Culture, cancelled: will Adelaide writers’ week survive? | Fiona Katauskas
13.01.2026 00:25
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Culture, cancelled: will Adelaide writers’ week survive? | Fiona Katauskas
'I cannot be party to silencing writers, which is why I am resigning as director of Adelaide writers’ week,' writes Louise Adler www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The opening of Melbourne’s Metro Tunnel has turned me into a shameless train ambassador | Brodie Lancaster
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STUDENT: My name is Charlotte. Bullying is bigger than social media. What measures are in place to protect those being bullied on games, messages, or WhatsApp? Or even face to face? PRIME MINISTER: Our Education Minister, Jason Clare, is really implementing a National Plan to Address Bullying, and we have an Anti-Bullying Rapid Review, and that recommends that schools need to respond within two school days to a complaint or incident which is there. So, if we're going to properly tackle bullying, we need to have a really comprehensive approach and nip it in the bud early.
STUDENT: Hello. My name is Ahmed, and my question for you today is what processes were used to gather the perspectives of young people under 16 before developing this policy? MINISTER WELLS: The eSafety Commission, which you might have come across so far in your time at school, it was the world first for Australia to have an independent eSafety Commission, and they have a Youth Advisory Council, and that's existed well before this policy. That Youth Advisory Council does things like help with policy design, gives feedback on how that experience might play out in your world. The Council has people from the ages of 13 to 24, they come from all different parts of the country, all different backgrounds and experiences. So, they will continue to advise the eSafety Commissioner on program design. And we've also got a two-year survey that we're going to track from 10 December about how this is rolled out, so we know what we need to do to make it better.
STUDENT: Hello. My name is Sean. Many young people heavily rely on online spaces to escape bullying or unsafe home environments. How does the Government plan to ensure continued access to online mental health communities and support networks? MINISTER WELLS: We've been doing a bit of work with four major mental health peak bodies. With the eSafety Commission, they've informed this work. And then a couple of weeks ago, along with the Assistant Minister for Mental Health, we held a roundtable of 20 different mental health groups, advocacy bodies, who look after young people, particularly in their mental health, and we talked through what the changes are, what they're going to look like, and how everyone's preparing their spaces, their platforms. There's apps that exist that you can go on instead of social media come 10 December to help you with this, and they've all gone away and done their homework about how they can make this as easy as possible for you to transition. And we'll absolutely be looking at that as part of our two-year survey.
STUDENT: Good morning. My name is Mia. Our careers in ten years will look very different to those of our parents, and with the delay of social media, will this impact young children wanting a career in the digital industry, or those who are already online entrepreneurs? PRIME MINISTER: You certainly aren't going to be disadvantaged. The evidence is actually the opposite, that by stopping the negative impact of social media, people will be much more comfortable engaging in digital activity as well, because it will be doing it in a way that is safer. And so, it won't stop you engaging in a whole range of research. It certainly won't stop you doing in school, the sort of digital education that will enable you to have a career in the new economy as well. STUDENT: Hi. My name is Jayden. There are obviously those that disagree with this decision and feel their agency has been taken away. What messages would you give to provide reassurance to those that feel this way? PRIME MINISTER: Two points I would make. One is this has support across the Parliament, which is very good. Often in this building, people don't always agree with each other. You might have noticed. Second point is, this hasn't come from us. This isn't our idea. It's actually come from young people. It's come from parents. It's come from the grassroots, who've had campaigns on this and have really got organised. And as a result, we've listened. And my job as Prime Minister is to listen and act, and that is what we are doing. And I'm sure that when people look back on December 10, they're going to say, 'gee, that was the right thing to do, and we're glad that it happened'. I think it'll be really positive, and it'll be really a proud moment for Australia to show that Australia is showing leadership.
The kids are alright. (Transcript from BTN)
If you listen to one thing today, spend some time with this.
Not always the easiest listen, but I think this crisis deserves our attention.
Who will the Coalition target next over the cost of living? | Fiona Katauskas
My kids start sentences in one language and end in another. I hope school doesn’t shrink their joyous, noisy worlds
Beautiful piece by Shadi Khan Saif
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She's done it again!
As a conservative Liberal senator I see no coherent reason to run away from a net zero target | Andrew McLachlan
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Heads up extreme wealth enthusiasts - do you know how much is a trillion dollars? No you don't nobody does! Read this cartoon to find out... www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
A Clear Air column today. It's a pretty long one. Could have been longer.
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Specialist doctor fees are far too high (up 78% since 2010).
Australia’s next national health funding deal is a chance to change that
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The good news is that boys believe in gender equality. The scary question is: will they forget when they become men?
Great column from @lucykateclark.bsky.social
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Cool video. How good is nature.
‘The ultimate free Uber around the sea’: suckerfish find dream solution to transport woes
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The art of the possible- my #Mamdani cartoon for @australia.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
How Mamdani broke the Democrat machine | Fiona Katauskas
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From AusLegal to AmItheAsshole: why I’m downvoting the social media ban on Reddit
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Hello, @australia.theguardian.com is looking for 800 word opinion pieces that can run any time over the summer months. They can be funny, serious, sad, thoughtful, uplifting... Surprise us! If you have an idea you'd like to pitch, email cif.australia@theguardian.com with SUMMER PITCH in the subject
It’s November!! So I’m beginning to commission for summer. Looking for pieces that can run any time over Dec/Jan in Guardian Aus opinion. Can be funny, serious, sweet; experiences, reflections, long held world view etc. $315 per piece. Email cif.australia@theguardian.com with SUMMER PITCH in subject
