Every now and then in the life of a nation, there’s an event that threatens to change the status quo, bringing the old tired establishment out swinging. You and I, the punters, will be led to believe the assault is for our own good and the sanctity of our institutions. Sophie Mirabella’s (@MirabellaSophie) defeat at […]
The killing of fair play: @Jansant comments on what the ALP has lost
April 12, 2014
I used to be proud of being born and raised in Balmain, the spiritual home of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). The area has produced and attracted some of the greatest names in Australian history, people of politics like Sir Henry Parkes, Tom Uren, Neville Wran and Herbert Vere ‘H.V.’ Evatt (aka Doc Evatt), […]
New Politics, New Media: On-the-ground #MarchinMarch reporting by citizen journalist @jansant
March 22, 2014
By Wayne Jansson @jansant 20th March 2014 It’s normal to start a story at the beginning. I’m going to start smack bang in the middle with this one, as it sums up one of the many factors which forced 100,000 plus people to MarchInMarch (MiM) around Australia. I say forced intentionally. People don’t take to the streets in […]
Blasting the #MarchInMarch partisan myths: @jansant reports
March 13, 2014
By Wayne Jansson @jansant 13th March 2014 March in March (MiM) has now grown to 31 events across the country, the main Facebook page has more than 42,000 likes, and growing. Last week The Border Mail ran a story about an MiM event for Wodonga, Victoria, claiming it was being organised by North-East Border Trades Hall. MiM organisers have been extremely […]
Reporting #MarchInMarch, by @jansant
March 5, 2014
By Wayne Jansson @jansant 5th March 2014 One month into the Abbott Government, a user on Twitter floated the idea of banding together to voice concern about the direction the new Prime Minister was taking Australia. From this seed a movement was formed – MarchInMarch. Fast forward to early March, 2014, and it’s grown into a truly […]
Reporting Indi: A reflection by Margo Kingston
December 2, 2013
[clear] By Margo Kingston, 1 December 2013 I take the Gold Coast train to Brisbane airport, the plane to Melbourne, the sky bus to Southern Cross Station, the train to Seymour, and the bus to Wangaratta train station. Wayne Jansson leads me to his battered old car and drives me to the hamlet of St James. […]
The intellectual grunt behind @Indigocathy Indi victory: @sarah_capper report
September 20, 2013
[clear] By Sarah Capper Sheila’s editor 20 September 2013 When Jeff Kennett lost the “unlosable” Victorian election in 1999, the Victorian Women’s Trust’s Mary Crooks wasn’t overly surprised. In the years leading up the state poll, in her new role as Executive Director of the VWT, Crooks designed and led the ‘Purple Sage Project’ – which […]
McGowan to apologise to Indi Aborigines: Transcript of her victory press conference
September 19, 2013
Margo: So it’s the end of the beginning for the member for Indi Cathy McGowan. Wayne Jansson has kindly transcribed her answers to reporters’ questions at yesterday’s victory press conference. McGowan announced that she would end the hurt created by Ms Mirabella’s boycott of the Stolen Generations apology by making a formal apology on behalf of Indi next Sorry Day. Wayne discovered […]
The sociology of how Cathy won Indi, by @ktbar0
September 12, 2013
[clear] By Kate Sleeman 12 September, 2013 Life in regional cities and towns is often perceived by our city cousins to be a step back in time; dull, slow, backward and socially conservative. However the election result in Indi has hopefully changed their perceptions and highlighted the power of real communities. They are beginning to […]
Wangaratta goes wild for democracy: @Jansant reports hot #Indivotes forum
August 30, 2013
By Wayne Jansson 30 August 2013 STOP PRESS: The Coalition is looking increasingly shaky from rural Australia as former National Party MP Ken Jasper publicly pledges his support for Independent candidate for Indi Cathy McGowan. Jasper was recently seen showing McGowan around at a local football match.McGowan placed an advertisement in the Border Mail today, […]
