mastodon 4.7.2I live on Wadjuk Noongar Boodja in Perth Western Australia.
Unrepentant quilter. Gardener. Keen on permaculture. Social justice advocate. Low Fodmap. Choirs are the best. Pronouns she/ her. Married to my DH. I am the Mother of the house.
I read books, know things, and avoid people.
The profile picture is my black and white fluffy cat. I, however, am a fairly short, fairly senior lady with a fabulous white haircut.
We were babysitting the grandchildren last night. After they were in bed, Zoe thought she had better do some grandparent sitting.
I was given a hyacinth bulb and vase for Mother,'s Day. The bulb is now in flower and I can smell the perfume a whole room away.
I think this is the rose mallee Eucalyptus rhodanthae, but the leaves are not round enough. The flowers were about 4cm across.
#bloomscrolling
#WesternAustralia
Just a plain little mushroom which has come up in the garden, but I find it encouraging proof of the whole living biome of critters now in this garden soil which I have improved with mulch and a bit of compost, over the years.
Just rang the office of my MP Dr Anne Aly to express my concern re the ABC reports of government plans to further restrict work rights and appeal rights for asylum seekers, among other immigration changes.
I suggested that you can't follow the right wing parties into restrictive immigration policies in any way that will satisfy them. Give them a concession, they will demand more.
You can call your MP with the help of this site from the ASRC.
The New Holland Honeyeaters are lining
up for a dip in the birdbath.
They move quick, but this picture has one resting on the little hook that allows irrigation water to fill the bath in the summer.
This is the bookleaf mallee Eucalyptus Kruseana.
The branches develop leaves around the stem, then grow buds and flowers, then more leaves. It is a bit like a kebab!
#WesternAustralia
#bloomscrolling
At St Mary's for the WASO choral concert. Waso sings Devotion.
#classicalMusic #choralSinging
We have been watching again Rick Stein's series From Venice to Istanbul. Our Perth Mediterranean style climate means lots of the ingredients grow well here: olives, tomatoes, oregano, lemon.
I have the recipe book too!
Oh the joy of abundance!
Today I picked limes and put a box on the verge to give away to the poor lime-deprived neighbourhood.
I also picked more mandarins and have been reseaching ways to use our very first abundant crop.
Morag Gamble has 12 ways to use the fruit and peel:
My garden is stuffed full of plants which grow in fairly random fashion. It makes me happy.
The grapevine is losing its leaves now. More sunshine in this area will happen when the weeping mulberry and quince take the hint.
"We need to show our young ones, so they know some of our ancestral heritage was taken away and stored on other people's country," he said.
"We need to show the future generations our culture has remained, and we can bring our ancestors back through the same song cycles and ceremonies of our forefathers."
#indigenous
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07-31/yol%C5%8Bu-remains-repatriated-in-arnhem-land-nt/106967058
UN declares climate alarm blaring
Climate alarm ‘blaring from every direction’ https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/07/1168042
A broad coalition of Australian community organisations has called on the Federal Government to introduce a gas export tax and reform housing tax breaks in the 2026 federal budget.
A joint statement, signed by more than 50 organisations including ACOSS, Foodbank Australia, Jesuit Social Services, National Shelter, Single Mother Families Australia Inc, People with Disability Australia, and the Public Health Association of Australia, calls for a 25% levy on exported gas and reform of capital gains tax and negative gearing.
The measures are contained in ACOSS’ 2026 budget submission, released today, which also calls for a significant increase to income support and home energy upgrades to all social housing and private rentals.
The submission calls the government to:
Halve the 50% CGT discount progressively over 5 years and end negative gearing immediately for new investments with a phase out over 5 years for existing investments
Introduce a 25% levy on gas export revenue and phase out the diesel fuel rebate for mining companies
Increase income support payments, such as JobSeeker, Youth Allowance and Parenting Payment, to at least $600 per week and substantially lift the Remote Area Allowance
Set and fund national social housing targets to increase social housing to at least 6% of homes over a decade and 10% of homes over two decades, calibrated to alleviate housing stress and homelessness
Fix employment services by removing the harmful Targeted Compliance Framework and redesign employment services so they genuinely help people to get paid work
Provide energy upgrades to all social housing and private renters to reduce energy bills and improve health outcomes.
https://www.acoss.org.au/joint-statement-on-tax-and-spending/
As I read this book, it becomes obvious that women artists have always struggled against prejudice.
A man paints flowers? Classic.
A woman paints flowers? Domestic
A man paints a female nude? Bold and sensuous.
A woman paints a female nude? Creepy
A man explores multi media? Avant-guarde
A woman explores multi-media? It is not art, it is craft....see " domestic".
The book is called British Women Artists: from suffrage to the sixties, by Carolyn Trant.
Thee dearth in any apology has rather left civil society with the understanding that such unlawful police brute force could be unleashed again if a group of demonstrators gathers to convey their dissent over a position that is at odds with that of NSW authorities.
Paul Gregoire is a Sydney-based journalist and writer. He's the winner of the 2021 NSW Council for Civil Liberties Award For Excellence In Civil Liberties Journalism. Prior to Sydney Criminal Lawyers®, Paul wrote for VICE
Day 2 of the garden path project.
We think we have the dripper hoses which cross the path now buried deep enough. The first roll of garden edging is in place but we need some garden stakes to help it go around the curves.
I am very happy with this project as I think it will offer definition to my garden beds.
#gardening
# seniorsStillGardening
The Australian Council of Social Service Media release
ACOSS strongly condemns the racist and deeply offensive statements by Senator Pauline Hanson during a podcast appearance with a hate-driven, white nationalist in the UK.
“There is no place in public debate for spreading fear, stoking division, and promoting false, racist and divisive stereotypes,” said ACOSS CEO Cassandra Goldie.
“ACOSS stands today in solidarity with all people who are being targeted, including people who are Muslim and of all faiths, people who are migrants, refugees and people seeking asylum.
We urge all of civil society to stand up for decency and human rights.
“Our diverse, multicultural and migrant communities are one of our greatest strengths.
“ACOSS proudly celebrates the rich diversity of our community. First Nations peoples, people of all faiths, people who are migrants, refugees or seeking asylum and people of diverse genders and sexualities all contribute enormously to the social, cultural and economic fabric of the country.
“People facing cost-of-living pressures deserve real, compassionate solutions, not hate-fuelled rhetoric designed to invoke fear and fracture our society.
“Political leaders must set a standard of decency and use words that build solidarity, not division.
“Racism won’t help build affordable homes, improve services or lift people out of poverty, but it will fuel fear and anger, undermining our work of creating a fairer country for everyone.”
A young hakea laurina in the school carpark is covered with pink and cream spiky globe flowers and bees!
Multicultural Affairs Minister Anne Aly, who is Australia's first Muslim federal parliamentarian, said the government's responses go to "addressing some of the most significant manifestations of Islamophobia".
"For the very first time, the very first time in the history of this country, we have a government that is willing to recognise that Islamophobia exists," she said.
🎵 The long and winding road🎵
Day 4
Edging in place and first layer of mulch.
There is enough mulch left for a thicker layer, to account for compaction
I am excited to plant things to trail over the edge!
Guess who got locked in the garage, and didn,'t take the advantage of the two previous searches we made, to reveal herself and come out until we were all anxious?
#catsofMastodon
Good programme from the Shot this week, with content from WA, the petro-state of the nation, where Labor has preselected a former Woodside employee and avowedly pro-gas candidate for the by-election in Secret Harbor.
On Caturday, Dora recommends a pillow fort for comfort.
Heard Zoe Ladlaw discuss this on RN Late Night Live.
Unfortunately the price is prohibitive. Going to see if the library can get it.
Making progress on the garden path on day 3.
Both sides of the path's edging have been laid to where we go round the mulberry tree. Initial mulch layer is down to that spot. The view in the picture looks back to the house from that spot.
We are going to need more stakes!
The Australian Human Rights Commission has developed this fact sheet about the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (IDERD) March 21 each year, to demonstrate how 'harmony' hides structural and systemic racism.
In its first-quarter snapshot for 2026, Australia's market operator also showed that rising battery capacity was eating into gas use.
Power prices are expected to drop with the energy market regulator due to release its power price guidelines at the end of May.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-04-30/renewables-batteries-drive-down-fossil-fuel-use-/106622772
ACOSS* statement on NACC Robodebt Investigation
The findings of the National Anti-Corruption Commission’s Robodebt investigation will be devastating to the victims and their loved ones today.
The NACC found two public servants engaged in ‘serious corrupt conduct’ - but will not refer them for criminal prosecution. Four others, including former prime minister Scott Morrison and former secretary Kathryn Campbell, were found to not have engaged in corrupt conduct.
“For the hundreds of thousands of people harmed by Robodebt, these findings will be devastating,” said ACOSS CEO Dr Cassandra Goldie.
“For those who had their lives upended, who lost loved ones, who sold assets or borrowed money to pay phantom debts they never owed - this will be very hard to receive.
"Robodebt destroyed trust in government. With Robodebt, the Coalition government targeted and harmed people on very low incomes. It painted them as criminals and threatened them with jail time if they didn't pay. Some people took their own lives. Others had relationship breakdowns.
“The Coalition Government knowingly tore apart so many lives and, and despite repeated warnings from ACOSS and many others, continued a scheme that was blatantly unfair, and causing harm. Robodebt was criticised from the beginning by people at Centrelink, by advocates, by community legal centres, and most of all by the hundreds of thousands of people it targeted.
“More than five years after the Federal Court ruled Robodebt unlawful, no criminal proceedings have taken place.
“The lack of ministerial accountability for Robodebt sends a message that people receiving social security are second-class citizens, not worthy of justice. As we have said since 2016 when we first heard of Robodebt, it was wrong and needed to be stopped. Today we stand with all affected by the scheme who still wait for justice.”
ACOSS strongly endorses the words of Robodebt Royal Commission Commissioner Catherine Holmes SC, who said: "Politicians need to lead a change in social attitudes to people receiving welfare payments. The evidence before the Commission was that fraud in the welfare system was miniscule, but that is not the impression one would get from what ministers responsible for social security payments have said over the years. Anti-welfare rhetoric is easy populism, useful for campaign purposes. It is not recent, nor is it confined to one side of politics. Those attitudes are set by politicians, who need to abandon for good — in every sense — the narrative of taxpayer versus welfare recipient."
*Australian Council of Social Service
Welcoming Australia are seeking a State Coordinator for Western Australia!
https://welcoming.org.au/state-coordinator-western-australia/
Grace tame on The Shot: Time to reform the child care industry.
"It’s high time we focused our resources on overhauling the early childhood education and care industry, and started offering community-wide grooming prevention training. At this point, we should not be surprised that child predators want to work with children, particularly in an industry that provides direct access, yet so little oversight. If we want to create a safer, better future economically, culturally and spiritually, we have to invest in the protection, education and care of the leaders of tomorrow — our nation’s children. It’s that simple.
Albanese government bans valid visa holders from Iran coming to Australia
Late yesterday the government announced it would ban people who already hold valid Australian visas from travelling to Iran to Australia. It’s part of the government’s new strategy of stopping people from making legal protection visa claims once in Australia, if they are from an area where there is conflict, or the possibility of conflict.
As Greens senator David Shoebridge says:
The Migration Amendment (2026 Measures No 1) Bill 2026, which was supported by One Nation and the Liberals, gave the Minister of Home Affairs the power to block people with a valid temporary visa from travelling to Australia. This power has now been exercised by the Minister of Home Affairs to target Iranians to prevent them from seeking asylum in Australia.
The restriction will initially apply to any Iranians holding a subclass 600 visitor visa. We know from evidence given by Home Affairs in answer to questions from Senator Shoebridge that there are currently around 7,200 Iranians who hold temporary visas but have not yet arrived in Australia.
The vast majority of people seeking asylum from authoritarian countries do so by securing a visa and then applying for asylum upon arrival. There are vanishingly small numbers of offshore humanitarian visas provided to people in Iran, because doing so would clearly identify them as a target from the Iranian government.
So Australia supported this war and then banned anyone from seeking protection from it. That’s where we are at.
Picked up a charming original little painting by Caroline Juniper called 'Friday Afternoon", at the op shop today.
Oil prices going up, says Greg Jericho, has the same effect as putting interest rates up.
The RBA made a terrible decision!
Day 1 of thegarden path project:
We buried a part of several dripper hoses, laid out the garden edging and gave it a trial to see how far we wanted to bury it and which tools were easiest to use.
Then we were interrupted.
More tomorrow I hope.
Amy Remekis on Australia's fragile energy security.
https://thepoint.com.au/opinions/260330-running-on-empty-australias-hard-truths-on-security
“We are aware of the reaction to the prime minister’s attendance and we understand that emotions are high, particularly given the ongoing suffering in Gaza and the devastation in Lebanon,” it said in a statement. “These are not distant issues for our community. They are deeply personal, and they shape how many people feel in this moment.
“But we also need to be clear. Choosing to engage with the elected leadership of this country is not a betrayal of those concerns. It is how we give them a voice. Walking away from engagement has not advanced our community, nor has it changed outcomes overseas. It has not reduced Islamophobia here, and it has not strengthened our ability to influence decisions that affect us.”
“When leaders enter our mosque, they do so in the presence of a community that is informed, engaged and unafraid to speak plainly. We do not open our doors for appearances. We do so because real conversations require access, and because our community deserves to be heard directly, not spoken about from a distance.”
The association wrote that its “position on Gaza and Lebanon is clear and unchanged”.
#aus
h ttps://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/mar/20/anthony-albanese-tony-burke-heckled-lakemba-mosque-protestors-ntwnfb
We are at an outdoor event in the Joondalup Festival, a music story of Edith Cowan, at the University named after her.
We are at a history symposium in Freo, all about the Catalpa rescuing 6 Fenian convicts from Western Australia in 1876.
I bought a book about it which was signed by the author! Fremantle to Freedom by Peter Murphy and Fred Odea
#historyNerd
Really great interview on The Europeans podcast this week about Mastodon!
'Eugen Rochko built an open-source, non-problematic Twitter alternative, completely without fanfare. Last year, the Mastodon founder announced his departure from the head of the social media platform in a candid blog post, citing a growing discomfort with the role and an interest in preserving the site’s decentralised values. But Mastodon lives on, and – full disclosure – we’re all for it. This week, we spoke to Eugen about his dreams for the “fediverse” and about whether his vision for ethical, supervillain-free online communities has a promising future'
Five yearson, what really matters hasn't changed.
https://johnmenadue.com/post/2026/03/five-years-after-march-4-justice-women-are-still-being-killed/