Our cultural gatekeepers will tell you how to think

This grates with me. The State Library of New South Wales has been accused of smearing Joseph Banks (1743-1820), the famous botanist who was part of the first British expedition to Australia. The library has given a highly negative caption to a portrait of Banks in its collection, using words such as "invasion, cultural theft, and colonial violence."

This crosses the line. The Australian Library and Information Association, the peak professional body for librarians in Australia, has published guidelines instructing that librarians are to avoid imposing their personal biases. Librarians are also to help users evaluate and engage with historical documents for themselves, and not impose their own interpretations. 

The Library issued a media statement, that appears self contradictory. They claim that they want users to make their own conclusions about documents in their Banks collection, but they also state that they are interpreting these documents through a contemporary lens. 

https://www.2gb.com/exclusive-state-library-blasted-over-joseph-banks-painting/

Maintaining the rage, fifty years on

Coming up to the fiftieth anniversary of the November 1975 dismissal of Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam's government by Governor General Sir John Kerr, expect a flurry of print and digital media discourse on this tumultuous and controversial period of Australian political history. Former Attorney General George Brandis is getting in early. 

Even if this article is written by a former federal Liberal politician, it is still pertinent to remind that in 1970, when he was Opposition Leader, Whitlam unsuccessfully attempted to block supply to then Prime Minister John Gorton. I was not aware of that. 

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/the-forgotten-hypocrisy-over-whitlam-s-dismissal-he-tried-to-oust-libs-the-same-way-20251009-p5n1f7.html

A nation for a continent

Sir Edmund Barton was the first Prime Minister of Australia. Holding office from 1901 to 1903, he later served as a judge on the High Court of Australia. Watch this video and tell your friends about it. He is not as well known as George Washington, the first President of the United States. 

Such is pedantry

Ned Kelly's famous armour

During the week, I listened to a three-part podcast series about famed the famous or infamous nineteenth century Australian bushranger, Ned Kelly (1854-1880), which is part of the Real Outlaws series. The production values are good, and the narrator manages to do a convincing Irish-Australian accent. One minor issue is a factual error. At the time, Australia was made up of separate colonial governments, each of which was led by a Premier. The narrator describes the Premier of the Colony of Victoria at the time of Ned Kelly's capture in 1880 as the "Prime Minister." Australia did not have a Prime Minister until 1901, when the first Commonwealth government took office. 

https://www.noiser.com/real-outlaws

Respect the past

As a political history buff, and former librarian, I am mildly interested in the news of the establishment of the Robert Menzies Institute. Due to open later this year, it will incorporate a library and museum, and a research facility to examine the life, political career and legacy of Australia's longest serving Prime Minister. To my mind, it is a worthwhile endeavour, and one that surely any fair minded Australian can find it in themselves to support, regardless of their political beliefs. 

https://www.theage.com.au/national/robert-menzies-institute-to-open-at-melbourne-university-20210430-p57nv1.html

Double bind?

With anti racism activists wanting to remove statues from public places of people they claim were racist, and therefore too offensive by modern standards to have such monuments, one wonders what they would make of someone like Matthew Flinders (1774-1814). Flinders completed the first circumnavigation of the Australian continent, and even named the continent. He has national parks, towns, an island, streets, and a university named after him, and a famous statue outside St Paul's Cathedral in Melbourne, Australia.  

In so doing, he contributed to the colonisation of Australia, which caused the dispossession of the indigenous people, the consequences of which Australia is still dealing with today. That should tarnish his name, surely. This should be a compelling reason to remove the statue. 

On the other hand, based on the fact that his private correspondence contains love letters that Flinders wrote to another man, historians, such as David Hunt, author of Girt: An Unauthorised History of Australia, have suggested that he was gay. Removing the statue of Matthew Flinders would send mixed messages. It would be a strong statement against colonial oppression, but also open to interpretation as homophobic. 

Not ashamed

Australia Day, Australia's national holiday, is a day of thoughtful reflection, which includes acknowledging the darker parts of the nation's history, but also celebrating the privilege of living in a largely peaceful and prosperous country.

https://www.news.com.au/national/why-im-looking-forward-to-celebrating-australia-day/news-story/a44510229b57ef68c085aa5cdb3ded23

What year is it?

I just finished reading Labor's Forgotten People: The Triumph of Identity Politics, by Michael Thompson. According to the blurb, Thompson argues that "the influence of identity politics on modern Labor's political agenda – assisted by a political class whose sole concern is power – poses an "existential threat to Labor. the warning signs are clear. Popular disaffection with the political class is increasing, and the Party's embrace of left-wing, progressive issues is sidelining core working class aspirations and grievances that used to be the focus of Labor politics." Labor's unexpected loss of the May 2019 federal election, not even anticipated in this book, arguably supports this thesis.

This book was very dry and academic, so I found it hard to engage with. Other reviewers have pointed out the number of typographical errors in it. Here, the author writes that Whitlam suffered a "crushing defeat as Opposition Leader in 1997." This actually happened in 1977, when in that year's federal election, when the Fraser government maintained its strong majority in the House of Representatives. The Liberal Party won 67 seats to the Labor Party’s 38, with 19 seats going to the National Country Party. This was Whitlam’s last election, as he resigned from his seat in Parliament on 31 July 1978.

Australia looks to America

Streaming platforms are great for catching up on old television series and movies that have not been screened on fee to air television for years. During the mini series boom of the 1980s, Channel 10, which was in those days one of Australia's top rating television networks, broadcast The Last Bastion. It was a docudrama telling the story of Australia's involvement in the Second World War, under the threat of Japanese invasion, and the Australian government delicately managing alliances with both the United Kingdom and the United States.

As you can see from this screen capture, it is available on Prime Video. I couldn't help but notice that the release year is incorrectly given as 1994. I know for a fact, as surely as night follows day, that it was released in 1984. I have fuzzy memories of watching snippets of this series with my parents. As it was shown on a school night, I was not allowed to stay up late to watch the whole thing.

A quiver full of arrows

Birthday wishes are in order for Joseph Lyons, tenth Prime Minister of Australia, and to date, the only Tasmanian to have served in that office, taking power in January 1932, in the midst of the Great Depression. Because of his appearance, with large eyes and an unruly mop of hair, political cartoonists caricatured him as a koala.

According to the Museum of Australian Democracy:

Joseph Lyons was one of Australia’s longest serving and most popular prime ministers. His commitment to Australians living within our means, even during the extreme conditions of the Great Depression, led him to abandon the Labor Party for the conservative side of politics. This did not impact on his electoral success, as he won three elections in a row in the 1930s, but it did leave him open to periodic criticism.

Lyons worked as a teacher before winning the State seat of Wilmot for Labor in 1929. A pacifist, Lyons campaigned for a ‘No’ vote in the conscription referenda of 1916-17. Lyons became Premier of Tasmania in 1923 and worked closely with the conservative government in Canberra. In 1929 Lyons successfully stood for the Federal seat of Wilmot. During the Depression years Lyons advocated orthodox finance, opposing the policies of Treasurer Ted Theodore. Prime Minister Scullin took over the Treasury portfolio in 1930, leaving Lyons as acting Treasurer from August 1930 to January 1931. Lyons' cautious economic approach won him public support, but infuriated the Labor Caucus. When Theodore was reinstated as treasurer, Lyons defected. Supported by businessmen, citizens and Robert Menzies, Lyons joined with the Nationalist and the Australian Party to become leader of the new United Australia Party. In 1931, Lyons became prime minister and the Coalition maintained power in the 1934 and 1937 elections. On 7 April 1939, Lyons died unexpectedly of a heart attack while in office. 

Lyons was the first of two Prime Ministers to die in office. After his death, Lyons's widow, Enid, went on to become the first woman to sit in the House of Representatives, and a Cabinet member during the Menzies government.

http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/primeministers/lyons/fast-facts.aspx

https://www.utas.edu.au/library/companion_to_tasmanian_history/L/Joseph%20Lyons.htm

Charge a yard glass

Paul Kelly wrote a fitting tribute to former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke, who yesterday was officially farewelled with a state memorial service at the Sydney Opera House.

Without a doubt, he was one of Australia's greatest Prime Ministers, and definitely one of the best Labor Prime Ministers. I was proud to have him represent us on the world stage.

He was an educated man, but unlike many current generation politicians, he was not elitist. He had the rare ability to connect with people of all backgrounds, and had a genuine affection for them. It would be great if Australia had another leader like him, but I don't like the chances of that happening.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/inquirer/hawke-loved-australia-and-a-nation-reciprocated/news-story/aac2a2d233c9e188b64a7f5dc1d1905a

Of dubious educational value

For some reason, I like to relax by watching documentaries on Netflix. No wonder I have trouble relaxing. The quality varies from good to mediocre. One of the mediocre ones is Top 10 Secrets and Mysteries. Season 2, Episode 5 looks at unsolved disappearances. Since Australia barely rates a mention in such programs, I was surprised that the disappearance of former Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt was covered in this episode. In December 1967, Holt went missing, presumed drowned, whilst swimming in treacherous waters in Portsea, Victoria. His body was never recovered. This part of the segment was correct, but it contains two glaring errors.

The archival film footage used is incorrectly captioned as being from December 1967. The crowd of people in this screen grab are clearly attending a campaign rally for Malcolm Fraser, who was Prime Minister of Australia from 1975 to 1983. They are also wearing 1970's fashions, and the campaign slogan on the shirt, "Liberal. Doing the Job" was used in the 1977 Australian federal election. Secondly, it is erroneously stated that Holt led the Liberal Party to power in 1966. At that time, the Liberals had held power federally since 1949 under Robert Menzies. Holt became Prime Minister when Menzies retired in January 1966, and became Prime Minister in his own right in the November 1966 federal election. 

Is more careful research on these shows too much to ask for? 

Do you know why I have credibility? Because I don't exude morality

As I prepare to vote in the Australian federal election this weekend, I cannot help but reflect on the careers of previous Prime Ministers that I liked and respected. Bob Hawke, who passed away last night at the age of 89, was one of them. Not only that, but almost every political commentator I have read or listened to ranks him as one of the best leaders in Australian history.

Malcolm Farr is one of the elder statesmen of the Canberra press gallery. In this tribute to Hawke, it's a pity his work is let down by shoddy proof reading. What does "layer served" mean? We also read that in 1979, Hawke was "presidency" of the ALP. There is also a sentence that ends without a full stop. 

https://www.news.com.au/national/politics/hes-going-to-be-prime-minister-of-australia/news-story/b53f47bb3e45dae888c10dbd2d0f88ee

By Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website – www.dfat.gov.au, CC BY 3.0 au, Link

Boss cocky

Edmund Barton

When you're Australian, you know things are awry when broadly speaking, you know more about Presidents of the United States than your own country's Prime Ministers. To correct this imbalance, I'm taking on a personal project of reading a biography of every Australian Prime Minister since 1901, starting with Edmund Barton (1849-1920). One of several Prime Ministerial biographies published to commemorate the centenary of Australian federation in 2001, I just finished reading Geoffrey Bolton's Edmund Barton: The One Man for the Job.

Barton was educated at the Fort Street Model School, Sydney Grammar School and the University of Sydney. Whilst a student at the University of Sydney, Barton was secretary of the University cricket club. Before entering the New South Wales Parliament, he worked in the legal profession, and continued to work sporadically as a barrister and solicitor during his political career. He was also a leading campaigner for Australian federation during the 1890s, rising to become Australia's first Prime Minister in January 1901.

He resigned from office in September 1903, to take up a position as a judge in the first High Court of Australia, remaining in this position until his death in 1920.

Just think, if you are secretary of your cricket club, you too could one day become Prime Minister of Australia. Then again, you might have more job security at the cricket club than as Prime Minister.

Fair dinkum unbelievable

This is seriously disturbing. There are people out there who are adamant that Australia does not exist, and that people who live there are actors paid by NASA. That would put Australia in the same category  As someone who was born in Australia, has always lived there, and has travelled extensively on its eastern seaboard, this comes as news to me.  I have no time for such conspiracy theorists, so I choose not to engage with them. They're not worth wasting valuable time and energy on.

http://www.thespaceacademy.org/2018/05/australia-doesnt-exit-and-people-who.html

By Algernon Talmage - http://acms.sl.nsw.gov.au/item/itemPopLarger.aspx?itemid=404568, Public Domain, Link

Bicentennial memories

May 9th was the 30th anniversary of the official opening of Australia's permanent Parliament House in Canberra. Despite being a news junkie, I completely missed that occasion. Keeping up to date with the news is almost impossible these days.

www.canberratimes.com.au/canberra-news/parliament-house-turns-30-it-s-still-a-joy-to-work-here-20180501-p4zcqu.htm

Sneering

I have recently started to use Audible. I'm currently listening to True Girt: The Unauthorised History of Australia, Volume 2, by David Hunt. I read the print version of the first volume, but wanted to save time, and have enough books to read as it is. The blurb describes Hunt's work as "side splitting."

If you are are inclined towards chronological snobbery, are amused by cheap shots at conservative newspaper columnists, and enjoy hearing Christians (whether clergy, missionaries, or laity) being bagged out, you might get the odd belly laugh out of reading this.

To be fair, I did smile when Hunt wrote about the book that has the longest title of any book ever published in the history of Australia, and has been causing library cataloguers grief ever since. William Wentworth (1790-1872) was a noted explorer, journalist, and politician. The electorate of Wentworth, currently held by our beloved Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, is named after him. In 1819, Wentworth published (deep breath): A Statistical, historical, and political description of the colony of New South Wales, and its dependent settlements in Van Diemen's Land: with a particular enumeration of the advantages which these colonies offer for emigration, and their superiority in many respects over those possessed by the United States of America. (Exhale).

Wentworth's work is readily available from both bricks and mortar and online bookstores, as is David Hunt's.

Girt

It was on this day in 1984 that Advance Australia Fair became the official national anthem of Australia. This happened only 83 years after federation, and 106 years after Peter Dodds McCormick composed it in 1878. So much for efficient government decision making.

I was in primary school at the time. We had a school assembly at the start of every school week. It comprised a flag raising, and playing of the national anthem on the public address system, which I remember had tinny speakers. Prior to Advance Australia Fair, the anthem was God Save the Queen. We were not expected to sing it, but listen to it quietly and watch the flag being raised on the school's flagpole.

I forget if this also happened when the new anthem was introduced and played at assembly for the first time, but our federal member of Parliament attended one assembly to present the school with a new Australian flag. He said that he asked for it directly from Bob Hawke, who was Prime Minister at the time. I didn't believe him, but at least it was an amusing story.

Since then, we have regularly debated replacing the anthem with another song, because some commentators claim that it is racist, and its lyrics are outdated. At this time, there are not any suitable alternatives, so why not retain what we already have?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advance_Australia_Fair

Building bridges

Yesterday marked 85 years since the official opening of the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge. I'm not one to toot my own horn, but I have walked across it at street level, from the Rocks to Milson's Point.

The State Library of New South Wales has set up an online archive of interviews with bridge workers.

The opening ceremony was memorable because the ceremonial ribbon cutting by New South Wales Premier, Jack Lang, was interrupted by a man on horseback in military uniform slashing at the ribbon with a sword. He turned out to be Francis de Groot, a member of the semi-fascistic New Guard.

The New Guard was a paramilitary organisation, active in Australia during the Great Depression, but it eventually fizzled out. De Groot was in the Australian Army during the Second World War, but he later returned to his furniture business. He died in Dublin in 1969.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-19/sydney-harbour-bridge-celebrates-85th-birthday/8363688

http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/de-groot-francis-edward-frank-12881

https://amplify.sl.nsw.gov.au/?sort_by=random&order=asc&collection_id=2

Of baguettes and berets

On this day in 1968, the number one song on Melbourne radio station 3UZ's chart was Love is Blue by Paul Mauriat (1925-2006). Born in Marseille, Mauriat was an orchestra leader, conductor and arranger who enjoyed a long and prolific career. This is perhaps his best known hit, and to this day, it remains a staple of AM easy listening radio. On the other hand, 3UZ is now broadcasting as Sport 927, and covers horse and greyhound racing.

http://paul-mauriat.com/

http://rateyourmusic.com/list/jwjstone/3uz_official_top_40___07_april_1968___melbourne_vic_australia/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3UZ