Originally published at a denizen's entertainment. You can comment here or there.

When I started applying Australia's film classification standards to stories I read I was a bit curious and a bit hoping to highlight some absurdity in the system. More than one of my favourite stories, it turns out, would be illegal to sell in this country if they ( Read more... )

Originally published at a denizen's entertainment. You can comment here or there.

Just saw Barnaby Joyce (leader of the National Party) on camera saying he would feel uncomfortable about shooting a woman. in context of potentially opening up all front-line positions in the ADF to women. But surely he is not planning to go to war with Australia, and ( Read more... )

Originally published at a denizen's entertainment. You can comment here or there.

This past weekend, a state election. Everyone knew the approximate outcome in advance: after 16 years of Labor, historic landslide Liberal / National coalition victory. I had hoped voter antipathy might mitigate that somewhat, I know I wasn't the only one thinking ( Read more... )

Originally published at a denizen's entertainment. You can comment here or there.

It is being federal election season in Australia. Really, the very end of the season as we vote tomorrow.

I have not said much about this time around at all, except on IM. For anyone who does want an idea of what is going on in Australian politics, an excellent ( Read more... )

I don't agree with many things the Labor government is doing.

The Liberal / National coalition is pretty consistently worse on those matters.

If I vote Green like usual they will probably lose and the preferences default back to Labor.

If I do not vote I will be fined.

This situation could be more encouraging.

It has long confused and bothered me that in the question of how to respond to climate change one of the major governmental concerns appears to be "How can we ensure that industries like coal remain profitable?" As concerns go it seems almost nonsensical, since in order to respond effectively to the problem the coal and other industries need to ( Read more... )

I'm wondering what they actually accomplish, and if they serve any sort benefit other than causing existing citizens to feel assured immigrants have effectively signed a sort of 'maintaining cultural homogeneity' contract ( Read more... )

We have a program here on Australian television called Border Security: Australia's Front Line. Rageworthy enough that it exists, focused on catering to white middle-class fear of shifty people of colour sneaking in to 'our' country for nefarious purposes, with a strong focus on 'gotcha' moments of heroically catching people out... and that the ( Read more... )

when government or other organisational members speak of wishing to block 'child pornography' online what they mean is 'pornography from being viewed by people under the age of 18' (and in at least this context, everyone else too, as well as a whole lot of other material).

Edit: To follow up the above, under the proposed scheme everything rated ( Read more... )

Probably a bad thing that Senator Barnaby Joyce is reminding me of nothing so much as the impressions of Tony Blair on Dead Ringers.