Phil How

You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life.
Albert Camus

[Phil How @how_phil]

The Valley Hub - This is Gumbaynggirr Country https://t.co/AqO7cU43es via @YouTube

[blakandblack @blakandblack]

The NSW Supreme Court has already delivered its verdict on the legal foundation underpinning the events of 9 February at Town Hall. Chief Justice Andrew Bell and two other justices found that the Public Assembly Restrictions and Dispersal law — the legislative instrument that gave police their authority that night — impermissibly infringed upon the constitutionally implied freedom of political communication. The PARD regime was, in plain terms, unconstitutional. It should never have been used.

That finding is not a technicality. It goes to the heart of the prosecutions now being pursued against protesters who committed no offence that a constitutional law would have recognised. Had PARD not existed, there would have been no unlawful dispersal order, no kettling, no pepper spray, no beatings — and no charges. The entire chain of events that night flows from a law the Supreme Court has since struck from the ledger.

There is a word for prosecuting people under the authority of powers a court has found to be constitutionally invalid: injustice. And there is a particular kind of institutional contempt involved in continuing those prosecutions after the legal foundation has collapsed beneath them. It sends a message that the state will pursue you regardless — that the charges were never really about the law to begin with.

The Civil Liberties Defence Centre is right. These charges are legally untenable. They are also morally indefensible. The people kettled and pepper-sprayed at Town Hall were exercising one of the oldest and most fundamental rights in democratic life — the right to gather, to speak, and to be heard by those in power. The fact that a desperate government rushed through constitutionally dubious emergency legislation in the aftermath of the Bondi Beach massacre does not transform that right into a crime.

The Attorney-General should act. Drop the charges. Anything less compounds the original harm and treats the Supreme Court’s constitutional finding as an inconvenience rather than the definitive judgment it is.

[Ronni🧂Salt-WhoWroteGunnawahYeahThatOne @RonniSalt]

My good mate @aaronsmith wrote this stunning piece about his week as a temp political staffer in Canberra. 👇🏽

Australians become inured to reading about Canberra and federal politics through the mainstream lens, but Aaron walks us through it warts and all.

Apart from his illuminating insights, I think it's one of the most beautiful pieces of political writing, in fact, beautiful pieces of writing, that I have ever read - seriously.

Aaron crafts a tale of a tumultuous week in Australian politics, a tale of Parliament House and its operatives and inhabitants, like only a master storyteller can.

Congratulations Aaron, this piece will go into my very special book of writing that I will read again and again. I hope everybody does. We need to savour and cherish voices like yours, not just now, but forever.

https://t.co/7qUsGBvpG7

[Mr PitBull Stories @MrPitbull07]

In September 2007, a bird weighing barely more than a pound lifted off from Alaska and flew across the Pacific Ocean without stopping once.

No landing.
No food.
No water.
No sleep on the ocean.

Seven days and nine nights later, she arrived in New Zealand.

Her name was E7.

She was a bar-tailed godwit — a shorebird small enough to fit comfortably in your hands.

Scientists had long suspected these birds made one of the greatest migrations on Earth, but nobody had ever tracked an individual bird across the entire journey in real time.

E7 became the proof.

Researchers fitted her with a tiny satellite transmitter before migration season began.

Then they watched in astonishment as the signals kept moving south.

And south.

And south.

More than 7,000 miles across open ocean with no break.

What makes the journey even more unbelievable is how a godwit prepares for it.

In the weeks before departure, the bird transforms itself into a living fuel tank.

E7 spent late summer eating constantly, nearly doubling her body weight in fat reserves.

Then something extraordinary happened inside her body:

Her digestive organs began shrinking.

Her stomach and intestines partially atrophied because they wouldn’t be needed during the flight.

At the same time, her heart and flight muscles grew larger and stronger to handle the nonstop effort ahead.

By the time she launched into the sky, her body had essentially rebuilt itself for one purpose:

Survival in the air.

Once E7 left Alaska, there was no room for mistakes.

A bar-tailed godwit cannot rest on the ocean like a seabird.

If she landed in the Pacific, she would drown.

So she kept flying.

Hour after hour.
Day after day.

She navigated using the sun, stars, Earth’s magnetic field, and atmospheric patterns scientists still don’t fully understand.

She rode favorable winds southward while slowly burning through the fuel stored inside her body.

And when the fat reserves finally ran low, her body began consuming its own muscle tissue to keep her alive.

After more than 200 straight hours in flight, E7 finally descended onto the mudflats of New Zealand.

She had lost over half her body weight.

Her digestive system had effectively shut down.

Her muscles were severely depleted.

But she survived.

Within hours of landing, her organs began rebuilding themselves again.

The tiny bird that crossed the Pacific started eating, recovering, and preparing for the next stage of life as though this impossible journey was simply normal.

And that’s the part scientists found most humbling.

E7 wasn’t some miraculous exception.

She was just the first godwit carrying technology that allowed humans to witness what her species had quietly been doing for thousands of years.

Every year, tiny birds rise into the Arctic sky and cross an entire ocean powered only by instinct, endurance, and a body engineered by evolution to do something that still feels almost impossible.

A one-pound bird.
Seven days nonstop.
Over 7,000 miles of open ocean.

And somehow, she knew exactly where she was going.

[Simon Banks @SimonBanksHB]

And today

One Nation voted against those tax cuts for working Australians too

[Nick Volpe @nvolpewild]

Too many Australians are QUIET about land clearing and it has having devastating impacts! 😤
I am so sick and tired of Australians not realising how lucky they are to be surrounded by the most incredible animals. It will ALL be gone if you stay quiet!

[Nick McKim @NickMcKim]

Yesterday we learned that Labor and the Liberals are working on a bilateral agreement to approve Tasmanian logging operations. This is being done before the relevant environmental standards have even been finalised.

This is totally unacceptable.

[Brent Hodgson @BrentHodgson]

A break-up note, quietly published in the AFR…

“Sorry, but I’ve found someone new.”

The fact that the IPA is now backing One Nation, and de-legitimising the Liberals, is significant.

The IPA was founded to assist with the establishment of the Liberal Party.

- It had a seat at the table when the party was forming.

- It wrote the Menzies’ early policy platforms.

- Director CD Kemp (who founded the IPA alongside the Murdochs, Coles, and BHP) left papers from this era that became the official history of the Liberal Party.

- The IPA became an intergenerational power base. Kemp’s two sons were Liberal ex-Ministers.

- The IPA-to-MP pipeline delivered Tim Wilson, John Pesutto, James Paterson and many more.

Now, allies are abandoning ship – not leaping into a void, but abandoning the IPA’s historic free-market ideals and Liberal Party links to chase shifting institutional power.

We can debate whether it’s driven by a desire to maintain relevance, or capture by Rinehart (who bankrolls both One Nation and the IPA) – but the cause is irrelevant and the outcome is the same.

Once the IPA has legitimised One Nation as “mainstream” and de-legitimised the Liberals as implicitly fringe, there’s no going back.

(In the UK, the same story: The Institute of Economic Affairs, a stalwart Tory ally, helped undermine the Tories and drive Reform.)

The IPA has picked a side, and sorry Liberals: it ain’t you.

They’ve run off with some redhead girl from Ipswich, and are going to spend the next few years stringing you along.

[Ronni🧂Salt-WhoWroteGunnawahYeahThatOne @RonniSalt]

"The briefing pack contains details of a discussion between the Australian Govt and the United States ... If these details are released, the Govt risks undermining diplomatic trust and failing to meet international disclosure obligations."

So how and why is Jillian Segal in charge of this high security, incredibly sensitive information then?

[Murray Rothbard @MurraySuggests]

The Iranian navy, which has been destroyed eight times, has apparently closed the Strait of Hormuz again, because the United States, for the seventh time, won the war that wasn’t a war, so now the United States has to open the Strait of Hormuz that was already open before the not-war began.

The not-war began because Iran had uranium that was totally, completely, beautifully obliterated, so they can’t build the nuclear bomb they weren’t building, which is why the United States had to start the not-war it definitely didn’t start.

Now the United States, which has nuclear weapons, is threatening to use nuclear weapons to stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons, because nuclear weapons are far too dangerous for countries with nuclear weapons to allow other countries to have.

If the United States saw the United States doing what the United States does in other countries, the United States would invade the United States to liberate the United States from the tyranny of the United States.

[Solo Monk @JJKALE2]

Jillian Segal:

"I've totally distanced myself from the Executive Council of Australian Jewry."

Shoebridge:

"Who are those guys sitting at desk on either side of you?"

Segal:

"Education experts from the ECAJ here to help transform Australian school kids"

That's what she said

[stranger @strangerous10]

@M_McCormackMP Did you know?
When Michael McCormack was asked in 2022 if he will EVER back away from his commitment to Net Zero, he said

“Country people don’t tell you they’ll do one thing and then do the other. I don’t operate like that – my word is my bond.”

He Lied.

[Barbara Pocock @BarbaraPocock]

The latest KPMG scandals show the Big 4 firms are again making a mockery of parliament. CEO has resigned & COO has stepped down but the rot remains. The govt still has KPMG contracts. Labor needs to put an end to their special treatment & regulate them like other Aus businesses.

[💧Michael West @MichaelWestBiz]

BHP and MinterEllison. Not enough just to sue the coal miner and the journalist. Last night they went after us for money. To pay their costs.
#auspol
https://t.co/fikG3n5DEQ

[BronWantsChange @BronWants]

Wouldn’t it be normal if our national broadcaster offered regular spots across platforms to organisations and politicians other than Newscorp and Barnaby Joyce, and actually offered space for new rising independent voices.

The Drum used to do that, so they axed it.

[stranger @strangerous10]

James Paterson insists Libs have “2 years” to recover from polls. The same Paterson who thought it was so urgent for Taylor to knife Sussan Ley he schemed it on the day of Katie Allen’s funeral. He didn't care about time then—only cared about the coup. He owns this mess. #auspol

[Donna @simpsubhswf]

https://t.co/0scFhMRwWS
Sadly, this excellent piece by @RonniSalt will be water off the backs of the NoNotion ducks. 🙄😵‍💫🤦‍♀️

[cmdibley @cmdibley]

Q: How does the US avoid the exorbitant costs of decommissioning old nuclear submarines?
A: Sell them to Australia for $4.2b and call it ‘streamlining.’
#AUKUS

[ShiannonCorcoran💉x4 @shiannonc.bsky.social @ShiannonC]

Remember Tony Abbott, the ex-PM who didn’t see out that single term as a PM? The same Abbott who presided over a budget that introduced severe cuts to healthcare and education. Who cemented his ridiculousness by awarding a knighthood to a prince. The onion-eating, budgie-smuggling, licky lipped smirker whose misogyny was only surpassed by a predilection for sleeze? The Abbott who supported a pedo priest and was led around Parliament House by the nose by a petty cretin whose questionable conduct enraged and undermined not only many parliamentary staff, but his ministers and anybody who upset his harridan’s status quo?…

The same ex-PM who sat on the back benches seething for months continuing to undermine the PM’ship of his successor until he lost his seat of Warringah to Zali Steggall in 2019.

He never got over it, you know. The indignity of losing his power, his position, his political aspiration and his ability to manipulate and control the narrative of an entire country.

So he’s been working on taking it back for years. Like a dog with a rancid bone - he’s worked those right-wing circles like a hard-right republican on a mission. He’s manipulated the Liberal party for years - aided and abetted by RW media throughout his stint in the UK as an “unpaid” trade advisor and member of the UK Board of Trade in 2020 appointed by his good friend, Boris Johnson.

Abbott continued his relationship with Murdoch media when he was elected as a director of Fox Corporation in 2023. He was personally nominated to the board by Lachlan Murdoch.

.. and on the board he remains.. even as he has been elected as the Liberal Party president - unopposed - in May 2026.

Like a charred phoenix rising from the malodorous ashes - Tony Abbott sees himself as the second coming for the Liberal party, the egocentric messiah of malignancy to the rescue of a maligned and fast disintegrating party that have ironically been the victim of their right-wing Sky News echo chamber, the same echo chamber that their new illustrious leader has been representing as Director of Fox for a good proportion of their capitulation into the chasm of chaos.

For Abbott to remain a director of Fox Corporation AND be president of the Liberal Party should create a conflict of interest. It should be raising eyebrows and ringing alarm bells in every news source in the country.

The fact that it is NOT - and it is business as usual for not only the Liberals, News Corp and their various sycophants - is an indication of the real undermining of truthful journalism and trustworthy news sources in this country.

When is it time to admit that the majority of media resources in this country and their so-called journalism is nothing more than a propagandic outlet for right-wing views and right-wing control of the narrative?

Right-wing politics and the media ARE intertwined. They are interchangeable. The bipartisan media is in its entirety a right-wing megaphone - that is geared towards drowning out the truth, the facts, the science and the data to the point where the loudest voice in the room and the most influential and manipulative opinion IS the right-wing opinion.

Chew on that fact, fckrs.

[💧Michael West @MichaelWestBiz]

Quick-take on the legal assault from BHP. Back in court this week. $625 buck fee to self-represent! Then pay-per-application.

Shout out to the indefatigable @GoldSuzie - never give up!
https://t.co/HQmWfXa49L

[ShiannonCorcoran💉x4 @shiannonc.bsky.social @ShiannonC]

While I don’t place too much value in polls considering the dog’s breakfast before the last election that had either Dutton winning the 2025 election or it being a minority Labor government - and then in reality delivering a Labor landslide, a wipeout for the Liberals and a Dutton disappearance…

I find it interesting that some polls are placing One Nation level with Labor and the Liberals are selling hotdogs in the wings of Parliament House. All but Roy Morgan cacophonied this amazing turn - who had Labor ahead on a two-party preferred basis. Which in reality has not really changed much for Labor at all.

What has changed and will continue to affect apparent poll stats are vote bleeds and media influence.

While the media continue to strategise their partisan anti-Labor rhetoric there is bound to be electoral impact. I have pointed out in previous posts the impact of right-wing media, social media and their manipulative influence on their audience. The strategy is to flood the zone with 24/7 sound bites of misinformation and disinformation - which makes it difficult for those on the receiving end to understand the differences between bullshyte and actual reality.

The bleed is mainly concentrated on the Liberal party - who are continuing to lose disenchanted voters to those who have been convinced, one way or another, that the Liberals are no longer in it for their electorates. The more centrist voters will move toward Independents and Teals. The more hardline and easily ruled by the populist rhetoric will move toward populist politics.

The more An*us Taylor tries to mimic the populist politics of Hanson while attempting to attack Labor policies without offering any real solutions, the less impact he will have as a separate party leader in his own right. His ineptitude in politics and duplicitous behaviour have been exposed over his years in politics, which hardly inspires confidence for leadership. While he has managed to hide it for years - he’s now in the limelight - and we can see why the coalition have never considered Taylor as leadership potential since 2013. He’s only there now because Hastie has upset Abbott - but it’s only a matter of time and opportunity now that Abbott thinks he’s running the circus again.

While we can literally set our clocks on culture war cacophony and media pearl clutching when it comes to Labor - we should also remember that the cause of this continued decline in the quality of news and information has not gone unnoticed.

People are becoming tired of rhetoric. They are switching off. They aren’t influenced or interested in polls. They are more interested in results and how it affects their lives.

Ultimately, as with the 2025 election, the safest options in a sea of haters, discontent, racism, anti-immigration and fear is stability.

Many people will vote for stability in what they perceive is an unstable world view. As they did in 2025. Especially those who would be affected by the uncertainty of political instability and culture wars.

The media are becoming louder and more ridiculous. They have continued to throw everything they have at Labor - and yet the polls for Labor - if you perceive these to be any kind of indicator - have barely changed.

Read into that what you will.