hey.
a quick-ish one, and honestly, not really the update I would have liked to be coming to you with, after a couple of months of silence. however, 2024 has been a deeply troubling year for democracy, and it is prompting me to re-evaluate the actions I must take to push back on sinister political tides. as we near the end of the year, genocide continues on Palestinian lands, as it does in Sudan and elsewhere. universities worldwide also continue not only to turn a blind eye to their complicity in these violent campaigns, but also to surveil and discipline their students for refusing to do the same. a US election has come and gone, and somehow, we have a convicted felon returning to be the leader of the free world once again. the UK's crusade against gender-affirming healthcare for transgender young people has escalated. just weeks ago, I woke up to news of martial law in South Korea, only for this to be repealed by the time my partner's alarm started ringing just minutes later. the French Government has collapsed. I could go on, and on, and on …
closer to home, governments across so-called Australia have also had a rather big year. even as the lesser of two possible evils, our Albanese Labor Government has managed to pass a draconian series of migration laws, and rush through a social media ban for under-16s — following a consultation process that we should consider an affront to public policymaking. simultaneously, in QLD, children who are too young to safely use TikTok or Snapchat are old enough to take responsibility for “criminal” behaviour; in the Crisafulli Government’s own words, its new laws will undermine children’s access to “protection from cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment … and the right to humane treatment”. down south: if not for an MP, on sick leave, rushing to Parliament in an Uber, legislative changes in SA could have marked a terrifying erosion of reproductive and bodily rights. our current systems of law and justice, in fact, are increasingly using law to erode social justice.
in Victoria, the Allan Government's fresh-off-the-press social cohesion measures represent another blow. ostensibly in response to the — let's be clear, already unlawful — firebombing of a synagogue, using "attachment devices" as part of civil demonstrations could soon also be unlawful: glue, rope and other accessories often used by climate activists to secure themselves to, say, a bridge. just five years since wearing masks was a mandatory public health measure, crucial at any social gatherings — face coverings may soon be banned at protests. organisations hoping to receive funding from the state, too, could also be required to commit to a "social cohesion" pledge, to be enforced by penalties currently unknown. I have always detested "social cohesion" and "multiculturalism" as political smokescreens, and these announcements are an ominous doubling-down.
I am terrified of what is to come in 2025. with a federal election on the cards, the imperative just to hold the fucking line on human rights, let alone expand or strengthen civil protections, has become ever more acute. and whilst I am still a public servant, and committed to doing "frank and fearless" work from within state institutions to the furthest extent possible — I too am losing trust. now, more than ever, we need to bolster grassroots strongholds of community resistance and care, to hold ourselves together.
all this to say: I'm not one for New Year's resolutions, but I am feeling called to do a few things differently in 2025.
firstly: last year, I wrote about concerning developments across our social media landscapes. I have since migrated from X to bluesky. my next email to you will also, likely, look a little different — because I have decided it’s time to leave Substack, and find a new home for my writing. (don’t sweat, I will bring you along).
it has become more important to nourish and leverage spaces that encourage careful thinking and slow, considered debates, particularly as other digital town squares shrink. yet, cultivating forums that allow for debate is not akin to inviting fascist, anti-trans, pro-coloniser, far-right movements to thrive. so, I’m following the call of many writers to oppose the decision of Substack's owners to platform and legitimise dangerous actors as journalists and defenders of free speech.
secondly: whilst I have been Paying the Rent for several years now, I recognise that I am currently in a financial position that allows — obligates! — me to go beyond giving as restitution. that is not to say I plan to give more to the charity sector, which continues to be an ethical minefield, structured by colonial systems of governance. rather, I've decided to set aside a regular budget that I can contribute to mutual aid call-outs. as governments reel back their supports, whilst tightening the hurdles that recipients must clear in order to access them — and as the financial throttling of the non-profit sector escalates … we must do more to show up for each other.
finally: I have always shied away from active participation in big-P Politics, for various reasons — not least because my profession has trained me to do so. I do not see this as an option in the lead-up to the next federal election. there is too much at stake. so, for as long as I still have the right, as a public servant, to hold my own political views and engage in political activities as a private citizen, I must be exercising it — given, as has become clear, there is no guarantee that this right will always be protected for me. so, if you know of a campaign, issues-based or party-based, that could use a researcher / writer — shoot me a message.
have a safe holiday season, and take care of yourselves and each other.