation in the future, because even if the cerns highlight the need to be vigilant about whether law. The federal law overrode Vermont’s and pre- While GMOs don’t play as significant a role in mercial activity with the UK. through their Walk Free Foundation. The narrative term ‘modern slavery’ is bombastic, minimising the fre- the regulatory frameworks for the industry are abreast vented states from further legislating on the matter. Australia, the US is a salient reminder of the need Participants in the Australian debate are touting the propagated by the Foundation, encapsulated by their quency and severity of extreme exploitation is a bipar- with the rate of GMO integration into society. Nevertheless, this is not as disturbing as a law to be conscious of how rapidly GMOs can enter the merits of other novel provisions of the UK act, such 2016 report, ‘Harnessing the Power of Business to End tisan political issue backed by an array of influential The case of the US in particular provides a cau- passed in 2013 dubbed the “Monsanto Protection food industry and of the importance of staying up to as the office of an Independent Anti-Slavery Commis- Modern Slavery’, has been criticised for representing actors and, more significantly, many of those actors are tionary tale. Between 75 and 80 per cent of foods in Act” by critics. The law effectively set a precedent date with industry legislation. sioner, but the supply chain transparency provision has big business as a class of latent superheroes, clumsily overflowing with wealth.HS the US contain GM ingredients, which is an astound- that put Monsanto and other biotech companies received a lot of attention because the idea is trending coming to terms with their own power, yet to don

6 7 PODIUM PODIUM College scandals obscure the need for student housing Face-off: Jeremy Corbyn is the future of the left TOM JOYNER / Michael Spence will never fix the colleges, but he can fix student housing Since the 1980s, left wing political leaders from Bob Hawke to Hillary Clinton have embraced neoliberalism — a belief in low taxes, privatisation of state infrastruc- ture and deregulation — tempered by social welfare. On June 8, 2017, the leader of the British Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, will contest a general election with Another University of Sydney college is again in But Spence’s public relations game has conven- has more than enough resources to provide more a radically different platform. He wants to put higher taxes on corporations; massively increase the minimum wages; nationalise railways, water utilities and the the national media for the same reason as ever — iently allowed him to avoid another responsibil- rooms on main campus than it already does. It’s postal service; make university free again, and reintroduce collective pay-bargaining. Is he the future of the left? residents’ atrocious misbehaviour. It’s clear by now ity often forgotten in the narrative surrounding worth remembering the University is currently in that without radical overhaul, the culture of misog- colleges — that of fixing the dire shortage of any the midst of a $2.5 billion construction binge — ZAC GILLIES-PALMER / For yny and toxic entitlement within the colleges will actually affordable student accommodation on or including a new $70 million glass-fronted admin- never change. near campus. istration building to house the Vice Chancellor’s Decades of neglect under successive conservative As with every college scandal, Vice Chancellor Rent in the areas surrounding USyd remains as- new offices on City Road — that will transform the and centre-left administrations have brought the Michael Spence and his cadre of damage control tronomical, while the incursion of private operators Camperdown campus. world’s mightiest liberal democracies to their knees. specialists have played the public relations game like Urbanest, Iglu and Unilodge on the local mar- Further to that, it’s a well-known rort that the Where the post-war generation embraced a future perfectly, and the media have lapped it up. ket has done little to ease the problem, with rooms University has long funnelled the majority of reve- of modernisation and rising living standards, ours Last year there was the sensational announcement starting from $350-400 per week. Those unable to nue raised from the student services and amenities must accept that in the absence of radical change of a taskforce led by former sex discrimination com- afford them are left at best with little choice but to fee (SSAF) to Sydney University Sport and Fitness, the world is hurtling toward crisis. For decades the missioner Elizabeth Broderick to review the culture move much further afield, or at worst to reconsider an independent organisation which only last year left has failed to present a marketable critique of of the colleges. More than a year on, students and study in Sydney entirely. spent $12.5 million to build a new state-of-the-art neoliberalism to voters. Instead, socially democratic staff have been told nothing of the review’s progress The six independently-run sandstone colleges grandstand that will likely boost the university’s parties have appropriated the economic narrative of and the furore surrounding its initial announcement sporting profile but will be of no use to the majority their conservative counterparts under the guise of has all but died down. ‘The Vice Chancellor has of students. voter triangulation and consensus building. Spence has remained vague on details of the re- Management undoubtedly has the means to in- In many ways our fractured political landscape view, or indeed what substantial action (if any) the become a master of weathering vest more in affordable housing for students, but and the resurgence of the fascistic far-right can be university will take pending its results. Meanwhile, outrage with inaction’ they lack the will. Many new students, who are al- attributed to the failings of centre-left parties. By the colleges have continued to behave how they ready set to be slugged with higher fees to study embracing free market policies, Tony Blair, Bill Clin- please with impunity. in the coming years, will miss out on what meagre ton, Manuel Valls and Barack Obama created the Then last week, Spence wrote a letter to St. Paul’s and their grounds occupy almost half of the campus housing options are already offered by the Univer- political vacuum necessary for predatory political College warden Dr Ivan Head lashing out at the col- bounded by Missenden Road to the west and Victoria sity and face the prohibitive costs of living in one movements to construct a narrative which appealed lege’s “deep contempt for women” and “pointing out Park to the east. Together, they provide some 1600 of Sydney’s most expensive pockets of real estate to the fears and aspirations of an increasingly ema- that the College’s response fails to address the deep beds and make up the majority of available on-cam- should they choose, not unreasonably, to live near ciated working class. Critics of privatisation, trade cultural problems evident in the life of his college”. pus accommodation. Beyond them, USyd provides main campus. liberalisation and austerity were mocked as relics According to Spence, Paul’s could no longer “pre- a handful of rooms to students in both Darlington The issue of the colleges — both the disgusting be- of a bygone era and largely relegated to backbench tend that this is not a profound issue in the life of and Forest Lodge, as well as the newly refurbished haviour of their residents and the ineffectiveness of positions, where their protestations were unlikely to the College, going to its very licence to operate”. 800-bed Queen Mary building in Camperdown and their wardens — may not be fixable in the short term, challenge the fantasies of party leaders. It was a stunning moment. Briefly, it appeared he 200-bed Abercrombie Street building in Darlington. but has highlighted a different but just as pressing As the subsequent neoliberal consensus radically British Labour leader Jeremy had finally grown a backbone. There was just one Given this, the solution seems almost as comi- problem. Much more than havens of misogyny and restructured society for the benefit of multinational Corbyn. Art: Grace Franki. problem: it was an empty threat, and one we’ve cally obvious as it is unrealistic. The colleges have privilege, the colleges are also physical symbols of in- corporations and the wealthiest 1 per cent, the work- heard many times before. The Vice Chancellor has had more than enough opportunity in recent years equality on campus when it comes to access to hous- ing class lost their voice in government and began become a master of weathering outrage with inac- to prove they’re not a colossal waste of space — it’s ing. Spence’s game of public relations has allowed to abandon the centre-left in their millions. Since periphery. His ambitions are objectively reasonable people. They reject the paternalistic assumption that tion — whether it’s the announcement of a high-pro- time to convert them into needs-based accommoda- him to tactically douse public anger over the former, then, voter turnout, party membership and the poll- and yet he has endured an intense and coordinated voters are incapable of vision, compassion, and radi- file review, an internal report, or the promise to have tion for all students. In doing so, the university could but done nothing to tackle the latter. ing performance of the electoral left have collapsed. smear campaign for almost two years. Despite this, cal change, and instead dignifies them with a sophisti- stern words behind closed doors — in an endless double its current student housing stock overnight. Instead, many working class people have turned in Labour’s commitment to reconstituting society for cated counter-proposal to that of the extreme centre. cycle of attention and obfuscation. Of course, this will never happen, but USyd desperation to the reactionary populism of Donald the many, not the few has mobilised tens of thou- If the Australian left is committed to captivating Trump, Marine Le Pen and UKIP with their promises sands of new labour members and rapidly narrowed the imaginations of working class people we would of employment and security. the gap with Theresa May’s Conservatives to 1 per do well to examine the successes of Corbynism. As From Balmain to Camperdown in 100 minutes As a figure of conviction, compassion and cour- cent, according to some polls. the future of progressive politics, democratic so- age, Jeremy Corbyn has refused to succumb to con- To suggest that another moribund Blairite candi- cialism provides us with an opportunity to rebuild CAMERON GOOLEY / Surprise, surprise: Sydney is bad at more than just nightlife ventional third way dogma. Rather than presenting date could have endured a campaign of internal and consensus, end sectarian infighting and progress an some insipid, visionless Tory-lite manifesto, Labour external sabotage is not just dishonest but frankly anti-capitalist alternative to challenge the structural occupy my early classes. But I live in Balmain, less dustrial Relations Commission ruling it illegal. The under Corbyn has challenged the very foundations laughable. It is clear that Labour’s messaging is not oppression endemic to our society. Win or lose, Cor- than five kilometres from the University of Sydney. strike was in response to the NSW Government’s of modern political discourse. Momentum, a prom- merely saleable but popular enough to challenge a byn’s unrelenting opposition to imperialist wars, his Perhaps this is part of the reason that I find myself proposal to privatise bus services in the Inner West, inent pro-Corbyn grassroots movement, has helped narrative that has proliferated in every mainstream commitment to fairness and equality, and his respect so upset at the appalling state of Sydney’s transport and was followed by a “fare free day” declared by push for a staunchly anti-capitalist policy platform media outlet for decades. As a model for the modern for the intellect of working class voters is something infrastructure. I live in an Inner West suburb adja- over 3,500 bus drivers. that places democracy, equality and sustainability left, Momentum and Labour demonstrate the endur- the Australian left ought to replicate with or without cent to the CBD, and it still takes me an exorbitant Transport Minister Andrew Constance told ABC at the core of Labour’s campaign rather than the ing relevance of democratic socialism to working class an electoral motive. amount of time to get to class. If I can’t rely on our News that he was “on the side of the commuter,” mass transit system, how could anyone in the outer and that “they deserve better and more innovative suburbs possibly do so? service in the Inner West, they don’t deserve to be SAM BIRD / Against With a less-than-seamless rollout of Opal, Trans- treated like this.” port for New South Wales (TfNSW) took three If Constance were truly on the side of the com- The first myth that needs to be shed is that Jeremy little time to do it. point about rail nationalisation, he would make a years to implement a glitchy and expensive fare sys- muter, he would have ensured Sydney buses were Corbyn is a ‘nice guy’. Now from oligarchs, we move onto murderers video sitting on the floor of a train he claimed was tem, including the lengthy time it took to distribute able to fulfill their obligations to the people of this He is not. — Hamas and Hezbollah, whom Corbyn considers overcrowded. His claim was fatally undermined student concession cards. Headlines congratulated city. As a commuter who missed two tutorials that He voted against the Anglo-Irish Agreement, his ‘friends’. Jeremy, the supposed pacifist, invited when the rail company released footage of Corbyn Art: Maxim Adams then-Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian for com- day, I was not mad at the bus drivers for protest- which began the peace process in Northern Ireland, these anti-Semitic, Islamist fanatics to the British bumbling past rows of empty seats, exposing him for pleting the Opal roll out early, but only because ing, but at the Transport Minister for displaying an on the basis that the IRA would have had to compro- Parliament, ostensibly for ‘dialogue’, but in reality, the mendacious fool that he is. I’m standing by the side of the road waiting for a bus TfNSW’s original deadlines were already extraordinar- overwhelming degree of incompetence. A minister mise too much. He attended IRA events throughout as a means of endorsing and tacitly supporting their Finally, his domestic agenda is tepid and out- that is now 25 minutes behind schedule. A woman ily long. I suppose everything is early when your dead- capable of doing their job would not be dealing with the era during which they killed over 1,600 innocent struggle. This is not simply an issue of Palestinian dated. He wants to dramatically increase spending suddenly shouts “fucking shit fuck!” before calling line is essentially some time within the next decade. a 1,200 person strong illegal strike or a cold war civilians. He edited the Labour Briefing newspaper, rights. Hamas has the distinction of being one of the on social services, which is welcome, but for the to cancel a doctor’s appointment she no longer has Furthermore, the state government’s insistence with every bus driver within a 40 kilometre radius which praised the IRA, writing, “the British only sit few organisations whose founding charter openly fact he has not proposed sufficient sources to fund any chance of making. To my right sits a tired, solemn that Opal would be cheaper than paper tickets held of the CBD. up and take notice when they are bombed into it”. advocates genocide, through the violent destruction it. Instead, the UK would take on more debt, which old man with a leathery scowl on his face and a half weight once they upped the price of paper tickets Throughout the Inner West we are accosted by re- And his embrace of terrorists didn’t end there. of the Israeli state. One can only hope that a cup of would be fine in a recession, but in a time of growth consumed beer bottle hanging out of his back pocket. to encourage people to swap to Opal. Later, the minders of Westconnex and looking towards the city Corbyn was paid the equivalent of $35,000 AU for tea with Jeremy dissuaded them from pursuing such and rising interest rates will lead to higher repay- Much like my comrades to either side, I find the government scrapped the free rides Opal users we see crane after crane, most involved in the con- five appearances on Iranian state TV. Once there he naughtiness. ment obligations. It will leave less money available daily transit to class infuriating — one I’m sure had previously received once they’d hit their weekly struction of a behemoth casino tailored towards the didn’t raise a word of censure against the regime’s Self-determination for the Palestinians, but not for precisely the social services Corbyn wants to many of you can sympathise with. A typical trip to rewards limit in favour of a marginal discount. In internationally rich. So much is being built, but our appalling human rights abuses, preferring instead to for the Falkland Islanders, it seems, as Corbyn fa- fund in the future. university will take me anywhere between 50 and a move that shocked no one, the free rides were infrastructure is rotting beneath us. As a resident of criticise the West for its blemished, but considerably vours sharing sovereignty over the islands with Ar- Corbyn’s politics do not scream ‘nice man’ to me, 100 minutes; more if the traffic is heavy or if I miss discarded the same month paper tickets were this urban mess of a city it makes me wonder: where better, record. gentina. Despite the fact that 98.9 per cent of the nor does his history of taking sides in conflict scream a connecting service. formally discontinued. are our priorities? Let us turn from terrorists to oligarchs. Everyone’s Islanders desire to remain British nationals, Jeremy ‘pacifist’. He is an anti-British, anti-Western, anti-Se- We often hear these complaints from those trav- Apparently our bus drivers seem to share my lack Sydney is a city of constant construction, but pre- pleasant Uncle Jeremy appeared on the Kremlin’s doesn’t seem to care. Perhaps if they started blowing mitic, terrorist sympathiser and a Kremlin crony. He elling intercity or from outer suburbs, where con- of faith in the state government’s ability to deliver cious little innovation. propaganda channel Russia Today where he again up citizens he would lend his weight to their cause. is an inauthentic liar who no-one should vote for. If secutive state governments ignore the need for up- adequate mass transit options, as more than 1,200 omitted to call out the political repression or men- “At least his views are clear”, some say. “He’s he is the future of progressive politics, then he will graded mass transit systems. Horror stories about bus drivers in the Inner West and South Sydney area tion the militaristic expansionism of Putin’s gangster straight up and honest”, they note. But is he? be its death. the Campbelltown line and the (hel)L90 bus route staged a sudden strike last month, despite the In- state. So much complaining about the West to do, so Last year, Corbyn decided that, to make a political

8 9 Special Manus Feature Special Manus Feature FOUR BIRTHDAYS CHAUKA, PLEASE IN MANUS PRISON TELL US THE TIME

IMRAN MOHAMMAD / Life is made intentionally cruel for refugees trapped on Manus Island NINA DILLON BRITTON / Honi talks to Dutch filmmaker Arash Kamali Sarvestani and Manus detainee Behrouz Boochani who secretly filmed a feature length documentary about life in detention

Last month, I spent yet another birthday in razors and collect washing powder. Many knew the power of a pen and paper. One of If you’ve seen Behrouz Boochani before, it was Arash explains. “But jail is not interesting, jail is Behrouz, as it is not safe for refugees outside of this God-forsaken place. It was my fourth times we did not receive either, as there was the psychologists taught me an idiom dur- probably in a grainy video question on Q&A: the most boring place in the world.” the camp following several refugees being beaten birthday in Manus prison. I was a young boy not enough for everyone. ing a conversation with him and I took it “I’m talking to you from Manus Prison. Aus- This realisation inspired the film’s title. The by locals. “The local people, if you go as a tourist, of just 19 when I stepped onto Papua New I didn’t know how I would survive in this on as my motto: the pen is mightier than tralia exiled me by force three years ago. What Chauka bird, which adorns Manus’s provincial are really lovely people. But Manusians are afraid Guinea on October 29, 2013. Today I am 23, environment, as I was very young and very the sword. is my crime?” he asked Malcolm Turnbull. flag and is spiritually significant for Manusians, of refugees, they aren’t welcome,” says Arash. and I have suffered every day since. small compared to the other men. I talked There were too many spiteful measures “I am a refugee who fled injustice, discrimi- is heard constantly in the background of the “Sometimes I had to try for a month to take As soon as I got off the plane, I was for- to my God after praying five times a day. We imposed upon our lives. I saw a lot of food nation and persecution. I didn’t leave my fam- film. Its calls, at different times of day, are used a special shot and sometimes I did not feel safe cibly moved to this isolated place, where didn’t have a place to pray so we used to pray and fruit thrown away after every meal, yet ily by choice. Why am I still in this illegal prison by Manusians to tell that time. “It tells the time while I was filming,” says Behrouz, but he also everything could be concealed from the rest in D block on the concrete floor, which was we were never allowed to take one apple after three years?” but time has no meaning for these people any- admits that “fear is part of [his] work.” of the world. I didn’t know how appalling the in front of the toilets. We used bedsheets and with us outside of the mess. We used to hide The short question was followed by minutes more,” Arash says. “If the system knew I was making a movie, it punishment would be. This was a hole de- papers to pray on, but could never concen- an apple in our underwear so that we could of rationalisations from Turnbull: queue-jump- “Time goes really crazy in these places,” he would have made trouble for me, and that was signed to make humans suffer in a way that trate properly as there were people walking have something to eat in the evenings. I fell ers, people smugglers, deaths at sea, border explains. Though he has never been in jail, he very hard,” he says. This hasn’t changed since the world will struggle to ever comprehend. all over the place. asleep hundreds of nights with my pen in my security. None of which responded to the ques- says that his experience in the Iranian army the film was released, with worries of backlash It is beyond human understanding, unless I spent hours crying in my bed. I skipped mouth, as I couldn’t endure the hunger. tion or to the man who asked it. was similar. from the security guards that control daily life you are living it. meals and other things, just so that I could be On my 20th birthday I was not allowed While Turnbull pragmatically explained the “I had one of the worst experiences of my life. for detainees; “at this moment when I’m talk- When I arrived, I was placed in Delta com- away from the chaos. a phone call, even though I saw the phones policy, supported by both major parties, that Time didn’t seem to pass. I thought ‘Oh God, I ing with you I don’t feel safe in this island.” pound with three Somali men. Our room was I moved to Mike compound at the end of were not being used. We could only ring sees 1202 people locked away on Manus and should kill myself, or I should blow off my finger For Arash now, who speaks fondly of the a narrow shipping container. It was agonis- 2013. There were more than 400 men in the our families when our names were on the Nauru, Behrouz sat in the Manusian prison. and maybe they will release me. And for me it admittedly “weird friendship” that he has de- ing to live in; there was absolutely no place compound. It was a little bigger than Delta list. I saw many men begging the guards for It is this erasure of the people imprisoned by was just two months; these people are there for veloped with Behrouz over WhatsApp, it is dif- for us to move around.Two sets of bunk beds compound as it was newly constructed, how- a phone call on special occasions to talk to Australia on Manus that Chauka, Please Tell Us four years without having committed a crime. ficult to comprehend that Behrouz is still de- took up almost all the space, so we always ever our suffering didn’t end. There was a TV their wives, mothers, fathers, children and The Time is trying to remedy. The documentary, Listening to Behrouz the same thing happened, tained on Manus. The experience of showing got changed and dressed on our beds. It was room that could only fit 50 men, so more 350 siblings. I told myself that I would not re- filmed secretly on a mobile phone, comes from after five months of torture there is just nothing.” the movie without his collaborator, he explains, the smallest compound on Manus but there men had nothing to do in the evenings. The quest anything from now on. I had less in- a collaboration of Iranian-born Dutch docu- ‘Chauka’ is also the name of the detention is bizarre. For once he seems lost for words. “It were around 300 men living there, which TV created so many fights, arguments, and teraction with the guards and other workers, mentary filmmaker Arash Kamali Sarvestani centre’s solitary confinement prison. Never is really, really nasty that he can’t have this ex- made it extremely unbearable. Outside there distance between friends. which made my life easier. and Behrouz Boochani, a Kurdish-Iranian refu- shown in the film, different detainees describe perience. How can the government do this to a was no place for us to sit in peace, as there There were six air-conditioners in the laun- These days we are allowed to have phones gee currently detained on Manus island. the experience: deprived of food, kept alone, person? It is his right to be there with me. I still was machinery, security guards and detain- dry, but none in our rooms. Our rooms were but we can’t talk on the phones, as the Inter- For the most part, very little happens. Ma- threatened with rape and assault by security don’t believe it,” he says. ees everywhere. converted metal shipping containers, so when net connection is excruciatingly slow. We will nusian children watch silently from outside guards. The ironies here prove too much for Ar- Chauka is difficult to watch. To be, in any way, I could never escape lines in Delta com- the sun was out, it felt like being thrown in never be able to eradicate the daily hurdles the fence, smiling. A refugee called Kaveh calls ash. “They are using the Manusian identity to an accurate representation of life on Manus, it pound — there were lines for every single boiling hot water. We didn’t have any devices in this environment. More obstacles keep ap- home during the few minutes he is allowed torture refugees. Why would you use the word needs to be. Very few Australians know anything thing. We had to line up in the heat of the with which we could listen to music. pearing on top of the existing ones, and we on the phone each week. Behrouz’s feet rest ‘Chauka’ for solitary confinement, when it is the about day-to-day life in detention, and the long- sun, or in the pouring rain, for breakfast and I didn’t know how I would survive this go through too many heartbreaking events against the background of a beach — an Insta- most important bird for the people of Manus?” term psychological torture inflicted by the place lunch. It was still horrendously hot when we nightmare. There were times when I thought every day. gram-worthy shot if not for the fence separat- The process of creating the film was pain- is not something that can be easily condensed lined up for dinner at night. There were lines of killing myself; tears of anguish always There is much to be said about our lives in ing him from the sand. fully slow. “Lots of people think that it was just into current affairs specials. Undoubtedly, detain- for toilets and showers, as there were only filled my eyes. Yet with some miraculous indefinite detention. If we used all the water in “It is a hard film to watch,” Arash admits. this really brave person who sent me shots to ees have suffered from the constant campaigns five toilets for 300 men. blessings, I held onto my hope and managed the sea as ink to describe our sufferings here, Which is true, but not in the way you ex- edit. But it was a really strong relationship with that seek to obscure stories like Behrouz’s. I waited for more than 12 hours to wash to find the strength required. I stopped go- we would run out before explaining everything. pect. It is not a violent picture of the jail that Behrouz and I,” says Arash. “I think Chauka is Behrouz remains cynical that the documen- my clothes. There was only one washing ma- ing to the places other men went, and I did I have wasted four birthdays in this grue- Chauka captures, but rather the psychological the result of deep understanding between us,” tary will create change in Australia. chine for all the men, and often we would not do the things others did. I was in somely torturous environment. If only I was purgatory in which it keeps its detainees. “We Behrouz agrees. “And if we could not under- “While we were working on the project we not have washing powder for months. I can bed when everyone was awake and I was free and with my family. want to say how it is hard for refugees who stand each other so well we could not have cre- weren’t working to change the policy,” he says. still remember the poor quality razor we had awake when everyone was asleep. I went I should not have seen and should not have been imprisoned for four years and don’t ated this movie.” “We knew that already seven refugees had died to use for months — if someone lost theirs, to have my meals just 10 minutes before they have experienced all that I have. If we sur- know how many more years they have to en- The pair used WhatsApp to send low qual- in the islands, and international human rights it took months to get another. There was no closed the mess so that I could avoid the lines. vive, I can guarantee we will be able to sur- dure this remote prison,” Behrouz says. ity shots from Manus, often taking hours. “I organisations had published their reports timeframe for anything, so we never knew I spent most of my time with my teachers, vive anywhere on this earth. We knocked on “It’s hard for me to say this, but unfortunately know it’s hard for people to imagine what I showing Australia’s violations of human rights, when we would receive what. We would as most men had no desire to be around Australia’s door for a safe life, yet we have it’s the reality of Western culture and thinking mean when I say the internet is too slow here,” but nothing changed.” wake up at 3am to queue for a razor, or wait them. I was very committed to my learn- been gifted with pain, anguish and in some about refugees. In Western culture refugees are Behrouz says. “I had to stay awake until the The effect the film will have is no longer in the heat of the sun for hours to exchange ing and keen on improving my writing. I cases, death. seen as different people. In the movie we want to morning to find a time when the internet be- dependent on Behrouz or Arash, but on those say that the refugees are people the same as you.” came good enough to talk with Arash and send who watch it. “Australia does not want to ac- It is perhaps just that fact — the characters are some of the shots.” cept that it is violating human rights and is so normal, daily life is so boring — that makes the Often, this meant Behrouz would have to deliberately sleeping,” says Behrouz. “But this film so confronting. “This is a different story of travel into the island’s central town to gain in- movie will remain in Australian history. We Art: Angelica Owczarek jail than filmmakers in Hollywood would make,” ternet access. This exercise was dangerous for made it as a record.”

8 9 LOOKOUT/STUDIO STUDIO The case for being sex critical Rupi Kaur, poetess and woman LATIFA TEE / Few words convey tender experiences in Rupi’s poetic world COURTNEY THOMPSON / Sex-positivity CW: SEXUAL ASSAULT AND ABUSE can feed the idea that having casual reclaiming her body after experiencing sexual as- right? It’s an experience. It’s like a Venn diagram ba- sex will naturally result in validation and sault, is an example of Kaur’s ability to transform sically between a musician, an author, and it’s also “My job is to take feelings and emotions that we abuse and appropriation into something meaningful super hilarious because I get super funny on stage… empowerment all experience and put them into words… I mean, I through honest reflection. For Kaur, though, timing and it’s also a therapy session with your girlfriend.” struggle with verbally doing that, which is why writ- is important. Kaur admits, however, that her rise to fame has I was staring at my bedroom roof, another person’s Art: Maani Truu ing is so powerful. That’s what a poetess means to “There are some pieces where I’m like ‘I’m not go- made sharing her art more difficult. “This has got- fingers in my vagina, when I concluded that casual me.” ing to add that into the second book, I’m not com- ten to the point where it’s so wildly successful that sex was a waste of my time. Poetess, artist, and all-round inspiring woman fortable yet’, but I know that I eventually want to I’ve had to manage staff, and learn to negotiate book It wasn’t the first time I’d entertained this thought. Rupi Kaur began her poetic career in the basement share everything.” deals and all of that … It’s been a lot more pressure, I’d also pondered the point of having casual sex dur- of a Punjabi Community Health Centre in 2009. In Upon first glance, Kaur’s poetry seems simple. because now I don’t get that same intimate relation- ing an 11-month no-sex stint last year. Eventually how I found it problematic to focus on orgasm; that spoken to other women about why they have casual 2015, Kaur self-published her first poetry collection, The diction is short. The words aren’t capitalised. ship [with art]. It has become a full time job.” though, I started having casual sex again. we should view it as an added-bonus rather than sex. The responses were mixed. While many said Milk and Honey, shedding light on femininity, abuse, And the meaning is often conveyed in a handful of Despite her bursting success as an author and However, hearing “you’re definitely a feminist”, end-goal. they enjoyed casual sex for the excitement, others love, loss, and culture. For what began as a cathar- sentences. But she assures me that even though “the poet, Kaur says her most important identifier is be the first thing someone says as they remove Me: we must view the sexual experience as more focused on the pleasure in connecting to people in tic form of self-expression, her writing and artwork work itself looks simple, it’s taken a lot of thought- ‘woman’. When I ask is what it means to her to be a your underwear and look at your vagina really than just coming! the unique way sex affords, and some said that it has resonated with millions of readers worldwide, fulness and it’s taken over a decade of work to come woman, we both admit it’s a complex question that forces you to weigh up the cost benefits of having Them: you mean, you struggle to come? was just a lot of fun, which is reason enough in itself. with milk and honey reaching #1 on the New York to that”. probably can’t be answered in 140 characters or less. sex that is usually physically subpar and, some- Me: No! People struggle to make me come! There’s nothing inherently wrong with casual sex. Times bestseller list. Angsty teens across the Tum- Her decision to combine written word with art “I feel like I could write an entire book about be- times frankly offensive. Them: ... right However, the sex-positive climate can feed the idea blr-verse continue to Instagram her poetry among was one of such decisions that took years to surface. ing a woman. I haven’t come up with an answer, An easy solution could be to avoid sleeping with They didn’t push the point; we continued having that exercising your right to have casual sex will nat- potted cacti, strategically sprinkled glitter, and dried “When I first started to share my work, it was just and that’s probably because being a woman is such cunts. The problem is that, one, they don’t always sex until they came. urally result in validation and empowerment. When flowers. I was fortunate enough to speak with the the words…but it felt like I was cheating on my first a multifaceted [role], a woman is so multidimen- identify themselves as such immediately, and two, It made more sense as to why people centre cli- that fails to happen consistently, and you’re not even poetess about her creative process. love, which was visual art. I thought, how am I go- sional, almost infinite,” she laughs. t’s possible to have lacklustre sex with lovely people. max when I learnt to make myself orgasm. Being physically enjoying the sex, you start to lose sight of ing to bring this [art] back? I knew I couldn’t do my This raises a question about the utility of casual able to seamlessly pleasure myself also made it why you were doing it in the first place. usual hyper-realistic sketches in charcoal… so I was sex. Since departing from the view of sex’s utility more painful when I would have casual sex, not There’s something to gain in being critical about doodling around while working in an advertising being rooted in its reproductive capabilities — thank come, and then have to endure comments about our sexual experiences and the pleasure they pro- job and thought, [the art is] simple like my poems’ fuck — and towards a view of it as a hedonistic act, my hairy pussy. vide on a purely physical level. It’s easy to think that diction, and when the words come together with the many who have casual sex, have it simply because Not only this, but you don’t have to be a hypo- the way to improve sex is to be more ‘adventurous’ art they mean something more complex.” it feels good. chondriac to know having casual sex comes with (read: have it in different places or positions), but of- Kaur’s culture has proven a significant influence Traditionally, climax is the sign that maximum pleas- risk: STIs, unplanned pregnancies, and the chance ten the path to improvement is actually paved by the on her art. “I come from a faith which is written in ure has been reached and that pleasure is the reason that who you’re sleeping with will turn out to be ability to communicate. When you’re having casual poetic prose…it’s a very artful faith, there’s lots of we pursue sex. It’s never been quite so simple for me. the kind of person that says “you’re welcome” after sex with people you’re unfamiliar with, that commu- Art: music and poetry, and that’s made a big impact on One night, mid-coitus, the person I was fucking finger-fucking you like you’re a pokie machine. Of nication can be difficult but it’s not impossible. Rupi the way I perform and how I write.” asked, “how do I make you come?” It wasn’t the course, contraception and getting regularly checked After all, it’s cliche, but life really is too short to Such culture, and faith is reflected in her poetic Kaur Art: first time I’d been asked the question nor would it can greatly minimise the risks, but they still exist. be wasting your time having sex with cunts who tell form. “There are no uppercase or lowercase letters Rupi be the last. Straddling them, I began a lecture on Obviously, my experience is not universal. I’ve you to “work harder than that”. in Gurmukhi script,” she explains. “All letters are Kaur Kaur says there has “always been this inner need treated the same, and I feel there is a level of equal- or this greater desire that’s beyond me [to write]. For ity this visuality brings to the work. [It’s] a visual She’ll be right, mate most of my life, it was visual art, but I’ve been writ- representation of what I want to see more of within ing for years and years.” She recalls writing birthday the world: equalness.” But in person, like in her poetry, Kaur manages to BIANCA DAVINO / The ‘Aussie Battler’ trope is re-appropriated for millennials in the Indie Punk scene poems for friends and love poetry for crushes, but It’s difficult to ignore the role social media has articulate her womanhood in a sentence. “For me, also using poetry as a cathartic process to overcome played in Kaur’s career. Her Instagram account, on being a woman right now, it’s just loving myself and In May 2017, The Smith Street Band released More And despite this “othering” brought on by legacy me- the challenges of womanhood, and to recount pain- which she shares her poetry and photography, has my power, which is so great and beyond me.” Scared Of You Than You Are Of Me, an album tracing dia, millennials are currently forging their own chapter ful encounters with sexual assault and emotional collected over 1.3 million followers. But Kaur insists To find the strength to convey such pain and em- the narrative of the struggling Australian 20-some- of battler history in Australia. manipulation. that the performances are what truly connect her to powerment in her poetry in so few words remains thing navigating the tribulations of love, share houses On the track ‘Birthdays’, Wil Wagner bellows, “we “When you naturally talk about your body, it’s a her readers: “Of course social media is huge…and her most impressive feat. She’s as sweet as honey, and anxiety. Front-man Wil Wagner’s heart-on-your- are more than future housewives”. It’s cathartic, form of empowerment because you’re not silencing that’s a great way to have a conversation. But I love calm as milk, and stings the patriarchy like the bees Art: Deepa Alam sleeve style of punk poeticism screams triumph in the aware and vulnerable, and telling of how Australian it anymore,” she tells me. Her poem ‘I’m Taking My the [poetry] performances [I do]. It’s not just me on her book cover. face of adversity and is deeply entrenched with tropes indie punk bands are voicing a new generation of un- Body Back’, in which she describes the process of cracking open a book and doing a regular reading, She’s a poetess in the truest sense of the word. that define an underdog. Deeply resonating with fans, derdogs. Forgotten by the government and misunder- the album has been praised for its vivid portrayals of stood, acts like Luca Brasi, Ceres and Camp Cope are the middle class, growing up, and lovesickness. It’s the acting on the emotional freedom that is embraced by ‘Cut to the Feeling’ is unadulterated suburban blues at their rawest. millennials, while simultaneously haring back to the The ‘Battler’ is a figure imbued within the Australian ideals that have shaped the Australian identity. Tak- psyche. Characters who embody dark horse qualities, ing this trope and tailoring it to young people who joy and pure passion are fair and inclusive, and make the most of unfavora- are socially and politically aware, these artists are ble circumstances have constantly served as the central using their platform to open a dialogue to speak on ELIJAH ABRAHAM / What goes up must come down … but not in the world of Carly Rae Jepsen figures in national film, television and literature. The current ‘underdog’ issues. Each band is distinctly Aus- advent of Australian ‘pub rock’ saw artists like Cold tralian in sound and aesthetic, with over exaggerated “I wanna cut through the crowds / break the ceil- record that made her such a pop sensation. “I want cheesy, Jepsen is somehow elevated to the realm Chisel exemplify the realities of working-class life in a ocker accents and references to suburban stations ing,” sings Carly Rae Jepsen in the chorus of her new to dance on the roof, you and me, alone/I want to of sincerity. She not only captures the E-MOT-IONS post-Vietnam War society, while cultural milestone The permeating their lyrics. single ‘Cut to the Feeling’. The track is loud, power- cut to the feeling,” she proclaims in valiant fashion that her 2015 album is so aptly named after, but Castle features a family proud of the treasures of mod- Previously, Australian punk music and the Aus- ing through soaring synths and a marching beat that in the titular line of the track as an 80s-inspired me- she brings them to life. And this is what demarcates est suburbia. Providing insight into the slow burning tralian identity itself has revealed machismo rather underscores Jepsen’s power. It’s instant. It’s exciting, lodic undercurrent runs throughout in a bold navi- her from her peers: her music ignites feelings of gentrification of the inner-city and outlining the unfor- than vulnerability and expression. Artists like Body- and excited. It’s unapologetically participatory. gation of unadulterated joy. soaring to great heights without the fear of crash- giving nature of blue-collared work, our national iden- jar and Frenzal Rhomb were notorious for exuding It’s quintessential Carly Rae Jepsen. I can’t put into words how much I love Carly Rae ing back afterwards. It’s corny and it’s embarrass- tity has been shaped by these figures from pop culture a mind-numbing bravado. The Smith Street Band Jepsen has occupied an odd space in the pop Jepsen, but if I could, it would sound pretty damn ing, but it’s real. who exude ‘authenticity’ and honesty. break down this toxic masculinity in a lyrical sense — music landscape for some time now. A perpetual close to this song. No other artist in recent memory Jepsen’s cult of personality has developed around On face value, these icons seem distant from the “it’s hard to not feel loved right now” — and actively underdog, she’s been mercilessly memed since her has so wholly and unabashedly captured the nu- this uncanny ability to impart a gauntlet of emo- millennials who are frequently lambasted by the me- speak out against gig violence to ensure their shows ‘Call Me Maybe’ days, and yet she never fails to sur- ance, the sensuality, the puerility of emotion, and tions — excitement, anxiety, introspection — but dia as selfish, navel-gazing and apathetic. Cultural are safe spaces for all. Luca Brasi joined Camp Cope’s ‘How To Make Gravy’, a song deeply embedded within prise — and perhaps that’s what granted her a sort what Jepsen does is shockingly simple – she’s hon- ultimately inspire hope within the listener. markers such as Afterpay, Splendour In The Grass and #ItTakesOne campaign which, in a similar micro- the national psyche as encompassing every aspect of of longevity beyond her one-hit wonder. Her 2015 est. But to say only that would be to discredit her. Listening to the opening notes of ‘Cut To The dirty chai lattes are far removed from the battler lex- cosm, addresses the gender inequalities in the music the battler persona, on triple j’s Like A Version,. Its masterpiece E-MOT-ION trod a delicate temporality: Carly Rae Jepsen has turned emotional honesty Feeling’, my chest swells, my heart beats in rapid icon, with current media frames locating millennials scene as reflected in wider society. Camp Cope have true-blue charm was only amplified by Brasi’s slightly completely ahead of its time but so precise in its ex- into a fine craft; she’s mastered the art of owning succession and I rustle impatiently waiting for the outside of perceived national norms, furthering a gen- utilised their distinct reach to spearhead a newfound off-key inflections, a haven of simplicity in a world ploration of the feelings of a fear-addled generation. each and every one of your feelings: the exhilara- chorus to drop — after which I’ll sing loudly and erational divide. However, struggles to pay off HECS dialogue for gender politics in Australian music. Acts gone mad. As long as smashed avos remain on brunch While the album failed commercially, among critics tion of romance, the desperation of the chase, the badly with far too much passion, but not nearly as debts, higher rates of mental illness and slimmed em- like Ceres and The Hard Aches have embedded their menus, millennials will continue to cop a lambasting. and online subcultures, it developed a cult follow- heightened euphoria of first love, and the absolute much as Carly Rae Jepsen. ployment opportunities have things looking grim. It’s a work with an “it’s okay to not be okay” attitude, But if our champions continue to croon on the virtues ing, hailed as an underrated gem. contentment of emotional intimacy with another She’s a poet, a prophet, and a philosopher, all in struggle that has manifested itself in a sense of belong- exuding vulnerability. of tinnies, surely we can arrive at a renaissance in gen- Her latest track ‘Cut To The Feeling’ is a valida- human being. the package of a pop artist. ing and mutual compassion among our generation. In June last year, Luca Brasi covered Paul Kelly’s erational understanding. tion of this faith. A leftover from E-MOT-ION, ‘Cut To Through coy yet brazen vocals against musical The Feeling’ fits amongst the heavyweights on the backdrops that, in any other hands, would sound

12 13 STUDIO STUDIO Consumate contrarian John Safran on how the left Interested in sleep? should handle extremism AIDAN MOLINS / Australia’s most renowned comedic documentarian returns with a look into zealotry in our country that asks more Become a questions than it answers Throughout his career, on projects like John Sa- then you have these people on the far right with really through us,” but instead they said, “you know what? fran vs God and Race Relations, John Safran has bad agendas and they want to stir up trouble, and Life’s just mad and tough and it’s good to scream, been taking a hands-on approach to researching they’ll start going “look at these violent passages,” it’s healthy to scream, and exorcism is a good way to Sleep Technician religion in Australia and around the world. His lat- or whatever. have a scream”. est work, Depends What You Mean By Extremist, So everyone’s talking about things from a reli- I think for comedy, I think just look at the world continues this tradition. But in studying a subject gious perspective, and the left wants to keep it sim- now, and I just rock up to the Melbourne CBD and Advance your career options by learning new skills and as troublesome and pertinent as Islamophobia ple, but they can’t really keep it simple. They almost there’s riot police there, rather than it being happy, gain clinical experience from industry leaders in sleep and Islamic fundamentalism, Safran confronts an want to flatten Islam which is a religion, and say and there’s people marching and swastikas and then image of the far right extremism which is more “oh no” and imply it’s like an ethnicity, and then there are terrorist attacks, and what do you make research. This four week full-time course gives you complex than most of us give it credit for, and also on top of that say something like the Quran is of that? And Manchester? And Islamophobia? And comprehensive hands-on training needed to what this means for the dynamics of Australian a cultural artefact because if they flatten it like that bombs? And there’s so much bad, weird shit in the religion going forward. they can argue against the far right, who have bad world that we’re all just soaking up. start your career as a Sleep Technician. intentions, but to flatten it like that you’re insulting It’s healthy to scream and I think comedy, like HS: What I’ve been telling people about your book regular devout Muslims because that’s not how they an exorcism, is like a healthy scream, and that’s the is that this isn’t the book you’d expect to read about see it. So if the left doesn’t start learning about re- purpose of it, rather than dragging down, or like, Upcoming Courses 2017: extremists in Australia. There are all these atypical ligion and engaging with religion, they’re like, left “I bring down Trump”, or even “I bring down Blair portraits you’re painting of people on all sides of out of the conversation. Cottrell”. I just think the world’s mad and it’s healthy 3 July | 7 August | 4 September the spectrum — of right-wing nationalists with di- to scream. 9 October | 6 November verse, multicultural backgrounds, like Pastor Daniel Nalliah, and also of white Monty Python-loving ISIS ‘I just think the world’s mad HS: Why do such an in-depth study of the far right? supporters. So what did you learn from these differ- I’ve seen a few more gonzo studies of people like Enquire now to secure your spot! ences between expectation and reality? And do you and it’s healthy to scream’ these be rejected by left-wing activists because the think the way progressive people look at extremists idea is, “What’s the point of studying these people? [email protected] has to change? They’re racists. Like what more is there to find out?” HS: In another part of your book you’re talking to What do you say to that? JS: I think the way the archetypical left wing pinko a Muslim fundamentalist (who is now locked up thinks has to change. So in the case of radical Mus- by ASIO) but he’s talking JS: I think you don’t know what you don’t know, Woolcock Institute of Medical Research woolcock.org.au/become-a-sleep-tech/ lims like the ones who want to go and join about satire, and then when you go out and explore something, 431 Glebe Point Road ISIS, for them they’re under the spell and he’s you find things you don’t know you didn’t know. So of religion. They believe this book just that can even be handy! Most people are fine Glebe NSW 2037 is saying they need to go over with my stuff, so I’m not being a cry baby or a drama and fight because they’re on the queen or whatever, but in one case, there was this cusp of the Muslim messianic far left group that simultaneously ran my article as age. So for these very radical an example of what the far right is and how to look ISIS dudes, for them, they’re at it and also having a go at me, and it’s like, you Melina Marchetta inspires 25 years on looking at things through a re- saying can’t have it both ways. I think the stuff I talk about ligious lens. Then when you’re “in my in this book is helpful and I think helpful for people MICHAEL SUN / We found Alibrandi in a hopeless place coming to non-dangerous de- Sharia on the left. vout people, for example, de- law version This idea that if you find out more, you’re Like most other Australian millennials, I first discov- 25 years after the novel’s first release, Looking for ers…a lot of them forget that it was us 50 or 60 vout Muslims, they look at of Australia empathising, which means you’re excusing, it’s ered Melina Marchetta’s Looking for Alibrandi in a Alibrandi is still one of the most celebrated pieces years ago put in camps, persecuted for what was their life through a reli- there’s no satire,” just not the path I take. I’ve done lots of crime sweaty high-school English classroom somewhere of Australian literature. Talking with Melina Mar- going on overseas in a country we didn’t belong to gious lens. They be- and I’m like, that’s the writing and when I talk to someone who’s mur- in suburban Sydney. 16-year-old me was the quin- chetta, it’s not hard to understand why. anymore.” lieve in magic, most 2017 thing I’ve ever dered someone and they become more three di- tessential Alibrandi reader: acned, mid-puberty, and “Identity is such an important part of the Austral- ‘There was definitely a sentiment basically, and heard. Because it feels like now mensional, it’s not like I’m like, oh they’ve become caught in peak adolescence — all traits that facil- ian landscape,” she muses about the inspiration be- they’re do- with Trump getting elected, people more three dimensional, and they should be re- itated a perfect intersection between our wanky hind her stories. “I’m always trying to work out what in the last chapter of Alibrandi of ing that that do satire and people who try to leased from prison. It’s just that they’ve become woes and those of the eponymous Josie Alibrandi. my place is.” the power of young people to do through a use comedy as a way to attack the more three dimensional. Josie was sharp. She was brusque and quick-wit- It’s this kind of permanent search for self that first religious powerful have reached this quagmire, ted — resilient in the face of a society that rele- drove her to include elements from her own Ital- good, that it was going to be their lens. And and we don’t know what to do and gated her to its lowest rungs as an illegitimate child ian-Australian upbringing in Alibrandi, and perhaps voice that would be the voice it feels like none of this stuff works, ‘This idea that if you find out of immigrant parents. Despite our growing up in a what gives the novel its particular sense of authen- and it’s pointless. So where do you community that was worlds and years away from ticity. When I ask her whether she ever expected the that changes’ see yourself as a satirist today? more, you’re empathising, which hers, Alibrandi resonated with my classmates and I readership she’s engaged, she responds with hu- means you’re excusing, it’s just in what seemed like divine fortune. mour and humility. Even so, she’s optimistic about Australia’s youth. JS: Well this is where I frame it differ- ‘Josie was sharp. She was “Gosh,” she laughs, “not at all! I remember my “There was definitely a sentiment in the last chap- ently. It sounds like I’m starting off on not the path I take’ family spoke about the fact that only people like us ter of Alibrandi of the power of young people to do some tangent, but I’ll get to the point brusque and quick-witted — would relate to it, so I calculated that I knew 200 good, that it was going to be their voice that would — I once hung out with an exorcist for resilient in the face of a society ‘people like us’ in the world, and most of them were be the voice that changes,” she recalls, before re- this documentary I was filming, and I And I notice that on the right when it comes to relatives. It was a big shock for it to go wide.” flecting on the delicate influence that literature at was beaten with a Bible and screaming art there’s this financial bean counting, like how that relegated her to its lowest To say it went ‘wide’ is almost an understatement large wields to shape political opinions. and these other people were all screaming is this making money, and the left has ideological rungs as an illegitimate child for a book so ingrained in the very fibre of our na- “When you go into writing with the intention to and writhing on the floor and I was speak- bean counting, and it’s like you have to hand in tional consciousness. While other texts have fallen educate, it backfires on you — it should be to enter- ing to all these people and they all had trou- some report that proves to me this has some kind of immigrant parents’ to the wayside for being too outdated, too preachy tain, it should be to challenge,” she cautions, “but bled lives, like they’d either been abused, or of positive effect, and that’s such a lame literal or too trite, Alibrandi has retained its relevance — a when someone reads your work and tells you they they just had issues and awful things happen way of thinking about it. I reckon to regular Aus- Only later would we realise that our experience phenomenon that Marchetta partially attributes to changed their views, what a bonus. That’s just one to them, like human beings. sies, my book in its own silly way probably gets with Marchetta’s protagonist wasn’t unique. Our en- Australia’s lack of progression in its outlook towards of the many pleasures of being either the writer or Anyway so I got back to Australia and I was across this thing about how you have to be care- Art: tire generation had mourned the death of John Bar- minorities. the reader.” talking to these psychologists about this Exorcist ful, about how you can’t just be attacking Jews for Matthew ton with her (and then again when he was portrayed “I just think there’s always a different culture Perhaps this is the crux of Looking for Alibrandi’s and I thought they’d bag the exorcism, and say everything, or think Muslim anti-Semitism is okay, Fisher by the devilishly handsome Matthew Newtown), we that gets the brunt of people’s ignorance,” she says, legacy: it represents culture, and alienation from “this is religious nuttery, you should do it I reckon this book in its own way is more effective swooned with her when she crushed on rugged bad quick to point out that, although her own no longer culture, in a more nuanced and tender way than its through a legitimate thing because we’re than the official Jewish group putting out a press boy Jacob Coote, and we cried over her rocky pa- faces the discrimination it once did, it’s only shifted predecessors. Its faith in youth endures today, in- not religious and you should be doing it conference, but it’s hard for me to prove that. ternal relationship. But Josie didn’t just encapsulate towards other communities. “I get very dismayed spiring generation after angsty generation to claim the condition of one fleeting temporal moment — when I hear Italians who are racist towards oth- their potential.

14 15 HONI SOIT PULL-OUT POSTER / RISAKO KATSUMATA GALLERY LONGER READ The lady doth protest enough THE BRIDGET NEAVE / POETRY

I BATTLE Father, lover, brother: you do not know the weight of your words when you know FOR how heavy your validation weighs you will offer to help us carry it. Then we will laugh. SYRIA we have learnt to carry our own bags, and do it in stilettos

KISHOR NAPIER-RAMAN / WORDS MATTHEW FISHER / ART

II The war in Syria encompasses two different conflicts: one on the ground and one for con- i owe trol of perception. Winning the latter is central one spark to winning the former, and the fight extends to of my Fire the University of Sydney.

to each Woman i have watched burnt at the stake by a man without batting my eyelids.

I know, now why the excuses they poured me had tasted of ash

III

my mother’s favourite flower is the gardenia — it turns from white to brown as soon as it meets skin, and stains the soil with perfume when it drops from its stem.

Give me instead, the passionfruit flower — purple and yellow and green, functional and buoyant, wiley, weird, and worth more than the way it looks on a stem

18 19 LONGER READ LONGER READ

Syria has been burning for six years. own alternate realities. According to Ruby Hamad, a Assad’s government as their best hope. According facto support for the other side”. only by having these difficult conversations that we that would arise if Assad’s government were to fall. What reportedly began with a schoolboy’s irrever- Fairfax columnist with Alawite heritage, “none of us to Jay Tharappel, a political economy tutor at the The prevalence of this polarised construction of can develop a principled response to the crisis that This existential threat is very palpable among Syr- ent, anti-government graffiti in the provincial town can know what’s going on . . . not even the people University of Sydney who is unashamedly pro-As- the Syrian conflict allows for dissenting views to be transcends the faux-humanitarian cheerleading of ia’s Shia, Christian and Druze minorities. With wide- of Daraa has transformed into the greatest human- who live there.” sad, the forces fighting the government are not only easily dismissed or vilified. Tharappel and his men- American bombs that is so popular among liberals spread reports ISIS and other opposition groups’ itarian disaster of the 21st century. Some 500,000 In this context, it is easy to fall back on the fa- more reactionary than the government, but are tor, University of Sydney academic Tim Anderson, like Shorten and Clinton. Screaming at our oppo- medieval approach to religious diversity, from be- lives have been lost, while about 11 million Syri- miliar. Throughout the early years of the conflict, we deeply unpopular within Syria, and therefore heav- believe that they have faced attacks from across the nents for “supporting genocide” does little to help headings and mass rape, to using caged Alawite ans remain in stateless limbo, trapped between the were presented with a palatable binary: the Western ily reliant on foreign support in order to stay afloat. political spectrum for their pro-Assad stance. people understand the war. Nor does it ease the suf- women as human shields, this fear is very real. hostile forces of authoritarian repression, jihadist media, intoxicated by the spirit of the Arab Spring Tharappel’s view, once confined to the hard- Anderson’s claim that Assad’s forces were not re- fering of the Syrian people. On the other hand, many within the Syrian refu- depravity, and resurgent Islamophobic nationalism. and driven by a need to provide an antagonist, left fringe, is gaining increasing traction across the sponsible for April’s chemical attack in Khan Sheik- gee community are understandably far more critical Although the tide appears to be slowly turning to- mainstream media. Since the government’s recap- houn saw him lampooned on the front page of The of the government. Hisham Jansis, an 18-year-old wards President Bashar Al-Assad’s Syrian Arab army, ‘A once clear dichotomy has ture of Aleppo, Western publications like the New Daily Telegraph. In response, Tharappel lashed out at At the same time, we must be wary of any claims Medical Science student at the University of Syd- a return to normalcy appears distant. slowly given way to a situation York Times and The Independent have reported the journalist, Kylar Loussikian, on Facebook, making of total authority on the conflict. When those of us ney, fled Homs in 2012. After two years living in a For Western audiences, Syria represents the kind widespread appreciation for the government in the demeaning reference to his Armenian heritage. in the West make absolutist assertions, we crowd refugee camp in Jordan, Jansis’ family finally made of atrocity to which we’ve become desensitised. As more chaotic and complex than formerly rebel-held city. As far back as 2014, then The University investigated Tharappel for mis- out Syrian voices from leading the discussion. Ac- it to Australia. According to Jansis, Assad’s historic reports of civilian casualties flood our newsfeeds we could possibly envisage’ chief political correspondent of Britain’s Daily Tel- conduct, a process he only found out about through cording to Hamad, the Western left’s obsession with repression of free speech and manipulation of sec- and television screens, the default response is often egraph Peter Oborne wrote that “President Assad subsequent Telegraph articles. According to Ander- Syria — a war which they have no personal connec- tarian hatred are responsible for the continuation weak platitudes about peace and harmony at best, could very well win a popular election, even if car- son, Annamarie Jagose, Dean of the Faculty of Arts tion to — is confusing, and often overshadows the of the conflict. “90 per cent of Syrians oppose the and resigned indifference to a distant, confusing found in Bashar Al-Assad the perfect ‘baddie’. ried out on a free and fair basis”. and Social Sciences “collaborated with the Daily Tel- experiences of actual Syrians. Assad government,” he said. Jansis, like many other war at worst. Looking back, the Western media’s anti-Assad Yet in the age of chemical warfare and subsequent egraph” to smear Tharappel over his comments in a Frequently, it seems Syrian voices are not heard refugees, lost family, friends, and a whole past life Yet as the once moderate opposition has been stance makes sense. The conflict broke out follow- Western mobilisation, the dominant characterisa- “disgraceful” manner. Both Tharappel and Anderson in their own right, but instead mobilised by various to Assad’s bombs. slowly but surely co-opted by violent jihadists, a dif- ing protests calling for democratic reforms and the tion of the Syrian conflict still reverts to a moral bi- say their vocal support of the Syrian government has groups with a stake in the conflict in order to legiti- As the war continues and the bodies pile up, all ferent battle for Syria has begun to brew far from heavy-handed, repressive response of the govern- nary, betraying the media’s preference for emotive placed them under the ever-watchful gaze of a Uni- mise their own reality. that becomes clearer is just how truly maddening the the frontlines. It is not a battle for territory, but a ment provided the ignition needed to set an already imagery over inconvenient truths. The narrative of versity management eager to avoid controversy. Tharappel describes a Sunni friend he met in situation is. What we do know for certain, however, battle for control over the narrative, fought in news- divided and frustrated populace alight. Had the gov- the Arab Spring as a popular uprising to unseat dec- The manner in which Tharappel and Anderson’s Syria who told him that despite a belief among fel- is that Syria wasn’t always like this. When asked rooms and comment threads. ernment taken a more explicitly measured, concilia- ades-old authoritarian dynasties in Egypt and Tuni- views are expressed, however, often leaves them vul- low Sunnis that Alawites are classless and uncouth, about his memories from before the war, Jansis re- tory approach, the current bloodbath could perhaps sia remains appealing to a Western audience, and nerable. Many of Anderson’s preferred independent Assad is “one of the good ones”, whose popularity calls a peaceful and multicultural country where have been avoided. still informs how we view the conflict. As Hamad sources are often blogs hosted on lo-fi early-2000s has increased exponentially during the war. people from different races and religious were able The Syrian conflict is a particularly confusing war. Nonetheless, this story is shrouded in mystery puts it, our need for a ‘good and evil’ narrative is era WordPress sites that scream ‘Fake News’. There Anderson similarly argues that numerous opinion to coexist. This memory makes the descent into vi- All sides are so deeply entangled in the barbarism and obfuscation. The extent to which the initial hard to discard. is a conspiratorial feeling to claims that the chemi- polls show 80 per cent of Syrians support Assad’s gov- olent sectarian hatred that characterises modern that, despite the best efforts of trigger-happy neo- protests in Daraa and Damascus were already infil- There is perhaps a more sinister reason behind cal attack at Khan Sheikhoun this April was a hoax, ernment, and he describes the hundreds of friends he cons and tabloid journalists, at times it’s difficult to trated by Islamist elements eager to overthrow the the media’s continued pro-rebel sympathies. West- for example. The hoax argument stands in marked has in Syria, all of whom support the government. ‘Our need for a good and evil know who’s who. relatively secular state and replace it with a Sunni ern media sources inevitably absorb and reflect the contrast to respectable organisations including Mé- Yet the Syrian people are not monolithic. Indeed, narrative is hard to discard’ The fact that foreign powers have raced in to re- theocracy is unclear and hotly contested. As the con- foreign policy choices and agendas of their govern- decins Sans Frontières and The Guardian, who con- ignorance regarding the importance of the region’s alise their geopolitical ambitions has only compli- flict wore on, those Islamist elements came to dom- ments. The position of the West in the conflict is one cluded that there was evidence the attack used Sa- ethnic and religious diversity is perhaps the greatest cated the picture further. In 2013, then-Opposition inate the opposition. of great cynicism. The US pushes for regime change rin gas and was likely attributable to government folly of the Western media’s reporting on the con- Syria seem all the more jarring. Leader Tony Abbott was widely mocked for referring Initially, hopes for a democratic Syria were in Syria, indirectly funnelling arms to resistance forces. So long as their arguments are inconsistent flict. By assuming that each individual Syrian speaks Looking at the situation in Syria now, Jansis tells to the Syrian War as a situation of “baddies versus pinned on the Free Syrian Army (FSA), a coalition groups while also fighting against ISIS — both ac- with claims in respected mainstream publications, for an entire people, we fall into a quagmire of lazy me that “it’s not a revolution anymore, it’s just a civil baddies”, but even a broken clock is right twice a of defected former government soldiers. Yet from tions intend to foster democracy in the Middle East Anderson and Tharappel will struggle to win the essentialisms. war”. Jansis and his family pinned their hopes on day. While Abbott’s statement smacked of his char- relatively early in the conflict, the FSA was plagued in contradictory ways. battle for public opinion on the Syrian War. It is, however, true that many Syrians now see the uprising to deliver a better future. But that up- acteristic buffoonish ignorance, it epitomises the by its fractious leadership structures, which saw it Yet the security establishment has long been In addition, Tharappel and Anderson face fierce the government as offering them the best future. Ac- rising was swiftly killed off by a vicious and unholy increasingly confused and frustrated attitude many lose ground to a steady proliferation of increasingly aware of the jihadist influence among the Syrian criticism from others on the left. Campus groups such cording to Hamad, this support for is often driven by alliance of foreign powers and Salafi ideologues. in the West have towards the Syrian conflict. Once powerful Islamist groups such as Jaysh al-Islam and opposition. CIA documents from 2012 indicate the as Solidarity and Socialist Alternative are firmly an- a resigned pragmatism many Western liberals fail to Yet in the West we’ve reached saturation point. described as a classic struggle of democracy against Ahrar Al-Sham. US was aware that Salafist groups were the most ti-Assad. Kelton Muir, a USyd student and member understand and empathise with. When people look Longing for simplicity, and unable to process more authoritarianism, this clear dichotomy has slowly By 2014, the FSA had ceased to be the dominant powerful forces in the opposition and that, should of Solidarity, argues that decades of repression under at the actual choice they face — authoritarianism carnage, we return to familiar narratives of good given way to a situation more chaotic and complex anti-government force. Instead, jihadist groups like the Syrian government fall, an Islamist state would the ruling Baath party and the government’s violent on the one hand and a chaotic, Islamist theocracy and evil and in doing so prioritise responding to than we could possibly envisage. At the same time, Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (then known as the Al-Nusra likely form with the backing of Saudi Arabia and response to Syria’s pro-democratic uprising cannot on the other — it is understandable that many are some atrocities over others. the way we talk about Syria seems increasingly dis- Front), the Syrian branch of Al Qaeda, and the Is- Qatar. As long as Western powers adamantly pur- be glossed over. In response, Tharappel argues that drawn to the devil they do know. Just days after the gas attack at Khan Sheikhoun, connected from the reality on the ground. lamic State became the dominant forces opposing sue regime change, the loudest voices will continue the failure of left-wing groups to throw their weight Moreover, everyone in Syria has an agenda rooted while Western leaders scrambled to voice their sup- The sheer deluge of information about the conflict Assad’s government. The power vacuum in Syria, to be pro-rebel. This paradoxical approach suggests behind Assad’s forces is tantamount to support for ji- in their own personal identity. As a person of Alaw- port for American air strikes against Assad, a bus- can be overwhelming because there is no authorita- and the latent religious conservatism of many in the the United States and its allies have not fully learned hadists. “Syria [to them] is comprised of two types of ite heritage, Hamad says many in that community load of Shiite villagers fleeing rebel-held territory tive source to sort the signal from the noise. Neither country’s economically depressed rural hinterlands, the lessons of conflicts stretching back to the Soviet people, tyrants and victims,” said Tharappel. “So the fear extinction in a Sunni-dominated Islamist state stopped on a dusty road outside of Aleppo. A man the Syrian government nor the numerous groups has provided fertile support for these organisations. invasion of Afghanistan. tyrant is Assad, and anyone who fights against him is approached them offering sweets for the children. loosely characterised as the ‘opposition’ allow the free Moreover, regional powers like Saudi Arabia, Tur- basically a victim who needs to be supported”. He blew himself up, killing 100 people. Months media to access their territory. Consequently, objec- key and Qatar have seen a chance to topple Assad’s Yet by dismissing these views as mere pro-re- later, the incident was forgotten, lost among the tive sources within the country are incredibly scarce. relatively hostile government and replace it with a In this context, Hamad argues that many in the me- gime propaganda, we ignore the need for a robust morbid collage of nightmarish images. The result is a postmodern war in which there is Sunni Islamist regime far more amenable to their dia are reluctant to challenge dominant perspectives and honest discussion about the situation in Syria. Far from the bombs and the plunder, many in the no clearly ascertainable truth. Instead, each of the own geopolitical interests. about the Syrian conflict for fear of being labelled Likewise, the debates that are fracturing the left are West struggle to adjust to the unbearable bleakness various groups with a stake in the game — from As- As the opposition became increasingly corrupted as a pro-regime stooge. The divide between good not merely a resurrection of outdated Marxist doc- of Syria’s present reality. Although both sides are im- sad’s government to the Al-Qaeda affiliated rebels by the poisonous influence of Salafist groups and and evil was determined so early in the conflict that trinal disputes and an indulgence of people stuck plicated in horrific violence, the last disembowelled and Turkish-backed proxy forces — operate in their foreign powers, more Syrian civilians began to see “anything that critiques the ‘good’ side is taken as de too far up their trashcans of ideology. Rather, it is fragments of Arab Spring idealism have had the per- verse effect of lending the jihadists legitimacy.

Image: Bulent Vilic

20 21 THE LAB SRC CASEWORKERS BuzzFeed and the business of empathy Show Good Cause ANNAGH CIELAK / A focus on social connection could either launch a new style of news company, or discredit serious journalism

When BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti is hiring the nate because they are not sharable. by Netflix for the release of Orange is the New next great listicle or native content writer, he is On the other hand, stories that are sharable but Black. But many consumers take issue with the BUY looking for something surprising: emotional intel- not necessarily newsworthy go viral all the time. trickery of disguising advertisements as articles, ligence. Media-makers, from his perspective, are The latest comments by Margaret Court have ex- and with BuzzFeed masquerading as a news com- in the business of empathy, working to trade and ploded worldwide, with calls to boycott the sta- pany when, in many ways, its content could be facilitate social connection. dium named in her honour, because of her stance described as ads. Speaking at City Recital Hall as a part of Vivid’s against same sex marriage. In reality, it is a story That is why trust is BuzzFeed’s next challenge. Game Changer series, a title that Peretti has un- about a former celebrity who has been out of the In many cases, it is hard for consumers to trust BOOKS doubtedly earned since launching the experimen- spotlight for many years, with very personal — and a relatively new site — best known for its cute tal media company in 2006, the tech visionary ex- kind of unsurprising — views that have little rami- cat videos and advertising strategies — on seri- plored his interest in the viral entertainment that fication on the world around her. The controversy ous issues. Legacy newspapers have spent, in BuzzFeed has become known for. But BuzzFeed has made headlines around the world because it some cases, hundreds of years building up the has no interest in being an entertainment com- struck a chord with audiences, despite not being credibility and trustworthiness that means will pany alone, self-describing as “the leading inde- newsworthy in the traditional sense of the word. readers turn to them for the latest news. Despite CHEAP pendent digital media company.” Similar issues surrounding the legitimacy of that, Australians’ trust in the media is estimated In 2011 BuzzFeed hired accomplished political news stories have led to a lot of criticism sur- to have dropped 14 per cent in the last year alone. journalist Ben Smith as editor-in-chief to launch rounding websites like BuzzFeed. One Honi reader Is the solution, then, to ditch the rules like The University will ask a student tions you will need documented proof the company into the news business. But in an described BuzzFeed as “a disease” that is “lower- BuzzFeed, and join the infotainment revolution? Buy for 70% to “show good cause” as to why they of what you are saying. This might be a industry traditionally dominated by more estab- ing the bar for journalism”, largely due to their BuzzFeed’s focus on social connection and their should continue studying their degree Professional Practitioner’s Certificate, a lished news companies, where does Peretti’s busi- thinly veiled native content and advertorials. business of empathy could either launch a new if there are indicators that the student police report, a letter from a counsellor, ness of empathy fit in? The trade of social connection is a profitable style of news company, or discredit the profession of retail value* is at risk of not successfully completing a study plan or some other document. To inspire a social connection, news content industry. Each like, share, tweet, snap, or Insta of serious journalism. Trust is difficult to measure, their degree. Indicators might include Documents in languages other than must be manipulated for that purpose, whether that BuzzFeed consumers share as an expression and in the current political and media climate, failing a compulsory or core subject English need to be translated by a certi- that is playing upon the joy, sadness, humour, of self creates valuable data for advertisers, who perhaps consumers have become so disillusioned more than once, failing a placement, or fied translator. or identity of consumers. This is the model that pay big bucks for native content articles. Perhaps, with traditional news that they don’t mind a bit having a Weighted Average Mark below Peretti has found most effective in creating viral what we don’t want to admit is that advertorial of clickbait if it means content is tailored to their 50%. Don’t ignore the content. He admits that a post’s viral potential is reporting can be of the same quality as any edito- social experience. All that is clear so far is that in If you have been asked to “show unrelated to its quality, and that some of the most rial article. A good example is The New York Times’ the culture war between print and digital media, good cause” decide first if you want to University’s requests to important and uncomfortable news stories stag- article on women’s prisons, which was sponsored companies like BuzzFeed seem to be winning. SELL continue in that degree. If you would Show Good Cause. If you rather do something else talk to an SRC Caseworker about how to best “with- do it will most likely lead My brother will never play his own game draw” from your course. Keep in mind to you being excluded NICK BONYHADY / e-Sports have replaced the creative spirit of video games with commerce that any changes to your enrolment may impact your Centrelink payments from your course. or your student visa. identify with too, collecting and hosting games on BOOKS Don’t ignore the University’s requests the newest and most inventive maps. If you want to continue in your to Show Good Cause. If you do it will Custom games and mods still exist within big most likely lead to you being excluded gaming franchises like Fallout, but they have lost course you will need to write about from your course. If you are an interna- their hold on gamers’ imagination. Once the stand- three things: tional student this may lead to your visa ard-bearer for custom games, DotA is now a flagship being cancelled and you returning to eSports title, but it does not dominate the MOBA FOR • The problems that impacted your your home country with no prospect of format it spawned. League of Legends (LoL) attracts studies; returning to Australia, even in a tourist well over 100 million unique players every month, • The effect of these problems (what capacity, for at least 3 years. about ten times as many as the most recent DotA actually happened – such as not If your faculty decide to exclude you, game. In 2016, more people watched the annual being able to attend class; not able you can appeal this decision. During LoL championships than the NBA finals. Almost all to complete assignments at home; the time that you are showing cause, of these viewers will never be as skilful as the play- CASH could not concentrate in class); and or appealing, you should keep attend- ers they admire, so self-expression has become an • Your solutions to make sure you ing classes. This way if your show cause ever more important part of gaming along with the pass every subject from now on. is successful you will not lose any class rise of eSports. time. This has not gone unnoticed by the corporate Highest cashback Note: that the solutions section of your owners of games like LoL, which was bought by the letter is the most important. The SRC For more information on how to Chinese internet conglomerate Tencent in a deal val- website has a comprehensive guide on “Show Good Cause” check out the uing the game at about $10 billion USD in 2015. It rate on campus! how to write your letter. There is even a SRC’s webpage or call the office to offers extensive ‘skins’ that costume players’ char- letter template for you to refer to. make an appointment on 9660 5222. acters in outfits ranging from comedic Santa suits The barbarian, from Supercell’s Clash of Clans, is a prominent symbol of ‘freemium games. Art: Nick Bonyhady With both the problems and the solu- to over-the-top combat gear with names like “Blood Moon Thresh”. The creative desire to make a game Get 40% of retail In a primary school playground, media access is so- When Warcraft III premiered in 2002, it was pro- one’s own has been folded into a sophisticated com- cial currency. Having seen an MA movie lets a child moted by the game developer Blizzard as a real-time mercial operation; having a customised character is Ask Abe Dear Abe, display teenage flair. Video games play a comple- strategy (RTS) game, a genre in which players con- now a status symbol. value paid in CASH!* SRC caseworker HELP Q&A mentary role. For kids like my brother, aged eight struct buildings that produce different military units There are still games that allow user modification, — and as he would remind us, three quarters — to to fight an enemy. It was a successful RTS, but was but the market has shifted towards the ‘freemium’ What is considered full time for Centrelink? have beaten a boss or achieved a high score isn’t renowned for its extensive map editor. The editor business model exemplified by LoL, where the game * Conditions apply, see details in store about playacting older, it’s about achievement at an let players create wholly new ‘custom games’ within is free to play, but cosmetic and gameplay upgrades age where there are often hard limitations on actual Warcraft III. Tens of thousands were created and up- cost extra. It is easy to see why; LoL reportedly SM (Science) accomplishments. Yet by definition, few people are loaded for free, including the wildly popular DotA — makes about $1 billion US this way annually. User exceptionally talented gamers. As he grows older, a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game in modification is anathema to this business model. If my brother will probably keep playing games, but which two teams of five compete to destroy the oth- players could create their own character skins and Dear SM, he’ll do so to take part in a community and express er’s base in matches lasting about an hour. Icefrog, freely distribute them, Tencent’s name may resem- some facet of his chosen identity: perhaps bragga- DotA’s long-time maintainer, said that he worked ble its annual profit. So games like LoL are entirely The Ask Abe column allows Full time for Centrelink, the Uni, and Level 4, Wentworth Building, docio with Grand Theft Auto, an appreciation for on the map because “I can enjoy playing myself”, locked down. you to ask whatever question Opal cards is 18 credit points. If there is University of Sydney a medical reason that you cannot do 18 history with Civilisation or a competitive streak though he was never exceptionally talented at it. The evolution of competitive gaming has not you might have that affects with Counterstrike. What he will probably not do For Icefrog and thousands of other small-scale game made games any less fun, but it has put them in (Next to the International Lounge) credit points it may be possible to be on you as a student, gaining a reduced study load and still receive a is revel in games, maps and mods created by his makers, the map-making scene around Warcraft III tighter confines. As games come to resemble sport, p: 02 9660 4756 fellow players — a creative scene that flourished and similar games was a means of self-expression commerce has filled the skill gap most of us endure. the best advice that a very payment. Talk a caseworker about your a decade ago, letting players express their artistry, and a path to status that depending on creativity If my brother begins to play LoL, each game will re- w: src.usyd.edu.au/src-books worldly mutt* can give. specific situation. which has receded since. rather than strategy. It was something players could semble the last. He won’t know what he’s missing. Abe 22 23 SRC REPORTS Do you have an investment

Note: This page is` given over to the office bearers of the Students’ property? President’s Report Representative Council. The reports below are not edited by the editors of Honi Soit. Are you a young investor? ISABELLA BROOK If so, we’d like to talk to you... As semester one draws to a close I activism they do and also continue will be attending NUS’ education con- concession opal cards for international thought this week’s report would be to provide important services for stu- ference over the winter break to con- students. I’ve advocated for a compul- the perfect opportunity to update you dents on campus. tinue this work. sory consent module to be introduced all on the work I’ve done in my first six This semester the SRC has put a We’ve also been working closely with university wide. And we’ve been doing months as president of your SRC. broad focus on the federal state of the National Tertiary Education Union work around the centralisation of Stu- I’ve spent a large part of the year higher education and student welfare. and supporting them in their current dent Admin and Special Consideration so far working with our General Sec- We’ve seen the federal government round of Enterprise Bargaining. The (keep an eye out for our student Sur- retaries, Dan and Bella, on the SRC’s announce cuts to higher education, an SRC stands in firm solidarity with staff vey that will launch Semester two). budget for 2017. This has included increase in student fees and countless at Usyd and their campaign for better The SRC has lots in store for next negotiating our SSAF allocation and other attacks on young people like the and fairer working conditions. semester and we will continue to fight deciding on the internal budget of slashing of penalty rates. The SRC has Amongst all this I have continued for the rights of students at USYD. the SRC. Whilst this process hasn’t stood in vocal opposition to these at- to raise important student issues with Good luck with your end of semes- been entirely sunshine and roses I’m tacks and we have strongly supported the university. This includes things like ter assessments and exams and enjoy glad that we are able to continue to the National Union of Student’s cam- the lack of academic advice, afforda- your well deserved break ! support our office bearers in the great paign against the war on students. I ble student housing and the need for

General Secretaries’ Report We are a research team at University of Sydney DANIEL ERGAS and ISABELLA PYTKA investigating the role of finance in everyday life. We would like to hear about your experience A fitting sequel to the 2004 film classic, to undergraduate students – to fund versity has an Enterprise Bargaining fair pay and entitlements. The Univer- ‘Million Dollar Baby’, our 2017 budget new and existing projects that will Agreement (EBA) with its staff. Con- sity has rejected the NTEU’s agenda. with the housing market and financial products. bonanza – ‘$1.8 Million Dollar Baby’ – make a tangible difference on campus. ditions outlined in an EBA can include On June 8th, the NTEU will be voting will be hitting SRC Council next week. to make sure every undergraduate pay rates, entitlements, and so much on whether they take industrial ac- If you would like to participate in a one-on-one (And yes, it really is our baby. We love student on this campus is supported. more. The National Tertiary Education tion. Staff conditions are student con- it.) As General Secretaries, we have You will be able to see the Budget on Union (NTEU) is one of the unions ditions; if industrial action is called, interview, or would like to know more, email us been working hard over the past two the SRC’s website when it is approved that represent staff on campus and stand with your lecturers and tutors. months to finalise this budget, and we by Council – trust us when we say that has been negotiating with the Univer- So we have all made it, to the last at [email protected] are both incredibly proud of what is is a cracking read. (Both Margaret and sity all through Semester 1. The three week of Semester 1. Good luck with being presented. It is no small thing. David give it five stars.) main asks include increased staff par- STUVAC and finals, and we will catch or private message the Understanding Finance We have consulted with each of the Looking forward to Semester 2, ticipation in the democratic life of the you in Semester 2. Culture Research Programme Facebook page. SRC collectives – the activists who we thought we should take the time University, ruling out forced redun- work tirelessly for progressive change to explain to you a phrase that you dancies of staff over the life of the B and D x This study has been approved by USYD research ethics committee – as well as the SRC departments – may not be familiar with: ‘Enterprise agreement (it lasts several years), and who provide legal and casework help Bargaining’. To put it simply, the Uni- rights for casual workers, giving them Wom*n’s Officers’ Report IMOGEN GRANT and KATIE THORBURN IN A PICKLE?

This week has seen a spate of con- culture of disrespecting and degrading 1977, an 18 year-old woman who was masculinity and entitlement that troversy surrounding the culture of women, and unethical sex. visiting was found beaten, raped, and is inconsistent with basic codes of male entitlement and sexism that ex- This event is just one high profile murdered on the college oval. decency. With such a toxic culture ists at St. Paul’s, but also throughout case that fits firmly within St. Paul’s Whilst we are pleased that St. Paul’s entrenched in the college system, the University. long legacy of degrading women. In will join the Elizabeth Broderick re- we must ask ourselves whether they We are not concerned about the 2009 there was a “pro-rape” Facebook view, the fact that students and survi- have a place at all in the 21 century. man who made the sexist post - this group called “Define Statutory: Pro- vors had to advocate for change shows [Short answer: No.] isn’t the case of one bad resident. Rape, Anti-Consent”. The “She can’t how reactive the college’s decision If you want to join the fight against We’re concerned about half the col- say no with a cock in her mouth” graf- was and how the safety of women is sexual violence on campus and within lege laughed at it and condoned its fiti. Multiple reported sexual assaults always secondary to reputational risk. the broader community - email USyd Criminal Charges message. It’s clear there is an institu- and rapes. The “animal act of the It’s clear that segregating wealthy WoCo at usydwomenscollective@ tional failure within the colleges - es- year” award going to a man accused men from the general university gmail.com pecially all male colleges - to address a of gang-rape. And most tragically, in community creates a culture of toxic Motor Vehicle Accidents Fines Queer Officer’s Report CONNOR PARISSIS and WILL EDWARDS Insurance Debts Everything is fine. Semester one has mensely with groups on certain ac- together to rectify internalized issues people. We look forward to future ac- been successful for the Queer Action tions, including the Chechnya rally, that have become publicized. The tions, and remain awe-inspired by the Collective (QuAC), with some obvi- the National Day of Action and the Queer Officers are very passionate amount of member engagement re- Immigration ous hiccups only standard for such Palm Sunday rally, and have partici- about maintaining a collective that maining at this time of semester. We ...and more an active group. With assistance from pated in on-campus actions involving is safe and productive. Additionally, hope to see you joining us for End of the USU, we created a terrific Pride anti-fascist actions and protesting the keep your eyes peeled for an impres- Semester Queer Beers at Hermann’s Week that was educational and en- Red Pill screening. QuAC were de- sive, large-scale ‘Students for Safe Bar, 7 June 5pm. If You Have a Legal Problem, joyable! Our best events included an lighted to have collaborated with the Schools’ campaign, a protest at the educational, inspiring Queer&A Panel, Wom*n’s Collective on an effective Indonesian Consulate standing in In Solidarity, We Can Help for FREE! comedy and karaoke, and an impres- stunt against the politicians who voted solidarity with queer people overseas Connor & Will sive rainbow flag chalking on Eastern against decriminalizing abortion. (16th June), and a sexual assault cam- Avenue. We’ve been collaborating im- The collective are working closely paign addressing same-sex attracted 法律諮詢 We have a solicitor 法律アドバイス who speaks Cantonese, Level 1, Wentworth Bldg, University of Sydney Mandarin & Japanese p: 02 9660 5222 | w: src.usyd.edu.au Liability limited by This service is provided e: solicitor @ src.usyd.edu.au a scheme approved to you by the Students’ under Professional Representative Council, 24 ACN 146 653 143 | MARN 1276171 Standards Legislation. University of Sydney SUPRA is responsible for the content of these pages. SUPRA SUPRA

Call out to HDR’s: STRESS - STudent RESearch Society - WESTMEAD Have your voice heard by the University Executive decision makers. EILA VINWYNN - SUPRA DSP Would you like to have your voice heard and express your opinion directly into one of the key decision- Post Grad students sudying at Westmead making forums of Academic Governance? Would you like to have your say about proposed changes to are organised and active. STRESS, or HDR scholarship programs, grants and funding distribution, APR processes, and other issues that directly Student Research Society, meet regu- impact your HDR experience? larly. Their events range form welcom- ing students, Open Day bbq’s, help with study and job related issues, and trivia Phase 1: Tell us how you feel about the academic environment at USyd and your experience of the nights. culture of USyd. Phase 2: Run in four parts (but you only need to respond to two), give DIRECT FEEDBACK to the University They also held a Wellness Week in Executive on proposed changes that directly impact HDR students. For an example; round 1 will be about March which ran over three days, offer- ing meditation, yoga and lunch - each substantial proposed changes to the Postgraduate Support Scheme (PRSS). on a different day! A couple of weeks its independent structure, can lend itslef Queer film nights, disability Phase 3: After you have made your voice heard directly by upper levels of University management, ago they were seen slacklining in Par- to isolation and so organised events can lunches, womens walks, interna- comment on this experience. ramata Park, enjoying the sunchine and me more important than for students tional cricket matches and indige- good food provided. doing more programmed courses. nous events are happening all the time. Each has a facebook page, Your aggregated opinions will be de-identified and fed directly into the University Executive – Their facebook page is peppered with Satellite campusses can also feel as like STRESS, to spread the word. Research & Education committee so that they can consider student voice and opinions before humourous and just real motivational though they are not connected to a mas- they make decisions that directly impact your academic experience. posts. SUPRA supports the Society wth sive seething campus of people in the a small amount of funding to help with centre of the city. There are advantages st th the cost of events. to knowing what is available in at the To learn more about this study and for Register between 1 and 15 June, 2017: mother-ship. Cross-polination between Participant Info Statement: Isabella Breukelaar, who is studying for campusus is not prevalent for fairly ob- her PhD in brain dynamics clearly has vious reasons. People, especially post Pictured: Kaitlin Tagg at an event DirectVoice.info DirectVoice.Sydney inside information on the benefits of so- grad students, are busy. Nevertheless, if hosted by STRESS, looks like she cial events for alleviating stress! students are in the area of their coun- is eating for two! Or just enjoying ter-campus, they should feel free to join a double-decker plate sandwhich Students from satellite campuses seem in events there. Certianly we welcome Or scan this QR code with your smartphone (if you do not already have a QR reader you can download one to have, from my own experience at all PG tudents to our Supra events like for free from Google Play store of Apple App store). SCA, a cohesive student body who are Wine and Cheese. self-reliant and mobilised. Researh, with

Dear SUPRA Members, tion at Reps Elect. Initially I did not in- tend on holding an election as an incom- I would like to express my disappointed ing officer would only hold office for an that not one person who voted to can- inadequate period of time before poten- cel my election raised their concerns tially being ineligible for the reformed directly with me prior to the AGM. Sec- office. The current ABS definition of Ru- ondly that a motion was raised against ral and Regional outlined in our current my autonomous collective by SUPRA Constitution, that we are still bound to Members, none of which are a Member by the University Senate, complicates You do not need to be available in person to participate. If you have an internet connection, and are a of the Rural and Regional Collective. this further. I announced an election CURRENT HDR student, then you can be included! Registration for this study will close on 15th June 2017. when it became apparent that the time It is now evident that i must explain my at which the Senate would be meeting Participation in this research study is voluntary and anonymous. It is open only to current HDR students at the autonomous decision-making to all SU- was still unclear. I expected that a more University of Sydney. After 15th June 2017, no further participants will be allowed to join the study. Research is being PRA Members. I have done my best to indicative time would be known sooner. conducted by Rebecca Johnson, an HDR student in the department of Media and Communications. be as transparent as possible through- It is of my greatest interest to ensure a out the change process of Rural and Re- smooth transition from the Rural and gional to Satellite Campus Officer, out- Regional Officer to the Satellite Campus lining the logic and motives behind the Officer for the stability of SUPRA as an change throughout the Council term. organisation but most of all to ensure continuity in the representation of Rural Foremostly the Rural and Regional Of- and Regional. ficer is intended to be abolished, it MUST NOT be mistaken that the Rural I made the decision for an election so and Regional ethos are to be abolished. I will follow-through with my decision. For all those not aware, Rural and Re- The claims of my election being uncon- gional constitutes a significant equity stitutional are simply not valid. In the group in Australia and is a key term used interest of transparency and of func- at all levels of policy making to address tionality in our organisation, I address the specific needs of this cohort. Rather all Members of SUPRA in this message: than utiling the word abolished, as was if any member has such significant con- thrown around at the AGM, it is more cerns over my collective please do ap- appropriate to use the word ‘expand’ to proach me. describe this reform, as my intention is to widen the Collective and to adapt to Regards, a changing university and student body. Rural and Regional will be a core com- Elizabeth Millar ponent of the Satellite Campus Officer, Rural and Regional Officer hence why Rural and Regional repre- sentaion is explicitly outlined in the duty statement of the Satellite Campus Elizabeth Millar | Rural and Regional Officer. Officer Sydney University Postgraduate It is therefore of my greatest interest that Representative Association (SUPRA) there is Rural and Regional representa-

26 27 RUMPUS ROOM RUMPUS ROOM Across Down Quick Reprint 1. Underground vaults (hint: look down) (6) 1. Heavenly (9) REALLY LONG 4. A sheep that does karate (4,4) 2. Littlun (9) Reuse 10. Chatterbox (9) 3. Well behaved (4) 11. Italian grandparent (5) 5. Cleave (6) Recycle MANY WORDS 12. An epic tale (4) 6. Mario Kart hazard (6,4) Animals (including humans) tend to control what 13. Grasshopper (10) 7. Fourth most popular language (5) “What’s Hot? The Nokia 8810 Reviewed’ they eat based on the properties of available food. 15. Unfairness (8) 8. Harmony (5) 1998 Animals tend to choose some foods over others 16. Respiratory condition (6) 9. Elmo, for one (6) I don’t know how I found out about it. I don’t know based on these properties. For example, let us say 19. Will Smith is this (6) 14. Predicaments (10) who showed me the brochure. But all this time that that food in general has three different properties: 20. Condensed (8) 17. Top part of Scotland (9) I thought I liked girls, it was only because I hadn’t “one”; “two”; and “three”. Animals can choose to eat 23. Concerning characters (10) 18. Perseus’ wife (9) met the right telephone. among foods with different amounts of each prop- 25. Best type of saxophone (4) 21. Alternative to boxers (6) With 1 in 4 Australians owning a mobile phone, erty to arrive at a good “food-property-state”. Some- 27. Under-appreciated genre (3-2) 22. House with 76 people in it (6) they have made a clear transition from gratuitous lux- times, however, the animal may choose to eat food 28. Wealth (9) 23. Fabulous Greek guy (5) ury of the latte-sipping classes to bare necessity for the with a nice feel and character despite its properties, 29. Expired (8) 24. Preceding (5) masses. Chrome-plated, small enough to fit inside that which may lead to a bad food-property-state. 30. The fourth state (6) 26. The coolest way to settle an argument (4) bizarre little extra pocket they sew on jeans, and with I thought it would be interesting (in the name of up to five days between recharges, it’s everything the science) to offer animal-that-can-fly that eat throw urban cowperson could hope to have in their pants. out food three different food, each high in one prop- No doubt when it comes out in a month or so, erty, to see what property they liked the most. The Quiz it will carry a four-figure price tag. My advice is most popular food was the food high in property simple. Sell your mother to buy this phone. Sell my “one”, and this was significant, despite that the nat- 1) What was the name of the first Bond film? 4) In what branch of the military did Bond serve? mother. Sell yourself. ural food of the animal-that-can-fly is usually high The story of my brief tryst with this telephone ends in “two” and “three”. This may be a reason why the 2) What does the ‘00’ signify in 007? 5) What is the motto on the Bond family crest? sadly. Over the course of just a few days, it had come to animal-that-can-fly now lives in the city, where food share with me my deepest secrets and a truly beautiful Puzzles by Cloud Runner. with property “one” is more common than in the 3) What is Roger Moore dressed as when he dif- 6) Which Bond actor had Hoplophobia — a fear of relationship had developed. So beautiful, in fact, it had natural environment. We do not know, however, if to be killed, stamped out, brutally cut short — we had fuses a bomb in Octopussy? fire arms? If you’re interested in puzzles, check out CrossSoc, all that city food is either good or bad for it, which to be torn apart, phone from boy, boy from phone. matter because it a throw out food eat fly animal. USyd’s own crossword and puzzles society. Frantically I ran, I hid, trying desperately to find that piece of earth safe from the network. The usual Sean Coogan wrote his PhD thesis on the diets of Across Down black-spots were no good: Manning, the Physics everyone’s favourite trashbird: the local ibis. His work building — they were still calling me. The men from helps to explain the prevalence of these lunch-steal- Cryptic the company. I could hear their voices down the line: ing fiends on the campus of the University of Sydney 1. Direct blame in half-accurate direction (6) 1. Robot faun eats tomato without failure (9) “we know where you are.” I refused to give up hope. 4. President covers up reportedly lewd introductions (8) 2. Underground vaults catalogue honeycomb’s gloss (9) Burying myself in the deepest, darkest recesses of 10. Titan to go make body art (9) 3. Characteristically icy refusal in South West (4) Wentworth, I lay huddled with the 8810 purring 11. Some peculiar Omanis give a nice bouquet (5) 5. Delight about wind (6) gently in my breast-pocket. 12. Staff progressively make each lecture sleepier (4) 6. Pioneer heavy metal, the sound of mass determina- 13. He will contract alternative English greeting (5,5) tion (4,3,3) 15. Selfless amnesties produced good behaviour (8) 7. Buzzing bee? (5) 16. Thanks French in front of a Kingdom in England (6) 8. Soviets first step into cosmos (5) 19. How, after negatives, he fails to come (2-4) 9. Diggers of minerals, except aluminium (6) 20. Prisoner idles every second, that isn’t even odd (8) 14. A groovy inn cooked meaty sauce (5,5) The Camperdown Public Chatterbox 23. Position of advantage is up and down? (4,6) 17. Singing and stumbling to cantina (9) 25. Half a thousand grains (4) 18. Although now exhausted, crocheter initially cher- Jordan. Both began contributing to on their website. The UNSW Law 27. Chum is a falafel lasagna ingredient? (5) ishes yarns (9) Honi last year. They are also consid- Society has also confirmed that their 28. Progressively minded gathering is slightly taxing at 21. Servant sounds one of a kind (6) ering other potential members but members have been affected, accord- first (9) 22. Bosnia assembly plant (6) wouldn’t reveal any names to Honi, ing to a statement on the Society’s 29. Historic highway tragedy ends between overs (5-3) 23. Even choir fails high quality stereo equipment (2-3) and denied rumours that Honi report- Facebook page. 30. Doubles one hundred and fifty one dollars (6) 24. Legal axioms bear flowering plant (5) ers Zoe Stojanovic-Hill and Nicolette PT have been added to the ticket. Vox pops with extra pop We’ve heard long-rumoured ticket of Honi reporters Nina Dillon On the May 25, the University of Syd- Britton, Liam Donohoe and Pranay ney’s Facebook page posted a video Jha has decided not to run. There’s of students’ vox pops on what sort of still three months until the election music they liked to listen to. The video though — plenty of time for ambi- is inoffensive and dull, as most videos tions to be stoked. churned out by the uni’s social me- As ever, there have also been mur- dia gremlins are; what really catches Do you really want to be writing murs of a ticket run by Labor right evening the texts were sent out advis- the eye (or ear, rather) is a low male Target Sudoku this shit at 3am on a Monday? faction Student Unity, but these have ing members not to follow any links American voice murmuring “premium been denied by a rumoured member. or email addresses in the text. They beats dot com” over the background Two tickets are forming so far to said “the hacker may have access to music. This slightly unnerving tidbit contest the Honi election this year. SULS gets hacked — quantity of users’ phone numbers, names and would appear the result of the Uni- The first comprises Honi re- hacks unchanged emails. They do not, however, have versity downloading its video back- porters Elijah Abraham, Cameron any card information belonging to an- ing track without paying for it, but a Gooley and Lamya Rahman, and Qnect, an event ticketing app used ybody as this information is not stored spokesperson told Honi they had paid Honi contributor and SURG Pres- by the Sydney University Law Society with Qnect. They also would not have for the track, but accidentally used ident Andrew Rickert. Gooley ran (SULS), has been hacked by a group access to any account passwords.” the free one instead. on last year’s TIME for Honi ticket, of people calling themselves Raven- Qnect also emailed users of the and all members barring Rickert Crew. SULS members who have used software confirming that credit card have been Honi reporters for at the app received a text from Raven- information is not stored with Qnect, Holidays! least the last two years. The group Crew saying their data — including but with a third party processor. They Vacation care places is also in talks with reporter and email addresses and credit card in- also said the matter was being investi- filling quickly, frequent Honi videographer Nick formation — would be published gated by the Australian Federal Police. extra ice rink day has Harriott. They confirmed they are online unless Qnect paid a substan- SULS also said in their statement been added due to meeting with other potential mem- tial sum in BitCoin to the hackers. that they have not been using Qnect popular demand.

Target Rules: bers but couldn’t reveal the names They asked members “Please help us is Not Enough 6) Roger Moore Roger 6) Enough Not is since November 2016.

Minimum 4 letters per word. 5 words: surely of potential candidates. convince [Qnect] to pay by emailing 3) A clown 4) The British Royal Navy 5) The World World The 5) Navy Royal British The 4) clown A 3) A large part of Qnect’s business

you can do better!, 10 words: much to learn The second is Honi artist Mat-

Quiz answers: 1) Dr. No in 1962 2) A license to kill to license A 2) 1962 in No Dr. 1) answers: Quiz questions” to two Qnect addresses. seems to come from student organ- you still have, 15 words: a surprise to be thew Fisher and Honi reporter Erin SULS released a statement on the isations, according to a list of clients sure, but a welcome one.

28 29 Atoms: What are Quiz: Have you USyd college’s ‘Good This is what Healthy Harold looks like they and what do found ‘the one’ or Lad Initiative’ holds now. Feel old yet? they want from us? ‘the chosen one’? third CV writing seminar. We know they make up everything, Your lover may actually be the hero so why do we continue to trust foretold in the legends of old. Find News them? P4» out in 12 quick questions. P5» P9»

Why two sleep pods between 50k students was a good investment

Nick Harriott Tech Correspondent Berejiklian considers privatising entire Bloke still riding high on power trip after removing NSW government ahead of 2018 budget friend from group chat. The aging health educator and giraffe has faced repeated calls for his sacking. Several government ministers have suggested Economy Eric as a replacement. Belinda Anderson-Hunt reports: Page 6» Cameron Gooley comment, however our calls to his office were Jayce Carrano State Politics Reporter met with a bizarre electrical screech reminis- cent of a dial-up internet connection. Social Media Reporter British accent still not enough to make KPMG representative Greg Harvey was de- Premier Gladys Berejiklian has refused to rule out lighted to see the NSW Government taking the privatising all of New South Wales after a damning audit seriously with the July budget looming. this Bristol backpacker attractive KPMG audit found that democracy is not the most “Thank God — make sure to capitalise that — the Liberals take the irrefutable re- goer who was forced to briefly interact with efficient value-for-money solution for government. Aidan Molins “Why subject the public to bloated bu- search of management consultants serious- Smythe, “But then he started telling me how reaucracy when they would be more efficient- ly,” he said. “KPMG’s work, much like fossil Tourism Reporter stupid it is that I call it ‘soccer’ and not ‘foot- ly served by Linda from HR and a semi-he- fuels and the sharing economy, is a sensible One of the sleep pods. ball’ and then I realized: I don’t give a shit.” reditary corporate board?” said Berejiklian at way of ensuring every sharehol- I mean citi- A prominent Sydney bar has received multi- “I talked to him for a bit about his job as a press conference this morning. zen, is delivered the best value services.” One year ago the University of Sydney created ple complaints about the activities of an Eng- a charity mugger at Wynyard station,” con- Opposition Leader (OL) Luke Foley was “NSW PTY LTD would be certain to deliver a ‘sleep zone’ in its Fisher Library with the lish backpacker whose strange, unpleasant fessed another bar patron pitifully forced to quick to remind his Facebook followers that those services.” installation of two state of the art Metron- personality remains unmasked by his allur- introduce themselves to the traveller, “and the Liberal Party likes to privatise things. The original KPMG audit was ordered by aps® EnergyPods®. ing British background. then it hit me: why would anyone spend money When asked how she would respond to Finance Minister Dominic Perrotet after re- Donald ‘The Don’ Franco. By all reports the pods have exceeded ex- Despite his charming west London accent, to travel thousands of kilometers away from criticism levelled at her by OL Levi Frosty, cent structural innovations in the private sec- pectations. While they were originally met the traveller, Terry Smythe, has been accused England to reach what could only resemble a Berejiklian was reportedly shocked to dis- tor saw the appointment of an unpaid intern At 8:59pm on Sunday night, Donald Fran- with some cynicism and disregarded as a of being “weird” “boring” “sad” “sleazy” and pricier, more boring version of England? This cover that an opposition party existed at all, as CEO of Australia’s largest marketing firm. co removed Luke Butler from a seven-per- novelty, the critics of this now-essential uni- “pathetic” by a number of patrons of Scubar, a guy must be a complete moron.” let alone that it was led by somebody. son Facebook group chat. The unprecedented versity facility have found egg well and truly local Sydney nightlife establishment. When asked what he’d like to do with his OL Lincoln Forgettable was contacted for move occurred suddenly and without warning. on their faces. The sleep pods are a hit — and The man’s most recent Facebook status time in Australia, Smythe replied “I really Sources have suggested it was retaliation possibly too popular! reads “off down under. Heard the ladies re- just can’t wait to joke to some girls at a bar for Butler having repeatedly skipped his turn The only misstep the University of Sydney ally like the accent down there!” seemingly that I’m related to the British royal family. to shout a round on Saturday night before made when they bought the EnergyPods® implying that the traveller hoped to use his That would be bloody mental.” disappearing to try to get laid. (for the bargain price of $17,000 each) was status as a foreigner to hide abysmal so- “And of course, I can’t wait to do what In the immediate aftermath of the expul- that they didn’t buy enough! It’s become im- cial skills, an unimpressive yet meticulously every British backpacker in Australia desires sion, Franco changed the chat’s default emoji possible to peruse the University’s main li- labored appearance and a feverish thirst for to achieve the most: get lost in a national to a fish and sent one sentence to his stunned brary without bumping into hoards of people overpriced drinks. park and trigger a multi-day search and res- friends: “It’s a Sicilian message. Luke Butler lining up to lie down. “He seemed really interesting at first” said cue effort”. always said there were many fish in the sea. As the old adage goes: don’t buy two Me- Chloe Welton, an unfortunate Scubar party- Well now he sleeps with them. Though not in tronaps® EnergyPods® for 50,000 students the way he wanted.” lest you court disappointment! Another member of the group chat, who The hope among the student body is that asked to be anonymous, said the punishment the University will just front up a little more may have been too harsh and that Franco was cash and finally do away with all the aban- letting the newfound power get to his head. doned desks and workspaces in the library, “He’s started referring to himself in the expanding the Metronaps® EnergyPods® third person as ‘The Don’, and calling us sleep zone across the entirety of Level 3. his consigliere,” the source said. “He’s also “Who needs desks?” asked Language reading Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations, which studies student, Samantha Leighton, who is the first book he’s read since some Mat- was three hours into lining up for her twen- thew Reilly crap in year 11.” ty minute spin in the pod. “Well-equipped Phillip Lang, another ‘consigliere’, was workplaces with room for every student to rumoured to have been communicating in study are a dime a dozen. Give us more things another group chat of work friends. When he we can lie down on.” arrived home, he found a text message from USyd declined to comment on their plans Franco: “Phillip, you’re my brother, and I to increase the supply of EnergyPods® to love you. But don’t ever take sides with any- students, but there have been persistent ru- one against the family again. Ever.” mours that in 2019 the former SCA campus There are rumours circulating that an- will be decked out with sleep pods and re- other group chat has been created with all the structured as the Metronaps® Energy Palace. To save costs, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has combined her office with a Guzman Y Gomez. original members except Franco. This article was sponsored by Metronaps®. Terry Smythe (above), nursing a Carlton Draught purchased for fifteen dollars.