Lot's Wife Edition 3 2024

LOT'S
Wife
EDITION THREE

Thank you to our wonderful
contributors!
We are always on the lookout for new writers
and artists to contribute to future editions. If you
would like to get involved, shoot us a message
on socials, email or pop your head into our
office!
Writers
Artists
(in order of appearence) Carina Griffin, John Sopar, Tisanga
Serasinghe, Thomas Hall, Isla Hickey, Mandy Li, Dora Chung,
Chloe Wong, Erica Di Pierro, Lucia Lane, Mary Elizabeth, Dimitri
Kaminis, Dilhan Simsek, Robert Barber, Ash Dowling, Julia Fullard,
Amiriya Dorian, Louis Perez
Lucinda Campbell, Thisanga Serasinge, Dora Chung, Spencer
Slaney, Louis Perez
Editors
Contact us
Angus Duske, Samantha Hudson and Mandy
Li
Email: msa-lotswife@monash.edu.au
Instagram: @lotswifemag
Facebook: Lot’s Wife
Lot’s Wife Office
Level 1 Campus Centre, next to Sir John’s Bar
Disclaimer
Lot’s Wife is the student magazine of Monash Student
Association (MSA). The views expressed herein do
not necessarily reflect those of the MSA, the printers
or editors. All material remains the property of the
accredited creators and shall not be redistributed without
consent.
Lot’s Wife is produced and published on Aboriginal land. We acknowledge the
Boon Wurrung and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples of the Kulin Nation as the
traditional and continuous owners af the land. Sovereignty was never ceded.
3

CONTENTS
6 - MSA departmental reports
12- Greenwashing, Gag Orders and a
Gas Extraction Empire - the case to
kick Woodside off campus
15- Referendum
16- The Orange Tree
18- HECS and housing: united against
the youth
20- We're Banking on It! MUST cast
interview
22- Something about Liminal Spaces:
The Sweet East, The American Dream
and Ayo Edebiri
24- The Cult of Toxic Positivity
26- I am Lucky
27- Eleanor
LW
EDITION THREE
TWENTYTWENTYFOUR
30 - Standing on the Borderline
31- An Offering in Defense of
Aphrodite
32- The Charm of a Prince
34- Rise (artwork)
36- A word from your academic reps
40 - Judas who Loved Me
40 - The Leader of the Opposition
41- You Decide...
41- Me, Again
42- When Monash students resisted
the Vietnam War
44- Match Point
WELCOME TO EDITION
THREE

MSA DEPARTMENT REPORTS / EDITION THREE 2024
MSA DEPARTMENT REPORTS / EDITION TWO 2024
PRESIDENT: CHLOE WARD (SHE/THEY)
Hi Everyone, I hope everyone is not too stressed with assessments! This semester has
consisted of many exciting events so far – Wednesday Sessions, AUSLAN Sessions, and
ESJ Week just to name a few! There has also been an array of advocacy happening
– fans will now be installed in all Residential Villages and some action is being
organised to protest against the Library opening hour changes. I am also continuing
to work with the NTEU to ensure that the University knows both students and staff are
angered by parking prices and have met with VC Sharon Pickering to ensure student's
voices are heard. Once again, please reach out if there are any concerns because we
are here to represent you and your voices. Thank you and know that we are always
fighting for students!
SECRETARY: ZAREH KOZANIAN (HE/HIM)
Hi everyone, Zareh here, your MSA Secretary for 2024, I’m introducing exciting new
initiatives called MSA Day and MSA Expo which are scheduled for Monash University's
Semester 2, 2024, with the goal of improving the overall student experience. The Expo
will bring departments and industry partners together while promoting connections
and providing insights into university life. The goal of MSA Day is to foster a sense of
community among students by organising fun events that encourage harmony and
good times. The purpose of both events is to foster a sense of community among
students and create enduring memories. Moreover, we are committed to enhance
the transparency in our advocacy efforts, ensuring students are well-informed about
initiatives that affect their university experience. As a result, I plan to post detailed
update reports of our advocacy work through our social media, including achievements
and challenges, to foster a collaborative and engaged student community.
TREASURER: JOSHUA WALTERS (HE/HIM)
Hey everyone, I hope you are all doing okay as we reach the tail-end of semester.
As MSA Treasurer much of my focus lately has been on making sure we are ready for
MSA's AGM where we approve our financial statements for the previous year. At MSA
we've also been working hard planning and preparing our foodbank for students
which we hope to have up and running soon. This is an exciting and important
initiative which we hope can combat food insecurity on campus and make your life as
students easier. My upcoming goals are to continue working on the foodbank, and to
help prepare MSA for a great Semester 2.
Good luck with exams and I hope to see you at an MSA event soon.
ACTIVITIES: FATIMA IQBAL (SHE/HER) AND RAAGE NOOR (HE/HIM)
No report received from this department.
CREATIVE & LIVE ARTS: GINA FORD (SHE/HER) AND HAIDER SHAH
(HE/HIM)
Over the past few weeks, the CLA Department has achieved significant milestones
in our ongoing initiatives. We successfully completed five Wednesday Sessions
promoting various concepts and diversity, including BABBA, Aleksiah, Ten Jesus &
the Jean Teasers, and a Taylor Swift cover artist. By providing free food, drinks, and
live performances, it has resulted in a notable increase in engagement from students
on Clayton Campus. Additionally, we've noticed our Wednesday Sessions fostered
meaningful connections with our audience and drove interest in our events.
Looking ahead, we aim to further amplify our brand presence through social media by
introducing virtual competition events, and more parties or events with DJs and other
live artists. We plan to roll out more themes and activities for the second semester
of Wednesday Sessions. These efforts align with our overarching goal of fostering
long-term engagement with our audiences and solidifying our impact in the students'
university experiences.
DISABILITIES & CARERS: GERARDIEN AFIFAH (SHE/HER) AND
CHARLOTTE SUTTON (SHE/HER)
We've had a busy first half of the semester, with two lots of AUSLAN Sessions, several
events during Neurodiversity Celebration Week and ESJ Week. A special thank you
to our speakers for our Neurodiversity Networking Night, your insights were greatly
appreciated.
Advocacy continues to keep us busy. We are in the process of providing further
feedback on the Accessibility, Disability, and Inclusion Action Plan (ADIAP) that is
being developed. In the coming weeks we plan to finish our Access Guide, this will
provide all departments with information on how to make their events, socials and
publications the most accessible they can be.
As always if there is anything that you would like to raise or that you need support
with, please email: msa-disabilities@monash.edu
Upcoming Events
Body Doubling Sessions - SWOTVAC
EDUCATION (ACADEMIC AFFAIRS) NAOMI DREGO (SHE/HER) AND
GRAYSON LOWE (HE/HIM)
Hi Everyone! It’s Grayson and Naomi back with another update from the Ed(Ac)
Department. We’re halfway through semester now and have been working tirelessly to
best support you. Our Academic Affairs Committee has been finalised, and we’re really
excited to work with them to best serve your interests. With their diverse backgrounds
and experiences, we can’t wait to have their assistance on our current and future
campaigns. At the moment, the campaigns we’re fighting for include bringing back
five-day extensions, universal submission times, and pushing for the return of longer
library opening hours. The last of which has been of great disappointment - cont. pg 8
6 7

MSA DEPARTMENT REPORTS / EDITION TWO 2024
to us due to the lack of consultation with the MSA before the hours were cut.
As always if you would like to reach out to discuss anything, please contact us via
email at msa-education@monash.edu or visit us in person at our office.
EDUCATION (PUBLIC AFFAIRS): SAHAR FARUKH (SHE/HER) AND NAFIZ
ISLAM (HE/HIM)
No report received from this department.
ENVIRONMENTAL & SOCIAL JUSTICE: SOPHIE ALLEN (SHE/HER) AND
THOMAS WHITE (HE/THEY)
At ESJ we've wrapped up our big events for the semester with ESJ Week being a success!
Throughout the next five weeks we'll be following up with our Emissions Transparency
Campaign aiming for a semester two or end of semester one launch date and
doing some behind the scenes work regarding environmental policy and building a
sustainable framework regarding events at Monash. We'll also be establishing and
updating our activism calendar with relevant protests so that students remain aware
of movements happening on the Clayton campus.
INDIGENOUS: MARLLEY MCNAMARA (SHE/HER)
No report received from this department.
PEOPLE OF COLOUR: ANSHUMAN DAS (HE/HIM) AND TOOBA JAVED
(SHE/HER)
On March 6, 2024, Monash University and the Islamic Society achieved a significant
milestone with the inauguration of a dedicated prayer space. This culmination of
years of advocacy and collaboration with MUIS stands as a symbol of unity and
acceptance, providing a sanctuary for Muslim students and faculty on campus.
Just two weeks later, on March 20, 2024, the POC Department, in collaboration with the
Pakistani Society at Monash University, hosted a heart-warming Ramadan Iftar event.
Attendees were treated to a feast of traditional Pakistani cuisine, including flavourful
dishes like biryani and samosas. This celebration of community spirit showcased rich
cultural heritage and the values of compassion embodied by Ramadan.
Our last event of the semester, the POC department hosted a Pizza & Game Night on
April 17, 2024. It was an event open to all who registered, and promised a fun and
relaxing evening for students to unwind before exams.
Upcoming Events
Mid-Autumn Festival – Details on Social Media
MSA DEPARTMENT REPORTS / EDITION TWO 2024
QUEER: MADI CURKOVIC (SHE/HER) AND KELLY CVETKOVA (SHE/HER)
We geared up for our panel with 1978 Mardi Gras rioters from Sydney, which is now
organised as a component of Environment and Social Justice Week, a collaborative
effort with the ESJ Department. We have started advocacy campaigns regarding
Labor’s recent targeting of refugees, particularly case ASF17, who is an Iranian bisexual
man, who the government is attempting to deport back to Iran. He is extremely likely
to suffer persecution based on his political views and sexuality if he is deported. MSA
Queer has written an open letter which we will be promoting and campaigning about
in collaboration with NUS Queer.
RESIDENTIAL: ARIQ ILHAM (HE/HIM) AND AYLIN VAHABOVA (SHE/
HER)
Our department has made significant strides in enhancing accessibility and inclusion
for individuals with disabilities living on campus. We've implemented a structured
approach to setting goals, focusing on specific improvements like accessible facilities,
inclusive events, and support services. Over the next five weeks, we aim to conduct
surveys and focus groups to gather feedback from residents and identify areas for
enhancement. Additionally, we're collaborating with community organisations to
expand resources and support for students living off-campus. This includes creating
partnerships for transportation services, advocating for accessible housing options,
and hosting workshops on independent living skills. Our goal is to foster a more
inclusive and supportive environment for all members of our residential community,
on and off-campus.
WELFARE: CAMPBELL FROST (HE/HIM) AND TEAGAN HAYWARD (SHE/
THEY)
Hello everyone! We hope that you are all doing well with sem 1, especially as the
stress of exams and final assessments approach!
The Welfare Department continues to run Free Food Mondays every week! We also
ran our first Welfare on Wheels in week five. The Welfare Department also hosted an
activities day on the 6th of May which included craft activities, snacks, board games
and dogs!
We will be running Welfare on Wheels in Week 12 and we will be delivering our
packs from the libraries across campus! Check out our Instagram @msa.welfare to
see the schedule!
If anyone is feeling stressed and needs a moment to breathe, the Welfare Hub,
located near the outside steps of the Campus Centre that leads up to Sir John’s is
a great quiet place! They have quiet pods that block out sound and are perfect for
private calls.
Upcoming Events
Free Food Mondays – Mondays – 5:00pm – Wholefoods
8 9

MSA DEPARTMENT REPORTS / EDITION TWO 2024
MSA DEPARTMENT REPORTS / EDITION TWO 2024
WOMEN'S: ZOE BINNS (SHE/HER) AND KATYA SPILLER (SHE/HER)
Hellooo its Zoe from MSA Women's

Greenwashing, Gag Orders and a Gas Extraction Empire - the case for kicking
Woodside off campus
By Carina Griffin
When I say Woodside, I’m not talking about the Engineering building– the Woodside
Building for Technology and Design, on our own Clayton Campus, is an energy-efficient
architectural masterpiece with a slew of design awards. Built in 2019-2020, and opened at
an online launch in between lockdowns, it’s the only building on campus that doesn’t use
gas for power. That isn’t the ‘Woodside’ I dread.
I’m talking about the name plastered on its side, Woodside, standing for the mining
company known as Woodside Energy, formerly Woodside Petroleum (before they merged
with BHP). The oil and gas-extracting megacorporation currently partnered with Monash,
and the Engineering building’s namesake.
Woodside, Australia’s biggest fossil fuel company, with the revenue (2022-2023 profit of 10
billion Australian dollars) and production rate (513M barrels of oil per day) to prove it. The
company that recently, in 2022, swallowed up all of BHP’s oil and gas assets, catapulting
it into the top 10 of the world’s biggest hydrocarbon extractors.
The other day, I walked by a fellow student excited that her and her mate’s next class was
in the Woodside Building, and I mourn the fact that this is exactly what Woodside wanted–
to have its name be known for the beautiful Engineering building, and not the insidious
company that it is. The company that’s pushing for its massive offshore Burrup Hub gas
proposal to run until 2070, with lifetime emissions of 6.1 billion metric tonnes of CO2– that’s
13 years of Australia’s carbon footprint alone, from a singular Woodside gas plant.
As a climate science student, I’m well aware that this oil and gas-burning is catastrophic,
suicidal, and heralds the destruction of the weather systems we depend on for a habitable
environment, but it goes deeper than that. Even by fossil fuel standards, Woodside is truly
evil, and you only have to look at their shady history.
In 2006, they were investigated by the Australian Federal Police over bribery and corruption
of officials in the Mauritanian government. Their Greater Sunrise oil field operation, reserves
of massively lucrative undersea oil between East Timor and Australia, was the alluring deal
at stake that led Australia to wiretap the East Timorese government in a 2004 espionage
scandal. The ASIS operative whistleblower known as ‘Witness K’ only made the situation
public in 2012, after then-foreign affairs minister at the time of the bugging operation,
Alexander Downer, retired and became a corporate adviser, to Woodside. In 2014, the
International Court of Justice ordered the Australian government to stop spying on East
Timor.
Offshore gas regulator NOPSEMA refused to disclose the location or company behind
an oil spill of over 10 000 litres off the coast of Western Australia in 2016, only that it had
been leaking continuously for over 2 months. Woodside turned out to have been behind
the disaster, kept secret for more than a year.
In Parliament from 2007-2016, and Minister for Energy and Resources under Gillard, Labor
MP Gary Gray worked as Woodside’s Director of Corporate Affairs from the turn of the
millennium right up until the winning of his seat. Ian Macfarlane, Liberal Minister for Industry
under Howard and then Abbott, has sat comfortably on the Woodside board since his
12
2015 retirement. The three most recent chairs of offshore gas regulator NOPSEMA have
all held positions at Woodside prior to their appointment on the supposedly independent
regulatory body. In Western Australia, where Woodside is based and operates, the
revolving doors between government and industry continue, and the control Woodside
has is even more staggering.
This brings us to the Burrup Hub.
The Burrup Peninsula, Indigenous name Murujuga, sits in Western Australia’s Pilbara. I’ve
already told you that Woodside is pushing to expand its operations there for more than
50 years into the future, and that the billions of tonnes of emissions this would produce
would eclipse all of Australia’s historical emissions reductions, striking out any progress
we’ve made towards the Paris or Kyoto Agreements. Traditional Owners have pointed out
that sacred 40,000 year old rock art is already being destroyed by Woodside’s existing
onshore processing plant. Marine reefs lie off the pristine coast, with Greenpeace and
the Conservation Council of Western Australia fighting against plans to use huge seismic
blasting waves to map potential sites for drilling, damaging fragile Scott Reef beyond
repair and harming species like endangered pygmy blue whales that call the ecosystem
home.
Mardudhunera woman Raelene Cooper successfully argued in Federal Court that
Woodside had failed to adequately consult her and other custodians of Murujuga, and
that the cultural heritage of Indigenous songlines were jeopardised by the project, before
NOPSEMA waved through a second approval process in 2022. Back in WA, Cooper then
had her home raided by police, who found nothing.
Restraining orders and gag orders, usually used in domestic violence situations to prevent
social media threats by abusive male offenders, were slapped on Disrupt Burrup Hub
activists in Perth, preventing them from posting about Woodside online. The orders were
placed after one 19-year old attempted to spray-paint messages outside CEO Meg
O’Brien’s residence, with no intention to enter the premises. The Australian Human Rights
Law Centre calls this “beyond democracy”, and other legal experts have expressed shock
at this abuse of the legal system by these gag orders, which extend O’Brien’s right to
personal safety to encompass the reputation of the company itself. Bail conditions placed
on activists already restricted them from approaching O’Brien or Woodside’s property,
so the additional gag order only served to silence the activists discussing Woodside’s
activities online. The effect is a perverse inversion of the legal “corporate veil”, with the
courts protecting Woodside’s social licence as if it was a real person in physical danger.
Woodside is trying to sue these activists for loss of revenue after a demonstration at
company headquarters. They have threatened to sue, additionally, for loss of brand value
and social licence as a result of protesting, as if the public isn’t opposing Woodside due
to their own destructive actions.
Woodside have been accused by unions of deliberately ignoring AWU and MUA strikers
and hiring inexperienced scab labour engineers on their oil rigs, waving away safety
concerns.
WA police, in a blatant attempt at intimidation, pulled a 21-year old unarmed anti-Woodside
activist over with an unmarked police car and held him at gunpoint the night before a
protest, searching his vehicle without a warrant.
When I say I’m campaigning to end Woodside’s partnership with Monash, many people

When I say I’m campaigning to end Woodside’s partnership with Monash, many people
consider this an extreme position. Can’t we work with this company that is supposedly
‘transitioning’ to carbon capture and storage (CCS) and green hydrogen tech, especially
when they fund plenty of good research? Isn’t it important to not get so extremist about
this? Can’t I take a moderate position?
I hope after this article you can understand why that’s not possible. That the company’s
history demonstrates the staggering legal, political and police power they revel in wielding
to protect their gas and oil mining empire. That their crusade against democracy, the law,
and community safety is truly a terrifying sight to behold.
That despite their greenwashing, less than 1% of Woodside’s profit goes towards carbon
capture technology, and they’re actively pursuing the largest carbon-emitting project the
southern hemisphere has ever seen. That they are an oil and gas company, and will
never transition to renewables. That the Woodside-funded engineering and environmental
research may look good on the surface, but that it’s been proven that universities funded
by fossil fuels produce skewed, biased, and unscientific conclusions. That Woodside are
a deeply calculating and insidious corporation that does not, and will never, have the
climate’s best interests at heart, let alone the interests of staff, students, and academic
integrity.
That continuing to frack, drill, extract and burn fossil fuels, in 2024, is itself, extremist,
and extremely dangerous for the future of Earth, and all of us who live on it. And that
Woodside, actively pursuing the destruction of the planet, doesn't deserve anyone’s cooperation,
moderation, or acquiescence, especially that of any scientific institution with a
moral backbone.
Woodside’s presence on Monash campus is a venture that serves their PR needs and theirs
alone, a co-option of the prestige and respect that Monash holds. Monash is respected as a
research university, not because of upper management or parasitic industrial partnerships,
but thanks to a hard-working staff and student body driven to find ways to create a better
future. Woodside is a company profiting off of our hard work, our university community
and our passion - using their ties with Monash in order to slow their demise in the public
eye, and maintain the unquestionable political status that has fuelled their domination for
so long. The Woodside-Monash WORDS Energy Partnership BY is undoubtedly MANDY a lucrative deal LI for the
university, but it’s an unforgivable one. Woodside is paying in cold hard, oil-slick cash for
the dodgy sale of Monash’s scientific integrity into fossil fuel’s pockets.
No amount of research grants or industry connections can justify the Chancellor, Vice-
Chancellor or the Board colluding with a company actively conspiring to destroy our future.
They must axe all ties with Woodside immediately, and implement a comprehensive ESG
policy that ensures this never happens again. I urge you to follow the Stop Woodside
Monash campaign, and to join your fellow staff and students in the fight.
Woodside, and the rest of the fossil fuel megacorps, are scrambling to protect their influence
because they are worried that the extraction industry will become a sociopolitical pariah,
scorned by any respected scientific institution.
We can only hope.
Referendum
By John Sopar
And for the next, I worry.
If the past is any indication of the future,
My fears are justified. But we will see.
May their efforts, our efforts,
Make a difference.
For if they don’t? What next.
When all is said and done,
And the pieces lie scattered and broken,
How far is the way back?
How hard to search, blindfolded, bound,
And dream of the sky.
So, I wrap myself in Country,
In possum skins and the wisdom of my Elders.
I soothe my scarred heart with the whisper of the wind in the gums,
With a mother’s crooning lullaby.
Will that be enough? I do not know.
Enough to heal.
Enough to forget.
Enough to reconcile past, present, future.
So, for the next, I worry.
Carina is a third year Law/Science student. She wants you to go to stopwoodsidemonash.
org or @stopwoodsidemonash on Instagram, and join.
14 15

The Orange Tree
words and art by Tisanga Serasinghe
There is
a tree in my
garden. Its branches
strained –
like me.
The day
I emerged, it
too sprung, a wily shoot
of green.
Our limbs
branched out
together, one mobile,
one still.
Soon it
mocked me, able
to stand alone, as I
stumbled.
Stiff grooves
appeared, which I
palmed, as it expanded
above me.
Up the
branches, I would
clamber, foot in the forks,
looking
up through
the leaves, and I’d
dream of walking on
clouds
of white.
Until
it surpassed me,
burgeoning boughs
blocking
the light.
Playing
in the roots, I’d
fantasise, of what was
above.
Small buds
appeared one morning
peeking at me through
green.
white blooms
Until
it surpassed me,
burgeoning boughs
blocking
the light.
Playing
in the roots, I’d
fantasise, of what was
above.
Small buds
appeared one morning
peeking at me through
green.
white blooms
gave way
to green nubs, that
eventually turned into
gold orbs.
Now tall
enough to reach
I extend myself, pluck
one fruit,
then reach
for another. Greed
overtakes me, filling
my arms.
Each fruit
in my hand fills
me with ambition for
more, more.
Big and
golden, some firm,
some a bit tender, bit
paler
Leave a
few unworthy
alone. Variety makes my
stash grow.
Without
my notice, some
tumble out of my arms,
Slipping
through gaps,
fall to the ground.
Some neglected, rot in
my hold.
Outstretched,
compelled by my
nature, I keep aiming
higher.
Stick my
hands into the
depths of foliage for
new tastes.
I don’t
see the fallen
rotting at my feet, till
too late.
Can’t be
salvaged, so I
keep digging, searching
to
replace.
Some fruit
spoil on the tree
itself, uneaten, each a
chance missed.
Hollow,
shrunk potential
land on the dirt, tainted,
unplucked.
This tree
will die someday,
it’s successor inside
my hoard
Struggle
to keep what is
in grasp, as everything
shrivels.
I have
to release some
of my hoard to preserve
others.
Within
juicy flesh, sour
pulp, lies seeds of future
promise.
I can
bury all the
seeds I please, water
them
each day
Time will
tell which survive
my ficklety, and which
perish
So I
keep picking from
this tree’s bountiful limbs
and wait
16 17

HECS and Housing: united against the youth
By Thomas Hall
It’s no secret that Australia is in the midst of a housing crisis. With every passing day we’re
one step closer to Jane Austen’s Georgian England, where you can only get a house
through marriage or inheritance. Negative gearing and a capital gains tax concession for
property investors are increasing demand, while planning restrictions, unsustainable
immigration and government mismanagement is flatlining supply. A perfect storm. The effect
of this housing quagmire impacts young people the most, locking them out of the housing
market.
Naturally, this issue is becoming political. Max Chandler-Mather, the housing spokesperson
for the Greens and one of the only renters in federal parliament, is making significant political
inroads with his rallying tiktok videos on the topic, often garnering over one million views.
At the same time, another political storm is brewing, closing in on HELP loans, more
commonly known as HECS. Dr Monique Ryan, the independent MP for Kooyong has
amassed over 260,000 signatures on her petition to change the HECS system. HECS is
indexed to inflation, which effectively means that young people are charged an annual
compounding interest. This, when combined with stagnant wage growth means that the
HECS debt of the youth is growing faster than they can pay it off.
The Fujiwhara effect
The Fujiwhara effect is a meteorological term that describes two cyclones connecting to
become a larger one. Political radars seem to have failed in detecting the Fujiwhara effect
between the housing and HECS crises happening right now, and the aspirational Australian
youth caught in its eye.
Currently the Australian government is led by people who went to university for free and
bought their homes for between three to five times the average wage, thanks to the Whitlam
education reforms and a housing tax system with parity. Since then, changes to capital gains
tax have combined with the existing practice of negative gearing to rapidly drive up the price
of housing. In 2024, the median house price is over nine times the average wage, and it’s
getting worse. Throw in an interminable HECS debt, and you’ve got yourself a really unfair
system.
The Politics
The Prime Minister was right when he said that the Labor government ‘needs to do better for
the younger generation’, the Coalition would do well to follow suit. There is massive political
capital to be raised for either major party, here. At the moment, this area is dominated by the
Greens with Chandler-Mather leading the charge. Granted, it is not unusual for young people
to have a natural inclination towards the Greens but the political order is changing; people
aren’t ‘growing out of it’ anymore. The pool of landowners is shrinking while the pool of
renters is growing. Likewise, everyone who attended university after 1989 walked away with
a massive HECS debt and so too will the students of today. So the number of people with a
HECS debt will soon be the majority.
It’s illogical for both major parties to effectively ignore this when their primary vote is in a
steady decline. True, Bill Shorten lost the 2019 election by going after negative gearing
and
the CGT exemption, and Albenese pragmatically kept it out of the debate in 2022. But a lot
has changed since those elections. Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese each resonated
with ‘middle Australia’ in their election pitches, but it won’t take long for ‘middle Australia’
to
consist of renters who can’t get into the housing market. Given that ‘middle Australia’ or
‘the
centre’ decides the outcome of elections, the message to major political parties is clear:
ignore HECS and housing at your peril.
The issues of HECS and housing both go against the deeply entrenched Australian grain of
fairness and aspiration. It’s not fair that younger generations are locked out of the housing
market by property investors with a leg up. By the same token, it’s not fair for boomers to
tell
younger generations to ‘grow up’ when we talk about HECS given they went to university
for
free.
Aspiration is under attack by a tax system that makes it easier to buy your tenth home than
your first, not least because your HECS debt is handbrake on your ability to get a loan.
People once dreamed of home ownership with hope that it could one day be a reality.
Opportunity used to be earned but now it’s inherited, evidenced through the rise of the
bank
of mum and dad now funding 40% of first home buyers. The formula was to work or study
hard, get a good job, start a business and grow your savings until you can afford a home.
Any Australian should be able to work hard, make money and then buy a house. It shouldn’t
be the case that hard working Australians are bested on auction day by lazy property
investors.
What can be done?
The federal Labor government has hinted at HECS reform in the upcoming budget, and
continues to tout policies aiming to increase housing supply, ignoring demand. True, we
have a supply problem in this country but dismissing the demand issues only infantilizes the
intelligence of the Australian people.
As a country, we need to ensure that fairness underpins all our systems; political, taxation or
otherwise. And we need to ensure that our country rewards hard work and effort, maintaining
the promise of aspiration. Practically, changing how HECS is indexed, reversing the job
ready graduates scheme (the one that increased the price of humanities units) and treating
HECS as a tax instead of a loan (increasing borrowing capacity) would be a start. Likewise,
putting an end to negative gearing and the CGT concession would quickly reduce housing
demand. These reforms, while welcome, only scratch the surface.
There is a political reckoning coming, and our politicians need to wise up quickly, because
they’re kidding themselves if they think they can outrun the HECS and housing storm before
they get wiped into oblivion.
18 19

We're Banking on It! - MUST cast interview
By Isla Hickey
This May Monash Uni Student Theatre
(MUST) and the Bloomshed ensemble
present We’re Banking On It! at
fortyfivedownstairs. Fusing ideas from
the new theatre talents of MUST with
MUST alumni, the collaboration promises
to examine capitalism’s iron grip on
corporations and government. Cast
members share their thoughts on the
production in this article.
Can you describe the show in three
words?
“Corrupt, chaotic, outrageous.” Luca
Edwards.
“My name is Sophie Foster, my three
words are Stupid Fucking Bird. Jokes.
Bold, incisive, absurd.” John Burgess.
“Rat, dog, vampire.” Simmar Chawla
Describe the experience of working with Bloomshed.
“Is that the Green Room award winning Bloomshed you’re referring to… Really, it’s not
student theatre, it’s students performing professional theatre.” John Burgess.
“We’ll be able to show this play to a broader audience than if it was going on at MUST. I
think it’s pushing all of us to really make something special.” Kieran O’Baoill.
How do you feel about the opportunity to perform at fortyfivedownstairs?
“Be more excited if they named it properly.” John Burgess
“It’s 52 stairs.” Simmar Chawla
“The address is 45 Flinders Lane.” Kieran O’Baoill
“It’s the venue, the audience - they’re both huge opportunities you wouldn’t normally be able
to get through student theatre.” Luca Edwards
How has the devising process and creation of the show been as an actor?
“Writing a script together has been a bonding experience. You don’t usually have freedom
to choose what you’re going to play in a play. So the fact that we get to write the characters
and then perform them is crazy.” Simmar Chawla
“I’ve never been in a show where I have had to do as much generation… any real plot that
comes out of [the show] has all come from people in the room. Sure there [was a starting
point], but to use that and then transform it into something tangible has been really fun and
really exciting.” Kieran O’Baoill
“It’s the most creative I’ve had to be on a show before. Actually writing script…it’s more
script than I’ve ever had to write for anything. So I think the creativity and the dynamic
between the cast and crew is what’s made it exciting and different for me.” Luca Edwards
Who would you recommend to see this show most?
“The board members of [any corporation in the world]. Anyone at the Last Supper. The 1%.”
John Burgess
“Anyone from management. Anyone who has a managing role or marketing role [anywhere].”
Luca Edwards
“All people should come to our show. [And] anyone who wants to be really angry at
something.” Simmar Chawla
“People who love spending all their money. Anyone and everyone who wants to have a really
good time. And people with pet rats too.” Kieran O’Baoill
How has being a part of MUST added to your student experience?
“It’s the only time you see people regularly enough to bond with them… We had pizza
together in the city, can you believe.” Simmar Chawla
“It’s the best thing about Monash.” Kieran O’Baoill
“It’s been a fun, creative outlet. A chance to get to know people in a very different way to
how you normally would.” Luca Edwards
“One of the deciding factors when I picked between other universities and Monash.” Thu
Pham
“Something to do on Friday nights.” John Burgess
What does this show mean for theatre with student performers?
“We’re Banking On It! shows the work that MUST has done to garner such a good reputation…
for professional teams to collaborate with student theatre. We’ve gotta keep flying that flag
and showcasing the work MUST does.” Kieran O’Baoill
“The only thing we’re not getting out of it is money… and that’s exactly how professionals do
it.” John Burgess
Thanks to the participating cast members for their comments.
We're Banking on It! will be playing at fortyfivedownstairs from May 17th-24th (preview on
the 16th) - get your tickets via the QR code below!
20 21

Something About Liminal Spaces: The Sweet
East, The American Dream, and Ayo Edebiri
By Mandy Li / ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Sweet East is a gooey, amusingly written critique on American life and a
stunningly simple answer to the question I ask myself every day when I wake up:
what exactly happens in America?
Written by Nick Pinkerton and directed by Sean Price Williams, a cinematographer
making his directorial debut, the film’s premise is based on high school student
Lillian’s (Talia Ryder) journey across America after being separated from her peers
on a field trip. She shuffles through a variety of characters that obviously belong to
different subsets of American culture– firstly, anarchists who dig through the trash
for food, then a pedophilic far-right academic who hides his true beliefs lest it cost
him his career, an eccentric duo of filmmakers (one of them is played by Irish Queen
Ayo Edebiri, for some reason), a crew member who brings Lillian to an Islamic
community, and then finally, Lillian is brought to a monastery.
My favourite archetype of the film were the nouveau riche, self serving anarchists,
your typical subversive champagne socialists; they rifle through rubbish bins and live
in a cluttered sharehouse and smoke sketchy strains of marijuana while conveniently
forgetting the fact that their lifestyle is funded entirely by their rich parents. This
satirical image of the punky splintered attitude was not lost on me at all, especially
when it was immediately compounded by the sleazy old man who talked about
moths for like two minutes of the film’s 104 minute run time and his raging criticism
of the liberal agenda. What was funny was Lillian’s complete apathy towards them;
she’s clearly never had a strong opinion of anything in her life, and she’s very
clearly being talked at rather than talked to. It doesn’t help that the last 45 minutes
of the film weren’t terribly engaging either.
I found myself questioning the film’s message; was it about the hopelessness of
the future? The downfall of the American Dream? The moral dilemma surrounding
femininity and agency, the illusion of projection? Was it just a male manipulator’s
wet dream? Lillian’s character is quiet and calculating; she’s smarter than she lets
on, clearly, however her motivations and values and goals remain a mystery, even
by the conclusion of the film. This was something I wasn’t super comfortable with–
clearly, Lillian is a vessel for other characters to project onto, but in terms of the
actual substance of her character, there was very little, and there weren’t other
fleshed out female characters to analyse either.
This film isn’t afraid of itself; it’s alluring, dreamy cinematography doesn’t distract
from some of the more disturbing scenes. The shock value comes from these
scenes– a violent altercation between the filmmakers and the white supremacists
is loud, graphic. I had chosen a seat to the left side of the cinema, and the sound
design with the film was shocking and super interesting– there’s no denying that
the surrealist aesthetic of The Sweet East was accomplished extremely well. And
look, I had to say it at least once. This film is camp. It had a seat at the table at the
2019 Met Gala. There were some issues I had with the film, but I enjoyed myself
immensely, and I would recommend it to anyone who’s here for a good time.
22 23

The Cult of Toxic Positivity
art and words by @dora_and_design
Often the older generations liked to reassure young people that “the future is bright and
everything will be fine. But the conversation below says otherwise.
"How do you know that everything will be fine?”
“I don’t.”
“Well don’t say it then! I’m not a child!” (excerpt from unknown)
We live in a world where life is a mystery and nothing is certain. Yet there is this shroud
of toxic positivity and bragging that surrounds our culture. One had advised those
experiencing newly grieving and loss to slow down. We have the right to choose not to
live this “alchemised”, “I’m okay” life to other people. Similarly, we are not required to
“provide your parents with a ‘success story’ to share at gatherings”. Toxic positivity is the
act of “avoiding, suppressing, or rejecting negative emotions or experiences”. It is this
perfectionistic desire to be happy, optimistic all the time when we are in pain.
When we respond “to distress with false reassurance”, we can come across as “fake”,
or insecure and inauthentic, insensitive to people’s emotional triggers, lacking empathy,
disconnection, and shutting people down. After all, “[we] can’t bond with someone [who]
are unwilling to sit in [other people’s] pain, discomfort, and anger with them”. It is also
noteworthy to note that emotions are gendered. Boys are taught to not display and
suppress their emotions, whereas girls are to display “less powerful” emotions such as
agreeableness, which may pressure them to only display positive emotions and come
across as inauthentic.
When we deal with pain, we can either respond with pain or love. By responding with love,
we respond to pain by taking time aside to sit with these difficult emotions, acknowledging
these emotions, so that we may process our emotion, and “share our distress without
needing to fix them”.
When denied the right to acknowledge our full human experience of perceived “flawed”
or negative emotions, it can lead to a “sense of helplessness” and even “overwhelming
powerlessness”, when pain is not acknowledged or becomes invisible.
Our emotions are valid. It’s essential to not be just okay. Just because we feel distress does
not mean that we are defective, weak, or inadequate. True happiness means authentically
feeling in the moment, accepting that our lived experiences and wide range of emotions
are valid and acceptable. “The truth is, humans are flawed. We get jealous, angry, resentful,
and greedy”, and that’s ok as long as we are not “denying or suppressing our emotions”,
acknowledging them, and not lashing out at other people's pain. After all, we can only
respond to distress with pain or love. Don’t try to force positivity if it is something that’s
within my control. If it’s out of my control, that's okay.
24 25

I Am Lucky
By Chloe Wong
Content warning: Graphic discussions of self harm and suicide
I was self harming in primary school. I’ve been in and out of psychologists’ offices since
I was in my third year of primary school. I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression
when I was in my second year of high school, at thirteen years old. I’ve been on and off
antidepressants since then. I had a mental health relapse when my cousin died by suicide
during my second last year of high school, when I was seventeen.
I say all these things not to brag about my trauma but to actually say I'm lucky (which is so
cheesy, I know). At the time when these things were happening I couldn't comprehend them.
I wouldn't have called them what they were. In primary school I was labelled a “sensitive
child” by the adults around me, but “tantrums” were the precursors to panic attacks. Kids
around me outgrow them: I sure didn’t. I genuinely thought it made me a spoiled kid who
had to make up for the fact I was wasting everyone's time with my emotions. I thought I
burdened people (such an understandable thought).
I am lucky that my pain was visible. It made all the difference that I was distressed in
public, instead of crying quietly at the back of the bus, choking myself in my room, or
scratching my arms in the school bathrooms. No one would have even thought to ask me
if it wasn't so obvious to their eyes. I was embarrassed every step of the way: ticing at
every pen click in class, leaving suddenly to have a panic attack in the hallway and asking
for any help ever. But (and I hate to admit it) the fact that I clearly couldn't cope was THE
ONLY reason anyone even knew to help me. On paper, I was a straight A student raising
my hand in every class, in the highest maths class, I played multiple instruments, I was in so
many extra curriculars, I was confident with a bright future. All those things were true: a list
of obvious strengths that made my weaknesses feel against the “brand” I had constructed.
I couldn't cry again, I couldn’t self harm again, I couldn't get a D and I couldn't stop. I rarely
believed the compliments I got. I heard them, logged them away but never thought they
were true in any meaningful way.
I am lucky my parents were persistent, across years and thousands of dollars to get me
professional health when they couldn’t admit it or talk about it themselves. I am lucky I
broke the barrier of speaking about how I really felt. It was and still is the hardest part.
I am lucky I got diagnosed. I am lucky I got medication. I am lucky I got medication that
works for me. Some, in fact most people get stuck at any one of these steps.
I will never be fully ‘okay’. I will always be susceptible to relapses into anxiety and
depression, whenever life events happen (positive or negative).
Despite all of that, I am lucky that I am here and that I even get the chance to have
retrospect.
Lifeline:
26 27

Eleanor
By Anonymous
Eleanor was the sort of person who didn’t dance. It was not that she didn’t want to, more
that she was rather unable to do so. When she was in uni she would sometimes sit alone in
her bedroom at 3am, both earphones in, blasting Chappell Roan, and a strange urge would
come over her causing her to shrug her shoulders up and down instead of writing the essay
that was due in six hours. It was the closest she would come to dancing though. The second
other people appeared it was as if all desire, all knowledge of how, disappeared and was
replaced by an overwhelming feeling of “stuck”.
There had been one exception to this rule. One glorious night as a twenty-year-old spent
dancing till 5am in some gay club in Fitzroy. Admittedly, the night had been strongly helped
along by copious amounts of alcohol and the continued presence of the hand of a pretty girl
she’d never have in her.
This, Eleanor thought, was probably the story of her life. Destined to want things, but choke
just as the opportunity presented itself to her. Sometimes, she’d let herself feel as if it wasn’t
her fault she was like this, choosing instead to blame it on the universe, her parents, that one
situationship in high school. Really, anyone but herself. But just as soon as the thought would
occur, she would bat it away. Such thinking was drawing dangerously close to that of those
mediocre boy-men who felt personally victimised by every woman who even slightly dared
to indicate she was not interested in him.
It was pathetic, she thought. She’d agreed to go to dinner with Oliver after work because
since starting their grad roles they’d barely seen each other, and now, two bottles of red
wine down at dinner, they’d ended up at some rooftop bar. It often struck her how ridiculous
the whole situation was. Their offices were on the same street and yet, despite repeated
promises to catch up soon, it was now early September and they hadn’t seen each other
since a night out on Chapel Street with other uni friends in April.
They had tried to see each other a few times,
but the age-old excuses always came up. She
had, in fact, almost cancelled when she woke
up this morning, still tired after another night
of not enough sleep and the mere idea of yet
another sleepless night filled her with a dread
that could be best described as nothing short
of torturous. But she missed him, and their
dinners like this they’d had at uni on nights
once they’d finished assignments and exams.
So she had dragged herself out of bed, gone
through her usual morning routines and sent
him a reminded text on her tram into work.
And now here she was, somewhat unsure of
when dinner and a glass of wine had turned
to two whole bottles, and then margherita’s.
She had been hiding out in the bathroom
for the past ten minutes, unwilling to stand
awkwardly at the edge of the dance floor
Oliver had tried, and then quickly given up,
dragging her onto. What had started as
a general attempt to justify her refusal to
dance to herself had now descended into
a full-blown deep dive into the problems of
her life. Or rather the fact, that despite the
apparent lack of real problems, she still felt
as if something was missing.
Generally, she thought, her life was going
pretty well. She had a good job as a junior
lawyer at one of the more high-end corporate
firms, and while it didn’t pay a lot, it certainly
wasn’t anything to complain over, not when it
was enough to cover the rent to live with one
of her old high school friends in a two-bed
flat off Brunswick Road. The long hours might
have been worth complaining about, except
that everyone she knew was either also a
junior lawyer, or a post-grad student, working
nights at bars in order to afford to eat while
they worked towards a PhD in litreature.
She was in the best shape of her life. She ran
three mornings a week, including at one
of those godforsaken run clubs that crowd
the foreshores of St Kilda at 6am on a
Saturday morning, and hit the gym four or
five days depending how she was feeling. If
time allowed, she’d play hockey in the winter,
and travel home to the outer south-eastern
suburbs to play cricket in the summer.
She wasn’t lonely. She had plenty of friends
and had recently realised that maybe romantic
relationships weren’t for her. Her attempts
at dating always figured out quickly. She’d
originally thought that maybe it was because
men weren’t for her, but after beginning to
date women, it had dawned on her that just
because she thought someone was attractive
and she liked talking to them, it did not mean
that she had to be in a relationship with
them. Singledom was treating her well, and
she had no plans on changing that fact.
So what was it that was missing? Somewhere
in the back of her mind a thought, or more
accurately, a memory began to form. There
was something she was missing, something
she knew that she could figure out if she just
had a little more time. But just before she
could place it her phone began to ring.
Oliver was calling, asking where she’d gone,
promising one more drink before they left to
go home, sleep, and the wake up and do
another day all over again.
28 29

Standing on the Borderline
By Erica Di Pierro
Nowadays I scrub myself clean of anything representing a stereotypical mentally ill person.
No more will people say I remind them of Harley Quinn or Ramona Flowers, no more will
I meet their sexualised expectation of a mentally ill woman.
I’m dying my hair back, thinking carefully about the tattoos I want, I don’t fall asleep at 3am
with some depressing playlist, and I’m finally selling all my lifeless clothes at the Sunday
market. I no longer identify with that. I’m not proud of it, I wasn’t happy, it wasn’t me.
I’m not insulted that I dress “basic” now, I’m not insulted I no longer meet your expectations
of me. I traded my chains and fishnets for basic tees, and I feel better now.
As I reach for that abrasive loofah, I do contemplate why I can’t accept who I was when
I was deep in the trenches, begging everyone to believe that it was a stranger, begging
myself to believe that was never me. I’m not my illness, that’s not who I am, but as someone
who has walked in my own shoes, shouldn’t I be a little more understanding of the roads
I’ve travelled?
Too often I’m sitting on the fence between accepting myself and being okay with it or
tearing any resemblance of mental illness and keeping it as far away as possible. How
can I be okay with this, do you know what people say about me?
Sometimes I feel like I must carry the agonising burden of being a spokesperson for BPD,
those three words come up in a conversation and I feel eyes pierce me like they know
a big secret I’m hiding. The desperate need to say something to disprove of borderline
symptoms is haunting, cursed with the fear that people think I want this and I’m so quirky.
Screw you TikTok.
Even the few positive attributes this illness gifts me is something I wish I could get a
shovel and weed out of my garden. Everything feels like a double-edged sword, everything
is a double-edged sword. A sweet sensitivity that snowballs into debilitating anxiety,
compassion, and loyalty like a dog, and will never be reciprocated in any relationship. It is
not fun fighting everyone else’s wars yet never being able to stand next to your own army.
Shame is unfortunately ingrained in me, one Google search and there’s more results on
BPD being toxic manipulators than there are helpful resources. I walk around with a scarlet
letter, people stop and stare knowing I’m a horrible, toxic gaslighter. Constantly scared
that those around me walk on my field of landmines, running a never-ending marathon
questioning, ‘what if I am the stereotype?’ It’s getting quite lonely locked away with a moat
of eggshells and glass shards.
Perhaps this is a perspective that changes with the years, right now detachment feels like a
home, maybe I’ll keep dancing with these ideas. I am not borderline; I am not a borderline.
No one says I am a thyroid problem, or I am a cold. The less I dwell on stereotypes and
playing the painful losing game of trying to change people’s beliefs, the easier it is to
cope. Maybe at the core of wanting to appear so extremely unwell is just simply wanting
someone to care, not to be immediately seen like a monster.
An Offering in Defense of Aphrodite
By Lucia Lane
This piece was originally published by Pnyx Magazine
Love and war lay tangled together, laughed at
but the punishment was a failure
being bare before them brought her no shame,
she was the goddess of beauty
seeing her marriage dissolve brought her no pain,
she was goddess of love, not matrimony
She didn’t hate her husband because he was ugly
but he demanded her hand and expected fidelity
only choosing her because others lusted
and fought over her frequently
But Ares didn't hesitate to remember
that love finds the spot where it hurts and adds pressure
she was older than the others and wilder
finally, someone who matched him in power
he saw the parts of her nobody knew
she had begun as goddess of war
and would always be the more violent of the two
30 31

THE CHARM OF A
PRINCE
BY MARY ELIZABETH
A delicate young flower, unpicked by the bare hands of a malicious suitor.
She would never allow someone to extract her. Yet the young prince had been gentle, and the
naïve princess had felt herself blossom.
They’d met amongst the stars, her light brighter than the sky. She had a captivation that was
irresistible. Eyes like sapphires; lips red as the rose; hair black as ebony; skin white as snow.
All eyes had been on her. The prettiest accessory. How could he not resist?
Within his introduction, he mentioned things he knew she liked, pretended to be interested in
her endeavours. Her voice sounded like music; her smile glimmered in his eyes.
What a revelation! A handsomely unexpected greeting! Yet she liked surprises, desired him to
pick every petal until he reached her pistil.
How easy it had been for him…
Soon she was whisked away to his castle– one far more magnificent than her own. The walls
were decorated with glorious artworks; the great hall filled with fine China; the bed covered
with vibrant silken materials. There she sang hymns before him every night, which he indulged
in mercilessly as he tasted all of nature’s finest fruits after twilight.
When the sun beamed, she’d have a garden ready for picking, with sunflowers taller than her
own that she danced around with him.
She constantly played him ballads, showed him performances, and told him stories she
cherished. He seemed puzzled by these things, but she anticipated that his love would flourish
eventually.
Each day there was a new gift authentically crafted just for her. He even promised her glass
slippers– so long as she behaved.
Every other princess must be jealous; she had attained the most precious jewel imaginable.
Yet something inside the prince was of disarray and slowly pulled him into the shadows. A
tinge of sadness had now turned into an ache, burned for something the princess feared she
wasn’t capable of providing to her beloved. He had been forsaken by many before her, and
her presence seemingly wasn’t enough to rid the prince of his sorrows. Now he no longer
accompanied his darling on strolls around the garden, didn’t cling to her like ivy amongst the
flowers. Instead, he solemnly spent many weeks in his private quarters, the princess helpless.
She was as desperate as his servants to rid his sorrows, but alas the young royal remained
within his solitude.
However, one evening, when the princess had visited his chambers, he was completely absent.
She had grown fearful until he stumbled into the room, a drunken smile on his face.
He had just been to a tea party, a mad tea party! One of many he’d always longed to attend.
How wild it had been! What odd company there was: the White Rabbit, the Cheshire Cat, the
Mad Hatter, the March Hare. And even more exciting: he had been invited to another! Oh, how
she must go with him, meet all his new companions!
While slightly hesitant, the princess was overjoyed to see her lover glowing like he never had
before, and so she attended…
… mad it was indeed! Every character was distinct from the next. She was lovingly welcomed
by them, much to her relief after the prince abandoned her side once entering the function.
How unworldly she seemed to the prince, who assumed she couldn’t comprehend the group’s
dialogue. Never mind that, he was having fun– that’s what really mattered.
Once seated, the princess noticed a glass filled with prismatic liquid, with a label that read
“DRINK ME!”. However, when she did, the prince was furious and stated she was too delicate
to consume their tea party concoctions. It was for her own good.
She tried to protest, but the prince was dismissive. Stay quiet, remain pretty, my friends are
here– don’t make a scene!
The princess felt her magic wither away. Her lover’s gaze never once fell on her afterwards.
Things only worsened back at his castle; the flowers began to wilt as the prince’s presence
slowly lessened. While she remained within their chambers, he was out most nights. Rarely in
the late hours was she accompanied. However, when she was, he was always preoccupied
with thoughts of his mad friends, who played him the same ballads, showed him the same
performances, and told him the same stories as hers. Yet now they piqued his interest, because
their madness made them captivating, something she was not capable of replicating.
She was simply not enough. Her spell wasn’t so appealing anymore.
Confrontation only made him push her further away, so she brushed her feelings aside so
he’d always feel heavenly. Otherwise what use was she anymore? Yet even that wasn’t enough.
Something was always wrong; always needing to be fixed; always her fault. He remained
fantasising about his next tea party; yearned to be far away from her, drinking more potions
he never let her near.
She no longer enjoys the ballads, the performances, the stories– not when the prince shames
her for them, even though his mad friends enjoy them too.
Over time, she realises she knows him better than she knows herself; was never the company
he truly desired. She was a piece offering, and after one small bite, he was already full. He
had wanted to fulfil his fairy tale fantasies, never hers. How good he had been at hiding his
demise, pushing her off a throne that was never once hers and always belonged to his friends.
She had been exiled from a life short-lived. A fantasy quickly faltered, wasting her words, her
art, her fidelity.
The castle she left behind no longer seemed grand, standing as a fortress where her presence
was now unsanctioned, the garden trampled to the dirt, her belongings now tossed aside for
a new princess.
What a witch she was for questioning his authority, his beliefs, his intentions.
But how beautiful she was when she didn’t speak. The prettiest accessory. How could he not
resist?
32 32
33

Artwork by Spencer Slainey
34 35

A WORD FROM YOUR ACADEMIC BOARD
STUDENT REPS
BY DIMITRI KAMINIS AND DILHAN SIMSEK, UNDERGRADUATE ACADEMIC BOARD
What is the Academic Board?
The Academic Board serves as the principal academic body of the University,
responsible for maintaining high standards in teaching and research.
It operates under the Monash University Statute and Council Regulations.
Membership of the Board includes the Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor, Faculty
Deans, Deputy Deans, Heads of Department, and elected staff and students.
The Board establishes Standing Committees to assist in its functions, including
the Steering Committee, University Education Committee (UEC), Monash
University Research Committee, and the Graduate Research Committee
(GRC). These committees oversee various aspects of academic affairs, from
managing urgent business to ensuring excellence in education and research
strategy implementation.
The Academic Board meets eight times each year. The Board encourages
submissions and engagement from its members to inform decision-making
processes. Overall, the Academic Board plays a pivotal role in shaping
academic policies, maintaining high standards, and ensuring excellence
across Monash University.
Meet your reps:
Demitri Kaminis (until 31/12/2025), 5th year Law/Commerce student:
Hi All! I’m Demitri, one of your
Academic Board representatives in
2024. I’m incredibly passionate about
making the student experience the
best it can be, and want to ensure
that the student voice is placed at the
forefront of teaching and education.
Outside of Uni, I work in the education
sector and as a part-time tennis
coach, and my hobbies include
playing sports, chess, cycling, and
reading novels and autobiographies.
Dilhan Simsek (until 31/12/2024), 4th
year Commerce/IT student:
Hey! I’m Dilhan, one of your
undergraduate Academic Board
student representatives for 2024. I’m
dedicated to ensuring Monash is as
accessible as possible. I have been
committed to ensuring your time
at University is the best it can be.
Through my involvement with Clubs
& Societies as an Executive and
having served on club committees,
student life and engagement have
been a priority of mine throughout
my time at Monash. I’m also currently
on the Monash Student Association
Executive, working on developing
welfare initiatives and big projects.
In my life away from Uni, I’m an SES
volunteer, work in the Public Service,
and spend time advocating for better
community outcomes.
As part of our ongoing commitment to
student welfare, university experience
and academic excellence, we have
actively engaged in advocating for
several important initiatives
aimed at enhancing the overall
student experience and academic
environment at Monash. This piece
provides an overview of the various
issues we have raised at the first 2
meetings of the Academic Board and
highlights some key areas of progress.
1. Establishment of More 24/7 Study
Areas:
One of the primary concerns we raised
was the diminishing access to oncampus
resources and the reduction in
library hours. We know how important
it is to have accessible study spaces,
particularly during peak academic
periods. Our proposal to establish
the Sir Louis Matheson Library and/or
the Learning and Teaching Building
(LTB) at Clayton as a 24/7 Study Area
sparked an investigation into the use
of study spaces on campus. The aim is
to provide students with uninterrupted
access to essential resources and
conducive study environments.
Paired with advocacy from the Monash
Student Association (MSA), we are
proud to share that the university has
agreed to transforming a new space
into an extended access study lounge.
2. Accessible Class Options:
We have expressed concern and
have emphasised the importance
of offering a diverse range of class
options to accommodate students'
varying needs and schedules. This
includes advocating for flexible
scheduling, greater diversification
36 37

d in to class ensuring offerings, your time at online University learning is the Paired received. with We advocacy have from attributed the Monash this
of a twelve week semester it can not to Paired be one with advocacy of the best from in the terms Monash of
best can be. Through my involvement with Student Association (MSA), we are proud
dates, has been engaged and will work
opportunities, and alternative class trend to students providing feedback
be said to be properly scheduled. It experience Student Association but one (MSA), of the we worst are proud when
Clubs & Societies as an Executive and having to share that the university has agreed to
with us to review the current timelines. to share that the university has agreed to
formats to ensure accessibility for all after the semester concludes, which
is our opinion that a mid semester it comes to unit credits.
served on club committees, student life and transforming a new space into an extended
transforming a new space into an extended
engagement
students.
have been a priority of mine access
limits
study
the
lounge.
benefits they can derive
break 7. in Late the Submission middle of Marking a semester Penalties: The
access
IBL
study
program
lounge.
spans a duration
throughout We will continue my time at to Monash. work with I’m also the from it. In response, we have been
is crucial The for late promoting submission student marking wellbeing
and 10% per academic day for a success maximum and of seven we work 2. days Accessible but only Class credits Options: 18 credit points.
penalty of 105 of days or six months of full time
currently University on the to Monash ensure Student students Association are 2. advocating Accessible Class for Options: reforms to enhance
Executive, given a choice working and on can developing schedule welfare their We the have transparency, expressed concern timeliness, and have
will continue has been to advocate a point of for contention. this shift. We Whilst We have have on expressed IBL placement, concern and students have
initiatives and big projects. In my life away emphasised the importance of offering
benchmarked the university and compared
Uni around their life and not the other and effectiveness of feedback
We are glad that the University Chief cannot emphasised be the undertaking importance any of unit offering
from Uni, I’m an SES volunteer, work in the a diverse range of class options to
this policy with other universities. What a we diverse range of class options to
way around.
mechanisms. This includes exploring
Operating
Public Service, and spend time advocating accommodate students' varying needs and
found Officer, was that who out of is the responsible
37 universities study. in our Comparatively, students in the
accommodate students' varying needs and
for
3. Universal
better community
Submission
outcomes.
Time (UST):
schedules.
new approaches
This includes
to
advocating
gather and
for
for semester country only periods three and have key a penalty dates, between Faculty
schedules.
of
This
Business
includes
and
advocating
Economics
for
As We part have of our proposed ongoing commitment the establishment to student flexible act upon scheduling, student greater feedback diversification earlier, in
has been 6-10% engaged per day and will 28 have work a with penalty can flexible of complete scheduling, 55 greater days diversification of industry
welfare, of a Universal university Submission experience and Time academic (UST) class thereby offerings, improving online learning teaching opportunities, and
us to review 1-5% with the the current rest being timelines. faculty dependent. placement, class offerings, and online are learning awarded opportunities, with 24
excellence, of 11:55pm we to have streamline actively assignment
engaged in and learning alternative outcomes class formats and to reducing ensure
7. Late We want Submission to make sure that Marking when you credit and find alternative points. class formats to ensure
advocating submissions for several and alleviate important initiatives student accessibility for all students.
yourself in a situation where you aren't
the current lag in feedback
Penalties:
Advocacy accessibility efforts for all students. have been made to
aimed at enhancing the overall student We will continue to work with the University
eligible for special consideration, the We late will continue to work with the University
stress. By standardising submission implementation.
The late
experience and academic environment at to ensure students are given a choice and
submission submission policy marking does not penalty discourage recognise you and award fair and well
to ensure students are given a choice and
Monash.
deadlines
This
across
piece provides
units, us
an
students
overview can
We
schedule
are pleased
their Uni
to
around
share
their
that
life
Allie
and
of 10% per from day submitting for a maximum and continuing of seven to persevere deserved
can schedule
credit
their Uni
points
around
for
their
students
life and
of can the better various manage issues we our have workload raised at and the not Clemans, the other way Deputy around. Vice-Chancellor
days has and been engage a point with of your contention. studies participating not and the other way in around. IBL programs.
first plan 2 our meetings study of time the Academic effectively. Board and (Education), has confirmed a trial
We have assessments. benchmarked We will the continue university to engage 9. Remarking Policy:
highlights We will continue some key to areas follow of progress. up progress 3. for Universal early Submission semester unit Time evaluations
(UST):
and compared and ensure this the review policy of with the existing other policies We 3. Universal have Submission requested Time the (UST): University
of the feasibility review into this We have proposed the establishment of a
lead to outcomes ensure consistency
in semester two. While the specifics
universities. We found that out of the revisit We have the proposed remarking the establishment policy to ensure of a
1. Establishment of More 24/7 Study Areas: Universal Submission Time (UST) of 11:55pm
and fairness.
Universal Submission Time (UST) of 11:55pm
initiative and hope to have some of this trial are still being worked
37 universities in our country, only our concerns about transparency and
One of the primary concerns we raised to streamline assignment submissions and
to streamline assignment submissions and
was
positive
the diminishing
updates in
access
the near
to on-campus
future.
alleviate
through,
student
it will
stress.
offer
By
students
standardising
the
three have 8. IBL a Credit penalty Points: between 6-10% consistency
alleviate student
in the
stress.
remarking
By standardising
process
resources 4. Extensions and the reduction and in Special library submission opportunity deadlines to provide across feedback units, us
per day While and industry 28 have placements a penalty and of 1-5% experience are submission heard. deadlines We are working across units, towards us
hours. Consideration: We know how important it is to have students on units can early better in manage the semester. our workload We
with the vary rest from being faculty to dependent. faculty, we implementing students have can better clear manage guidelines our workload and
accessible Efforts have study been spaces, made particularly to review during and anticipate plan our study that time this effectively. initiative will
We want identified to make the Faculty sure of that IT’s Industry when Based procedures and plan our study for time requesting effectively. and
peak and improve academic the periods. process Our for proposal granting to We will continue to follow up progress of
Learning (IBL) program to be one of the We best
lead to positive steps being taken
you find yourself in a situation conducting will continue remarking to follow of up in progress semester of
establish the Sir Louis Matheson Library and/ the feasibility review into this initiative and
in terms of experience but one of the the worst feasibility review into this initiative and
extensions and special consideration to address feedback in a timely
where
or the Learning and Teaching Building (LTB) hope to have some positive updates in the
when you aren't it comes eligible to unit credits. for special assessments which currently is not
hope to have some positive updates in the
at
to
Clayton
students
as a 24/7
facing
Study Area
extenuating
sparked an near
manner
future.
and pivot teaching methods
consideration, The IBL program the late spans submission a duration of allowed.
near 105 future.
investigation circumstances. into the Due use of to study the spaces recent on to best accommodate the current
policy days does or not six discourage months of full you time from work but
campus. large changes The aim in is to these provide processes students and with 4. teaching Extensions period. and Special Consideration:
submitting only and credits continuing 18 credit to points. persevere Whilst on Student 4. Extensions IBL representation and Special Consideration: in decisionmaking
Efforts have processes been made is vital, to and review we and will
uninterrupted policy, the university access to essential has committed resources Efforts 6. Semester have been 2 Mid-Semester made to review Break: and
with your placement, studies. students We will cannot continue be undertaking to
and to reviewing conducive data study as environments. it comes through improve the process for granting extensions
any unit of study. Comparatively, students improve We have raised large concerns with
engage and ensure the review of the continue the to process ensure for that granting the needs extensions and
and special consideration to students
the Faculty of Business and Economics and can special consideration to students
and continues to make data driven how late the semester two midsemester
existing
facing extenuating circumstances. Due to
complete policies 55 lead days to outcomes of industry that placement, voices of students are central to the
facing extenuating circumstances. Due to
decisions.
the recent large
break
changes
occurs.
in these
The
processes
midsemester
policy, the break university during has semester committed
8. IBL Credit 9. Remarking Points: Policy:
Please and policy, feel the free university to reach has out committed to any
ensure and consistency are awarded with 24 credit points. priorities
the recent large
and
changes
initiatives
in these
of
processes
Monash.
5. Unit Feedback Procedures and and
Reforms:
to two reviewing is supposed data as it to comes allow through students and
While We industry have requested placements the University and revisit of to the reviewing us with suggestions, data as it comes feedback through or and if
We have scrutinised the current unit continues time to to recharge make data and driven manage decisions. their
experience remarking vary from policy faculty to ensure to faculty, our concerns you’d continues like to to make find data out driven more. decisions.
about transparency and consistency in the
feedback procedures (SETU) due to a workload effectively. When this
we have identified the Faculty of IT’s
remarking process are heard. We are
noticeable decline in responses break happens after nine weeks
Industry Based Learning (IBL) program
38 39

Judas Who Loved
me
By anonymous
sitting in the dark, i would wait
hoping you’d come back
heart on your sleeve, apology ready
some semblance of guilt, empathy
plenty
crawling, tail between your legs
back to our glass house, empty
desperate, i whispered eulogies
months passed waiting by the phone
entwined your name in prayers
‘just a temporary high’, she swears
in every laugh, every torment
i’m sure it’s there somewhere
always in my peripheral, yet
never meeting the eye
desire, the naked temptress
chased after it nevertheless
marked for perpetuity, still you left
better off they’d say? never, i protest
i stalk your ghost in dreams
awake in my shame, it remains
every memory threatens to leave
cling in desperation, it’s futile maybe
but i still hope i cross the mind
of judas who loved me
The Leader of the
Opposition
By Robert Barber
“Mister Speaker,” he said, “I rise”
– amid the stare of waiting eyes
he rose – “to ask the Prime Minister-”
saw the hungry journalists, “Sir-
What’s the government position-”
Can you feel naked ambition?
“on this or that moral outrage?”
Headline writers, op-eds engage,
with heavy guns, artillery,
turning shit into millinery,
forcing ammunition onto heads.
Every trace of trust that he sheds
Is pleased, knowing soundbites
secured -
Media, public, all skewered,
One simple piece of mockery.
Who really wants democracy?
Please, forget your apprehensions.
This is how we win elections.
You 'Clockwork' Decide...
by Anisha Deshmukh
By Ash Dowling
Jemima holds a star in her head like
the You limbs decide of her girls fanning out in the
He says
sun they are swans they are wolves
Anxiety rises in my chest like nails
with Do I have to?
canines I don’t really for days care who hold the world
in
I say,
their
or
exhale
maybe I just don’t know
And it seems overwhelming to
deep
Assess the
release
options
with sweet sweaty
palms Have the clasped conversations around forearms the
earth Read the is sprouting books out
Reflect on my life
the And back say the teeth prayer like the lock clicking at
the back door only
there But not is making no passcode a decision to is renter a
no decision logical too fallacies no perfect
combination And Love will arrangement not impose itself soliloquy on
Jemima you. can do now but fall deeply
in the great bodies of water curdling
dreams and arise with
hair streaming
molars pulsing
'You Don't Me, Again See Me'
A poem on intense female friendships
by Sheenam Sharma
By Julia Fullard
I put you on a pedestal,
Coming back to myself was
Your birthday
And now I look up at you looking
down
Sitting
on
at
me,
the counter,
like an
watching
enigma
you
so
forgettable… all in a busy kitchen:
Faye Webster on speaker
I told Pasta you bubbling where it on hurts, the stove
Cream & strawberry sponge cake in
And the you oven didn’t hesitate to stab right
there, Frosting-licked like it was already fingers rehearsed… & paper
people cake toppers
You My told hands me in I meant dishwater everything to you,
And Coming I believe back your to myself words was more than
your
Nothing
eyes
more
telling
than
lies,
a knowing
behind
smile
the
beautiful hazel hue..
No ceremony, no discernible shift
Just new friends sitting on a new
I gave you my mind, my heart, and
my
floor,
soul,
watching Ratatouille together -
Me, leaning with my back to the
And couch you didn’t flinch a minute to turn
that Mug love of into tea cradled pain, taking my a hands toll…
Thinking: this is right,
I guess This is I me, chose again to give myself to you,
And I can’t blame you for taking me,
taking all of me,
When you can’t see that I was alone,
in love with you…
40 41

WHEN MONASH
STUDENTS RESISTED
THE VIETNAM WAR
BY AMIRIYA DORIAN
‘The first televised war’ showcased the blood and barbarity of American imperialism.
People across the world witnessed the massacres in villages like My Lai, saw the
images of running children burned by napalm and heard the ruthless justifications like
“it was necessary to destroy [Vietnam] in order to save it”. They didn’t buy it. Although
the US and Australia paint themselves as fighters of freedom and justice, their drive to
destroy as much of Vietnam as possible picked away at the image of their so-called
democratic war. Here at Monash, that politicisation was felt early on.
A radical minority of Monash students began to discuss and debate the question of
Vietnam in 1965, just a month after the Menzies’s government brought in conscription.
Protests and teach-ins were organised with less than 100 people participating. But
discussion about the war started to heat up when the Monash Labor Club decided to
collect military aid for the National Liberation Front of Vietnam (NLF), Australia’s enemy
in the war. This sparked a huge debate and polarisation within society as anti-war
activists took their opposition to the next level. The Liberal government, the Labor Party
and the mainstream press went into a complete frenzy and condemned the action
as “treason”. Both major parties worked together to outlaw aid to the NLF and the
Monash Vice-Chancellor banned the collection.
Rather than deterring students from aiding ‘the enemy’, this galvanised over a thousand
students in a general meeting supporting the right for students to collect aid for the
NLF. This initiated a series of the largest student meetings in the country and inspired
other campuses to collect aid for the Vietnamese resistance. The Labor students won
and defied the University and political establishment, personally handing $500 (over
$7,000 in today’s terms) to the NLF in January of 1968. In May 1969, there was a
meeting to oppose disciplinary measures against anti-war activists at which 6,000 out
of 9,500 Monash students attended. Radicalisation happened suddenly, particularly
in 1968, and students were some of the first to move into action. Radical students
had been a minority, but after the disaster of the Tet Offensive, they were joined by
thousands of others as society became more politicised.
However, activists need to have the right approach to be successful in their aims. Police
violence pushed students to understand the role of police under capitalism. Monash
activists were arrested by police for the ‘crime’ of stopping traffic as early as 1965
facing persecution and violent beatings from police throughout the anti-war movement.
Police brutality overseas also had an impact on students in Australia. In the US, the
Kent State Massacre proved that the government will exert brute force through the
police if their political stability is threatened. Activists at Monash were quick to realise
the police were not on their side and saw first-hand how the state repressed any
opposition to the government and their interests.
The limits of electoral politics opened a space on the left for radical, anti-capitalist
politics. As mentioned before, the Australian Labor Party (ALP), including leaders of
the left such as Jim Cairns, supported legislation that banned raising funds for the NLF
in a direct attempt to suppress Monash students. Students reacted to the shameful
collaboration by rejecting the politics of ‘respectability’ and became interested in
revolutionary politics and the disruption of the status quo. Although a few ALP members
used anti-war rhetoric during the Vietnam War, it was an effort to relate to the biggest
radicalisation of Australian workers and students seen in decades. The ALP was and
continues to be firmly committed to the US alliance. Capitalism causes all the barbarity
we see in society; inequality, oppression, genocide, war and imperialism. The ALP has
no interest in getting rid of this system. Their project is to maintain the system of profits
and competition. We need a revival of radical and militant politics that rejects the lies
of the Labor Party and has a strategy for a truly equal society.
The student movement against the Vietnam War was part of a broader radicalisation
within society. The 1960s and 1970s saw the revival of militant union struggle in Australia
for political issues such as indigenous rights, women’s rights and the anti-Apartheid
movement. The actions of working-class militants in opposition to the Vietnam War is
what made the Australian movement so strong and successful. For example, in 1967
militants in the Seamen’s Union of Australia (SUA) banned the ship HMAS Boonaroo
which was carrying weapons and ammunition to American troops in Vietnam. While
the student movement was an important layer to the radicalisation against the Vietnam
War, ultimately without the international movement, Vietnamese resistance and power
exerted by the Australian working class, students wouldn’t have been successful on
their own. The success of the movement is a reminder that with broad and workingclass
resistance, even the biggest imperialist armies can be defeated.
The anti-Vietnam War movement serves as a huge inspiration for leftists today. It
exposed the lies of Western ‘democracy’ and ‘freedom’ threatening the rule of
Australian capitalism. After more than six months of Israel’s war on Gaza, more people
are questioning the normal functioning of capitalism today. Join the movement for a
free Palestine and get organised with radical politics on campus. We’ve got to “mourn
the dead, and fight like hell for the living” just like students at Monash did against the
Vietnam War.
42 42
43

'Match Point'
Words and art by Louis Perez
It’s that time once again.
Match Point.
I look over, across the net
waiting for the gesture.
Constant racing thoughts
hoping to not succumb
to this pressure.
Pacing around,
every action I take
is monumental
to the outcome
of this game.
A decisive decision
that determines
my fate.
Game. Set. Match.
44 45

46

LOT'S TO
LOOK
FORWARD
TO...
UNTIL NEXT TIME!
Edition Three, 2024 / Front cover art by Lucinda Campbell