David Rowe

YouTube video by Mindful Creativity Studio Standing at the Threshold — Part One: what happens when a national ritual outgrows its story?

On the threshold of this year's Melbourne Cup, the claimed 'race that stops the nation' beset by concern about animal cruelty & human gambling harm, Catharine Lumby & I venture to the (dis)course to take on the cultural politics of this somewhat tarnished sporting spectacle.
youtu.be/0KG8Vt1JaBA?...

Will time tear us apart? Exploring the appeal of Joy Division 40 years on The music alone, despite its unquestionable majesty, cannot entirely explain the enduring appeal of a band that existed for barely two years before its lead singer took his own life.

I did a quickfire Guardian interview after Australian PM Albanese was criticised in Parliament for wearing a Joy Division Unknown Pleasures T-shirt (I have one too). I don't recall any outrage when Joy Division Orchestrated played the Sydney Opera House in 2019.
theconversation.com/will-time-te...

Will the government’s online gambling advertising legislation ever eventuate? Don’t bet on it There are deep historical and immediate political reasons why the online gambling advertising legislation has been bogged down.

Tonight, ABC TV's Four Corners program asks why there's been so little government action to reduce online gambling harm in Australia. I recommend watching it (it's online too). I posed the same troubling question about the gamblification of sport last February.

theconversation.com/will-the-gov...

It Was 25 Years Ago Today: Revisiting Cathy Freeman’s Sydney 2000 Olympics Victory

Free event light refreshments provided.

Time: 4-6pm, Thursday 25th September, 2025

Place: IPSQ, PC-01.6.53 (LS), Western Sydney University

RSVP: Please email d.rowe@westernsydney.edu.au if you’d like to attend.

01 Feb 2001 - M/C Reviews: M/C Reviews: "The Olympics" feature issue website as it appeared on 01 Feb 2001.

To accompany my recently reposted reflections on the Sydney 2000 Olympics and Paralympics, a review I wrote at the time of a famous event moment, adopting the persona of an irascible and self-centred sport fan obsessed with the cultural capital of 'being there'!
webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20010131...

The Sydney Olympics: How did the ‘best games ever’ change Australia? Sydney 2000 may not have seen a sustained increase in sport participation. But the Olympics did leave a mark on Australia.

The Sydney 2000 Olympics and Paralympics commenced 25 years ago today. So, I've been doing media interviews, partly prompted by this piece written for the 20th anniversary. Debates continue over the legacy of the big, expensive party that was the Millennial Games.
theconversation.com/the-sydney-o...

This World Football Day, how hyperbolic is your adjective? – Australian Academy of the Humanities The 25th of May, like every day of the year, is globally themed. It ranges from the celebratory (Africa Day) to the tragic (International Missing Children’s Day) to the whimsical (Towel Day, in honour...

The United Nations, by resolution, declares an annual World Football Day. A chance to celebrate and critique a game that is by turns 'beautiful' and, shall we day, 'tarnished'.
humanities.org.au/power-of-the...

For anyone working in the area of community and rugby league, the Wes Smythe Award could support your work. Applications close on Monday 9 June 2025.
www.tombrock.com.au/the-wes-smyt...

Will the government’s online gambling advertising legislation ever eventuate? Don’t bet on it There are deep historical and immediate political reasons why the online gambling advertising legislation has been bogged down.

Legislation promised in Australia before the next election to deal with online ad gambling harm, but put on ice. Wouldn't be vested interest lobbying to blame, would it?
Will the government’s online gambling advertising legislation ever eventuate? Don’t bet on it theconversation.com/will-the-gov...

Sausages and cauldrons: Making law and policy in 21st Century Australia - Openforum The divergent fates of proposed federal legislation to restrict social media use by children and online gambling adverts for everyone highlight the complex interplay of public concern, political conve...

My first post - apologies if the image is a little disturbing. This piece starts with the old saying about law and sausage-making being similarly unsightly activities. It ends with new metaphors of cauldrons, spoons and competitive reality TV cooking shows.
www.openforum.com.au/forums/sausa...