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31/08/2026

A loss for Labor in Secret
Harbour would show that there’s no such thing as a
safe seat in Australian politics anymore. 🇦🇺

AGREE đź‘Ť DISAGREE

Statues of Captain James Cook have become recurring flashpoints across Australia, vandalised repeatedly around Australia...
31/08/2026

Statues of Captain James Cook have become recurring flashpoints across Australia, vandalised repeatedly around Australia Day in Sydney's Randwick, Melbourne's St Kilda and Fitzroy North in recent years. In 2025, Melbourne's Yarra City Council voted unanimously not to repair a toppled and graffitied Cook monument after weighing the roughly $9,700 repair cost against the likelihood of repeat vandalism, prompting Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan to call the ongoing damage "deeply disrespectful" while Opposition Leader Brad Battin warned against "giving in" to activists by removing historical monuments. Meanwhile, Randwick Council took the opposite approach, funding full repair and restoration of its own vandalised Cook statue rather than removing it.

Those who say yes argue that monuments celebrating colonial figures whose "discovery" narratives erase 65,000 years of prior Indigenous history shouldn't be honoured uncritically in public spaces, that repeated, costly vandalism shows deep unresolved public sentiment, that removing statues doesn't erase history taught in schools and museums, and that some councils have already made this call on practical and cultural grounds.

Those who say no argue that removing historical monuments under pressure from vandalism effectively rewards criminal damage, that public history should be preserved and contextualised rather than erased, that repeated repair, as Randwick chose, demonstrates monuments can be maintained without capitulating to activism, and that erasing statues doesn't resolve the underlying historical and reconciliation debates driving the vandalism.

Dual naming, restoring or adding Aboriginal names to well-known places, has expanded rapidly across Australia, with NSW ...
31/08/2026

Dual naming, restoring or adding Aboriginal names to well-known places, has expanded rapidly across Australia, with NSW alone recording 47 dual names including Wambuul / Macquarie River, and recent additions like Walgun / Cape Byron, Barunguba / Montague Island and the 2017 renaming of Fraser Island to K'gari. Tourism Australia formally adopted a dual-naming approach for capital cities and major landmarks, working with Traditional Owners and typically keeping the English name first, while Uluru's own naming history reflects the debate's long arc, changed from Ayers Rock to "Ayers Rock / Uluru" in 1993, then reversed to "Uluru / Ayers Rock" in 2002.

Those who say yes argue that renaming or dual-naming well-established, widely used places risks unnecessary public confusion and cost, that some proposed changes affect only small areas or features with limited historical connection to the new name, that Australia's identity and history are also tied to its existing names, and that the pace of change should reflect broad community consultation rather than institutional momentum.

Those who say no argue that dual naming coexists with, rather than erases, existing names, preserving both histories side by side, that Aboriginal place names predate European settlement by tens of thousands of years and were themselves erased through colonisation, that these changes are made in direct consultation and partnership with Traditional Owners and Elders, and that reviving traditional names actively helps preserve endangered Indigenous languages and knowledge.

Two neighbouring Victorian communities have been hit by attacks on war memorials within just weeks, prompting anger over...
31/08/2026

Two neighbouring Victorian communities have been hit by attacks on war memorials within just weeks, prompting anger over whether current penalties do enough to protect sites dedicated to Australians who served and died in war.

The latest vandalism occurred at Dobie Memorial Park, south-east of Ararat. A plaque bearing the names of local servicemen was stolen, plants and trees were damaged, and the memorial was spray-painted with an Aboriginal flag and slogans including “land back” and “lest we forget the frontier wars.” Ararat mayor Bob Sanders said residents were devastated and warned that desecrating memorials only deepened division.

Just weeks earlier, the century-old war memorial at nearby Beaufort had been covered with slogans including “death to Australia”, “death to the ADF”, “land back” and “blood on your hands”. Victoria Police is investigating.

People have every right to debate Australia’s colonial history, the frontier wars and how they should be commemorated. The issue here is whether deliberately damaging existing memorials should be treated as ordinary vandalism or as a particularly serious offence because of their commemorative significance

Australia has passed sweeping new hate-speech and anti-protest laws following the December 2025 Bondi Beach attack that ...
30/08/2026

Australia has passed sweeping new hate-speech and anti-protest laws following the December 2025 Bondi Beach attack that killed 15 people, with two pro-Palestine activists already charged in Queensland for using now-banned phrases at a rally. Around 10,000 people protested Israeli President Isaac Herzog's February 2026 visit, with Human Rights Watch documenting police pepper-spraying and punching demonstrators. Separately, an investigation revealed the federal government has directed over $176 million in grants toward pro-Israel lobbying and Jewish community security since 2025, while human rights groups warn the new laws are having a "chilling effect" specifically on pro-Palestinian voices and solidarity movements.

Those who say yes argue that transparency about who funds protest movements, foreign or domestic, is reasonable and doesn't restrict genuine free expression, that all forms of political funding, including the millions already directed to opposing causes, deserve equal scrutiny, that Australians should know whether local activism reflects grassroots sentiment or outside interests, and that other democracies already require similar disclosure.

Those who say no argue that singling out "foreign funded" protests, especially amid a crackdown seen as targeting one side of the debate, risks becoming a pretext to suppress legitimate dissent, that political advocacy organisations of all persuasions routinely receive international support without controversy, that the right to protest shouldn't hinge on funding source, and that recent enforcement already shows uneven application against pro-Palestinian activism specifically.

One Nation is facing questions over its migration policy after MP David Farley said the party’s approach could result in...
30/08/2026

One Nation is facing questions over its migration policy after MP David Farley said the party’s approach could result in a migration rate “not too different” from Labor’s once skilled workers are included.

Farley suggested the effective figure could be around 230,000 people a year, while One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has maintained that the party’s official net overseas migration target is 130,000.

The disagreement has sparked debate over how migration numbers should be calculated and what One Nation’s policy would mean for Australia’s future migration levels.

Do you support One Nation’s proposal to reduce net overseas migration to 130,000 a year?

Landslide victory in Secret Harbour!Labor has had an approximate -22.1% swing, whereas One Nation has gained 30.6%.This ...
30/08/2026

Landslide victory in Secret Harbour!
Labor has had an approximate -22.1% swing, whereas One Nation has gained 30.6%.
This sends a very clear message to the uni-party. People want change, and they are ready for it.
No seat is a safe seat any more.

30/08/2026

SHOULD THE GOVERNMENT BRING DRAWIN PORT BACK UNDER AUSSIE CONTROL? 🇦🇺
Yes 👍 No ❤

Should the Australian Government prioritise Australian families facing rising living costs, housing pressures and financ...
30/08/2026

Should the Australian Government prioritise Australian families facing rising living costs, housing pressures and financial stress, or should overseas aid remain a major spending priority?

It’s a debate that continues to divide Australians. Where should the government’s priorities lie when taxpayers’ money is being allocated?

Do you think more should be spent supporting Australian families?

Australian murder suspect speaks from Thai prison, saying he “shouldn’t be here” as he denies killing a 17-year-old Thai...
30/08/2026

Australian murder suspect speaks from Thai prison, saying he “shouldn’t be here” as he denies killing a 17-year-old Thai woman.

Perth man Simon Peter Carman, 45, has spoken publicly for the first time from a Thai prison, maintaining his innocence over the death of 17-year-old Tunchanok Donhomla in Pattaya.

Carman denies the charges against him and claims he acted in self-defence during an alleged confrontation involving a knife. Thai police allege the teenager was killed and that her body was later transported in a suitcase.

The case remains before Thai authorities, with prosecutors expected to decide whether to formally indict Carman. His claims of self-defence have not been tested in court.

Do you believe the Australian suspect’s claim that he acted in self-defence?

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