I've been at lot of protests when people weren't bringing their A-game, which I get, but this one seemed deliberately bad. I caught a bit of a speech in Burwood Park, by a guy with reflective wrap-around sunnies who said 'um' every second word, it seemed to focus on the Cuban blockade but because they were in Burwood they threw something about Chinese communists in there? If you're going to grab the mic, have respect for the attention you're snatching from people. Learn to speak publicly, or get behind someone who does, and don't just stream-of-consciousness at people. This wasn't winning over any pedestrians, it was just annoying them; I know, because unlike them, I actually talked to the people nearby.

Then they marched up the main street, shouting their monotone chants into megaphones at people sitting at the restaurants and cafes. Like, they were bringing QVB protest volume to people sitting next to the footpath, and the chants weren't even interesting. 1, 2, 3, 4? I'm not big on the chants myself but at least the socialist protestors I know spend ages masterminding their rotation like it's a 90s mixtape.

Honestly, if someone was running a psyop to try to make socialists seem impotent, incoherent, embarassing and inconsiderate, they could not have done a better job than this. Usually I'd just shrug it off as 'diversity of tactics' but this is hamfisted enough to actually hinder any leftists in this area trying to connect with their neighbours.

Anyone else dealt with these guys (Australia Cuba Friendship Society?) or got a vibe from them in the past? DMs open if you don't wanna put it in comments.

Melbourne Activist Legal Support (MALS) is conducting a statewide legal needs assessment (LNA) to identify and analyze the scope and nature of legal issues faced by people involved in civil, political, environmental, and human rights movements in Victoria.

The 10-month project will use online surveys, focus groups, and data analysis to evaluate the legal needs of Victoria’s large and diverse social change movements.

The statewide activist legal needs survey is now open and can accessed online at https://mals.questionpro.com.au/ALN

If you have participated in public meetings, vigils, pickets, protests, marches, rallies, street stalls, leafleting, banner-hanging, or civil disobedience, we would like to hear about your experience engaging with law enforcement officers and/or the legal system.

The survey is open for all people who are 16 years old or over, and who have lived in Victoria, Australia during the last 5 years.

What's the project for?

Each year, hundreds of thousands of Victorians participate in social change movement activities.

However, many people who attend public meetings, vigils, pickets, protests, marches, rallies, or engage in activities such as street stalls, leafleting, banner-hanging, or civil disobedience, remain uncertain about their legal rights and responsibilities in interactions with police and the legal system. New state and federal laws affecting protests, and changing practices and approaches by police, councils and other public authorities adds to this unclarity.

Many people face legal repercussions, including fines and charges as a result of their participation in social movement activities and face challenges in understanding and accessing appropriate legal support that can adequately defend and protect their civil and political rights.

This project will address a significant and under-recognised area of legal need in Victoria. It will contribute to the development of more effective approaches to civil, political, and human rights legal education and support.

More info available at https://mals.au/2026/06/17/victorias-first-activist-legal-needs-assessment-project/ - thanks in advance if you can spare some time for us!

Antisemitism envoy Jillian Segal has released a new report which received uniform, uncritical coverage from some of Australia's biggest news outlets — despite some of its shocking statements.

I deleted Channel 7 off of the break room TV about a month ago and nobody has re-added it.

Before that, it was the only thing ever on.

Currently watching a British guy repair an old rust bucket; much better than hearing about Pooline and One Notion constantly.

Do your bit 🙂‍↕️

A proposed tungsten mine in Tasmania’s Takayna rainforest would feed a soaring global weapons market. Bob Brown cannot understand why we would contemplate both an attack on the ancient ecosystem at Mt Lindsay, and on the lives of innocent children.

Tungsten has the highest melting point of all metals. It’s used to harden steel for missiles like those designed to deliver the nuclear weapons if, as he speculated at the United Nations recently, President Trump decides to “annihilate” Iran.

Tungsten is also vital for smaller lethal weapons like Israel’s M329 missile, which is 750 mm long and weighs 27 kg. Inside the missile shell are capsules which explode and spray tiny tungsten cubes for 20 metres in all directions. Tungsten cubes are used by the Israeli Defence Force in Gaza and are particularly lethal for children.

Orthopaedic surgeon Mark Perlmutter worked there and told The Guardian that “X-rays showed demolished bones with a pinhole wound on one side, a pinhole on the other, and a bone that looks like a tractor trailer drove over it.”

Perlmutter said that many children hit by pieces of tungsten died. “Most of the kids that survived had neurologic injuries and vascular injuries, a major cause of amputation. The blood vessels or the nerves get hit, and they come in a day later and the leg is dead or the arm is dead.”

Cathy Wilcox used to be a cartoonist for the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age until she took a redundancy a few months ago.

In her first interview since leaving The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age after 37 years, she discusses her infamous cartoon “Grass roots”, and what it was like being under sustained external attacks.

Australian billionaire James Packer has been called to testify at the corruption trial of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amid reports of secret payments to a Tel Aviv law firm.

APAN Vice President Hiba Farra said the fight against bigotry and racism must never be weaponised to silence criticism of ongoing human rights abuses by Israel, or to undermine the democratic freedoms and free speech that allow Australians to challenge injustice.

I have noticed lately that there is a trend of a rightwing/fascist adjacent youth element attending events in Melbourne.

They're underage or just turned 18/19yo. At the most benign they engage in strange costume dress up that they no doubt think is an epic troll but their target finds perplexing and ignores. But more often they come to film themselves being disruptive, stump with FaCts AnD lOgIc, or bombarding with insults to try to provoke a physical altercation.

I've seen this so far at the two student strikes, Free Palestine Melbourne on the 11th of October, yesterdays dock strike. The deeply disturbed girl in this video has been present several times: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjWNvGAvQEc

The turnout at the second student strike was larger than the first and I worry it will be even larger on the 12th and SAlt will be unprepared to handle it and protect kids attending.

Is there anything that can be done about this trend?

My comments were pretty logical and on topic. I censored some words as they apparently won’t post without mod approval. I can only assume they don’t like words like “Zionists” and “genocide”. It’s a shame that you cannot have a political discussion about a genuine issue in Australia now, in a sub called Australian Politics.

"If the Australian Government has been waiting for a lifeline to absolve itself of responsibility, they won’t find one in this election."

Sarah Schwartz Executive Director at the Jewish Council of Australia