This is fine: An existential guide to Australian politics
Wake up, Albie! The ball is coming! Tuberculosis intervened, sadly, the goalie trading gloves for philosophy, plus those olive-green novels – The Stranger, The Fall – that ask the big questions. Each title has been a staple of high school and Existentialism 101.
Not that Camus used the term. Indeed he rejected the e-word, preferring instead to forge fables around the incomprehensibility of existence. As that's the central plank, that irksome query about why we're here, and what we should do about it. 'Man is the only creature who refuses to be what he is,' as Camus said. Which makes you wonder what we're meant to be.
Precisely the conundrum heard in Canberra this month. Is it any wonder? How can a power bloc of two parties implode into a rabble, losing seats like musical chairs, going from Coalition to Noalition? Cartoonist Cathy Wilcox depicted a bisected couch, one parent per half, both insisting 'Mummy and Daddy still love you very much'. Question being, are Mama Ley and Papa Littleproud going through a break-up, or merely a break? Either way, whether this new reunion lasts, the existentialism burns deep, fanned by those pesky Camus questions.
'I can't go on, I'll go on,' as Samuel Beckett said, a handy left-hand opener for Trinity College, and another writer besotted by existentialism. Macquarie Dictionary defines the ideology as 'a group of doctrines – some theistic, some atheistic – deriving from Kierkegaard, which stress the importance of existence, and of the freedom and responsibility of the finite mind.'
Existential first emerged about 1693 as an adjective for existence. A century on, Soren Kierkegaard co-opted the ism to refute the divine logic that Georg Hegel fancied, where the rational is actual, and vice versa. Lort, thought Soren: Danish for bullshit. In his milestone work Either/Or, the philosopher writes, 'There are two possible situations – one can either do this or do that. My honest opinion, and my friendly advice is this: do it, or do not do it. You will regret both.'
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Remind you of anyone – federally, I mean? Hence the e-word's rise. Existential now applies to politics, the arts, deconstruction cuisine, eco-anxiety, and anywhere you look. Last year Flinders University revealed how doomscrolling – surfing online between Gaza and La Nina – breeds existentialism. Reza Shebahang, the study's lead, claimed the custom has 'dire consequences on our mental health, leaving us feeling stress, anxiety, despair and questioning the meaning of life'.
Smart machines and AI inroads only deepen the abyss. Pushed to existential extremes, we feel like adjuncts to this thing called life. Avatars. Daydreamers in the goalmouth. Or characters living life forwards so that we might understand what we're doing in hindsight, to paraphrase Kierkegaard. If it's any comfort to party leaders, doomscrollers and general AI alarmists, remember that 'the key to being happy isn't a search for meaning. It's to just keep yourself busy with unimportant nonsense, and eventually, you'll be dead'. Camus? Beckett? Try Mr Peanutbutter, the easygoing labrador from BoJack Horseman.
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The Advertiser
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'People are trying to attack me': Barnaby Joyce's mission to blow up net zero
Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce insists that he's not railing against the science of climate change. As the former deputy prime minister prepares to table a private member's bill to abolish Australia's net zero by 2050 emissions reduction target, the backbencher says he is squarely focused on advocating for the powerless. In his regional NSW electorate of New England, Mr Joyce tells this masthead, people are suffering with the soaring cost of living, chiefly high electricity prices. "We represent the poorest people, power bills they cannot afford," he said. "Cost of living is beyond them ... Small businesses are saying 'I can no longer afford to run like this, it's just not viable'." Australia's net zero target was no more than "a virtue signal", he said, arguing it would not make a difference in the global scheme of things. "I'm not here to say I deny climate change. It's not about that. It's about what you're doing now is not working," he said. "I want the honest cheapest form of power - and if that's coal, okay, it's coal .. if that is nuclear, it's nuclear," he said, acknowledging a role for renewables, which he calls "intermittent power". Mr Joyce's lastest move, which included giving a joint interview to The Australian with former Nationals leader Michael McCormack - sparking renewed speculation of a leadership challenge - has created a headache for Opposition Leader Sussan Ley as she seeks to reunite a fractured Coalition. She told the ABC when asked about the coverage: "Nobody's getting under my skin." Mr Joyce rejected any suggestion his bill was intended to lay the groundwork for a leadership challenge to Nationals Leader David Littleproud. "People are trying to attack me on this net zero, so they throw in red herrings," he told this masthead. "It's about him going for leadership. No, it's not." Ms Ley on Wednesday declined to recommit to net zero, saying only that the Coalition's review of policies it took to the election was probing the commitment through an energy working group led by opposition spokesman Dan Tehan. READ MORE: Nationals net-zero pushback intensifies, Littleproud open to dropping policy "Every single person in our party rooms can feed into that," she told Channel 9's Today. "Our policy will be underpinned by two goals, playing our part internationally in reducing emissions transparently and producing a reliable stable energy grid, so we've got affordable energy for households and businesses." Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie, the party's leader in the Senate, told reporters in Canberra on Wednesday it was "important to recognise the difference between recognising climate change is real [and] how we deal with that challenge." "We have a problem with how the Labor Party is addressing this question," Senator McKenzie said. "We actually care about the jobs [and] our communities, the businesses and the humans ... impacted by this government's policies." Nationals senator Matt Canavan said: "We need to tell Australian people that if we want to keep these jobs, we want to keep these industries, we actually have to return to a planet called reality and stop and stop telling ourselves fairy tales that we can keep these jobs while still pursuing these fantastical objectives." Mr Tehan told Sky on Wednesday: "We can reconcile this, and we can work through it like we always do." He said Australia needed "energy abundance" and noted state governments were "looking to extend the life of coal-fired power stations." Climate and Energy Minister Chris Bowen said both parties had gone to the election with a commitment to net zero and that "now the Coalition, held hostage by Barnaby Joyce and Michael McCormack, has walked away from that commitment." "Even Peter Dutton backed net zero," Mr Bowen said. Climate Council chief executive Amanda McKenzie described Mr Joyce's push to repeal net zero as " disgraceful, delusional, and totally out of step with the Parliament and the country." "It's a stunt and it'll be swiftly squashed in Federal Parliament." Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce insists that he's not railing against the science of climate change. As the former deputy prime minister prepares to table a private member's bill to abolish Australia's net zero by 2050 emissions reduction target, the backbencher says he is squarely focused on advocating for the powerless. In his regional NSW electorate of New England, Mr Joyce tells this masthead, people are suffering with the soaring cost of living, chiefly high electricity prices. "We represent the poorest people, power bills they cannot afford," he said. "Cost of living is beyond them ... Small businesses are saying 'I can no longer afford to run like this, it's just not viable'." Australia's net zero target was no more than "a virtue signal", he said, arguing it would not make a difference in the global scheme of things. "I'm not here to say I deny climate change. It's not about that. It's about what you're doing now is not working," he said. "I want the honest cheapest form of power - and if that's coal, okay, it's coal .. if that is nuclear, it's nuclear," he said, acknowledging a role for renewables, which he calls "intermittent power". Mr Joyce's lastest move, which included giving a joint interview to The Australian with former Nationals leader Michael McCormack - sparking renewed speculation of a leadership challenge - has created a headache for Opposition Leader Sussan Ley as she seeks to reunite a fractured Coalition. She told the ABC when asked about the coverage: "Nobody's getting under my skin." Mr Joyce rejected any suggestion his bill was intended to lay the groundwork for a leadership challenge to Nationals Leader David Littleproud. "People are trying to attack me on this net zero, so they throw in red herrings," he told this masthead. "It's about him going for leadership. No, it's not." Ms Ley on Wednesday declined to recommit to net zero, saying only that the Coalition's review of policies it took to the election was probing the commitment through an energy working group led by opposition spokesman Dan Tehan. READ MORE: Nationals net-zero pushback intensifies, Littleproud open to dropping policy "Every single person in our party rooms can feed into that," she told Channel 9's Today. "Our policy will be underpinned by two goals, playing our part internationally in reducing emissions transparently and producing a reliable stable energy grid, so we've got affordable energy for households and businesses." Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie, the party's leader in the Senate, told reporters in Canberra on Wednesday it was "important to recognise the difference between recognising climate change is real [and] how we deal with that challenge." "We have a problem with how the Labor Party is addressing this question," Senator McKenzie said. "We actually care about the jobs [and] our communities, the businesses and the humans ... impacted by this government's policies." Nationals senator Matt Canavan said: "We need to tell Australian people that if we want to keep these jobs, we want to keep these industries, we actually have to return to a planet called reality and stop and stop telling ourselves fairy tales that we can keep these jobs while still pursuing these fantastical objectives." Mr Tehan told Sky on Wednesday: "We can reconcile this, and we can work through it like we always do." He said Australia needed "energy abundance" and noted state governments were "looking to extend the life of coal-fired power stations." Climate and Energy Minister Chris Bowen said both parties had gone to the election with a commitment to net zero and that "now the Coalition, held hostage by Barnaby Joyce and Michael McCormack, has walked away from that commitment." "Even Peter Dutton backed net zero," Mr Bowen said. Climate Council chief executive Amanda McKenzie described Mr Joyce's push to repeal net zero as " disgraceful, delusional, and totally out of step with the Parliament and the country." "It's a stunt and it'll be swiftly squashed in Federal Parliament." Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce insists that he's not railing against the science of climate change. As the former deputy prime minister prepares to table a private member's bill to abolish Australia's net zero by 2050 emissions reduction target, the backbencher says he is squarely focused on advocating for the powerless. In his regional NSW electorate of New England, Mr Joyce tells this masthead, people are suffering with the soaring cost of living, chiefly high electricity prices. "We represent the poorest people, power bills they cannot afford," he said. "Cost of living is beyond them ... Small businesses are saying 'I can no longer afford to run like this, it's just not viable'." Australia's net zero target was no more than "a virtue signal", he said, arguing it would not make a difference in the global scheme of things. "I'm not here to say I deny climate change. It's not about that. It's about what you're doing now is not working," he said. "I want the honest cheapest form of power - and if that's coal, okay, it's coal .. if that is nuclear, it's nuclear," he said, acknowledging a role for renewables, which he calls "intermittent power". Mr Joyce's lastest move, which included giving a joint interview to The Australian with former Nationals leader Michael McCormack - sparking renewed speculation of a leadership challenge - has created a headache for Opposition Leader Sussan Ley as she seeks to reunite a fractured Coalition. She told the ABC when asked about the coverage: "Nobody's getting under my skin." Mr Joyce rejected any suggestion his bill was intended to lay the groundwork for a leadership challenge to Nationals Leader David Littleproud. "People are trying to attack me on this net zero, so they throw in red herrings," he told this masthead. "It's about him going for leadership. No, it's not." Ms Ley on Wednesday declined to recommit to net zero, saying only that the Coalition's review of policies it took to the election was probing the commitment through an energy working group led by opposition spokesman Dan Tehan. READ MORE: Nationals net-zero pushback intensifies, Littleproud open to dropping policy "Every single person in our party rooms can feed into that," she told Channel 9's Today. "Our policy will be underpinned by two goals, playing our part internationally in reducing emissions transparently and producing a reliable stable energy grid, so we've got affordable energy for households and businesses." Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie, the party's leader in the Senate, told reporters in Canberra on Wednesday it was "important to recognise the difference between recognising climate change is real [and] how we deal with that challenge." "We have a problem with how the Labor Party is addressing this question," Senator McKenzie said. "We actually care about the jobs [and] our communities, the businesses and the humans ... impacted by this government's policies." Nationals senator Matt Canavan said: "We need to tell Australian people that if we want to keep these jobs, we want to keep these industries, we actually have to return to a planet called reality and stop and stop telling ourselves fairy tales that we can keep these jobs while still pursuing these fantastical objectives." Mr Tehan told Sky on Wednesday: "We can reconcile this, and we can work through it like we always do." He said Australia needed "energy abundance" and noted state governments were "looking to extend the life of coal-fired power stations." Climate and Energy Minister Chris Bowen said both parties had gone to the election with a commitment to net zero and that "now the Coalition, held hostage by Barnaby Joyce and Michael McCormack, has walked away from that commitment." "Even Peter Dutton backed net zero," Mr Bowen said. Climate Council chief executive Amanda McKenzie described Mr Joyce's push to repeal net zero as " disgraceful, delusional, and totally out of step with the Parliament and the country." "It's a stunt and it'll be swiftly squashed in Federal Parliament." Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce insists that he's not railing against the science of climate change. As the former deputy prime minister prepares to table a private member's bill to abolish Australia's net zero by 2050 emissions reduction target, the backbencher says he is squarely focused on advocating for the powerless. In his regional NSW electorate of New England, Mr Joyce tells this masthead, people are suffering with the soaring cost of living, chiefly high electricity prices. "We represent the poorest people, power bills they cannot afford," he said. "Cost of living is beyond them ... Small businesses are saying 'I can no longer afford to run like this, it's just not viable'." Australia's net zero target was no more than "a virtue signal", he said, arguing it would not make a difference in the global scheme of things. "I'm not here to say I deny climate change. It's not about that. It's about what you're doing now is not working," he said. "I want the honest cheapest form of power - and if that's coal, okay, it's coal .. if that is nuclear, it's nuclear," he said, acknowledging a role for renewables, which he calls "intermittent power". Mr Joyce's lastest move, which included giving a joint interview to The Australian with former Nationals leader Michael McCormack - sparking renewed speculation of a leadership challenge - has created a headache for Opposition Leader Sussan Ley as she seeks to reunite a fractured Coalition. She told the ABC when asked about the coverage: "Nobody's getting under my skin." Mr Joyce rejected any suggestion his bill was intended to lay the groundwork for a leadership challenge to Nationals Leader David Littleproud. "People are trying to attack me on this net zero, so they throw in red herrings," he told this masthead. "It's about him going for leadership. No, it's not." Ms Ley on Wednesday declined to recommit to net zero, saying only that the Coalition's review of policies it took to the election was probing the commitment through an energy working group led by opposition spokesman Dan Tehan. READ MORE: Nationals net-zero pushback intensifies, Littleproud open to dropping policy "Every single person in our party rooms can feed into that," she told Channel 9's Today. "Our policy will be underpinned by two goals, playing our part internationally in reducing emissions transparently and producing a reliable stable energy grid, so we've got affordable energy for households and businesses." Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie, the party's leader in the Senate, told reporters in Canberra on Wednesday it was "important to recognise the difference between recognising climate change is real [and] how we deal with that challenge." "We have a problem with how the Labor Party is addressing this question," Senator McKenzie said. "We actually care about the jobs [and] our communities, the businesses and the humans ... impacted by this government's policies." Nationals senator Matt Canavan said: "We need to tell Australian people that if we want to keep these jobs, we want to keep these industries, we actually have to return to a planet called reality and stop and stop telling ourselves fairy tales that we can keep these jobs while still pursuing these fantastical objectives." Mr Tehan told Sky on Wednesday: "We can reconcile this, and we can work through it like we always do." He said Australia needed "energy abundance" and noted state governments were "looking to extend the life of coal-fired power stations." Climate and Energy Minister Chris Bowen said both parties had gone to the election with a commitment to net zero and that "now the Coalition, held hostage by Barnaby Joyce and Michael McCormack, has walked away from that commitment." "Even Peter Dutton backed net zero," Mr Bowen said. Climate Council chief executive Amanda McKenzie described Mr Joyce's push to repeal net zero as " disgraceful, delusional, and totally out of step with the Parliament and the country." "It's a stunt and it'll be swiftly squashed in Federal Parliament."
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
New Victorian childcare worker registration scheme to begin next month but won't include fill-in workers
Fill-in childcare workers won't be included in the first stage of Victoria's new childcare worker registration scheme when it begins next month, triggering fears workers with red flags will be able to continue to move freely throughout the sector. The new scheme comes as the state opposition calls for psychometric testing to be used to screen all new childcare staff, as part of its major policy pitch to fix the beleaguered, but essential, sector. "We need to make sure that the people who are going to work with our most vulnerable are the right people to be doing so,'' Shadow Minister Jess Wilson said. She said currently, certification for childcare work can occur within a couple of months, and there has been concern about people joining the workforce for the wrong reasons. "We want a pilot model that makes sure we're getting people who really want to be working in this system and have the right psychometric testing to fit that." Among the Coalition plans are a major overhaul of the Working with Children Check (WWCC) to include online training about child sex abuse, lowering the threshold to revoke a WWCC, and slashing the validity of a check from five years to three. WWCC would also be incorporated into the police database system LEAP to help the force raise red flags. In the wake of the disturbing allegations against childcare worker Joshua Dale Brown, the Allan government promised to establish a state-based childcare worker register, acknowledging the current system is failing. Premier Jacinta Allan said the scheme would be set up by August. This week, childcare centres with government-funded kindergarten programs were told they would need to provide details of all staff by August 29, to comply with the new Early Childhood Workforce Register. But it does not capture all early childhood services, with kindergarten services not receiving state funding, and outside school hours care, family day care, and occasional care, not captured in the first round. Agency staff will also not be included initially — the government expects to add this group in October. It says the first round will capture information on more than 90 per cent of employees in long day care and kinder settings. "Information about agency staff will also be collected quarterly as part of the next stage of implementation,'' an email to childcare centres says. The register, which will be updated each quarter, requires services to record information about all employees at the service who have regular contact with children, regardless of how old the children might be. The register will collect information on role, gender, Working with Children Check status, commencement of employment and cessation of employment, and the reason for leaving the service. "Further work is underway on the approach to other regulated ECEC (early childhood education and care) services, including LDC (long day care) and kindergarten services not receiving funding, outside school hours care, family day care, as well as occasional care," the email said. A Victorian government spokesperson said this register was being created with "established systems" to take "immediate steps". "This will be established by late August. Other long-term solutions will be able to link into a national registration system, once it's established," the spokesperson said. "Victorian families must be able to trust that their children are safe in child care and we are doing everything in our power to make sure they can." Ms Wilson said the Coalition backed the establishment of a register and said it should be done by expanding the remit of the Victorian Institute of Teaching, which registers schoolteachers. "This is a model that works. It's a model that works right across the system,'' Ms Wilson said. She also said agency staff should be the first on the register. "We should be looking at where the highest risk is, and that is in centres that use agency staff, where we see the workforce moving around regularly, we need to make sure we're starting with the highest risk so that we are looking for any red flags, and are getting on top of this situation quickly." The Coalition will on Thursday release a "six-point plan" to improve the sector, including setting up an independent statutory authority that reports to parliament to oversee quality, safety, compliance and complaints in the sector. The role currently sits within the Department of Education in the Quality Assessment and Regulation Division (QARD). The plan will also grant parents a greater "right to know" about incidents occurring at centres, as well as staffing performance and standards at their child care, with Ms Wilson promising an independent star rating system for all centres. The Coalition will also move to improve training and standards and will overhaul WWCC. Much of the Working with Children Check proposals from the Coalition build on recommendations made by the ombudsman in 2022 — actions the state is still to implement. "It is absolutely a failing of this government, and we want to fix it right away,'' Ms Wilson said. Child care presents a major political opportunity for the Coalition to improve its standing with female voters and people under 40 — cohorts the Liberal Party has struggled to connect with. Gabrielle Meagher said a register could be a meaningful tool but suggested that it would need to provide real-time reporting of staff changes. She also said a national approach was needed. "Why don't the ministers around the country come together and put together a national scheme? To work, it really has to be national because people have evaded detection by working in different states,'' Professor Meagher said. But she said improvements to child care required more than just a registration scheme. Governments need to do more to address workforce shortages, poor pay, low quality training, poor management and supervision in centres, and weak oversight by regulators. The Victorian Greens spokesperson for Early Childhood, Anasina Gray-Barberio, said the register was welcomed but left "gaping holes" because thousands of centres would not be covered. "Until the register is expanded, people with red flags will still be able to move freely between untracked centres, undermining the whole point of the register."
The Age
6 hours ago
- The Age
AUKUS agreement: Trump official questions Australia's commitment amid Pentagon review
'That's still a jump ball as far as I'm concerned. Because the Australians have been noticeably fickle. We need to understand, Australia has a population of around 30 million people. It's a remarkably small tax base, and they are making a significant tax investment in this over the next 10 years.' A jump ball in basketball is similar to a ball-up in Australian Rules Football, where either team has a chance of gaining control of the play. Both Labor and the Coalition have expressed consistent commitment to AUKUS. Hendrix has also argued AUKUS does not provide enough capacity for Australian shipyards to repair American and British submarines, as well as Australian ones, and the US should 'more heavily leverage' the agreement. He has said of Australia and the Philippines: 'We're going to need them and their assistance and their basing rights and infrastructure, and I don't think they're ready to host Americans in the way that we're going to need to be hosted to do a counter-campaign to the Chinese invasion.' Hendrix appears to have deleted a number of posts on X about Australia and AUKUS. In one that is still online, from April 2024, he said there were two key questions – 'whether the Australian government will sustain their commitment across the coming years and change of governments', and 'whether the US will actually be willing to give up Virginia-class boats'. Loading Last week, Hendrix welcomed a news story that reported the Pentagon was asking Australia and Japan to make clear commitments about what they would do in a conflict between the US and China over Taiwan. 'Given these nations [are] critical [to] the task of logistically supporting US forces should we come to the aid of Taiwan, this inquiry is legitimate,' he said. 'I would be shocked to find that the previous administration hadn't asked the partners.' Reached by text, Hendrix declined to comment and referred questions to the White House. Spokeswoman Anna Kelly supplied a statement that said US shipbuilding had been neglected for decades and would be boosted by a $US43 billion ($66 billion) investment in the president's One Big Beautiful Bill. 'No president has done more to bolster American maritime power, and his White House Office of Shipbuilding will operate under the Office of Management and Budget,' she said. In their letter to Hegseth, Republican committee chair John Moolenaar and Democratic representative Raja Krishnamoorthi said AUKUS had bipartisan support in Congress for a reason, and that it would strengthen US security as well as that of Australia and the United Kingdom. They noted Beijing's 'unprecedented' live-fire exercises in the Tasman Sea in February. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth watches a display of drone technology at the Pentagon on Wednesday. Credit: AP 'This attempt to project power as far south as New Zealand's front door highlights the importance of AUKUS in cementing ties to longstanding allies like Australia, as well as advancing vital undersea capabilities that will be central to deterrence,' they wrote. 'We are stronger together under the AUKUS framework.' The committee will hold a hearing on Wednesday in Washington on strategies to counter economic coercion by the Chinese Communist Party against democracies. Former Australian prime minister Scott Morrison, who brokered the AUKUS deal, is scheduled to appear, as is former US senator and ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel. Undersecretary of defence for policy Elbridge Colby, who is heading the Pentagon's AUKUS review, has posted actively on social media over the past fortnight, doubling down on his calls for American allies to 'step up'. Loading 'No one at the Pentagon is asking for a blank cheque from our allies. Rather, the United States and our allies all benefit from a reasonable expectation of what contributions we can anticipate each other to make,' he said on Monday, US time. 'That is why we are working closely with our allies to align expectations, an approach akin to what we have with NATO and South Korea. This will make our alliances sturdier and more equitable. That's just common sense.' Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what's making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter.
