How can anyone who has previously publicly declared their support for a republic on multiple occasions, agree to a position that represents the Monarch in Australia?
I’m so tired of the ‘not all men’ line. That it happens every week in this country makes all women wonder if she could be next. I saw on social media someone saying ‘if I handed you a packet of Maltesers and told you one of them was actually a ball of shit covered in chocolate, you’d be wary of the whole packet, right?’
@abetterway if the question of recognition was a separate question, I have no doubt it would be overwhelmingly passed. But it’s been tied irrevocably to the Voice. And that’s the sticking point for many. The Constitution when defining democracy and access to decision makers should be blind to gender, sexuality, ancestry, and religion. The Voice will permanently create two tiers of access to decision makers, based simply on race. And that’s not right.
While pretty much every Australian wants our Indigenous people to enjoy the same standards of living and life expectancy as the rest of us, the current proposal is uncertain to achieve this. We are being asked to change our Constitution, to permanently give FN people a different level of access to Parliament and the Executive, purely on the basis of their race, rather than circumstance. If we wouldn’t give European-descended citizens special access to Government simply because they are European, why would we do that for anyone else on purely on the basis of their ancestry? We don’t know how Voice representatives will be chosen, how much taxpayer funds it will require to operate, what accountability those representatives will have or the mechanism for individuals to be chosen
This bluntly (harshly, even?) lays bare the toll that years of not sharing the domestic load takes on a woman. The nagging, the begging, pleading, crying, negotiating, rostering attempts to have a more equitable split of what I call the ‘basic and boring’. Those decidedly unsexy routine chores and tasks that are essential for managing a household and children. It sounds like this woman tried everything in her power to get her husband to share the load and nothing worked. And every unstacked dishwasher, every pile of laundry stepped over, every Christmas present selected, purchased, wrapped and tagged, every trip to buy school supplies and shoes, without help, was another chip away at the foundation of respect and love a marriage is supposed to rely on. Every vaccination appointment, every Book Week costume, every toilet scrubbing done without recognition or contribution, simply adds to the resentment. And claims of ‘being the breadwinner’ when both work, or mowing a lawn every three weeks as their domestic contribution, is just a slap in the face.
I iron, always have and always will. Cotton shirts, tees, jeans, skirts, linen dresses, etc all look better when they are pressed, plus it gives you the chance to check for fraying hems or loose buttons. For most people, their wardrobe is their third most expensive asset group, after their house and their car, so it makes sense to look after your investment. Plus, I think it's a sign of self-respect to be well-groomed. It tells the world you value yourself enough to look like you look after yourself, it tells your employer or your friends that you regard your time with them to be important enough to make an effort. It's interesting that women will spend a minimum of half an hour a day doing their hair and makeup, but they cannot spend half an hour a week ironing their clothes? I have relatives who simply do not iron anything - and they always look like they got dressed in a hurry or just rolled out of bed, like they didn't care. I may be old-fashioned but at least I look like I care for myself!
Did none of these influencers stop to think about Shein's intent in this trip? That they would be given a tour of just one factory (ignoring the 5,999 other factories) that was deliberately set up to create a sense of a responsible, ethical supply chain? Did they think Shein would deliberately show them a real factory ?
When I went on HRT a couple of years ago, I was advised then by my doctor that the patches were in short supply - instead, she prescribed me a combination of a gel and a tablet (apply the gel on my upper arms each morning, take the tablet at night). The medication is working well, but I am really annoyed that I have to pay $50 a month just to feel like a functioning human being. I am fully aware that I am in a much better position than so many others in terms of medication requirements and costs, but to be told my HRT is not on the PBS - when Viagra is - made me so mad!
The statement that unpaid care work is 'unsafe' is misleading and overly emotive. Every individual is responsible for their own financial security, whether solo or as a couple. Any parent choosing to stay home and focus solely on the raising and caring of children, has to be aware of all the consequences of that decision, including the financial impacts.
I don't have an issue with an English language test. Being able to speak the language ensures that employment opportunities are maximised, you can navigate all the bureaucracy around opening a bank account, applying for a lease, seeking medical help as well as settling into an area where you can start to make friends and build up a support network. Skilled migrant visas have to have high conditions - they are designed to allow migrants who we know will assimilate and make a positive contribution to Australia. Family reunion visas, spousal visas and other classes of visa don't have as strict requirements - but these all depend on there being a person who can support them in their settling into Australia without relying on the taxpayer to do so.
The inference that the British press attacked Meghan on the basis of her race is false. The headlines came about due to reports about her behaviour, not her skin colour. And for someone who constantly talks about the need to prioritise mental health, Meghan's utter obsession with what strangers say about her doesn't ring true. Any mental health professional will tell you that placing weight on what strangers, as opposed to loved ones, think of you, is a recipe for disaster.
I'm so tired of this overuse of the word privilege. It's being used as a substitute for guilt. As in fertility guilt, white person guilt, middle class guilt etc etc. It's no one's fault if they are fertile, it's no one's fault for the colour of their own skin or the land of their birth, or the socio-economic status of their family.
How can anyone support a change to our Constitution that gives one group of people extra access to our government and decision-makers, simply by virtue of their race? The law and our democratic system should be blind to gender, religion, sexuality, income and race with all people regarded as equal. The Voice will not unite Australia, nor will it magically allow our Indigenous people to improve their individual circumstances overnight.