#meanwhile in Australia

[thehungrycity]

Vice-chancellors have rejected calls to shut down the pro-Palestine encampments at Australian universities, saying campuses don’t want to see an “escalation” of the kind that is happening in the US.

A snap meeting was held on Thursday between the Group of Eight (Go8) vice-chancellors, the Australasian Union of Jewish Students, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) and the secretary of the education department to discuss the safety of students and staff amid the protests.

Vicki Thomson, the Go8 chief executive, said it was a “very constructive” meeting that allowed universities to hear the concerns of representative bodies.

Mark Scott, the vice-chancellor of the University of Sydney, attended Thursday’s meeting. A protest on the lawns of his university is now into its 11th day, the longest of any Australian camps.

Scott took to LinkedIn on Thursday to reject calls from shadow education minister Sarah Henderson for police intervention, maintaining the exercise of free speech could be “challenging and confronting”.

“I am not convinced what is happening on US campuses demonstrates a pathway to greater safety and security for any students or staff, nor helps to build a community committed to free speech and thoughtful exchanges of divergent views,” Scott wrote.

“Protests and vigorous debates have always been part of our culture of academic freedom … even when, as individuals, we may strongly disagree with things we hear said.”

On Friday, the University of Sydney camp was met with a counter-protest by the group Together with Israel, but the situation remained relatively peaceful. There was no apparent police presence.

Monash University’s vice-chancellor, Prof Sharon Pickering, was also in attendance at Thursday’s meeting, as was the University of Adelaide’s provost, Prof John Williams. Both universities have backed the lawful expression of peaceful protest on their campuses.

The University of Melbourne’s vice-chancellor, Duncan Maskell, wrote to his university’s community last week reiterating respect for peaceful protest was “core” to the university’s values.

The Jewish Council of Australia has condemned the wave of counter-protests, labelling one at the University of Melbourne on Thursday a “motley group of rightwing zionists”.

Its executive officer, Dr Max Kaiser, said students in the Gaza solidarity camps were taking a “brave and peaceful stand against genocide and should be heard”.

[victusinveritas]

[workersforanotsafeparadise]

Ben knows that eventually they will realize he is useless and devour him. But in the meantime, life is for the living...

Which for him means until the next Eclipse of the Hidden Moon of Agnoch in 2026 according to the secret texts, so, live it up until then.

[flarefoxxx]

So like, anyone had any juicy takes on the states relationship with México's states, Canada's provinces or maybe even Australia's states?

Cause honestly, it would be refreshing to see the states talk to other personifications OUTSIDE their country but probably never gonna happen, but doesn't mean we can't make hcs or theories of it.

[miss-bubles]

[firsttraintovictoriaville]

New South Wales 🤝Utah

having 7 kids

[aceasadhd]

I started watching meanwhile in Australia today because of your rec and now I'm out in public trying to be normal while my head is like Melbourne and Washington would be besties would be roommates would be worsties would be lovers would be city and state international everythings

OH MY GOD THEY WOULD BE

Headcanon unlocked

And I'm doing a little happy dance that you're enjoying it! It made me so happy during all the lockdowns

[mur-art]

i checked ao3 and did a google search and on the fandom end, Meanwhile In Australia seems pretty empty 😭it needs to be adopted. The world to know about 70% problematically toxic otp goodness of NSW/TAS and the slight enemies to lovers in cool hats vibe of South Africa/South Australia.

....

Okay Vivi you know what to do.

We have a civic duty to adopt the silly little Aussie states and make up ridiculous amounts of detailed fanon lore.

[phynali]

I was in a research talk this week with a researcher who is doing some stuff related to grocery retailers, and he mentioned -- off the record and anecdotally so of course I'm telling all of you here -- that the major grocery chains (Coles and Woolies, as above) have shareholders who saw ridiculous record profits during the lockdowns here, and now they won't let profits fall back down. They need that little bar on the graph to continue to increase, if not as dramatically, rather than allowing the more realistic regression to the mean, the decrease in profits and return to a steady state.

The farmers are on record saying "we're not charging the retailers more than we were a few years ago". The cost of food hasn't increased. The cost of groceries have because the shareholders' greed is endless.

Activists in Tasmania have stuck up more honest promo stickers inside Coles & Woolworths stores, the two dominant supermarket chains in Australia.

[biscuitfeatures]

Meanwhile in Australia…

[firsttraintovictoriaville]

Mr. Jimmy Rees needs to come back to MIA...deadass I had a dream Western Australia and New Zealand got ship bait. I am 👌 this close to making a ficlet about them if we don't get new content

[phynali]

I actually did it!

I saw a superb fairywren for the first time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AHHHHHH they're so small and cute and they make the cutest noises!!!!

hi. did you know australia has a fairywren species called the superb fairywren

and another species called the splendid fairywren

...and one called the lovely fairywren

[weejburbles]

bug parade!

[oddly-casual]

Fiona and Cake spoilers seriously

(Something I noticed abt Betty and Simons relationship)

I love Betty and Simon’s relationship, I think their back story is so cute and romantic and all that lovely stuff don’t get me wrong.

But there’s this under tone of Betty constantly giving things up for Simon and we don’t really talk about it a lot???

Like, Betty let Simon have his moment with the artifact and the pubic, she also doesn’t go to her trip in favor of going on an expedition with Simon. Then when she goes to leave again she stays for Simon.

Even Fiona is like “you went with her on the bus?” And Simon just looks all confused like “what? No, why would I do that?” Like- hello???

Then after that she gave up her entire life and mind to get Simon back to the point where she literally says “I don’t know who I am without him anymore.” And that just sucks! Since the beginning Betty has been the one giving up the most, her mind, her own possible career, and it’s a story of love of course and it’s very sweet but it’s also a story of sacrifice.

Their love wasn’t a perfect solution, it was already sort of imbalanced when it started and I lowkey love how we see those cracks even before they’re together.

Again, I love their relationship and I think it’s sweet. I just think we should talk about Betty’s side more, especially when she tells a story of what most women do in relationships, sacrifice.

[rooksnooks]

damn we got 2023 today

damn we got 2023 tomorrow

[buildoblivion]

very much enjoying the post tmagp cultural exchange as every british listener unloads their intense and assorted blobby-related trauma for the international audience to enjoy