Woroni Edition 3 2022

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consumed

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woroni team

content

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Virginia Plas Oscar Warren Liah Naidoo Sharlotte Thou Jocelyn Wong Zoe Crowston Jacinta Chen Sein Minn Khant Oo Arabella Ritchie Himashri Panaganti Eliz So

Rose Dixon-Campbell Ashley Davies Chetha Nawana Sisana Lazarus Sai Campbell Elizabeth Walker Daniel Ray Indy Shead Sabrina Tse Angus Padley William Vuckovic Sarah Greaves Maddy Wang

art

Navita Wijeratne Yige Xu Natasha Tareen Eric Rattray Maddy Brown Fergus Sherwood Xuming Du William (Gabrielle) Meiklejohn Beth O’Sullivan Alexandra Ingram Jessica Mcleod-Yu Hannah Head Jasmin Small Alexander An Nathalie Ann Collins Johnstone George Hogg Maya Johnson Kristine Li Giam Elektra Dizz Alexander Lane Tom Ryan Thomas Burnett Jeffrey Bowen Liang Roxana Sadeghpour Arabella Richie Dan Crane Bec Donald Wilson Fiona Ballentine Sasha Personeni Giselle Laszok Sam O’Connor George Keleher Shannon Napier Robin Ng Rosie Welsh

radio

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managing

NEWS

Some People Have Two Hearts

News Snapshot On A Page

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ANUSA And Unionsact

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Heartbreak

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Bad Fantasy

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How To: Special Considerations And Education Access Plans

BOOK SHELF

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National Student Safety Survey Reveals Continued Higher Rates Of Sexual Violence At Anu Than National Average

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“The Customer Is King”: Is Capitalism A Saviour Or Saboteur Of Ethical Consumption?

Who Am I?

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I Read The Latest IPCC Report So You WARDROBE

Don’t Have To

How Depop Will Save The World Uni Ave: A Runway

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Content Team Collage

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Consumed By ‘The Canberra Bubble’

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I Am Tired Of The Hypocrisy: Fast Fashion And Feminism

Crossword!

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BRIAN’S STUDY Can’t Start, Can’t Stop - Hyperfixation At ANU Opposing AUKUS At ANU

PANTRY

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SASH On Campus: Solutions Over Justice

To Mylk Or Not To Mylk?

The Diet Coke Paradox

Urges Of Control And Temptation 26

My Eating Habits

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BEDROOM 24

A Collection Of Texts That Have Consumed Adolescent Minds

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How To Style Your Share House On A

Eating Out With @anu_food_reviews

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Student Budget

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I Can’t Get You Out Of My Head - A Playlist FLOWER GARDEN Milk For Gall

Content Team Collage

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The Dog And The Sister

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Swallowed Alive

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My blunt and arguably late lesson learned through my years at Woroni is ‘don’t take it personally’. We all overthink and run around chasing our own tail figuring out what went wrong or what could have gone better.

In the past I was crippled artistically trying to create content that would measure up to other peoples expectations and please them. But I’ve learnt that my new favourite mentality is ‘fuck em’. If you promise not to let others deny you of pride and confidence, I promise I won’t allow my creativity to be reduced to the concept of ‘tasteful squiggles’.

In my two years we as Woroni, and myself as Art Editor have walked the tight rope of providing content that is engaging and relevant to you, the students of ANU while avoiding the backlash of keyboard warriors. ‘I hope no one hates it’ is a phrase that bounces around in my head every time I create the cover of a magazine or approve a spicy content piece, but you know what collides with and cancels that bouncing concept? ‘Fuck em’.

This is not to say you should care less, if anything I would argue that most people should try to care more.

This is also not to say that I don’t LOVE our readers, every time I see a student wandering around with a copy of the magazine I go all tingly with warm and fuzzies. The ‘fuck em’ doesn’t apply to specific individuals or groups and societies, it applies to the internal shit talk that we allow to manifest and mutate. What I am trying to articulate (in a scat way) is that it wasn’t until I stopped taking things personally that I started creating my best work and contributing to Woroni in a larger and more fulfilling capacity.

So ‘fuck em’, enjoy your damn life and be proud of your creations, take criticism as notes for growth and engage with the challenge. My last nugget of unsolicited advice is while you’re contemplating all this grab yourself a $5 schooner from Badger and sit on the deck (cause that’s cheap luxury).

Cheers everyone, Sian Williams Art Editor

editors

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ARTWORK: Jessica McLeod Yu

ARTWORK: Jasmin Small

news snapshot on a page

CRC 3: Potential Degree Mergers and Return to Exclusively In-Person Classes Alexander Lane

The College Representatives Council (CRC) meeting in Week Seven discussed ANU’s grading system, College of Arts and Social Sciences (CASS) program changes, and a possible return to solely in-person classes.

ANU Women’s Department Announces Birth Control Subsidy Giselle Laszok

The ANU Women’s Department announced that from 21 March that it is subsidising 50 percent of the cost of birth control for any undergraduate students making a purchase at the University Pharmacy in Kambri.

After debates over ANU’s marking philosophy at its Executive Quality Assurance Meeting, it was clear the University favoured external benchmarks, though colleges still set their own standards.

CASS representatives flagged that their college is looking to merge some of its degrees, especially in the fine arts. Vice-President Chido Nyakeungama expressed concerns this could be a strategy to cut courses.

The subsidy covers the contraceptive pill, contraceptive implants, contraceptive injections and intrauterine devices (IUDs). Students can only access the subsidy for one filled prescription at a time, through showing an undergraduate student ID card.

Despite College of Business and Economics (CBE) representatives’ suggestion that the University was returning to only in-person classes with online examinations in Semester Two, a University spokesperson clarified that there are currently no changes to teaching delivery next semester.

ANU Professor Reinstated After Relationship with Student Investigated

What are the Implications of ANU’s Denouncement of Russia?

The ANU has been told to reinstate Associate Professor of Mathematics Scott Morrison into his teaching position after the Fair Work Commission ruled his 2020 dismissal as unfair.

In an email to all staff and students on 3 March, the University condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This denouncement came with changes to the University’s formal relationships with Russian institutions, but stopped short of requiring individual academics cut their own ties with the invading nation.

Rosie Welsh and Sasha Personeni

Professor Morrison had consensually engaged in skinny dipping with a female student and kissed her on a mathematics class retreat in 2017.

The ANU has appealed the decision by Fair Work and has been granted permission to delay Dr Morrison’s reinstatement awaiting a decision by the full board of the Commission.

Thomas Burnett

Thus, ANU academics can continue to work with Russian scholars and institutions, including publishing with Russian academics. The University is not withdrawing from consortiums and organisations like the Association of Pacific Rim Universities which contains Russian universities.

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ARTWORK: Xuming Du

anusa and unionsACT survey investigates wage theft on campus SASHA PERSONENI ANUSA and UnionsACT have launched a survey with the aim of gathering information on wages, staff treatment and working conditions for students who work in businesses on the ANU campus. A pre-pandemic report produced by Unions ACT in 2020 revealed that wage theft was an extremely prevalent issue facing students, with 77% of survey respondents reporting that they had experienced wage theft while working for businesses operating on the ANU campus.

ANUSA Treasurer Jaya Ryan declared that if the survey revealed that wage theft was still widespread on campus, ANUSA would expect ANU to take the strongest action possible against the offending businesses to provide workers on campus with a safe and equitable work environment. ANUSA would expect the ANU to develop steps to address wage theft in consultation with UnionsACT, but will be dependent on the findings of the survey.

Ryan clarified that at the very least ANUSA would expect the ANU to take substantive steps to end wage theft on campus further than the ones they had committed to after the last UnionsACT report was published.

UnionsACT last surveyed workers on campus about their experiences at work in 2019/2020 and found rampant wage theft on campus.

Ryan suggested that “with the stresses created by the pandemic and the even more precarious situation it has placed casual workers in, I imagine the problem of wage theft has only gotten worse since that last report.”

This sentiment was echoed by a UnionsACT spokesperson, who expressed that “now that things are opening back up, we’re interested in finding out if the same problems still exist.”

ANUSA’s primary response to endemic wage theft would involve actions like protests and informational campaigns, but Ryan did not rule out that ANUSA would undertake other action alongside organising students, and would consult with UnionsACT to see if any legal action would be possible or how much it would cost.

Ryan stated that due to the transient nature and the instability of employment inherent to casual work caused by the pandemic, collecting comprehensive and accurate statistics around wage theft is quite difficult.

ANUSA does not have a regular mechanism for reporting wage theft other than surveys or ANUSA-led campaigns.

The 2020 report is the most up to date data available about wage theft at the ANU campus. Students have also regularly reported experiences of wage theft when using the ANUSA legal service. However, Ryan clarified that “the purpose of this service is to provide legal advice to help them take action against their employer, not to systematically track instances of wage theft.”

The Treasurer asserted that “ANUSA is committed to holding businesses accountable for treating their workers correctly, and this survey is a good first step in creating that accountability.”

The UnionsACT spokesperson underscored that workers in insecure employment are often vulnerable to exploitation because they often feel like “they can’t stand up for themselves without risking their jobs.”

UnionsACT added that “today, approximately 1 in 4 workers in Australia are in secure work” and encouraged casually and insecurely employed workers to join their unions to “create a more secure future for themselves and others” or “face a future filled with exploitation and uncertainty.

If you’re a student currently experiencing wage theft, the ANUSA legal service offers free and confidential legal advice which can help you solve your problem. The Young Workers Centre also offers free and confidential advice about your rights at work. More information can be found online

ARTWORK: Yige Xu With the semester heating up, students are scrambling to submit assignments before their due dates.

But what if you are unable to finish your assessment on time due to extenuating circumstances? Fortunately, at ANU, students can apply for special considerations in these situations.

For students, there are two types of consideration plans that they can apply for, depending on their situation: Special Considerations or an Education Access Plan. Whilst special consideration only applies for matters arising before and during an assessment item is due, an Education Access Plan is a long-term provision that applies to a student’s academic life whilst at the University. Both have differing application processes and outcomes.

Nonetheless, the process of applying for special considerations remains a difficult and hard to navigate process for ANU students. Whilst the ANU outlines under what circumstances students can apply for special consideration, the university’s different colleges delineate diverging processes on their Wattle pages.

how to: special considerations and education access plans ROXANA SADEGHPOUR

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Special Considerations The ANU states that “special considerations is the process by which an examiner takes extenuating circumstances into consideration during the marking of an assessment item.” Extenuating circumstances are defined as circumstances that are unavoidable and beyond your control.

EAP information they will not have the support and reasonable adjustments required for their courses. There are differing time frames depending on the nature of the medical condition and disability as well. Students that have a condition that varies or is treatable must restate their registration and provide renewed medical evidence after six to twelve months.

The ANU explains that extenuating circumstances pertain to: “unexpected illness / or the exacerbation of an existing illness, misadventure, trauma, the illness or death of a family member and being a victim to a crime.”

Where can you get support?

Students are advised to apply for special considerations through an online form, if any of the circumstances listed above apply to them. The ANU requires that students applying for special considerations attach supporting documents to their application.

Special consideration requests will not be considered if the submission does not include copies of the important supporting documents. The granting of special considerations is not guaranteed and Colleges hold discretion in accepting them.

However, the ANU Colleges have differing acceptance measures and there is inconsistency amongst special consideration processes and applications. For instance, some course conveners provide delayed exams, whilst others extend exam times.

Though the special considerations process is established so that students can have an equal and fair assessment of their assignments and exams, ANU policy gives course conveners the choice “to not make any adjustments to their [student’s] marks or provide them with a supplementary assessment.”

An ANU spokesperson commented on the special consideration process acknowledging that “ANU is currently reviewing the policy and procedures for special consideration, deferred examinations and assessment extensions by benchmarking with other universities and considering best practice.”

Furthermore, the University spokesperson stated that, “If any student has concerns about their application or access to special consideration, they can raise these with the Associate Dean of Education in their academic college or with the Dean of Students.”

Education Access Plan What is an Education Access Plan?

An Education Access Plan (EAP) establishes practical alterations to support students while studying at the ANU. An EAP will not appear on your academic transcript or record as the information will remain confidential. Students that require an EAP must notify Access & Inclusion services for every new course enrolment. If students do not inform A&I or renew their

Students at the ANU whose academic studies are affected by learning and physical disabilities as well as, short term conditions/illnesses, chronic medical and mental health conditions can receive support from Access and Inclusion (A&I) support services.

What do they do?

According to ANU Access & Inclusion, they provide evidence-based support, advice and adjustments to reduce the effects on a student’s study. The advisors assist students with participation efforts in their program of study as well as achieving academic success through the EAP. Eligibility for an EAP Students, including international students, who are currently enrolled at the ANU, and who have a medical condition, disability or are a primary carer of a person with a disability are eligible to register for an EAP. The Access and Inclusion website follows the definition of disability as consistent with the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1992.

How do you apply for an Education Access Plan?

For students considering applying for an EAP, they must register with an A&I team member and attend a meeting with the DisAbility and Equity Advisor (DEA) in order to establish a tailored Education Access Plan.

Students must provide and disclose the nature and scope of their medical condition or disability.

If you need assistance in applying for Special Consideration or an EAP, ANUSA and PARSA offer support.

If you are an undergraduate student, ANUSA offers support to students through their student assistance officers who can be contacted by emailing sa.assistance@anu.edu. au. Postgraduate students can seek help from the PARSA student assistance team at parsa.assistance@anu.edu.au.

ARTWORK: Beth O’Sullivan

national student safety survey reveals continued higher rates of sexual violence at anu than national average FIONA BALLENTINE, ROXANA SADEGHPOUR AND JULIETTE BAXTER CW: Discussion of SASH and institutional betrayal.

On Wednesday March 23rd, Universities Australia (UA) released the results of the 2021 National Student Safety Survey (NSSS) investigating the incidence of sexual harassment and sexual assault at universities across Australia. Like in previous surveys, students at ANU have experienced sexual assault and harassment at much higher levels than average.

This comes two days after ANU announced a new Student Safety and Wellbeing Report on Monday 21 March, promising to spend millions on additional staffing and consent education.

Run by independent body Social Research Centre (SRC), the NSSS is a follow up to a 2017 survey, which ranked the ANU as worst in Australia for instances of sexual harassment and second-worst for incidents of sexual assault.

The NSSS identified as examples of incidents of sexual harassment and sexual assault in the University context. This includes catcalling, receiving sexualised comments or sexist commentary, being inappropriately touched, groped, ‘up-skirted,’ stalked, kissed without permission, and being sexually assaulted.

Moreover, as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic necessitated many Universities to rearrange to remote, online learning, the NSSS noted an increase in sexual harassment online.

The Report’s Findings of Prevalence at the ANU As for the ANU, a higher percentage of ANU students experienced sexual harassment and sexual assault since starting University and in the previous 12 months than the national average, and a higher percentage of the most impactful incidents at ANU occur at student accommodation and residences than the national average.

In a Facebook post, the ANU Women’s Department pointed out that at the ANU, 26 percent of respondents reported being sexually harassed at some point during their time at University (twice the national average), and 12.3 percent reported being sexually assaulted at some point during their time at University (i.e., three times the national average).

ANU’s Response to the Report On Wednesday 23rd March in an email, circulated to all ANU students and staff, Vice-Chancellor Brian Schmidt stated the ANU “is stepping up, not sweeping this challenge aside,” and these results are the reasoning behind the ANU Student Safety and Wellbeing Plan announcement.

According to his email, the University will further embed a zero-tolerance approach in ANU culture with a commitment to invest at least $3.3 million every year.

An ANU spokesperson clarified that this money would be spent on “an additional 14 specialist staff working in student residences,” as well as “three case managers in the last six months” with the intention to “double that initially.”

The University added that they “consulted students for 12 months on the Student Safety and Wellbeing Plan” and is “committed to consulting with its entire community, including student leaders, advocates and survivors, to finalise what each major initiative will look like” to commence “as soon as possible.”

Student Response to the Report Schmidt’s email and announcement of the ANU Safety and Wellbeing Survey has received backlash from student advocates. The ANU Women’s Officer, Avan Daruwalla, stated that the survey reveals that “ students at ANU face a much higher risk of sexual assault and harassment than at almost any other university” and condemned it as “an appalling and unacceptable failure by Australia’s national university.”

Daruwalla continued, “Every incident of sexual assault and harassment documented represents the trauma and unsafety of a student survivor.” She concluded, “the institutional betrayal at ANU is underscored by the fact that student advocates have been campaigning for specific, actionable and immediate actions to redress a dangerous and unresponsive culture – to no avail for the past five years.”

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ANUSA President Christian Flynn commented, “ANU not only failed to consult ANUSA on this proposed student safety and wellbeing plan but also failed to notify student representatives of its release or even of its existence prior to release.” Flynn also expressed concern that “ANU’s plan made no substantive reference to the NSSS, has no actionable timeline, and failed to meaningfully address students’ major concerns as communicated by myself and others.”

In response to the release of the survey and safety plan, ANUSA, the Women’s Department, PARSA and the IHC are launching a campaign entitled, “Too Little, Too Late.”

The National Union of Students have similarly criticised university responses to the epidemic of sexual violence, arguing that there has been a “complete lack of accountability from universities in response to the Change the Course recommendations.” Further, the NUS were informed there will be no recommendations in this report as “UA believes universities already have the attitude of zero-tolerance.”

NUS President Georgie Beatty highlighted that “there is a massive difference between what universities say they are doing and what students experience on the ground.” Beatty added that “we have seen time and time again the repercussions this lack of action has had for survivors and their confidence to even be on campus.”

The NUS places blame on “TEQSA, our quality services monitoring body, who are responsible for keeping universities to account for this.”

The Report’s Broader Findings Within the broader Australian university context, one in six (16.1 percent) students had been sexually harassed since starting at university, and one in twelve (8.1%) had been sexually harassed in the previous 12 months.

Female students (10.5 percent), transgender students (14.7 percent), and non-binary students (22.4 percent) were more likely to have experienced sexual harassment in the past 12 months when compared with male students (3.9 percent).

Sexually diverse students including pansexual (21.5 percent), bisexual (17.7 percent), and gay or lesbian students (12.3 percent) were more likely to have experienced sexual harassment in the past 12 months than heterosexual students (6.4 percent).

Furthermore, students with a disability (13.7 percent) were more likely to have these experiences than other students (7.0 percent).

The most common locations students reported experiencing their sexual harassment in Australian universities were on campus, such as general campus areas (43.3 percent), university lecture theatres or computer labs (17.5 percent), university libraries (15.6 percent), clubs

and societies events or spaces (13.9 percent) and student accommodation or residences (10.6 percent).

Notably, few students who had experienced sexual harassment or sexual assault in a university context had made a formal report or complaint to their University.

In total, 3.0 percent of students who had experienced sexual harassment and 5.6 percent of students who had experienced sexual assault had made a formal report about their most impactful incident to their university. Most of these formal reports or complaints were not referred to the police.

Of those students who did make a formal complaint to their University, mixed experiences in terms of the information provided to them and their overall satisfaction with the process were noted. Students were less satisfied with the university’s reporting or complaint processes relating to sexual assault when compared to sexual harassment.

One in two (47.5 percent) who had experienced sexual assault in a university context and formally reported it said their university had explained the reporting or complaints process to them, while fewer than one in three (29.7 percent) were satisfied with the process.

The results of the NSSS survey only continue to emphasise the continued prevalence of sexual assault and harassment at universities across the country, ANU included.

If this content has triggered any concern, distress or impacted on your wellbeing, ANU provides a number of services to support student health and wellbeing including: Student Safety and Wellbeing email: student.wellbeing@anu.edu.au website: Health, safety & wellbeing – ANU ANU Counselling email: counselling.centre@anu.edu.au website: ANU Counselling – ANU The ANU Wellbeing and Support Line available 24/7 phone: 1300 05 0327 SMS: 0488 884 17 There are also a number of services in the community that can be accessed after hours including: ACT Access Mental Health is a 24-hour mental health emergency access and support service.

Phone: 1800 629 354 or 6205 1065 1800 RESPECT is the national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service. 1800 RESPECT provides phone or online support for people experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, sexual assault, domestic or family violence.

1800 RESPECT is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week Phone: 1800 737 732 Lifeline: 13 11 14 Canberra Rape Crisis Centre, Crisis Line (02) 6247 2525 ANU Women’s Department sa.womens@anu.edu.au ANU Queer* Department sa.queer@anu.edu.au

ARTWORK: Jessica McLeod Yu

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ARTWORK: Beth O’Sullivan

how depop will save the world ALEX BEKIER Op-shopping, like almost everything these days, has been undergoing gentrification in recent years. This trend sees teenagers enter charity shops en masse to purchase t-shirts designed for children of about eight years old… only for them to be resold online for double the price underneath the description “Y2K crop baby tee.”

This may seem ridiculous to some, like just another of the teenage internet trends often written off as ‘not worth reporting on.’ However, for ecologists and economists alike, it could be the light at the end of the tunnel. As our landfills overflow with fast fashion and barely used goods, reports from Australia’s Assistant Minister for Waste Reduction and Environmental Management, Trevor Evans, illuminate how pressing the issue really is. According to a joint media release from February last year, “Australians discard close to 800,000 tonnes of clothing and textiles per year, a rate of 10 – 15 tonnes every ten minutes.”

Our onus to redesign our economy and rethink our approach to consumption increases each day. For our own survival, a linear economy in which companies are incentivised to increase sales, with little regard for the whole life of the product is no longer an option. We simply cannot afford to continue at the rate at which we deplete our planet’s natural resources. However, is simply purchasing used goods the silver bullet we think it is?

Creators on TikTok have been quick to scrutinise the moral shortcomings of selling clothes and other charity shop novelties at an inflated price. These creators claim that this kind of consumerism reduces the amount

of fashionable and good quality clothing available for low-income consumers. Many of these same creators are sponsored by, or affiliated with slow fashion brands like DL1961, and stand to receive substantial financial gain from producing content with these kinds of messages.

Contrastingly, the data collected by Lifeline in 2019 estimated that “half its stores across Australia had to stop accepting donations due to storage restrictions.” Given the sheer abundance of clothing sent to charity stores, it seems very dubious that by simply reselling second-hand clothes at a profit, low-income people would be deprived of adequate clothing.

All this additional, perfectly good clothing added to landfill has a myriad of environmental concerns.

Primarily, the sheer mass of discarded clothing alone prevents oxygen and bacteria important for decomposition from entering the environment and adequately breaking down all this rubbish. Not only does it mean that additional rubbish degrades at a much slower rate, leaving it around for generations to come, but also this anaerobic process of decomposition produces greenhouse gases. As we all know, greenhouse gases play the starring role in global warming, as they trap heat in our atmosphere.

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It isn’t just used clothes in landfill that are the problem though. The production of textiles worldwide is incredibly energy and water-intensive, and often produced in developing nations, where labour costs are low and reliance on fossil fuels is high. Between 100 and 150 litres of water on average are needed to process just 1kg of textiles and 5.5kg of CO2 are produced in the production of just one polyester t-shirt. As global population growth continues to rise, as does the demand for fast fashion, we are producing more textiles than ever before. Even worse, this type of work is often being performed by children, as up to 160 million children globally are engaged in child labour.

If these numbers aren’t looking good to you, this is where Depop may begin to make its case. By purchasing second-hand from online second-hand stores or even just visiting our local charity shop we can reduce our unethical consumption and make a tangible difference. As an online-shopping addict myself, I find it hard to reduce my consumption coldturkey, especially as it is not always convenient for me to spend time meandering through charity shops and markets on the weekends. However, by purchasing online from sellers near me on secure platforms like Depop, I know that I am reducing not only my consumption and the production of new products but also my rights as a consumer are being met. The impact of convenience on the dedication of the consumer to ‘ethical’ consumption cannot be overstated.

Even if you aren’t necessarily a fan of pre-loved clothes, the rise of Facebook groups like ‘Buy Nothing O’Connor,’ allows almost anyone with an internet connection to take part in more ethical consumption. On these Facebook pages, residents simply post their unwanted, good quality, items. My fellow O’Connorites and I have found ourselves walking all over, collecting anything from desk chairs to used roller skates to even surplus home-grown zucchinis. Even for selfish reasons, the impact that small changes have on the volume of waste headed to landfill is substantial. Of course, we cannot save the planet overnight. Picking up a bedside table from around the corner instead of new one from Ikea won’t fix the hole in the ozone layer or prevent child labour. That’s obvious.

Nevertheless, we cannot allow our culture of consumerism to prevent us from enacting meaningful change.

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uni ave: a runway

INDY SHEAD AND KAROLINA KOCIMSKA

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ARTWORK: Yige Xu

i am tired of the hypocrisy: fast fashion and feminism JAMIE CHEESEMAN

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British women’s fashion brand Missguided proclaims its mission to be ‘to empower females globally to be confident in themselves and be who they want to be.’ Meanwhile, workers making garments for the fashion brand in Leicester were found to be getting paid £3.50 (approximately $6) an hour; less than half of the minimum wage in the UK. Shein sells t-shirts with ‘Feminist AF’ emblazoned on the front for $5.95, alongside designs stolen from independent female designers.

This year, Pretty Little Thing launched an antirape campaign on International Women’s Day titled #MyDressDOESNTMeanYes. According to CARE Australia, nearly one in three female garment workers experience sexual harassment at work, and gendered violence and sexual abuse is rife in clothing factories.

Victoria’s Secret asked women to share their answers to the question ‘How do you give back to women in the community?’ for International Women’s Day. Meanwhile, factory workers sewing lingerie for the brand are yet to receive a portion of the $7 million they are legally owed since their place of work closed in March 2021.

Exploiting women in one part of the world to empower them in another is not feminism. This performative and hypocritical approach to female empowerment by fast fashion brands is not good enough.

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to promote products, while the women who make these items are trapped in poverty. This performative ‘feminism’ that celebrates some women while systematically disempowering others is hypocrisy at its finest.

Last year on Black Friday, Pretty Little Thing held an ‘up to 100% off’ sale. They were giving away clothes for free - with many items that weren’t free being sold for under a dollar. We are so disconnected from the true cost of what we wear and the people who make our clothes.

The prices fast fashion brands offer wouldn’t be possible without exploitation in their supply chains.

But who is responsible for this desperately needed change? There is a fine line between encouraging ethical consumption and shaming individuals who have no option but to purchase fast fashion. Women are disproportionately subject to unattainable standards for their appearance which are fuelled by social media.

The feminist solution is not to shame women for their purchases. Corporations need to take responsibility for their supply chains and invest in ensuring a safe, fair and empowering working environment for the people who make their garments. However, we cannot ignore the positive impact of changing consumer attitudes. a

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line between encouraging ethical consumption and shaming individuals who have no option but to purchase fast

Interest in and demand for ethical and sustainable ‘slow fashion’ alternatives is increasing. The second-hand market is projected to double in the next five years with resale expected to grow eleven times The term ‘fast fashion’ was faster than the broader retail clothing fashion. coined by the New York Times in the sector by 2025. This works in combination 1990s to describe the 15-day turnaround with clothing rental websites and social of garments manufactured by Zara. Today, the fast fashion media accounts rising in popularity. industry is characterised by the mass-production of vast amounts of cheap and ‘on-trend’ clothing. This encourages But how can we shop more ethically? Purchasing consumers to purchase poor-quality, trendy clothing that clothes second-hand from op-shops or online resale can be thrown away after a couple of wears. To perpetuate platforms like Depop and eBay is often the most affordable this system, garment workers are often exploited while way to source clothes ethically and sustainably. Websites brands profit from overconsumption. such as ‘Good On You’ and ‘Baptist World Aid’ can be used to check the ethics and sustainability of popular Fast fashion is a feminist issue because women brands. There are many sustainable small businesses are disproportionately disempowered by this wasteful making ethically-produced, good quality pieces that are and exploitative system. The true human cost of fast worth the investment. However, the most sustainable and fashion is hidden behind performative messages of ethical option by far is to rewear the clothes we already female empowerment and problematic ‘girlboss’ culture. own!

According to the nonprofit Remake, about 80 percent of garment workers are women aged 18-24, with many A shift in mindset is imperative. If there is no children entering the workforce as young as 14. In contrast, alternative but to purchase clothes from fast fashion only 14 percent of major fashion brands are run by female brands, the way we think about these purchases is critical. executives. Further, it takes an average of four days for a Looking after the clothing we buy, repeating outfits and major fashion CEO to earn what a female garment worker making conscious and careful purchases means that fast in Bangladesh earns in her whole lifetime. Fast fashion fashion purchases don’t have to be ‘fast.’ Regardless of only perpetuates existing inequalities and is anything but where you purchase your clothes, having an awareness of empowering for women. the fact that clothing is an output of human labour and environmental resources can encourage more mindful The notion of women’s empowerment has been purchases. Thus, reducing the demand for large amounts reduced to a commodity that can be sold for profit. of cheaply produced clothing that fast fashion brands rely Influencers are offered thousands to millions of dollars on to profit.

ARTWORK: Jasmin Small

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ARTWORK: Jessica McLeod Yu

ARTWORK: Natasha Tareen

Whether it’s “wellness” culture or simply environmental concern that got you, chances are you’ve dabbled in the world of alternate milks (known also as ‘mylk’).

The industry is enormous. According to Forbes, in 2021, the global alternate milk market was estimated to be worth at least USD $22.25 billion - a number which is expected to double by 2028. And this isn’t just due to our plant-based, coffee-creamer, loving friends in the U.S. Last year, it was found that one in six adult Australians will opt for plant-based alternatives to milk.

So, with so many of us contributing to this ‘mylk’ phenomena, what are the benefits of plant-based milk?

Are all alternatives created equal? And how much better are they actually, in terms of environmental impact and nutrition?

The size of the industry has created a wealth of choices for the plant-based milk consumer. We have the usual choice between soy, oat and almond; now there’s macadamia, pecan, pistachio, hemp, pea, rice and many, many more.

to mylk or not to mylk?

HANNAH AHERN

21.

22.

The primary benefit of consuming these milks is environmentally-driven. Full cream milk is, of course, made from methane-producing cows; an aspect of climate change which is of serious concern. According to researchers at Oxford, meat and dairy production uses 83 percent of the world’s farmland and produces 60 percent of agriculture’s greenhouse gas emissions… all this while supplying only 18 percent of calories and 37 percent of the protein consumed by humans.

Having a more plant-based diet is one of the best ways to tackle this issue - this includes the consumption of plant-based milk. In 2018, dairy was found to be around three times more greenhouse gas emission-intensive than plant-based milk, highlighting the fact that plant-based milks have a better environmental impact when it comes to greenhouse-gas emissions, water use and land.

Soy milk is not far behind. Similar in its proteinrichness and relatively low fat and sugars, it also contains essential nutrients such as Calcium, Vitamin B12 and Potassium. It appears to be a wonderful option for vegans and environmentally conscious consumers who seek their daily hit of nutrient-packed goodness.

Nut milks, such as almond and macadamia, tend to fall a little behind on the nutritional ladder. While popular due to being a little lighter on the calories, it’s also, unsurprisingly, lighter on nutrients. You will find that many nut milks are fortified with calcium and B12 - so make sure to look out for fortified options if these milks take your vote.

Oat milk, while also slightly lacking on the protein and natural vitamin front, is also usually fortified for extra nutritional benefit. Its additional carbohydrates make it higher in fibre which is great for gut health and good digestion.

But not all plant-based varieties present the same benefits. Many people know that almond milk is not as water-efficient to produce as other alternatives. For example, one Californian almond kernel However, one of the biggest problems requires twelve litres of water to produce. with plant-based milks, nutritionally When it comes to This raises serious questions surrounding speaking, is the presence of additives. choosing the almond milk’s impact in water-scarce plant-based milks, a rule For example, when you’re buying a areas, such as California. But what not of thumb: look for the bottle of almond milk, you’re usually only many people know about the production smallest ingredient list getting around 3 percent made up of of almond milk is that it also has a ‘bee almonds. possible. problem.’ Almond milk production requires bees for cross-pollination and So, what kind of additives should you has led to a high bee mortality rate. Bees are vital for the look out for? Vegetable oils, gums, thickeners and starches. preservation of biodiversity and ecological balance, so this You’ll often find barista milks to be particularly bad on form of industrialisation poses serious risks. the additive front as they make our daily coffees ‘smooth’ and ‘creamy.’ Similarly, vegetable oils and starches, such In comparison, milks made from legume, such as ‘maltodextrin,’ have been found to be extremely as soy and hemp, are extremely water efficient. Soy milk inflammatory and can even be compromising to your gut particularly is known for having a very good environmental microbiome. The consensus being that, it’s best to avoid performance in terms of water, global warming potential these when you can. and land use. One concern regarding soy milk, however, is the land-clearing of native vegetation to grow soybeans, in When it comes to choosing the best plant-based countries such as the US and Brazil. milks, a rule of thumb: look for the smallest ingredient list possible. Names of preservatives you don’t recognise Oat, on the other hand, while also less watershould be avoided where possible and the more raw the intensive, requires a large amount of land and pesticides, ingredient list, the better. But don’t worry too much, barista leading to significant soil depletion. milks are highly popular and can be hard to avoid at times.

‘Everything in moderation’ is the key to keeping your gut Evidently, in terms of environmental impact, and body happy. there is no perfect plant-based milk. But rest assured, the negative impact of these milks is less than their dairy With so many of us drinking a range of milks, it’s counterparts. important to make an educated choice, based on what matters most to you. So, next time you order your morning Another important factor to consider when cup of coffee, make your own decision. Your body and making your choice is how do these milks level up in terms mind will thank you for it. of nutrition?

It’s about time we all stopped drinking a Full cream milk, to many people’s surprise, is compulsory almond latte, simply because it featured in the generally considered a great option. Ask any dietician, and latest ‘that girl’ morning routine. they’ll tell you: the nutrient-dense, protein-packed, vitaminrich full cream bottle will keep your bones and your body strong. It’s a great source of nutrients such as Calcium, Vitamin B12 and Potassium.

best

The

ARTWORK: Maddy Brown

paradox

ELIZABETH WALKER CW: The following piece makes mention of disordered eating Instant coffee for breakfast, Diet Coke for dessert, layering new mascara over old. A light taste and sugar-free.

7.1 kilojoules, enough to carry me from my bedroom, to lock the back door, and stumble into a tram. My jaw has been clenched for days. I take another can from the fridge on my way past, shove it deep in a tote bag for later.

4 pm, a drowsy drag of a cigarette, and the mind starts to wonder. Could there be a correlation among these appetites? The evidence presents itself directly, the still smoking gun held trembling between overly caffeinated fingers.

Sugar-free sweetness. Zero-calorie energy. A chestful of air-free air. Smoke permitted to cloud my lungs, each pack shortening my life by 28 minutes. I borrow time from my future, ignoring the debt piling up. With each inhale, the sooner comes the day I will take my last breath.

I propose a paradox. A Catch-22 in consumption.

Breathing, akin to drinking water, is paramount to sustaining human life.

Thus, by supplementing basic instincts with dubious carcinogens, do we - Diet Coke truthers united rob ourselves of humanity?

A belly full of aspartame and carbonation, bloated but never truly full.

I see myself mirrored in that silver surface, reflections snarling back at me from a spray of several cans across the bedroom floor. Through the looking glass there sways a zombie, animated by cravings, a thirst that will never be satiated.

Early evening, nose back to the library grindstone, Monster Energy Ultra Zero. Call me crazy, but the devil does work in mysterious ways. Maybe it’s not so hard to believe in a demonic energy radiating from that product.

Bottoms up, and the rattling of those last few acrid drops may as well be the devil laughing.

In the pursuit of making myself smaller, I’ve never been more monstrous. Aiming for an impossible number, reaching towards a pointless goal, running on fumes. Well, running on taurine. The closer to ultimate zero, the closer to perfection, the closer to God. Or, in a way, the closer to meeting him in person.

“Unleash the beast!” commands the can. Ever the devotee, I followed the devil’s bidding without scepticism.

I found it easy to become a mean and miserable villain to everyone I knew and loved. I spat poison and kept my hackles raised. I bite the hand that attempts to feed me, with a mouth that reeks of sucralose and spearmint gum.

Gnawing hunger comes from a deep reservoir, from far beneath the stomach sediment. A seismic echo felt in my ankles, my knees, behind my spine. I feel it in my head. If you drop coins in a glass of Coke, they emerge the next day shiny and new. If opened up, would my organs be sparkling clean, or black as tar? Again arises a paradox: how can these chemicals be cleansing, when my teeth have long since yellowed?

The cadaver is kept pickled, preserved in fizzy formaldehyde. The brain, suspended in fog. The specimen is frozen in a superficial state, posed to imitate life. Only when the jar is cracked open do you start to smell the rot.

In the Church of Coca-Cola, I will be a faithful follower. I will take thrice-daily communion, and preach to those who will listen. My body, desecrated though it may be, a temple. As I wheel the recycling bin down my driveway, aluminium clatters in my wake, and the congregation bells ring.

23.

24.

CW: The following piece makes reference to eating disorders The photo collages are intended to reflect some of the ongoing urges and internal battles caused by an eating disorder; the conflict between different mindsets, selfimposed rules, and the security of self-control when living in the hazy space between recovery and relapse. Although sanitised to avoid showing anything that might be explicitly triggering, the two images symbolise a slice of this mental struggle.

urges of control and temptation DESTINY HARDING

ARTWORK: Sian Williams

25.

26.

ARTWORK: Xuming Du

swallowed alive.

ANONYMOUS

27.

They say you are what you eat. Working a cafe shift, you observe obvious manifestations of this. Alternative looking people choosing milk alternatives. The person making a show of reading alone will order healthy green juice, in a fairly convincing performance of superiority.

Then there is a case for following hereditary food practices. Essentially, we repeat the eating habits we grew up with. Each household has a distinctive menu repertoire, inter-generational secret recipes, no two spag bols quite alike. You might one day develop a craving for pickled herrings, traceable only to your dad, influencing a paternal proclivity for fermentation.

But what about that which is beyond food? Is it possible to go beyond physicality, beyond the body? Can one become the earth, subsisting on the elements, by ingesting it? Perhaps the way to access the third eye, like the heart, is through the stomach. Here are three easy ways to ascend, awaken, and eat the world: Land Pluck the unassuming spores from the dirt, spongy pieces of earth, less than a handful. Make sure to pick the right ones, eagerly bruising blue to the touch. Introduce them to a cup of hot water, sliced lemon, a hunk of ginger, and watch as the world opens up to you. With your fungi talisman held securely within, masking your humanity, every tree will come to recognise you as a fellow leaf. You will be made privy to patterns that must have been there all along.

See the land breathing deep, feel it heave, rising and falling in sync with your own gasping breast.

For an afternoon, trade your personhood in exchange for the violent miracle of nature.

In one moment you’re chewing on a vegetable, and the next, hurtling through the undergrowth. And at the same time, still rooted to the

ground.

Crying hot, fat tears of joy at the enormity and senselessness of it all. To live as a mushroom is to experience it all at once.

Sea Go to the edge of the country, it doesn’t matter where. Walk into the water. When you inevitably get taken by a wave, fight the urge to fight back. Lose your feet. Allow yourself to be dumped by the uncaring surf. Ever the cruel mistress, the sea will not hesitate to toss you aside. Once the foam subsides, you will have swallowed near half a cup of saltwater and an amount of sand.

Repeat this cycle as necessary.

Between the salt crystals in your hair, a sandy car floor, and a belly forced full of ocean, you can take the beach home with you, inside you, all over you.

Sky Discover a person who you are deeply, ferociously obsessed with. In a way that makes you rabid. Crazed. Find ways into their life. Manifest it. “Bump” into them. Befriend their friends and family. Complete moon rituals. Blood sacrifice. Fix your appearance to appease. Laugh at their jokes. Learn about their interests. Make time to see them. Remember the things they tell you. Introduce them to your family. Memorise the scars on their body, every tattoo, every freckle. Steal parts of their personality, make them your own. Hold them tight in your hand. Eat, drink, breathe them. Resist the urge to crawl under their skin. They are the light in your sky, the sun, the moon, et cetera, et cetera.

If you can make them look back at you, for a moment, you might feel so high that you can touch the heavens, taste it even.

This euphoria might last just a second. Or you might never come down.

28.

ARTWORK: Navita Wijeratne

my eating habits FINTAN GLACKIN

29.

CW: The following piece makes mention of the fixation on food and eating, and vomiting I have never been fond of conventions. I feel no compulsion to follow the crowd. It’s because I’m quite detached from society. This is often detrimental to my personal relationships: I care about my friends and family, I just don’t care enough to show that I care. Also, I am quite a socially anxious person. I’ll be sitting eating dinner with another person, thinking about what they’re eating. And what they’re thinking about. And what they might think about what I’m eating. So I prefer to eat alone. And the more I eat alone, the more I develop peculiar habits.

Not all of my habits are bad. One thing I sometimes do before a meal is press my hands together, and say itadakimasu. It’s something I picked up working in a Japanese restaurant. It’s an acknowledgement that I am not simply eating - like some kind of savage - but receiving my food, like the sophisticated human being I am. Back then, it was a nice way to break up the intense bouts of dishwashing. The practice brings me to the present moment, helps me remember how lucky I am to be here, eating something good. I try to practice conscious eating, but I often forget, and take food for granted. Many times, I begin eating a meal before I’ve finished preparing it. When I am making a toastie, just as it begins to crisp, I’ll tear off a corner of the sandwich and eat it. I’ll do this to all four corners, without even realising. It leaves the toastie quite deformed. Using itadakimasu gives me a rest from those compulsions. It makes me appreciate the meal’s sacred value.

I have an allergy to gluten. It developed when I was about 16, so until then, gluten played a large part in my life. I’m not celiac, it just makes my stomach feel like a balloon about to pop. And my scalp gets crusty. And my mouth gets all acidic, which sometimes causes my gums to tear. I avoid it most of the time, but so many good meals have at least a little bit of gluten. It’s difficult to resist, and it’s not like I’m going to die, so a little bit here and there doesn’t hurt. The other day I went to a Thai restaurant for lunch and ordered a Pad thai, without checking if it was gluten-free. I hoped they’d use rice noodles which would have been safe. They did, but there must’ve been something else with gluten, and halfway through the meal my jeans were a lot tighter, my stomach stretching.

I finished the meal because it was a really good Pad thai, and I don’t like to waste food. But after the meal, I went to the toilet and was sick. Sometimes, if I vomit enough I get off Scot free, and I get to enjoy the meal without the symptoms. Of course, this also means I miss out on the actual nutrients of the meal.

It’s something I inherited from my mother - the gluten allergy I mean, and still eating gluten in spite of it.

Not the vomiting, I don’t think.

I like foods that offer more than just a pleasant taste. Cheese is my favourite food. I can eat it several times a day. It’s great because you can eat it by itself, but it goes well with other things too. I like to eat cheddar cheese with apples, or with walnuts, and I like to have parmesan with honey. Blue cheese just goes well in some bread, and camembert I eat by itself. The appeal of smelly cheese is of course its distinctive sensory experience.

Kind of like chilli. I can’t tolerate loads of spice, but I can tolerate my intolerance. I enjoy spicy foods, they just give my body a hard time - but that’s all part of the experience.

Often in a restaurant, I’ll go for the option with four chilli symbols next to its name. I’ll be confident that with so much practice, I’ll finish the meal with no worries. But each time, I end up red-faced, tears pouring out my eyes, panting like a dog on a day in February. Of course, I finish it - I’m not saying I don’t enjoy all the crying and what-not. In fact, I quite enjoy it all. What’s great about spicy food is that the experience isn’t over once you leave the restaurant. In fact, it isn’t even over when you go to bed. I tend to forget this. It’s only the next morning, around nine9 am, that my body reminds me. I’ll try to make something happen, but there is a fire underneath me, like razor blades sliding across an orifice. Not that that’s a bad thing - as I said, it’s part of the experience for me.

I wouldn’t really call that last one a ‘habit’ per se, more like a frequent happening, or a recurring episode.

I’m afraid that among the habits accrued in my time eating alone, there are many that I’m still unaware of, that I can’t write about. So if anyone wants to eat with me, and take note of my habits, please get in contact and we can arrange something.

30.

ARTWORK: Maddy Brown

eating out with @anu_food_reviews INTERVIEW BY ELIZABETH WALKER

@anu_food_reviews is an anonymous instagram account reviewing all the culinary delights the ANU Campus has to offer.

I met with the mysterious figure shaking up campus food culture on a characteristically grey Canberra morning. They are punctual, friendly, but clearly mean business. While pillow creases have barely faded from my forehead, they have been up for hours.

We rendezvous at Coffee Lab, where my offer to shout drinks is turned down with a knowingly raised eyebrow. Of course - a student of fine tastes. I should have known.

After exchanging pleasantries, we get into the meat of the food review scene.

What is the most profound food experience you’ve ad on campus?

It was about three-thirty in the afternoon, and I was with a friend, dying for a coffee. The only place open was this (they gesture to Lab). Coffee Lab is okay, it’s about the same level as Coffee Grounds to me.

On this day, I could see that the staff were just

over it, and had already started cleanup. I ordered a mocha, and took a sip. It was the worst mocha I’d ever had.

I’m not actually that picky about coffee, I don’t waste food, I don’t really care if the beans are burnt. Maybe if the milk went bad, only then I would care. But this was seriously. The worst coffee. I’d. Ever. Had. It stirred rage. A profound rage. I’ve never been that angry over food before.

Realistically it probably wasn’t that bad. It was probably just three-thirty and I was tired. But it was disappointing. Like a 79 when you needed a high distinction. Disappointing.

How do you prepare before going into a food review stuation?

I do my research. I look into their menu and decide what I’m going to get.

If I know what I want to eat, it tells you more about the quality of their customer service, if I can get exactly what I was wanting.

It’s all a mind game.

31.

So what is your standard practice when in the venue?

I don’t tell them I’m reviewing them. I get a good view to observe what the waiters are doing, the conduct, the cleanliness, give it a full vibe check.

Has reviewing changed your relationship to food?

Oh yeah. I look more into the details, the taste, the texture, the overall presentation of the food. Also the pricing, what kind of value you’re getting for money.

Has it made you pickier?

I wouldn’t say pickier, but I’m more critical of the effort that goes into it.

I take notice of what is on the menu. Like, if I’m at an Asian restaurant and they have pizza right next to squid on the menu, that’s interesting to me. Canberra is getting better. But it is a work in progress when it comes to authentic food, value for money, diverse tastes, and good service.

What’s your biggest red flag at a restaurant?

Oh, Jesus, there’s a lot. Maybe if it’s empty except for one weird person sitting in the back.

The thing is, because I’m such a quality reviewer, I’d never go to places like that (laughs).

If you could describe yourself in a food, what would it be?

Deep-fried ice cream? That would imply I’m cold on the inside… But hot and delicious on the outside. I could be a burger, maybe. Tasty but not entirely good for you. And there’s so many layers to it, different variations.

Do you have high aspirations for the future of your food reviewing career?

As in, would I pursue it as a career? I would - I feel like I have developed the analysis level needed to review food professionally. You know, with all my academic critical thinking skills. As an ANU-taught thought leader (laughs).

Are there any food trends you see emerging on campus, or things you would want to see more of?

More catering for vegan and vegetarian audiences is always popping up.

I’d really like to see more student discounts.

And more 24/7 places. Kita in Narrabundah is a vibe, but I hope that a night cafe in ANU goes ahead. Give us a damn nightlife, or at least give us somewhere we can eat safely at night!

Can you give us a recommendation for a hidden gem on campus?

La Baguette, in the Art and Design school.

Even their “small” coffee is basically a medium anywhere else. Their baguettes are fresh, and you can choose your toppings. The cakes are good too. There’s a waiter there with a French accent - so it feels really authentic. It’s very wholesome.

Finally, on an all-important note, what is your hangover cure?

Kebaba HSP. It’s a go-to.

---------------------------And just like that, my time with the Canberraborn Bourdain drew to an end. Forced apart by impending lectures and group project meetings, we go our separate ways. Parting is such sweet sorrow.

Check out the Instagram @anu_food_reviews if you’re hungry for more hot takes on meals in and around ANU. Or, look to the corners of your favourite cafe on campus. You might just see a certain student, surveying the room with a discerning eye. You might notice them taking a picture, and eating their lunch with carefully studied forkfuls. With any luck, you might be watching the admin in their element.

You probably won’t spot them at Lab again anytime soon though.

32.

ARTWORK: Jessica McLeod Yu

He eats– and once he’s finished eating– Sucks the bones of all their meat and Gurgles, and – as if to dare you – Leaves them bare for you to bury.

His repeated feeding doesn’t Seem to heed or be in need of Anything within your power– Other than a passing hour, Or a passing train, you passing By a stranger without glancing Back at him (as he does you) In fear that he will eat you too. * Come here you spirits who tend on the mortal, Tree-tap my larynx and sip from my gullet And, in exchange for your bodily drinking: Grant me the milk for the gall you so covet.

ELI NAREV

Raise his basket from the floor And smell the paint that brands his door.

Hear him make his mountain meeting See him sit each night to eat.

milk for gall

ARTWORK: Xuming Du

33.

34.

ARTWORK: Yige Xu

the dog and the sister KIERAN KNOX Hello, weary wanderer. I see you survived your ordeal at the sea’s hands. Do not look so surprised. I watched from this very beach, as your boat writhed so violently amidst the water. Though I scarcely know how you managed to steer such a pitiful thing. Wood of rotten core, and moth-eaten sails that resemble bare threads.

Though, as all wanderers in strange lands manage, I see you were able to retain grip of your weapon.

‘Tis fine steel, I must say. Metal like that could only come from the Cities, far beyond the horizon. Are you another messenger, an envoy sent to kneel before our Childe King?

You must know what happened to the last one. A truly grisly fate.

mischaracterising you. So many who land upon these shores will walk this very beach, and pass by myself with nary a glance or word.

Though I am no proponent of violence, it does give me satisfaction to watch their remains carried on vast litters, and cast into the waters before us. Those people are eaters. If there is one thing you ought to know, it is that here we view the act of eating as a sin. I do not blame you for the need, for you it is a need, but for us, spawn of the Childe, it is an excessive affectation. Should you ever need to quell that parasite you call hunger, do turn away from your host. It will mitigate the insult.

Now, such etiquette aside, what you are seeking,

They say her remains were cast into the water on this very beach. From what I understand, the Childe King has not changed their mind. You must have an incredible speech prepared if you are brave enough to tread those hollow halls.

Not an envoy? Oh well, it would have been fun to play a part in history, minor as it would be. Then you must be a mercenary. Well, there are no wars in these lands.

Those kinds of strife passed from memory, long, long ago.

Scholar?

Words? How very interesting. You seek to learn our language? No. Our stories? Now that I can proudly contribute to. For you see, I am a storyteller among my kin. I know, how strange that a storyteller should sit, and wait, upon such a forlorn shore. However, it only makes the telling sweeter, when one such as yourself, follows their craving to me. Which tale do you seek to hear most?

Neither an envoy nor a mercenary? I dare say I have spoken, and assumed, long enough. Who are you, that comes to these gloomy lands?

The Hound’s Burden? The one tale that escaped our borders. Oh? You continue to surprise me, stranger.

Yes, indeed, the title of Hound’s Burden is a foreign creation. Here, we call it the Twin’s Tragedy, or even more simply, the Dog that ate Death.

A scholar? Not unlikely, but certainly not common. Have you come to learn Rites from the Childe Court? No? How very interesting. I apologize again for

‘Tis not long, but listen close to this story of despair.

35.

At the height of summer amidst the golden flax when Our hollowed halls stood full Twins were Born beneath a curse

malformed Merith beautiful Balith

two sides of man

cursed without grace

Balith,

born a mortal

gifted with song and touch

with kindness unimaginable

but a strangeness so profound

no touch nor time could understand it

Merith,

born a hound, immortal

twisted in form

possessed of cruellest claws

terror to all who saw him but filled by a love

too painfully human to ignore

Grown they were known

As Merith, Sword of the Spurned

and Balith, Last of the Lovely

and though she knew no man nor woman for Merith

Balith knew compassion

and it tore the Hound

to emptiest agony

For a world without his sister

was no world at all

Thus, Merith set out

to eat Death

and deny fate

its last Bride

But Death is not so easily found

nor so easily corralled into a shape

that can be killed.

Merith wandered for many years

seeking his enemy

Dark rituals to summon Death’s avatar

led only to melted candles

and black winds

Beneath the stones, in caverns great and deep

no slumbering God lay

for Merith to slay

36.

In charnel pits thousands died in piles of bleeding limbs Merith’s slaughter attracting only crows no grim spectre visible to his beastly eyes In final action Merith fell upon his black blade stained by the deeds he had committed across the lands but Death would not come in person or for Merith Unable to die in body or spirit cloaked in failure Merith returned to Balith to find her dead not by age or malady but jealousy.

Raised a Queen by her fellows Balith had not the compassion to rule and in time her kindness was taken as contempt for her subjects in rage, in rebellion, Balith was severed and pinned to the capital gates When Merith came upon this grisly sight he was greeted by a single mourner clad all in black Death had come Enraged, Merith bounded forward teeth flashing sword swinging but Death spoke and Merith was stilled None know what words were shared between the two but when they finished Merith consumed the mourner As night passed to day Merith lay in agony before his sister’s corpse and when the sun rose once more a thing stood in the Hound’s place It took Balith’s corpse made her warm again and from her flesh It stitched the line of the Childe King.

An ugly story, no? Such drama, heartbreak, suffering, and to end so limply. Now, not to seem rude, but I must suggest you move on. Your company has been so refreshing, but standing so close, you smell delectable. I would rather not break our cardinal rule. This old corpse can only manage so much.

Hah! A true child of Merith and the Childe King, eh?

HOLLY MA

some people have two hearts

ARTWORK: Jasmin Small I am not very good at crying but I’ll try to teach you how to wring it out of a heart that’s been cleaved clean from a chest and buried nineteen feet under the cracked tar on state highway one.

It’s safe there.

I wouldn’t dare park on the freeway to revisit a place where I once shovelled through blistered skin, brittle bones, balloons that kept my own chest rising and rising, to pull out this swollen and boiling organ (spewing with red love), that I handed over to a bucket of black oil that swallowed it whole.

She was never going to give it back. So, I took a polaroid (for dramatic effect) and buried that instead.

How to wring out a heart, you ask?

Well, when your eyes have dried up, water must be pulped from the blood that bottlenecked through pipes with a fate of being pounded into paste and left to dry in the hinges of the photo frame that I’ve pulled out from under this mud, to try and teach you how to cry after giving away your heart.

37.

38.

Do you know how it feels when none of it’s real?

The painful beat of a heart so incomplete as it struggles to comprehend everything its fed?

I know.

I know because it’s the only way I can function.

It’s that assumption that drives me mad, that presumption that I somehow know who’s just a comrade and who’s MORE than that.

The feeling that my bleeding chest knows what’s best for me in the long run, my head trying to protest as I fall desperately in love with you.

It’s the honeymoon phase that fucks with me.

The plucking of those infernal heartstrings like I’m convincing myself that this out-of-tune piano is Mozart, in no part forcing myself to ask the real questions Do I love the being, or is it just the feeling of surrender to the fleeting moment of happiness my heart craves?

When my head caves and I lose all rational sense, the past perfect tense of “What if she HAD loved me” Blinding me from seeing the reality of the situation.

Maybe I just need validation. Maybe I just need someone to hold me tight, But all I can remember is the rapid beat of my fragile heart as we sang streetlights around the amber glow of that sandalwood scented candle.

I replace TLC with THC while you cut your teeth on sheets in Paris and I ask; You wanna know why?

It’s because you are the green light on the dock, the garden parties and the money spent in the pursuit of that idealised love.

I? I am the car accident, the haunting eyes and the realisation that she will never, ever love you.

And that’s just how it is.

ARTWORK: Beth O’Sullivan

bad fantasy SISANA LAZAZRUS I want a boyfriend Who lives in a big house At the end of the street On the harbour With smooth stone steps A stained-glass door Where his mother is waiting Arms outstretched Asking about the traffic And what wine I want to drink His father loves me too Privately Behind the silk curtains and the marble walls Cabinets full of liquor Wondering if he could’ve had me When he was young and beautiful like his boy In his best dressed Staring out at a world that belongs to him

heartbreak ANONYMOUS

My boyfriend has a room On the second storey Little palace tucked away Facing that calm body of water Kissed and fed by soft moonlight Where we embrace quietly In his king sized bed And lie intertwined When I leave in the morning The teary farewell I bow down to that big house Filled with small people Performing life with such clean precision So far away from what I know is real Too perfect I cannot stay The place where I am praised For killing the beating heart

39.

40.

ARTWORK: Jessica McLeod Yu

ARTWORK: Natasha Tareen

“the customer is king:” is capitalism a savior or saboteur of ethical consumption?

DION JONES

Consumption in the capitalist system has always been influenced by external factors - or at least factors which transcend desire and ‘need.’ In principle, external factors can apply to anything; let’s take bread, orange juice and cars as examples. There are so many options staring at you on the shelf or in the dealership. Each product is slightly different from the next, but the one thing they have in common is being the core product you need. Price is an obvious discriminator; the relentless desire for companies to promote affordability is inescapable. Yet, there is also a range of other factors to be considered. Do you want white bread or multigrain? Pulp free or no added sugar? An electric, hybrid, petrol or diesel motor?

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The choices we make every day as consumers are inescapably linked to the rise of ethical buying. Given the enormous impact the capitalist system has had on the climate crisis and environmental degradation, do we not have a responsibility to act? Our decision-making is relevant as individuals; there is power in our consumer dollars. This idea that we can all make a difference, individually and as a collective, is a reflection of the hopelessness many feel as governments fail to act.

That said, the ACT government has taken it upon itself to respond to demands from citizens regarding ethical consumption. Free single-use plastic bags were banned long ago and other plastics, such as straws and cutlery, will soon follow. Supporters of ethical consumption naturally applaud these moves, but it is not an ‘either/ or’ for governments or individuals to act. For maximum impact, it must be ‘both/and.’

Ethical consumption has increasingly been viewed, as pertaining to the environment and, especially, the climate crisis. For this reason, individual decision-making, such as choosing to cycle or take public transport has been promoted over driving for decades. But it can also extend to animal welfare: by refusing to buy cosmetics tested on animals or caged eggs.

Yet, one of the drawbacks of ethical consumption is that it involves, more often than not, consumers paying higher prices. It is exceptionally difficult to find a product, whether it be recycled paper over paper, or rainforest alliance coffee over an unsustainable alternative, where the more ethical product is cheaper. This can challenge those who do not have large enough disposable incomes to make their preferred consumption decisions. Thus, while Woolworths’ decision on cage eggs should be applauded, those Australians living in poverty and who have little choice over what products they buy must not be forgotten either. ‘The customer is king’ is only applicable where the customer has money to spend.

The ‘holy grail’ of the capitalist system remains the profit motive. This is the basis upon which an entire global economy has been built and without which it would be unrecognizable. Workers work to earn wages, but within the social and At the of the economic hierarchy which is inevitably uneasy relationship created, the most important players are businesses. CEOs roll out of bed in the morning with the sole objective of consumerism and making greater profits.

heart

between ethical

capitalism, there is a paradox.

More wholesale boycotts, of companies and not just specific products, also exist as a component of ethical consumption. Here, the objection is often directed at a company’s poor ethical behaviour, which, unsurprisingly, is almost always profit-driven at the expense of someone or something important. Someone concerned about workers’ rights may refuse to shop with Amazon. Or someone concerned about the climate may opt for Bank Australia over the big four banks to protest investments in coal and gas. These choices are unquestionably a form of ethical consumption. However, while boycotts can express an individual’s ethical preference, buying free-range eggs over cage eggs is unlikely to affect the business of supermarkets such as Coles. Similarly, a person who boycotts ANZ is a forgone customer, thus, many businesses may consider them ‘lost’ and not feel the need to change.

At the heart of the uneasy relationship between ethical consumerism and capitalism, there is a paradox.

Fundamentally, capitalism is both a facilitator and a saboteur of ethical consumption. We are told ‘the customer is always right.’ Therefore, we are empowered to dictate by virtue of what we do and don’t purchase, what products we want. Then, in theory, the free market should respond to that demand. Certainly, there is some real-world truth in this. Woolworths, Australia’s largest supermarket, recently announced that they would no longer sell cage eggs in their stores from 2025. Given that 70 percent of eggs sold in Woolies in 2009 were cage eggs, this is a remarkable turnaround and a clear victory for ethical consumption under the capitalist system.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) , as is relentlessly drilled into first-year economics students, is the sum of different aspects of economic performance. Most notably: consumption. The more we consume, the more this number inflates: the country grows and some politician inevitably takes credit. But where does ethical consumption come into play? Answer: nowhere. It doesn’t even get a mention.

It is this failure that has drawn us into the climate crisis and mass animal exploitation, among other ethical, moral and environmental catastrophes. The profit motive and GDP are the foundations upon which the capitalist system operates. GDP is easy to measure; environmental sustainability is harder. Profits are even easier to measure; animal suffering is impossible to quantify.

If individuals’ agency is truly at the heart of the capitalist system, as its advocates assert, then ethical consumption is a true genesis of a pushback against the status quo. The tenets of the system can be turned towards better ends; once it is made clear to those at the top that their cherished profits can only be maintained if they meet the demand to reconsider the ethical dimensions of their business. Within the system, as it stands, ethical consumption, driven by citizens, remains the last hope for a better world to live in.

ARTWORK: Beth O’Sullivan

who am i?

ISHA SINGHAL When someone asks, “who are you?”, do we ever really have an answer? Whenever someone asks us this seemingly simple question, or any version of it, we cling to what we know.

“Tell us about yourself” is a question that often prompts us to think about who we are. We respond with, “I am a student at xx” or “I am an Officer at yy.”. We define who we are with the weight of an institution and we allow that to speak for us. By adding that label, we have added something to our introduction that takes away the need to define who we are. Over time, we prepare a rehearsed definition of who we are - with labels and qualifications that speak for us. So that when we are prompted, we have an answer.

Because as for who we really are, do we ever really know the answer to that question?

I would argue both yes and no - because we can never really have one stable answer. Who you are is constantly changing, as both you and your environment evolve. Questions that may seem quite fundamental, such as “are you a good human being?” may be yes at one given point in time, and no at another.

Sometimes we may not know who we are, or who our real selves are, and sometimes we do. We might feel more comfortable accepting who we think is the real us in some circumstance or in front of a certain person, but not in another setting. Because being around different people also brings out different versions of us.

Occasionally we realise there are a few versions of us, and that further confounds our ability to be sure of who we are. But that’s normal, isn’t it? To change, to adapt to our surroundings like a chameleon. To be the version of ourselves that makes the most sense in context. That is how we grow, evolve and develop ourselves.

The words we also use when describing ourselves are powerful. They bring with them certain preconceived notions. If I say I am a dancer, someone might assume that I’m flexible, or disciplined or obnoxious, depending on their experiences with, and the wider public perception of, the word ‘dancer’. This is scary, because nobody wants to be associated with negative qualities that they may or may not possess even if they are solely based on the biases of others.

After all, when we introduce ourselves with a few words, those words are what people often remember.

“Oh hey, you’re the Frank Ocean enthusiast from ANU right?”

Labels are scary. A label like ANU, which can be used for thousands of students, might not identify and categorise as specifically as our taste in music. So, we avoid such specifics when introducing ourselves, and stick to the less memorable labels. Anything that can be generic and won’t make us stick out like a sore thumb is preferable.

But what we don’t realise is just how institutions give our identity meaning. We wield the same power over words. I may call myself a dancer, but maybe a professional dancer may not consider me one. Even I am apprehensive of calling myself one, because while it is something I enjoy, it is not something I pursue professionally. We as humans have a lot of power in defining what words mean. Language, labels and words all naturally evolve to adopt different meanings. So, we shouldn’t be as afraid of embracing that power.

Maybe we do know who we are, and deep down it is who we think we are that guides what we do.

But we’re afraid to accept it. Accepting who we are at one point, also means accepting that we’ve changed at another. Hence, we cling to the familiar, because who we really are, is to be confirmed.

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ARTWORK: Xuming Du

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i read the latest ipcc report so you don’t have to WILL SALKELD CW: Discussions of Climate Change and existential risk Reading any Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report is a bit like going to the dentist.

Every year, you dread it. It reveals the inaction since the last visit and the increasing risks posed for you later in life. As climate-anxiety-inducing as they may be, I do believe there are takeaways which can guide our individual decision making and understanding of the global climate situation.

So, I read one of the latest IPCC reports, Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change (the condensed version for policymakers) so that you don’t have to.

A Tale of Huge Cities: Increased Emissions in Urban Areas A key message from the 2022 Working Group III IPCC report (Mitigation of Climate Change) was the role that increasing urbanisation had in anthropogenic ​​ greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions growth. The energy supply and industry sectors decreased their emissions output and transport remained about the same. Just between 2015-2020, the share of emissions that can be

attributed to activity in urban areas increased from 62 percent to an estimated 67-72 percent.

There are several reasons why cities contribute so much to emissions. One, there is a strong correlation between income (typically higher in urban areas) and GHGemitting activities like household energy use. Two, the ever-increasing construction of buildings in our cities involves using materials such as steel whose production is emissions-intensive.

Source: IPCC Working Group III contribution to the IPCC sixth assessment report (AR6) Notes: The below percentages do not include the final location of energy use. For example, if energy use for electricity and heating is allocated to the final location where it is used, the percentage of Buildings would increase to 16 percent and industry would increase to 34 percent.

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There is hope though. Sustainable production processes for basic materials (like steel and plastic) are on their way. The IPCC reports these technologies are either in the development stage or ready for commercial use – they just aren’t being adopted by industry. These sustainable processes cost more for businesses but would only entail a small increase for consumers, you, and me. Governments could subsidise the adoption of these sustainable production practices.

Technology and Renewables: Looking Good for the 2010s Many will have heard the classical argument for maintaining coal mines: coal is a cheap source of energy.

While the premises of these arguments are shaky at best, the 2010s proved that the case for the uptake in renewable energies is more than a shut book. Solar energy-reduced 85 percent in price per unit in the 2010s, which the IPCC accredits to government policies that stimulate research and development (R&D) into these technologies.

reduction in emissions by a certain year. The IPCC report uses the NDCs reported before last year’s COP26 climate summit in Glasgow. While countries agreed to revisit their NDCs at COP26, considering they are generally not on track to achieve their initial promises, it is adequate to use pre-COP26 NDCs. If we were to prevent all new GHG-emitting infrastructure projects, just the existence of our current projects would push us over the 1.5 degree mark, and we would arrive roughly around the goal of 2.0 degree target.

Yet, it is fanciful that these projects will cease any time soon. Once all efforts towards emission reduction have been achieved, there will still be unavoidable residual emissions from all our human activity. The IPCC warns we will have to remove carbon from the atmosphere if we ever want net zero emissions.

We already knew all this gloom. Is there anything new from this report?

Yet these technologies aren’t distributed evenly We can make a tangible impact on mitigating across the world. Developing countries lack the financial the climate crisis. First, we have a role in shaping a and other enabling conditions to uptake low-emissions grassroots and stakeholder-consulting culture around technology. While spending on climate change mitigation land use, particularly in returning to Indigenous practices increased by 60 percent in the 2010s, most of this spending around custodianship. A global response to land use’s did not reach low-income countries. contribution to climate change would There must be a global effort to fall short because of the unique culture, the IPCC believes assist developing nations in fostering policy, and economic constraints of that economic environments which allow for each country. Most global forests and of emissions low-emissions technology and human agricultural land are Indigenous owned development. and managed, along with private forest could be reduced at owners, local farmers, and communities.. a rapid pace The market environment for can contribute to the management our cultural We electric vehicles (EVs) is going well, with of lands by fostering collective action in and behavioural the deployment of EVs increasing by our community groups and engaging practices towards more than 100 percent over the 2010s. with local governments.

But there needs to be widespread improvements in infrastructure (everyone Amongst governments, has heard the excuses of not being able to plug-in an EV philosophers, and the average citizens, there are intense in the backroads of the Australian country). There is also debates about our individual responsibility of changing concern that we are depleting the minerals used for EV our consumption behaviour to mitigate climate change. batteries. More research is needed into alternatives.

I will not make a value-judgement on these complicated discussions. I will say, however, that the IPCC believes What about planes and ships? The news isn’t that five percent of global emissions could be reduced good. Biofuels and other alternative fuel sources seem at a rapid pace if we change our cultural and behavioural to be the best option for aviation and shipping emissions practices towards consumption. If we live in an urban area, reductions. Yet, alternative fuel sources will not be used by our opportunity to influence climate mitigation policies these industries unless the fuel becomes cheaper either is even higher. Whatever educational, work, or domestic through R&D or government policy. environment we find ourselves in, there is an imperative to focus on improving our existing buildings instead of How are governments doing? You probably already know creating new ones. the answer.

So, there you have it. I read the IPCC report, To contextualise the responses of governments, so you didn’t have to. I don’t like going to the dentist, we must set the stakes of what we are trying to avoid and and there usually isn’t good news. But sometimes it’s what our goals are to achieve that. Our critical aim is to worth knowing what the damage in my older years will limit warming to less than two degrees with a more than 67 be. Flossing and brushing twice a day, just like individual percent likelihood. I won’t go into the details of what these actions we take to mitigate our effects on climate change, extra degrees of warming mean for our futures – we are have no guarantee of changing the course of the outcome. all too aware of these facts. Every country has set National It is still worth knowing, nonetheless, that flossing and Determined Contributions (NDCs) – essentially a promised brushing are always an option.

five percent global

change

if we

consumption.

COURTESY OF: Karolina Kocimska & Angus MacDonald

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have a crack!

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Outer garment VSCO girl sksksk oral pleasure Artist with 24 Grammys Vegetable that is actually a fruit Just do it The superior music streaming platform Sandwich necessity First non-English Best Picture Oscar winner Going out is just pre’s for Maintaining a balance by not depleting resources Queen B

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Biome, life web Did you know Tame Impala is one guy?

One of the 7 Deadly Sins Store opening next to Dickson Woolies An alternative milk Popular sandbox game Economic system (that doesn’t work) Makes, manufactures A Bold New Campus Experience Eat voraciously

Answers will be published online after the exam period See woroni.com.au

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ARTWORK: Navita Wijeratne

consumed by ‘the canberra bubble’ How partisan politics has trampled over decency in the aftermath of senator kimberley kitching’s passing.

P. SHEA

‘The Canberra Bubble’ is a popular idiomatic phrase which describes the small, insular nature of politics and journalism in the nation’s capital. To me, the recent passing of Senator Kimberley Kitching has instigated a cluster of analyses that highlights the aloof nature of the ‘Bubble’ – a place where elections and the political implications of a woman’s death are given more attention than her legacy or the family she leaves behind.

Senator Kimberley Kitching was elected in 2016 to the Senate as a member of the Australian Labor Party.

Throughout her tenure in Parliament, Kitching reportedly experienced bullying by Labor Party ministers on account of some ideological differences. This includes members of the Senate leadership: Penny Wong, Katy Gallagher and Kristina Keneally. Whilst Labor leader Anthony Albanese has stated that Kitching had made no formal complaint, several party members have corroborated the allegations.

On March 10th, Senator Kitching died suddenly by the side of the road in Melbourne of a suspected heart attack – whilst driving in between meetings – inciting calls for an inquiry into the allegations.

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As a gender diverse person who has been socially perceived to be a woman, I have felt embarrassed by the lack of emotional intelligence and foresight in our leaders as of late. The explanation that Albanese offered about an inquiry into Kitching’s bullying allegations was that senator Kitching ‘had not complained to me about any issues at all,’ as reported by the ABC. Anthony Albanese’s hopeless response to Kimberley Kitching’s death offers me about the same level of reassurance in his competence as Scott Morrison’s “met with bullets” statement.

There are two main problems that I have with Albanese’s explanation:

complexity’ discourse. Many of the articles I have read in the wake of Kitching’s death try to emphasise the ‘harsh’ dynamics of Australian politics, situating the untimely death of a woman in the context of the coming election and internal party conflicts. Whilst her death will ultimately have an impact on Labor’s election campaign, the publication of many articles analysing its implications less than two weeks later, is very distasteful. Some of the articles I have read of this nature include: Kimberley Kitching’s death, factional infighting and a ticking clock: The road to the election is paved with trouble for both parties… (Written by Brett Worthington for the ABC).

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It has been well established that the reporting of harassment, bullying and assault in Parliament House has well under-represented the reality and falls short when compared to workplaces across the country.

And, Kimberley Kitching had a (suspected) heart attack and died. How much more official do you want her suffering to be?

Even if the allegations made by Senator Kitching were false, the Opposition’s refusal to launch an inquiry – to at least find out for certain – demonstrates a refusal, similar to that of the Morrison government, to take women’s rights seriously. Calls for a better standard in Parliament can only go so far – to set the standard you need to be the standard.

I have been similarly disappointed by the lack of advocacy for Kimberley Kitching by many feminists that has contrasted so starkly with the support (rightly) thrown behind Grace Tame and Brittany Higgins. It says a lot about us and the society we live in if we treat younger, prettier women as being worth more of our time and effort.

I feel that lately some feminists need reminding that women in the Labor Party deserve to have their rights advocated for too. I understand that since the bullying allegations made by Kitching were against a few other Labor Party women, it may appear damaging to the cause to insist that they be investigated. However, Kimberley Kitching’s passing has tragically demonstrated the continued importance of having conversations about women’s safety in Parliament, whether they are ministers or staffers like Brittany Higgins. It has highlighted a woman’s right to work in an environment free from bullying, harassment and assault – even if that bullying is reportedly perpetrated by other women. Feminists have an obligation to make sure that partisanship is not incorporated into the way we conduct our advocacy – all political parties need to be held accountable for the atrocious standard of behaviour in Australian politics.

It is not only conservative ministers that politicise the need for better treatment of women. Some analysts contribute to this politicisation by remaining comparatively quiet when a woman makes bullying allegations against other Labor Party members, and by fuelling ‘factional

Kimberley Kitching’s death and its aftermath are another glimpse into the routine brutality of Australian politics. (Written by Katharine Murphy for The Guardian).

And, Kimberley Kitching’s death has exposed allegations of bad behaviour in Labor ranks, stopping Albanese’s momentum in its tracks. (Written by Laura Tingle for the ABC).

I was particularly disappointed by the framing of Brett Worthington’s article, especially when he writes, “Politics to the end – likely how Kitching would have wanted it.” I do not believe for a minute that Kitching wanted to die by the side of the road in her 50s, in between meetings and battling to keep her endorsements, because of her passion for politics.

For the treatment of women in Parliament House to improve, events such as the death of Senator Kitching need to be viewed as they truly are – tragedies that could have potentially been prevented had the standards of behaviour in Australian politics been higher.

Women’s right to a workplace environment that is free from bullying, harassment and assault should be extended to Parliament and it is important that feminists continue to push for greater bipartisan accountability on these issues.

Consequently, it is also important for reporters that live and work in Canberra to remember that politicians and staffers in Parliament House are human beings whose lives and value extend well beyond the political arena.

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ARTWORK: Sian Williams

ARTWORK: Maddy Brown

can’t start, can’t stop – hyperfixation at anu ANONYMOUS Most people prefer to do things that they enjoy, and they find these things easier. Unpleasant activities are harder. Studying a subject that they don’t like is a drag, time passes slowly, they feel tired afterwards.

While I cannot, as an individual, speak for all neurodiverse people, I know that for many of us the experience is heightened. I can spend all day doing something that I enjoy, sometimes without eating or moving. I look up and suddenly it’s nighttime and I’m freezing cold and really hungry. This ‘hyperfixation’ blots out everything else. I don’t hear people speaking to me or notice basic things like hunger. Once it’s broken, though, it takes time to regain focus.

night I was exhausted. I had homework to do, emails to send, and needed to sleep, so naturally, I spent three hours making a colour-coded timetable.

The university system is not ideally set up for anything other than steady, consistent study. Steady, consistent study is great, and it works very well for many people. But for many neurodiverse people (and some neurotypical people too) it’s simply impossible to study like this. The constraints of hyperfixation and obsession make keeping on top of a little bit of something from each of four different subjects tricky, whereas managing lots of one subject (as happens in holiday intensive courses) is much more doable.

This can be very useful if I have an assignment With courses moving to make themselves more due in a short period of time which falls into one of my accessible for online students in the wake of COVID-19, it obsessions. I just set aside a large block of time one day, is possible to binge-watch lectures and tutes in breaks and and voilà, one complete assignment. Alternatively, if I go through the work in one go. However, the time during take a subject that I don’t have an interest in, it’s almost the teaching break and the pre-finals study break is not impossible to study for it. I have to trick my sufficient to properly cover four courses, and brain by finding a link, however tenuous, the greatest benefit to grades is showing up This to something that I enjoy. Programming is in-person throughout the whole semester. one of my passions, and this is a convenient loophole for other courses like physics and It’s impossible to create an education blots out maths. Not enjoying kinematics? Work system that works for everyone. However, I everything else. out how to write a program to solve the suggest a few improvements. problem—I’ll have to learn how the problem works to do that and connecting it to coding will trick my A wider range of intensive summer/winter brain enough to engage it. courses. At the moment, there are only a few courses offered as intensives, most of which are extremely specific.

However, because a large unbroken block of time is necessary for this to work, I can’t study in short bursts. If I A proper ‘break’ over the teaching break, with have an hour between classes, it’s nearly impossible to use assignments due either at the end of the first session or productively. Assignments and homework end up being just after the break has started. done whenever I have a large block of time, and because this is rare, they often end up being done at the last minute Lengthening the pre-finals study break, to let with the help of pure adrenaline. Personal projects with no students study the ungraded coursework that may have fixed ‘due date’ fall by the wayside. This article was started been glossed over in favour of marked work. on the day that drafts were due for this exact reason.

The second point is one that would benefit all Despite the advantages of finishing assignments students, not just neurodiverse ones. rapidly and doing really well in some courses as a sideeffect of obsession, there are hidden costs. Ignoring my Hyperfixation is a blessing and a curse, and body for hours, getting incredibly hungry or cold without it affects people in vastly different ways. It comes with realising is common. And the constant stress of not having unexpected advantages and drawbacks when studying at a a sufficiently long chunk of time in which to work on tertiary institution, and the problems that come with it are something means I often worry about it for weeks before not likely to be easily solved. finishing it in a whirl of coffee and anxiety as 11:59 pm rolls around. Sometimes I hyperfixate on something interesting, but not at all related to uni or it’s at a terrible time. One

‘hyperfixation’

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ARTWORK: Natasha Tareen

opposing aukus at anu NICK REICH The announcement of the AUKUS security pact last spring was a hawkish move driven by the Australian government. The AUKUS pact is a joint security agreement between Australia, the UK and the US to facilitate sharing of military technology and more joint exercises to combat the rise of China. It represents an escalation in Australia’s long and bloody history of imperialist aggression in the IndoPacific region. It will herald more advanced and destructive weapons such as nuclear submarines and hypersonic missiles entering the Australian arsenal, as well as an increased presence of larger and better-equipped armies from the UK and the US on Australian soil.

The pact has led to the establishment of a nuclear science academic program at ANU, thus there is a particular onus on ANU students and staff to build an opposition to AUKUS and our government’s imperialism more generally.

This has begun to happen within the student union (ANUSA) and the staff union (NTEU), with motions in opposition to AUKUS having been passed on both bodies in the face of minority right-wing oppositions. This is an important precedent. The campaign against AUKUS and imperialism should take up the following political positions.

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Australia is imperialist Some on the left argue that US imperialism is the key force for evil in the world and Australia ought to establish a more independent foreign policy to avoid following America into their destructive adventures.

This argument ignores Australia’s imperialism and overlooks the fact that the Australian government’s contributions to America’s abominable wars in the past have been decided from a fiercely independent perspective. The Australian political establishment has been trying to draw the US into our region for decades, to use US military might to defend Australian economic and geopolitical interests. That’s why Australia was the most enthusiastic adherent of America’s entry into the Vietnam War, and later the Gulf Wars and the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.

are colonial mindsets shared by white Australians or even all ‘settlers’, including non-white migrants.

In reality, what drives Australia’s wars, invasions and diplomatic bullying are the interests of Australian capital in securing the best possible environment for them to compete on the world market.

History shows that it is workers, including white workers in Australia, who bear the brunt of a major war, most directly by being sent to fight and die for the interests of capital. For those not sent to the front, workers are squeezed by wartime inflation and other hardships. Even well short of a major war, we foot the bill for increased military spending through slashes to social spending and increased taxes. The dismantling of Australian imperialism at the expense of capital is in the interests of all workers and the oppressed.

Neither Washington nor Beijing Imperialism is not just about strong nations exploiting weaker nations as Australia does in the Pacific, it is also a contest between major powers. The overarching logic of world imperialism today is the rivalry between the The term ‘uncoerced’ is ironic here, given US and China. The US is seeking to defend the ‘rulesAustralia’s defence of this status quo is a history of violence based’ international order that they have constructed and robbery. The Australian military has a history of putting around American-led financial and diplomatic institutions down civil unrest in countries such as the since the end of World War 2. To call Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste and Tonga this system ‘rules-based,’ as America To call this system to maintain the stability of pliant regimes and its allies do, is to mask the power that they can extort through ongoing ,’ as America and relations behind who establishes those military presence (i.e., occupation) and/ its allies do, is to mask rules and who benefits from them. The US or international ‘aid’ flows. Through those makes the rules and punishes with brute the power means, the Australian Government has violence anyone who tries to challenge its behind who establishes dominance. maintained geopolitical hegemony in the those rules and who region and has rolled out the red carpet from them. for companies like Rio Tinto, Woodside As an oppressive state capitalist regime, Petroleum and BHP Billiton to extract all China’s rise has been commensurate the natural wealth of these island nations with an escalation of some of the worst and leave their populations desperately oppressions in the world; such as the poor. wholesale repression of Uighur Muslims in the Xinjiang regions or the crushing of the democracy movement Prosperity for the Indo-Pacific under Australian in Hong Kong. Beijing has its sights squarely set on an influence has only meant prosperity for a minority of invasion of Taiwan in the medium-term future. China’s capitalists and profiteers. Stability and security have meant growing imperial influence in the face of America’s relative crushing resistance when it threatens the governments decline does not bring with it less oppression, more loyal to Australian interests. But imperialism goes deeper democracy or increased rights for national minorities. than just securing profits for resource companies. The direct costs of occupation or intervention often outstrip But just as in Australia and the US, workers in the money made by these companies. The Australian China have no interest in the imperialism and expansion state uses its coercive power to protect a ‘status quo’ of the Chinese state. They derive no material gain from geopolitical order where they and their allies set the rules.

China’s bloated military spending, the nationalist ideology justifying heightened repression, or the prospect of a world The capitalist class is to blame war.

Workers and students in Australia derive absolutely no material benefits from the profits of these The position of activists and the left in all factions capitalists, that wealth gets whisked up to the top. ought not to be reduced to choosing the ‘lesser evil’ in a contest between exploiters and oppressors. In opposing The notion of a national interest shared by all the imperialism of our own country, we must stand in Australians is an ideology promoted from the top of society solidarity with the working classes and oppressed of China, to argue that we all benefit from the Australian state’s or any other imperialist country, opposing theirs. Workers military spending and standover tactics with our ‘Pacific in all countries have an interest in opposing imperialism family.’ It has also been implicitly accepted by sections of and war, whilst capitalists in every country have an interest the left who argue that what drives Australian foreign policy in escalation and violence.

Now, with AUKUS alongside other pacts like Five Eyes and the Quad, Australia has succeeded in drawing US military might into defending the status quo of a ‘stable, secure, prosperous and uncoerced Indo-Pacific.’

based

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benefits

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ARTWORK: Navita Wijeratne

sash on campus: solutions over justice ANONYMOUS CW: the following piece makes mention of SASH, ​​ institutional betrayal and the 2021 NSSS survey.

In the last few weeks, the National Student Safety Survey (NSSS) published their findings into sexual assault and sexual harassment (SASH) incidents on Australian university campuses. The ANU came under particular scrutiny, as it was found to be the university with the highest record of sexual harassment.

Another conclusion drawn from the survey found that college residents were more likely to be sexually harassed and assaulted than their off-campus counterparts.

This comes as unfortunate news, especially at ANU, which has previously attempted to make a concerted effort into dealing with SASH on campus. As a former resident, this comes as no surprise. I believe the current system is seriously flawed, especially when it comes to education and resources being directed at young men. When it comes to SASH on campus, men are primarily the problem and need to be the solution.

The survey highlighted the fact that the ANU was the worst university in terms of sexual harassment cases.

When compared to the national average of 16.1 percent, the ANU had 26.1 percent of students reporting cases of harassment. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, the ANU is also the second-worst university in terms of sexual assault, with its cases being almost three times the national average - 4.5 percent to the ANU’s 12.3 percent. The difference between college SASH and off campus SASH is significant. Compared to the national average of 16.1 percent, 24 percent of university college students nationally reported incidences of sexual harassment. To emphasise this point, according to the national survey, “one in three (36.1 percent) students living in student accommodation or residences reported another student from their residence perpetrated their most impactful incident of sexual assault.”

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While the NSSS confronted students with the stark prevalence of SASH at the ANU, and at universities across Australia, the survey also provided possible solutions to enhancing awareness and reducing cases of SASH. Some responses included the following: “Mandatory workshops directed at male audiences to increase awareness in a group that may not usually interact with these issues” and “[educating] men (specifically)…” as many responses stated that victims of SASH “have never been sexually harassed by women.”

The survey concluded that there is a need to focus on reporting and justice for victims rather than prevention: “Improve awareness of sexual harassment and sexual assault, as well as the mechanisms for reporting and support …provide a range of response and support options for victim/survivors to meet their varied needs and preferences,” amongst other suggestions While more reporting and support are important, in an ideal world there would be no need for such services.

By the time an individual requires these, something terrible has already happened—these measures do not address the root cause. The solution is to understand the cause and prevent the issue from occurring in the first place. Thus, it becomes clear that the current method of prevention is seriously flawed and unlikely to improve without thoughtful changes.

When examining the ANU’s high SASH reports, we must first unpack how unusual the ANU is in terms of its student cohort. According to higher education statistics, only 39.91 percent of students who go to universities in the ACT have a permanent home residence in the ACT. This is down from 57.46 percent in NSW, 52.07 percent in Victoria and 67.97 percent in Queensland. So, the ACT stands as an outlier in terms of a student cohort arriving predominantly from other states. In colleges, there is also a concerted effort made to be very age-restricted. By one’s third or fourth year, a typical student usually moves out or enters some sort of leadership position in their college.

In this way, the ANU is fundamentally different from the other universities, as their students arrive with less support from their families and friends. 18-21 yearolds are thrown into a sort of social bubble without much assistance from parents, older students or other adults, and are left to their own devices. Young, often insecure boys with little family assistance arrive, and are expected to navigate this bewildering social environment. Yes, there are Senior Residents offering support, but they are also required to report even mild infractions, sometimes making it difficult for students to form strong connections. This is one of the first stages in the system where things can go wrong. Being 18 is hard and a bit crazy, especially if you only hang out with other young crazy people. When given the opportunity to explore new freedoms without adult supervision, combined with lots of alcohol, there are going to be implications. It’s a recipe for disaster.

My next point focuses on education and workshops, where more serious mistakes are made. Firstly, these workshops should not be utilised as a platform which provides opportunities for man-hating, shaming, or pontificating on the injustice of a society that privileges men. We must scrutinize specific behaviours and decisions, not identity and class. Secondly, the impulse to come up with simple solutions for complex problems makes the whole ordeal hard to take seriously. For example, when we attend consent workshops every year and complete our online modules, we are told repeatedly that ‘there is no consent if it is caused by the effect of intoxicating liquor or drugs.’ And that’s the ACT law. However, this approach omits the very real grey area surrounding intoxication and ‘how much is too much,’ especially when sex and alcohol play such a pivotal role in the modern ‘hook-up’ culture.

What this usually results in is individuals coming up with their own definition of consent - one which may not always be accurate.

The ANU has a lot of work to do in the coming months to shore up its image and combat the justified anger coming from victims of SASH. Presumably, this means more education and more punishment for perpetrators. I hope reading this shines a light on some of the pressing causes and solutions relating to SASH. Please take what I say in sincerest good faith as someone who wants change on campus.

If this content has triggered any concern, distress or impacted on your wellbeing, ANU provides a number of services to support student health and wellbeing including: Student Safety and Wellbeing email: student.wellbeing@anu.edu.au website: Health, safety & wellbeing – ANU ANU Counselling email: counselling.centre@anu.edu.au website: ANU Counselling – ANU The ANU Wellbeing and Support Line available 24/7 phone: 1300 05 0327 SMS: 0488 884 17 There are also a number of services in the community that can be accessed after hours including: ACT Access Mental Health is a 24-hour mental health emergency access and support service.

Phone: 1800 629 354 or 6205 1065 1800 RESPECT is the national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service. 1800 RESPECT provides phone or online support for people experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, sexual assault, domestic or family violence.

1800 RESPECT is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week Phone: 1800 737 732 Lifeline: 13 11 14 Canberra Rape Crisis Centre, Crisis Line (02) 6247 2525 ANU Women’s Department sa.womens@anu.edu.au ANU Queer* Department sa.queer@anu.edu.au

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ARTWORK: Jessica McLeod Yu

ARTWORK: Bella Hailes-Bradley

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ARTWORK: Sian Williams & Jasmin Small

Also having a free house makes me want to rail you on the balcony

a collection of texts that have consumed adolescent minds COLLATED BY ANONYMOUS Hahaha okay perf

You have beautiful rosy cheeks and a big glowing smile that highlights those big brown eyes that have me struck in love.

Yummm Watermelon

What is wrong with you?? Why???? You’re crazy I reckon you’d like this song

Absolutely my gorgeous I hope you’re well I’d do anything you asked of me Be good

I played Galway Girl so I could cosplay an Irish dancer and they got mad Beatchhh Of course I love you Yum watermelon Plot twist: I fell in love

Absolutely my gorgeous. I hope you are well. I’d do anything you asked of me.

Be good x

i’m excited to give you a hug mumma xxxxx

I’ll be okay once I see you

same here

You will always be a priority I prefer the vibe when we’re all together You know me, I’d fall madly in love U are a girlboss The way a Badger ginger beer would hit right now I want to be in love this is so rude That’s the face of someone ‘effing the bus’ Let’s be menaces tomorrow night

sex??

That made my day, thank u

inbound x

HE IS THE LAZIEST MF I’VE EVER MET I’m happy you’re having fun and making new friends (and a little jealous too, maybe?)

I miss you :(

I’ve been checking my phone constantly for you and I can’t wait to even talk tomoz. Goodnight/good morning xxx I love you This is literally us HAHA

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Do you have snap You are the most beautiful girl in the world and by far the funnest and sweetest one I’ve ever met. Last night when you cried while that song was playing I almost died, it was so sweet and I can’t describe the way you made me feel. I just love you to pieces.

I was getting my PCR and the lady said I’m good at opening my mouth Finding me someone to go out with should be the number one priority

You’re so fucking pretty it’s kinda ridiculous

I have so much to tell you!!!!!!

You’re so fucking pretty it’s kinda ridiculous I can’t wait to give you a hug xx You look good here Do you have snap

I had no idea what just happened, like I cried. I was so happy.

My ADHD has really been acting up recently lmao I slept with him again Men are dogs Good morning my precious girl, I hope you had the best sleep ever. I love you so much, thanks for having me over for the last two days it was so amazing, we had so much fun last night and I really haven’t been happier. Thank you for loving me and being there to talk to. We have so much fun together and I hope the good times only get better.

but not other people

Save the whole day for me tomorrow Also having a free house makes me want to rail you on the balcony He was popping his pussy last night

and i’m happy for you

Hahahah I hate Americans

Gremlin hours are now open Cried over $&#@ like legit tears and now all our besties know, so embarrassing but I am in love with that man

preach

PSA: there’s room for someone else in this bed Testing positive to being a baddie and COVID Uh do we need to unpack that?

they’re the real villains

Please answer my FaceTime, I miss you Sculling drinks, sad over him because he is the best person ever and I love him so much and I just want to be with him cos he is the best human ever and I had to get the boys to give me a hug as comfort.

She stole $145 sunnies and almost got beat up for it I will love you forever if you play Taylor Swift Had my first post break up hook-up Pancakes for dinner?

Don’t listen to me though, I’m a bad influence

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Tonsilitis! Yikes... who you been kissing?

You’re a virgin who can’t drive God damn that’s sick. Please film a round I wanna feel involved, that’s so cool

I’ve been kissing myself

Tacky vom complete I’m so drunk but &%$# feels like throwing up so I’m going to be responsible

That’s an interesting way of saying masturbating

I would’ve needed a [‘no longer a virgin’] cake but I didn’t feel like getting pregnant tonight

We all want to feel loved shomehow

Current situation: I want to gag I will kiss a boy on the lips He had to cancel on me :((( Hate all men until the right one comes along Hi u can’t tell me this is not one of the most attractive people ever No bc I’m in love with your brother Fuck that I can’t wait to see you in 4D <3

I’m lowkey in a bad mood and I feel like I should be smoking a cigarette or something

HOW GOOD

You were in my dream last night I’m watching my friend flirt with someone who has a boyfriend

JUST YOU WAIT

I’ve been counting down the days to see you again I didn’t think I was severely intoxicated until I had to walk and now I have to kiss a boy or else I’ll be sad [The surgery] went well I can’t feel my hand and I’m on drugs AND my period and everyone is pissing me off and I can’t stop randomly crying over everything and I’m uni stressed but like I’m doing well It’s okay if we steal from guys, it’s making up for the wage gap. It’s an act of feminism

AGHHHHHHHH FIND ME A MAN THIS PROTECTIVE EVEN THO I CAN PROTECT MYSELF

Gutted we didn’t spend the night together tbh… If only you liked being cuddled You make me complete.

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3

How to style your share house on a student budget

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FORMULATED BY INDY SHEAD

Locations Marketplace Tips: 1. If you have a car, offer to pick up the items ASAP 2. Haggle if the item is not competitive 3. If the item is competitive, offer a few dollars more

Go to IKEA, for affordable new furniture and accessories

Tips: 1. Use IKEA to buy furniture and accessories you cannot find second hand 2. Buy tools! Assesmbling flatpacks without tools is impossible 3. Make sure you pick up all the flat pack pieces (my roommate forgot half her bed!)

Use Facebook Marketplace to find cheap furniture

'Buy Nothing' groups on Facebook are easy ways to pick up free furniture - you have to get in quick as very competitive.

Join the one for your neighbourhood.

Visit Greenshed outlets for dirt cheap second hand furniture. The one in Mitchell is best for furniture.

Styling!

Add Character

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Simplistic furniture with plants and pops of colour

Organisation with whiteboards on the fridge to keep up to date with each other

Add a pop of colour

have a random salient feature ours is Paddington Bear - always the topic of conversation!

colour code your book shelf!

display candles and trinkets on shelves

feature photo wall

PLANTS you must have plants!

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s

m -

r

Learn how to propagate plants. It's free!

Recommend Heritage Nursery in Yarralumla for quality plants (fair price) and Bunnings for similiar price plants but cheaper pots Buy plants that require minimal care - and read the instructions to see how much sunlight they need.

Most of ours flourish inside with minimal sun and watering about every fortnight - I always water them when they start to look droopy!

Herb Garden = pretty and fresh herbs! You can buy seedlings ($4), potting mix and planters from Bunnings (large selection).

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ARTWORK: Xuming Du

Norman Fucking Rockwell - Lana Del Rey neverletyougo - ROLE MODEL Hold Me While You Wait - Lewis Capaldi

i can’t get you out of my head - a playlist LOVE FROM THE CONTENT & ART TEAM

Since U Been Gone - Kelly Clarkson Cyclone (The Village Sessions) - Sticky Fingers Tomorrow - Shaky Graves Seventeen - Sharon Van Etten All Eyes On Me - Bo Burnham Plan B - Megan Thee Stallion Paint Me Silver - Pond Can’t Get You out of My Head - Kylie Minogue K Hole - Alex Cameron Elle ma dit - MIKA Alaska - Maggie Rogers LEMONS DEMO - Byre New Romance - Beach House Don’t Delete The Kisses - Wolf Alice Sweet - Place Nice et al.

W

We would like to acknowledge the Ngunnawal and Ngambri people, who are the traditional custodians of the land on which Woroni is created. We pay respects to Elders past, present and emerging. We acknowledge that the name Woroni was taken from the Wadi Wadi Nation without permission, and we are striving to do better for future reconciliation.