MARCH 9, 2019

GIVE THE GIFT OF CRIKEY | TIP OFF | VIEW IN BROWSER

Part of our job as editors is to try and judge when the public has had its fill of a story. In the case of the conviction of George Pell, it seems that cup may never overrun. For Catholics and non-Catholics alike, the story has either confirmed or shaken our faith in powerful institutions. It’s a unique story, one that seeps into public behaviour and private belief. This week we had another look at the Pell case, both in terms of where it puts conservative commentators and in contrast to similar allegations against the King of Pop, Michael Jackson.

With Pell’s sentencing set to take place next week and his appeal already being fast tracked to June, it’s a story that continue to reveals itself. Let us know what you think of our coverage of the Pell case and anything else by writing to boss@crikey.com.au with your full name.

Have a great weekend,

Bhakthi Puvanenthiran
Managing Editor

Conservatives’ defence of Pell alienates them from their base

GUY RUNDLE 4 minute read

The right commentariat, to their own detriment, have decided to go down swinging with Pell.

Heart Foundation shows Indigenous staff the door

KISHOR NAPIER-RAMAN 4 minute read

Former Indigenous employees say the organisation has been marred by an exodus of Aboriginal staff, a collapse of specialist programs and a failure to meet reconciliation targets.

On finding a place for women in the modern Liberal Party

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At a Bold Thinking conference in November last year, [Julie Bishop] addressed the preconception that she was a moderate, claiming conservatism as a stalwart principal of hers, meaning “respect for institutions, and traditions built up over time”. It is not, she said, a “prescriptive ideology” in the Liberal party, but a moralistic choice, one that rejects the act of “revolution”.

This might explain her lack of revolt against the party. Even in her retirement speech she bent in gratitude to a room of like-minded conservatives who had failed to support her ambitions time and time again. — Kara Schlegl

The shockwaves of Julie Bishop’s retirement from politics are still being felt. But her so-called “moderate” nature hid a support for an ideology which keeps women out of power.

The government that can’t stand itself slowly empties out

BERNARD KEANE 3 minute read

Why do so many Liberals want to work in government but not govern?

Can Julian Burnside turn Kooyong Green?

KISHOR NAPIER-RAMAN 4 minute read

The high profile refugee lawyer has taken on his biggest case yet.

Does Australian politics have a millennial problem?

CHRIS WOODS 6 minute read

Chris Woods asked young Australians across the political spectrum for their views.

Michael Daley takes on the SCG Trust, just like opposition leaders before him

BERNARD KEANE 3 minute read

NSW Labor leader Michael Daley is positioning himself against the powerful Liberal interests who run the SCG Trust. In decades gone by, the roles have been reversed.

A three-point checklist to help you tell fact from fiction in climate coverage

JONATHAN PRENDERGAST and NICKY ISON 4 minute read

There's spin a plenty as the energy debate heats up again. Here's a handy guide to navigating the tricky terrain.

ParentsNext is the culmination of a decade of attacks on women

CHARLIE LEWIS 3 minute read

Since the days of the Howard government, the ability for single parents to get suitable welfare support has become harder and harder.

The cardinal and the king

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There are some striking parallels. Both stories centre around allegations from the ’90s involving two boys. The accused are both godlike figures — [Pell] a man of God and [Jackson] a demi-god — who allegedly took advantage of those positions to perpetrate abuse (one documentary interviewee even described feeling “anointed” by the star).

There are, of course, key differences: one man has been found guilty, while the other can no longer be tried. But one common thread is especially illuminating: we believe what we want to believe. — Rachel Withers

The new Michael Jackson reckoning ought to serve as a lesson against blind faith — and wilful blindness.

There were giants, once: the decline of the journalist celebrity

CHRISTOPHER WARREN 3 minute read

Does anyone know the names of journalists anymore? Crikey reflects on the modern media and celebrity journalists.

Is the Milo Yiannopoulos ban a moral victory or an election consideration?

GUY RUNDLE 3 minute read

The beleaguered right wing "Deplorables Tour" has suffered another blow, but what really caused the government to deny Milo Yiannopoulos a visa?

PM names airport after Nancy-Bird Walton, while her Australian descendants are made stateless

CHARLIE LEWIS 2 minute read

This government sure can nail optics.

Wage stagnation is the front line of a class war

BERNARD KEANE 4 minute read

Business' refusal to pay higher wages, and the indifference of policymakers to the issue, is an act of economic warfare by wealthy, out-of-touch elites against ordinary people.

The global rise of antisemitism has arrived in Australia

STEFAN BOSCIA 3 minute read

Increased security measures have become a sad fact of life for the Australian Jewish community as antisemitic activity becomes increasingly commonplace.