Michael Pascoe: How Murdoch’s myrmidons murdered climate policy

“The Murdoch media, determined to remove the Labor government at any cost, mounted a savage war on the science of climate change and the structural reforms that needed to be undertaken,” wrote former Labor Treasurer Wayne Swan in a 2017 article and reprised this week on Twitter.

Rupert Murdoch's far-reaching press power has consistently
silenced climate change news, keeping the Coalition in a comfortable position, Michael Pascoe writes.

It’s an important insight as it suggests an answer to the mystery of the Murdoch media’s rabid climate denialism in Australia – a campaign by our biggest newspaper company that has both enabled and goaded the troglodyte end of the Coalition to make Australia a world leader in fighting carbon reduction, in worsening our changed climate.

Without the on-going Murdoch campaign promoting climate disinformation and sheer lunacy, it’s hard to imagine any government being able to persist with its cynical twisting of emissions policy, never mind outright lies.

Read The New Daily story - “Michael Pascoe: How Murdoch’s myrmidons murdered climate policy.”

Inspired by Greta, Milou wants us to re-think our attitude to climate change

Milou Albrecht is determined to see us re-think our attitude toward climate change.

Milou Abrecht.

The 14-year-old Castlemaine student played a key role in initiating what became the national school strike by students for the climate. 

Milou, who herself is quite inspirational was inspired the by the Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg who became internationally known when she went on strike outside her country’s parliament urging politicians to act in an effort to mitigate the causes of climate change.

Gathering a few friends from Castlemaine, Milou travelled to nearby Bendigo to attend a “Stop Adani” rally and quickly found support from the Australian Youth Climate Coalition (AYCC).

Milou and her friends took the message of the need for climate action to the Bendigo offices of member of parliament, talked with the leader of the Opposition, Bill Shorten, and meet with their local council.

And of course, Milou and her friends illustrated their concerns the best way they could, they stayed away from school; just like Greta, they went on strike for the climate.

Listen to Milou on Climate Conversations.

Slipping on the banana peel, now let's unpack that

Our supermarkets seem determined to prove the adage that life is stranger than fiction, or at least more absurd.

Bananas in nature's packaging.

Here I was, planning to write about recycling and casting about for the perfect metaphor to encapsulate our warped attitude to waste.

Enter Woolworths and the case of the pre-packed bananas. A Reddit user posted a photo of bananas in plastic packaging at a local Woolies, the thread went viral and the media followed up.

A Woolworths spokeswoman defended the packaging, saying customers preferred it and anyway it only happened in Queensland.

Let’s, er, unpack that for a moment.

Read the comment by Caitlin Fitzsimmons in The Age - “Slipping on the banana peel, now let's unpack that.”