#australian alps

[thatonebluedog]

Sorry I’ve been gone for a bit, I just got back from a road trip with my dad. Gonna try and post some more art soon, but in the meantime here are some photos I took in Victoria

[tenth-sentence]

Chris was interested in the kurrajong (Brachychiton populneus) on the property as he had learnt from his father and grandfather that his people used to eat the root of the young tree.

"Country: Future Fire, Future Farming" - Bill Gammage and Bruce Pascoe

[creatureheart]

Some pictures I've grabbed from Unsplash of the Australian Alps, mostly around Kosciuszko National Park

Pics 1 + 2 + 3 by Christian Bass

Pic 4 by Kate Trifo

Pics 5 + 6 by Jack McGrath

so I think I have come to the conclusion that I have a hearthome and that place being the Australian Alps, or as we usually refer to it, the "high country"

I've always been connected to the area through media throughout my entire life, and even at one point had the childhood dream/plan to live up on the mountains because of that connection and love of the place

while not as strong now, and also living in a completely different state, I do still have a connection to it, it still feels right, to the point that it was the first thing that came to mind when a daily question in a server I'm in popped up prompting

"Describe yourself, and/or your main N/AHaA identity, as a location besides your/its hearthome."

at the time of the question I wasn't even thinking that it was a hearthome, I never had put in much thought about anything like that tbh, still new to even acknowledging I'm nonhuman/alterhuman to begin with, but the more I thought about it, and having seen some things recently about the area, yeah, I think it is a hearthome to me

that being said, I also think I may be a brumby my horse 'type has been simply a horse, and I think for the most part it will continue to be, but also saying I am a brumby feels right, plus the connection of brumbies to the high country then also makes sense for me, even though they are found all over Australia

so yeah, bit of an update always interesting how things slowly reveal themselves even when you're not as strong in your identity as some

[thunderstruck9]

Tony Lloyd (Australian, 1970), Mont Blanc with lenticular clouds 2, 2024. Oil on panel, 45 x 30 cm.

[maisietheyellowlab]

Does she even realize she's getting her photo taken at the prettiest lake ever??

[lionofchaeronea]

In the Morning, Alpes Maritimes from Antibes, John Russell, 1890-91

[brick-van-dyke]

Okay, in light of the "vote blue or don't vote blue" argument I'm seeing around here, I'm gonna tell you all a story.

I'm Australian and I voted for the Labour Party in the last election. For context, the Labour Party is essentially the left democrat party for Australia, while the Liberal Party is the ring wing republican one. So, I did what you'd all call "voting blue" in the USA, but in Australia. Anthony Albanese is the leader of Labour Left, a faction within the Labour Party to push it towards more leftist policies and ideals. He promised to protect minorities and said he would advocate for a free Palestine. We all voted for him believing it would help and so far, it sounds good doesn't it?

Well, here we are and Anthony Albanese has so far been pushing against pro Palestine protests, trying to implement anti protest legislation and made things actively harder for minorities in Australia. He's done nothing that he promised and of course acted almost as bad as the Liberals when they were in just before. In fact, it's arguably worse since the Labour Party has been attacking the right to protest over the last several months. They haven't done shit for minorities and if argue the ALP has actively made our lives harder.

Is voting important or not important? I don't know if u can answer that, but I can say this; politicians shouldn't be trusted to carry out promises when they're only there for self interest, regardless of what label they use to advertise that self interest. You shouldn't depend on them for change and sit around waiting for that change to come from these people. And, most importantly? There is no difference between those who voted and those who didn't when the most left leaning candidate we had has now just become legally complicit in the ICJ for genocide. There is no lesser evil when even one of us is harmed, and there is no "well at least it's not as bad" when that means sacrificing each other for the sake of a few benefits, so we have to band together and fight the whole damn system. It doesn't matter who did what, because at the end of the day the power is to the people, not the politicians who clearly can't be trusted no matter if you voted for "the right one", or chose not to vote at all. So, sure, vote. But don't expect that to change the world. You change the world through getting up with your fellow community and making a stand through your own physical actions against he system, not waiting for a politician to change anything when it's their job to lie and cheat. Reliance on the system is how we all come to lose and division is how we're silenced.

We're in this together and we need to remember what's important; each other and the power WE hold when we work together and fight against the entire system itself, not some representative in a suit.

[speedilydeepruins]

The Tasman Glacier is the largest glacier in New Zealand, and one of several large glaciers which flow south and east towards the Mackenzie Basin from the Southern Alps in New Zealand's South Island.

[sitting-on-me-bum]

Mount Aspiring, West Matukituki - Southern Alps, New Zealand

Photo credit: Yan Zhang, New South Wales

[ratnurse]

So the other day my public policy lecturer told an anecdote about the most unpleasant student he'd ever had in class "who was a federal MP who lost his seat in the last election" and it has to have been tim wilson. I'm screeching

[qnewsau]

 “I see myself as an accountability mechanism”: Allegra Spender

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/i-see-myself-as-an-accountability-mechanism-allegra-spender/

 “I see myself as an accountability mechanism”: Allegra Spender

Ahead of the 2025 federal election, QNews meets Member for Wentworth Allegra Spender, who embodies the teal movement and its freedom from two-party politics. Interview by Peter Hackney.

Australia’s teal independents are exactly that: independents. As such, they don’t have a leader.

But if they did, the logical choice would be Zali Steggall – the ‘original teal’ who wrested the seat of Warringah from Tony Abbott in 2019 – or the woman sitting in front of QNews at her electoral office in Edgecliff: Allegra Spender.

Member for the Division of Wentworth since 21 May 2022, Spender is, in many ways, the perfect politician. Eloquent and photogenic, she exudes warmth and friendliness but leaves you in no doubt she’s up for the rough and tumble of federal politics.

Like all seven teals currently holding office federally, she’s a centrist, giving her the capacity to understand and represent constituents from both sides of the political spectrum.

Non-binary politics

Spender’s position on the political spectrum, encompassing elements of both left and right, reflects Wentworth itself, an electorate that features harsh inner-city deprivation, as well as five of Australia’s ten richest postcodes.

It contains over 500 social housing homes in Woolloomooloo as well as the richest street in the nation: Wolseley Road, Point Piper, where the median house price is $45 million.

Spender says her independence means she can engage with her wildly diverse constituents in a meaningful way, without having to tow party lines.

“When I talk to people, it’s clear their views are quite nuanced – but when you only have two choices, it creates division and false dichotomies,” she tells QNews.

“One of the things people say to me is, ‘Before this, we didn’t have a choice.’ I think that’s important for so many people. They haven’t had a choice: it was red or blue, left or right, or nothing.

“Being outside that means you can genuinely consult with people. You can take each issue on its own merits and engage with your constituents, and listen and think without having to consider, ‘What does my party think about this?’

Allegra Spender says her independence means she can engage with her diverse constituents in a meaningful way. Photo: supplied.

  “An accountability mechanism”

Asked for examples, Spender immediately gives two: relief on HECS/HELP debt indexation and the recognition of LGBTQIA+ people in the Australian census.

“One of the big issues at a local level has been HECS debts for young people,” she says.

“I was seeing so many kids, young adults, who said, ‘Look, I’m trying to save to buy and apartment. My HECs debt’s just gone up seven per cent. My wage hasn’t gone up seven per cent and I thought this was meant to be an interest-free loan.’”

After a solid year working as part of the crossbench, the government caved to the demands of Spender and her colleagues, with HECs debts now pegged to the lower of the Consumer Price Index and the Wage Price Index.

The reform, backdated to 2023, wiped out $3 billion in debt, benefitting over three million Australians.

On the issue of collecting census data on LGBTQIA+ people, Spender says: “Frankly, the government squibbed and lost their nerve. And the Liberals were never going to be the people who stood up for this, so it just needed somebody else to step up and say, ‘You know what? Stop being so afraid. This is not a big issue. These are values that our community backs.’

“Labor was jumping at shadows. And the Opposition didn’t make such a big thing of it in the end.

“I see myself as an accountability mechanism in the parliament,” she says. “Someone who can hold the government to account but who doesn’t oppose things for the sake of it, as any party in opposition tends to do.”

Small ‘l’ liberal

This modus operandi has seen Spender disparaged as both a “Labor party stooge” and a “Liberal-lite” MP.

Asked about these descriptions, Spender replies: “I’m a pragmatist. I’ve worked across the parliament on different issues. I’ve worked with the Coalition on industrial relations issues, I’ve worked with others on other issues.”

Pushed to further clarify her politics, she responds: “I would call myself a small ‘l’ liberal. I’m economically pretty conservative. I think the way to build prosperity is through the private sector, with government putting in appropriate guardrails and safety nets.

“I would also say that I’m socially very liberal in the sense that I think it’s up to people to run their own lives. It’s not my job to tell them how to do that.”

Although economically conservative, Allegra Spender says she is “socially very liberal”. She is pictured in the 2023 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade. Photo: supplied.

  Dutton at the door

If the polls are correct, 2025 will be a very tight election. There’s every chance neither party will win 75 seats outright and will have to call on the support of independents to form government.

Last month, in an interview with Karl Stefanovic on Channel Nine’s 60 Minutes, opposition leader Peter Dutton named Allegra Spender as one of three independents he’d tap if neither party reaches the magic number of 75 (the other two independents being Bob Katter and Dai Le).

The prospect worries the more socially liberal of Spender’s constituents, especially among the LGBTQIA+ community. In parliament, Dutton has consistently opposed increasing legal protections for LGBTQIA+ people and was against marriage equality.

When asked outright if she’d support Dutton if it came to the crunch, Spender’s response is best summarised as ‘it depends’.

“Firstly, we’ve got to have stable government. And so, I will look at the numbers, I will look at what the crossbench looks like, I’ll look at the parliament and I’ll work with others,” she says.

She adds that, as an independent, “I’ll always stand up for the values of our community, regardless of who is in government. My priorities are climate action, building a smarter economy and creating a kinder community, including standing up for the LGBTQIA+ community.”

Regardless of who becomes the next Prime Minister of Australia, the 14th Member for Wentworth makes one promise: “On an issue-by-issue basis, I’ll continue to vote and advocate and legislate on the basis of what’s important to this community.

“I’ll continue to push the issues that my community tell me are important.”

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

[thunderstruck9]

Tony Lloyd (Australian, 1970), Mont Blanc with lenticular clouds, 2024. Oil on panel, 45 x 30 cm.

[maisietheyellowlab]

Meadowfield Navi in an alpine meadow!

[southeast-northwest]

#2 - A Little History of the Labor Party (05.12.24)

very much what it says on the cover lol. a broad ranging if a little (understandably) superficial speedrun of the ALP's history from its creation to 2023. naturally it's very biased in favour of the party, and a little masturbatory at times, but other times raises pretty reasonable concerns and criticisms. the authors clearly love the Labor party and movement, and the critiques come from a place of wanting to improve it rather than tearing it down.

honestly the book is very accessible and i'd highly recommend it to someone wanting an introductory crash course with an overview of Labor's key figures and achievements. a grain of salt should always accompany any political literature you read and this is no exception

summer reading log thread :3

📚📚📚

#1 - Personal Politics (29.11.24)

a really engaging and insightful account of several significant gender/sexuality-oriented movements in australia, including women's shelters, abortion, hiv/aids, safe schools and marriage equality. the authors draw really interesting comparisons between the successes and failures of these campaigns and what they reveal about the evolving politics of gender in this country. id recommend it to anybody interested in the stuff, I find it especially meaningful because I feel like a lot of my own awareness of feminist and queer liberation history is worryingly UK and US oriented and i resent that.

[lethalwizard]

really funny thing about modern australian politics is all political ads have to declare themselves as such and that includes the fucking memes party staffers are making these days so you’ll sit down to watch a funny short form video on your favourite app and then right at the end you hear “Authorised by P. Erickson, ALP, Canberra” fuck. fuck. fuck they tricked me fucking p erickson they fucking tricked me again