Packing Tents and Broken Doors

 



They were erecting tents along the perimeters of the cliffs; where we could edge, where we could soar, where all could be lost in a simple, single flick.

The stakes barely held against the wind. The fronts of the tents were flapping in the cold air. Soldiers sought shelter inside the flimsy structures. All was not lost. 

He had just turned 74, celebrated might be overstating the case, but the shock of it, he hadn't expected. So he suddenly just started pottering, like an old man, and everything that he had longed for suddenly seemed so far away. Yet new roads opened. Birds soared off cliffs. Arrangements were made.

We came to you with open arms and you turned inward, denying your fate. Denying the work that needed to be done.

He was appalled at his own behaviour, frightened of the consequences, moving silently in fear; and yet, there truly was hope. 

The whale migration was moving up the coast. His old stomping ground at the Cross, once Australia's premier entertainment distract, its crowded bohemian streets the subject of utter fascination as an adolescent. And all that cruelty, now, more than 55 years later, well what did it mean. It meant, so sourly, so often, regret. And so he remained silent, more silent than the grave that waits us all.


MAINSTREAM MEDIA

Australian media on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, was dominated by One Nation's surge, tax reform deals, and leadership speculation amid UK parallels. One Nation's rising poll numbers and Pauline Hanson's provocative stances commanded headlines across outlets. Hanson pushed for a "monocultural" Australia, urging immigrants to assimilate under one culture and law while warning against Sharia or cultural fragmentation; she defended it as equality, not division. Media covered her clarification that she wouldn't cut paid parental leave despite earlier comments drawing "scary" and "outdated" criticism from advocates. Hanson floated preference deals with the Coalition, telling Angus Taylor it was a "two-way street" and expressing openness to working together to oust the "toxic Labor-Greens-Teal government," though she noted no recent talks. Labor secured a key Senate win as the Greens agreed to support the first tranche of negative gearing and capital gains tax reforms (effective 2027, grandfathering existing investments) in exchange for closing SMSF borrowing loopholes for residential property, an eight-week NDIS inquiry extension, and other tweaks. Albanese hailed it as delivering "tax cuts for workers and a fairer tax system for first home buyers." Critics, including business groups, slammed the changes as a "plastic surgery 'freak show'" or "half-arsed" backdown on small business impacts. Opposition and crossbench dynamics intensified the coverage. Angus Taylor clashed with Jim Chalmers in Question Time, with media portraying it as revealing "envy," while slamming Labor's tax and economic handling. The Coalition warned of UK-style pitfalls under Starmer (immigration, energy, cohesion), with Andrew Hastie drawing direct parallels to Albanese's government. Teal independents edged closer to a new party under Zali Steggall, though David Pocock distanced himself for now. Fuel relief featured prominently: Albanese extended the excise cut for July at a scaled-back rate (around 16¢/litre relief) for $400m, defending it amid global tensions like the Strait of Hormuz. Broader economic concerns included falling house prices (potentially $100k drops), investor exodus from apartments, and migration dips sparking Coalition/One Nation attacks on unmet targets. Acerbic and pointed quotes peppered reporting. Albanese took fresh aim at One Nation: "pretend support for Aussie workers." Hanson doubled down on monoculture: "Do we really want to see Sharia law? ... multiple marriages? ... gangs with machetes." Business critiques were sharp on tax changes. Marles insisted Albanese's leadership was safe despite Starmer parallels and One Nation pressure. Overall, coverage painted a fractured political landscape with Labor navigating Senate deals amid cost-of-living and housing pressures, while One Nation's momentum forced major parties to recalibrate. Polls, defections, and policy brinkmanship underscored volatility five months from Victorian elections and ahead of federal contests.
Courtesy of Grok

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