Politics

It’s no secret that Australia is in the midst of a housing crisis. With every passing day we’re one step closer to Jane Austen’s Georgian England, where you can only get a house through marriage or inheritance. Negative gearing and a capital gains tax concession for property investors are increasing demand, while planning restrictions, unsustainable immigration and government mismanagement is flatlining supply. A perfect storm. The effect of this housing quagmire impacts young people the most, locking them out of the housing market.   Naturally, this issue is becoming political. Max Chandler-Mather, the housing spokesperson for the Greens and one

Students across the country are set to see the education system turned on its head in the coming future. The release of the Australian University Accords comes as a 12-month long review of the university system to create a fairer and more equitable higher education system. The Honourable Jason Clare, Minister for Education says “The Accords will help to drive this change. It will help us build a better and fairer education system where no one is held back, and no one is left behind.” And to give credit where credit is due, I agree. However, as one of Monash’s

Since the inception of stage three tax cuts in the 2018 budget, I have held large reservations. The Liberal and National Coalition government's proposal introduced a regressive and flat income tax structure and to top it off announced it without any costings. When the costings eventually surfaced, four years later, they were substantial. Recent estimates from the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) revealed that the stage three tax cut would incur a 20.7 billion dollars expense in its first year. However, upon closer examination, the distribution of these cuts proved even more concerning. A significant portion, over $11.2 billion (more than

Homelessness is far more apparent in Melbourne than in Manchester, and the way we speak about those experiencing homelessness matters. I arrived in Melbourne with my fellow exchange students in early July 2023, bidding farewell to the UK summer and experiencing the shock of cold, jet lag and disorientation.  There was a keen sense of excitement amongst us though, and with Manchester being my home city – one of the biggest cities in the UK – I felt prepared for Melbourne’s urban life. After settling into a hostel, we navigated the arduous task of house-hunting, eventually securing a lovely, little

A recent anonymous article in edition 1.24 of Lot’s Wife accuses the Socialist Alternative (SA) club at Monash of a whole array of things, ranging from the slanderous to the hilarious. It is a flagrantly right-wing critique of a serious left-wing group, dressed up in the language of social justice and trauma. For people who aren’t familiar, SA is the largest socialist group in Australia. We play a key role in organising the protests to free Palestine, rallying against the far-right, sexism, racism, and LGBTI+ oppression, freeing refugees, and every other social justice question. We are revolutionaries that think capitalism

Content Warning: Mentions of transphobia and homophobia Madi Curkovic is one the MSA Queer Officers and a member of Socialist Alternative Monash "Get those animals off those horses!" There were hundreds of pro-trans protesters, chanting, seething with rage at the sight of Victoria Police providing protection to Posie Parker's transphobic event, ‘Let Women Speak’ at Parliament House. Behind police lines stood the transphobic activist from the United Kingdom at a microphone, and a piddly number of right-wing cranks, there to listen to her speech. To us, it was unbelievable. It was a galling step by the far-right's campaign against queer

CW: Genocide, war, death NOTE: This article appeared in Edition 1 of Lot's Wife, 2024, and, unfortunately, due to some technical issues with our software, this article was printed with several errors. The 2024 Editors apologise for this profusely; the full, correct article is on this page.  Luka Kiernan is a member of Socialist Alternative Monash and Students For Palestine "There's an acronym that's unique to the Gaza Strip, it's WCNSF - wounded child, no surviving family - and it's not used infrequently.” These are the words of Dr Tanya Haj-Hassan from Doctors Without Borders. WCNSFs have been proliferating throughout

Content Warning: Mentions of transphobia and homophobia Madi Curkovic is one the MSA Queer Officers and a member of Socialist Alternative Monash "Get those animals off those horses!" There were hundreds of pro-trans protesters, chanting, seething with rage at the sight of Victoria Police providing protection to Posie Parker's transphobic event, ‘Let Women Speak’ at Parliament House. Behind police lines stood the transphobic activist from the United Kingdom at a microphone, and a piddly number of right-wing cranks, there to listen to her speech. To us, it was unbelievable. It was a galling step by the far-right's campaign against queer

About a week ago, I found myself immersed in the often overwhelming discussions around climate change, scrolling through the grim realities and political complexities that dominate the environmental discourse. However, within this sea of disheartening news, a beacon of hope emerges – Victoria's State Electricity Commission (SEC). Today, let's delve into what the SEC is up to and why it holds significance for us, the students of Monash University. In 2022, the Andrews Labor government made a bold commitment to revive the State Electricity Commission of Victoria, marking it as one of the most audacious sustainable energy initiatives globally. This

Welcome to the 2024 academic year, and more importantly to the institution, which is supposed to serve you with quality education, equivalent to the amount we pay.  Except it doesn’t. Now, more than ever, universities are shifting towards an increasingly privatised model that cares little for the standard of education it delivers.   Historically, university and access to education has long served as a barrier to divide the ruling class from those below them. Today, although there have been advancements in access, particularly for historically disenfranchised groups like women, universities remain a ground for profit making and division. Instead of setting

Disclaimer, this piece talks about the Monash Socialists and may elicit memories of traumatic experiences  Many young left-leaning students view the Socialist Alternative (or the Monash Socialists, as they call themselves) as a potential answer to global inequality and systemic class problems in capitalist societies. This view may stem from their encounters with the group and its tactics at weekly Pro-Palestine rallies held since the October 7th Attacks, or perhaps at a 'School Students for Climate Justice' strike. At first glance, this perspective is understandable. As someone who was once sympathetic to the group, I shared views similar to these.

Content Warning: References to Racism, Cost of Living, War, Genocide   NOTE: This article appeared in Edition 1 of Lot's Wife, 2024, and, unfortunately, due to some technical issues with our software, this article was printed with several errors. The 2024 Editors apologise for this profusely; the full, correct article is on this page.  David Williams is a member of the Monash Socialists  May will mark 2 years of the Albanese Labor Government being in power. Since the 2022 election, Labor has pushed the Liberal Party from power in every state except Tasmania. But what has the Australian Labor Party