Vol 33 No 24

11 December 2023

CARTOON

Freedom from want
- Glen Le Lievre
- 21 December 2023
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AUSTRALIA

Eureka Street person of the year 2023
- David Halliday, Michael McVeigh, Laura Kings, Michele Frankeni, Andrew Hamilton, Julian Butler
- 21 December 2023
10 Comments
To close the year for Eureka Street, the editorial team wanted to nominate who we considered to be the Eureka Street ‘person of the year’ based on this year's newsmakers.
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AUSTRALIA

End of year thoughts in the Endarkenment 2023
- Juliette Hughes
- 20 December 2023
It’s becoming an age of Endarkenment. Was it ever thus? So many going mad with one half of the facts? Moved by ignorance and targeted misinformation, compassion becomes corrupted into a rage for vengeance, and our streets heave with mobs who chant hate. It’s made me worried and sad. But I won’t give up on Christmas.
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ARTS AND CULTURE

Six books to read this summer
- Sarah Klenbort
- 20 December 2023
1 Comment
Summer is upon us, and with it — I hope — the reading season. So here are my top reads from the last two years (and one that feels relevant from 2014). What are your recommendations for summer reads?
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AUSTRALIA

The curious case of Benbrika and a near-cancelled citizenship
- Kerry Murphy
- 19 December 2023
3 Comments
Accusing someone of being ‘un-Australian’ is easily done, but what crimes or potential threats to the security and safety of Australians should trigger the practice of stripping someone of their citizenship?
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INTERNATIONAL

Tidings of joy in an ebb tide
- Andrew Hamilton
- 19 December 2023
4 Comments
While a time of joy and celebration for many, Christmas amplifies hardships like loneliness and poverty for others. This year, the festive season is overshadowed by global issues such as war, climate change, and ongoing conflicts, reminding us of its origins in a period of oppression and uncertainty.
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AUSTRALIA

Just around the corner
- Barry Gittins
- 18 December 2023
The next week or so can be a very selfish time, but it does not have to be. Christmas brings hope. The prospect of peace. The possibility of joy. These coming days truly are the best time to be human, to share what we have and who we want to be.
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AUSTRALIA

Die Hard and the impossibility of the 'perfect Christmas'
- Michael McVeigh
- 18 December 2023
In December, the sprint to the end of the year is a drama of timing, perfectly illustrated in Christmas classic Die Hard: In the holiday rush, like Hans Gruber, we plot with precision. Yet life often demands we improvise like John McLane, finding the most welcome gifts of the season in the unscripted moments.
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RELIGION

Beyond belief
- Ken Haley
- 15 December 2023
1 Comment
The bandage around my knee drew the practitioner’s eye, and my attempt to talk it away as a minor issue was no match for her professional perseverance. While I waited, she called in a specialist from orthopaedics, who took a good look at the affected area and warned me that unless I presented myself at outpatients very soon, ‘this could kill you’.
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ARTS AND CULTURE

The Crown: As Diana, Elizabeth Debicki is 'a thing of wonder'
- Peter Craven
- 15 December 2023
The Crown, that extraordinary TV series about the British Royal Family, is drawing to a close, with the final six episodes released in the prelude to Christmas. In the meantime, the producers have shrewdly done a quartet of episodes about Diana, with Australia's Elizabeth Debicki giving a dazzling performance as ‘the People's Princess’.
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MEDIA

Influencing the influencers of Australian media
- Jeremy Clarke
- 14 December 2023
1 Comment
Can a journalist responsibly undertake impartial reporting while receiving benefits? For an industry founded on the principle of publishing with neither fear nor favour, the acceptance of favours has possibly outweighed journalistic responsibility towards an Australian public seeking objective knowledge.
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INTERNATIONAL

Understanding antisemitism and its resurgence
- Andrew Hamilton
- 14 December 2023
15 Comments
In Western societies, antisemitism is particularly noxious. To be understood, however, it needs to be precisely defined and set in the in the broader context of antipathy on racial, religious and other grounds.
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AUSTRALIA

From public good to private gain: The failure of employment services
- John Falzon
- 14 December 2023
4 Comments
No doubt there were some who genuinely believed that privatising employment services would result in better services at a lower cost to the public purse. But the engineers of the socially destructive projects of the neoliberal era knew very well that they were more likely to result in the enrichment of some to the detriment of many.
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EDUCATION

The great divide: ATAR results offer a snapshot of inequality in Australian education
- Erica Cervini
- 13 December 2023
3 Comments
As Australian students receive their year-end academic results, a stark educational divide comes into focus, with high-fee-paying private and selective government schools leading the ranks. This trend highlights significant socio-economic disparities across the country, raising urgent questions about the accessibility and true cost of academic excellence in a nation grappling with inequality.
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INTERNATIONAL

The twilight of Western dominance in a world split in two
- David James
- 13 December 2023
1 Comment
As the world thawed post-Cold War, a debate raged over global supremacy, with Western powers predicting a unipolar world dominated by liberal democracy. Contrarily, others envisioned a future shaped by cultural and religious divides. In a shifting geopolitical landscape, the echoes of this debate continue to challenge long-held assumptions on global power dynamics.
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ARTS AND CULTURE

Looking for the language of hope
- Warwick McFadyen
- 12 December 2023
In the gathering days to year’s end, a phrase will rise – as it does every year: Peace on Earth, goodwill to all. The phrase carries a warmth of common humanity. Unfortunately, common humanity has shown itself through history to be rather tribal than universal.
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RELIGION

Unearthing hidden gems of reform following the synod
- Bill Uren
- 12 December 2023
2 Comments
The Synod on Synodality raised possible Church reforms like expanding communion to non-Catholics in interchurch marriages and reevaluating the stance on divorced and remarried members. This raises the question: Can the Church reconcile longstanding traditions with emerging calls for inclusivity and ecumenical openness?
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AUSTRALIA

The card is in the mail
- Michele Frankeni
- 11 December 2023
1 Comment
Despite all the reasons not to send Christmas cards, this year I decided to revive my card-sending custom. What appeals most about card sending is it has the attraction of being almost rebellious; a small gesture of maintaining personal connections in a world that can sometimes appear downright hostile to human interaction.
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Vol 33 No 24