Sandwich Gate: Julia Gillard Better Take Cover

My latest Global Voices Online post is Australia's Sandwich Gate: PM Julia Gillard Better Take Cover

The mainstream media have been accused of trivialising political coverage in Australia over an incident involving Prime Minister Julia Gillard and a sandwich on 8 May 2013. Apparently, it even went viral overseas both in the press and online. 

...The whole incident seemed preordained as the Prime Minister was visiting a school fundraiser for breast cancer charity Australia's Biggest Morning Tea. Lyrics from Down Under by the iconic Men At Work area are apt: 

He just smiled and gave me a vegemite sandwich 

And he said,
“I come from a land down under
Where beer does flow and men chunder
Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?
You better run, you better take cover.” 

...Now if you think that #sandwichgate is inconsequential, the #skywhale narrative is the latest Oz happening to trend internationally. It is something else that might cause politicians to take cover.

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Spencer and Gillen's Extraordinary Online Legacy

Spencer and Gillen A Journey through Aboriginal Australia is a new website launched at Museum Victoria on 5 May 2013.

It is the result of a collaboration that has involved a large number of institutions around the globe.

'This website showcases notebooks, films, audio recordings, illustrations and photographs collected during Spencer and Gillen’s studies in anthropology between 1875 and 1912.'

This impressive collection currently contains 5314 objects including 1858 of their photographs, 26 audio recording, 16 moving images and 1199 documents. Documents such as journal and diary entries and letters include the original plus a transcript. All objects can be magnified for easy inspection.


The work of Baldwin Spencer and Frank Gillen, and their extraordinary legacy, are a vital part of Australia's heritage that all of us should learn more about.

Australia: National Disability Insurance Scheme Funding At Last

Australia: National Disability Insurance Scheme Funding At Last (Global Voices Online):

(NDIS campaigning logo – Courtesy: Every Australian Counts)

On the trending twitter hashtag #NDIS, there have been lots of people prepared to pay the levy whether it’s really a tax or not. Weezmgk is amongst them:

‏@weezmgk: Show me a person who begrudges the 0.5% #NDIS levy & I'll show you a person who failed ‘sharing’ in kindy & never has learned the lesson.

RubyRainbow is not happy with the media meme that it has been all about political advantage:

‏@ColouredView: Most journalists simply cannot comprehend, let alone report, that the Govts support for an #NDIS may be because it's the right thing to do?

The OzPolitic forum has been busy discussing its merits. Its New NDIS Levy thread soon became a popular one. John Smith led off:

I personally don't mind paying a little extra for this type of service, especially if it can help a lot of my opponents on this forum, who will most likely complain about it.

The funding of a National Disability Insurance Scheme has been a political football in Australia. Legislation for the NDIS passed with unanimous support in March 2013. Both sides of politics had argued that it should be funded from general revenue. However, the opposition questioned whether the national budget could afford new spending.

On 1 May 2013, Prime Minister Julia Gillard opted for an increase in the Medicare levy instead. She threatened to make it a
key issue in the Federal election in September unless Opposition leader Tony Abbott agreed to pass legislation for the levy beforehand. He has relented and given it conditional support.

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Black Humour from Inside Syria

Syria Inside is looking for support for its movie of the same name. Donations or other help greatly appreciated.

Not sure about it - check out their website and watch the video below:

'Syria Inside is a black comedy movie - assembling the most tragic stories and the most funny creative productions from Syrian activists and artists.
Presented in a new technology "Syrian 3D" and with the typical unique Syrian black humour.
You will get an insight to what humans are able to do - both good and bad - that let you see yourself in a different light.

The producers Tamer AlAwam (Syria) and Jan Heilig (Germany) decided 2011 to collaborate in a production full of unbelievable hilarious situations.
In August 2012 Tamer was shot in Alleppo /Syria in the middle of the production. The Syrian webshow-producers WithYouSyria and the German producer decided to finish the project.'

You can donate here.