“I want Australia to continue to be a country that no matter where you live, who you worship, who you love or what your last name is, that places no restrictions on your journey in life.”
Anthony Albanese spoke in Sydney with Labor on the cusp of returning to power for the first time since 2013.
Election night – a Better Future
Little can compare with the joy of this Labor win so I am going to indulge myself and concentrate on that.
Anthony Albanese sworn in as Australia’s 31st Prime Minister
I was fortunate enough to be sent some photos of the swearing in of the 31st Prime Minister of Australia on the Monday after the results showed that Labor would govern. Grace Arndt sent the following:
Photos by Jake Sims
Four Labor Members were sworn in on the same occasion. Penny Wong , the Foreign Minister, accompanied the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, to the Quad meeting in Tokyo. Katy Gallagher is the Labor Senator from the ACT, and Finance minister.
Election Day in Canberra
But, to go back to election day: the democracy sausages, cake stalls with political cookies, handing out how to vote cards, queues, candidates’ posters and Tshirts…and dogs.
Watching the ABC coverage in trepidation – 2019 was a salutary experience – and we are cautious, as well as having lots of dessert available to help deal with the wait.
For my American friends – remember that Labor is red. The Western Australian results came in late in the night , but were marvellous. So many seats changed from Liberal to Labor.
My favourite was Tangney where in 1975 I trudged from house to house door knocking for Labor in an election that we lost . It was 42 degrees most days, we were rather unwelcome, and we lost the seat.
A great result this time. Sam Lim is now the Labor Member for Tangney Sam was born in Malaysia where he served for two years as a Police Constable with the Royal Malaysian Police Force, before leaving to become a dolphin trainer, and then running several small businesses. Sam must have been an interesting candidate – I would have welcomed door knocking for him, particulary as the election was not held in December heat.
Canberra Covid
And now the bad news about Canberra and Covid with an increase of new cases on May 22nd.
New cases on 19th May numbered 504, with 82 people in hospital, 4 in ICU two ventilated and one life lost.
On the 20th May there were 552 new cases with 84 people in hospital with Covid, 4 in ICU, and 2 ventilated.
On Saturday 21st there were 758 new cases reported, bringing the total number of cases in the territory during the pandemic to 125,220. There are currently 5787 active cases in Canberra.
On May 22 Covid hospitalisation rose above 90 for the first time and hit a record high for the fourth day in a row, There are now 92 patients in hospitals with the virus, including four in intensive care, and two receiving ventilation. The day before there were 89 patients in hospital with three in intensive case and two being ventilated. Elective surgeries have had to be postponed because of the the impact on health services from new cases.
New cases for 24 May were 394, with 90 people in hospital, 3 in ICUand 2 ventilated.
The new cases for 25 May were 944 new cases, 88 people in hospital, one in ICU, and one ventilated.
Minka Kent Unmissing Thomas & Mercer, 2022 was sent to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Once again Minka Kent has written a thriller with enough twists to keep readers engrossed and prepared to try a little bit of investigation of their own to work out the plot. Although I suspected one twist, the others were well hidden, and such suspicion is not necessarily justified. With their hidden motives and duplicitous behaviour, the characters are also reasonably complex. None makes it easy to identify wholeheartedly with their aims and behaviour, their motivation creates interest throughout the novel. As the main character ruminates, she is seen as a victim to be helped – but the assistance she is offered really focussed on her needs, or based on the helpers’ own inadequate lives? The complete review is at Books: Reviews
NGA EXHIBITION
KNOW MY NAME: AUSTRALIAN WOMEN ARTISTS 1900 TO NOW
PART TWO
12 JUN 2021 – 26 JUN 2022
Know My Name: Australian Women Artists 1900 to Now showcases art made by women. Drawn from the National Gallery’s collection and loans from across Australia, it is one of the most comprehensive presentations of art by women assembled in this country to date.
Told in two parts, this exhibition tells a new story of Australian art. Looking at moments in which women created new forms of art and cultural commentary such as feminism, Know My Name highlights creative and intellectual relationships between artists across time.
Know My Name is not a complete account; instead, the exhibition proposes alternative histories, challenging stereotypes and highlighting the stories and achievements of all women artists.
Know My Name: Australian Women Artists 1900 to Now is part of a series of ongoing gender equity initiatives by the Gallery to increase the representation of all women in its artistic program, collection development and organisational structures.
- KNOW MY NAME: AUSTRALIAN WOMEN ARTISTS 1900 TO NOW
- PART ONE14 NOV 2020 – 9 MAY 2021
- THE BOOK
- With more than 150 artists profiled, the Know My Name book celebrates art by women from across Australia.
- ABOUT KNOW MY NAME
Robin's Room 