General

Being a one-eyed supporter is easy

By Robyn Dunphy March 3, 2014 18 Comments

It must be wonderful to be a one-eyed supporter of anything: a football team, a soccer team, a political party or ideology; or a religion. If you are a one-eyed supporter you can close your eyes and ears to anything that you think doesn’t fit your world. I’m not a one-eyed supporter of anything. I […]

Goodies, baddies, wimps: where are the ADULTS?

By Robyn Dunphy February 24, 2014 20 Comments

Perhaps the adults are actually in Cambodia, because Australia’s supply seems to have run out! Would somebody out there like to explain, with supporting evidence, why Australia deems it appropriate to dump vulnerable people on third world countries? Manus Island hasn’t worked out so well (not like a raft of people didn’t warn it was […]

He felt the tip of a blade

By Robyn Dunphy February 23, 2014 5 Comments

Continued from Nothing but ocean. If you have just joined this story and wish to start from the beginning, go to What goes around comes around. Jones elbowed his way to the bow and stared into nothingness. His life was gone, over. He had to find his family if he could and start again. He had nothing, […]

A little Australian history

By Robyn Dunphy February 22, 2014 25 Comments

The day will come, and perhaps is not far distant, when the European observer will look round to see the globe circled with a continuous zone of the black and yellow races, no longer too weak for aggression or under tutelage, but independent, or practically so, in government, monopolising the trade of their own regions, […]

Nothing but ocean

By Robyn Dunphy February 19, 2014 10 Comments

Continued from What goes around comes around.  A crewman looked at him in disgust. He would see that look in many eyes and he shrank before it. The crewman knew him from the media reports of years ago. The crewman had waited on Nauru for years as a child. Now he was helping his persecutor […]

Was I too tough on Scott Morrison?

By Robyn Dunphy February 17, 2014 15 Comments

Please allow me to provide context and a sequence of events. Yesterday I saw this tweet: Scott Morriscum, arsehole extraordinaire #auspol #worstgovernmentever pic.twitter.com/wzHd3YvbzO — Salty Bobbins (@SharyBobbins) February 16, 2014 My immediate response was “Oh, this couldn’t be true, it’s a mean meme.” ** Looking further afield, I started to think there may be some […]

Could he have avoided overstaying his visa?

By Robyn Dunphy February 16, 2014 7 Comments

BARRIE CASSIDY: Three days ago an Indian student took his own life at a detention centre in Melbourne. He was in that centre because he overstayed his visa. Could that have been avoided? SCOTT MORRISON: Could he have avoided overstaying his visa? BARRIE CASSIDY: Is there a better way to deal with a student who […]

Another life needlessly taken

By Robyn Dunphy February 16, 2014 11 Comments

A life was not lost. A life was taken. Stolen. Jordan Davis did not live to celebrate his 19th birthday today. He was shot by Michael Dunn. Michael Dunn drove away from the scene like this was a normal event. I don’t understand. I don’t understand any of it. The jury verdict is in. Dunn has been […]

Work for the dole

By Robyn Dunphy January 27, 2014 20 Comments

Work for the dole is a very, very contentious issue in Australia. Let us make no mistake here, there are valid arguments for and against, despite what both “sides” have to say. .@MinhKular @MikeXcaberate As always, they're just slapping a bandaid on without checking to see what actually caused the bleeding. — Delly Lama (@deltrimental) […]

Religious beliefs and regional conflict

By Robyn Dunphy January 24, 2014 12 Comments

My mind has been churning since I published “Who can we believe?” yesterday. The comments on that article and interaction on Twitter made me delve deeper into the potential for conflict, which we should avoid at all costs. I have always held grave concerns about the impact Abbott’s religious fervor has on his decision-making. As […]