Michael Smith

Breaking: Invasion Day rally attempted bombing declared terrorist act The attempted bombing of an Invasion Day rally in Perth's CBD last week is declared a terrorist attack by authorities.

Don't know why it's taken so long to be classified as such. But I'm glad that it now has.

A tile with a photo of VS candidate for Melbourne Jordan van den Lamb.

The Victorian state election will be held on Saturday 28th November. Victorian Socialists are running candidates across the state. Today, we're proud to introduce our candidate for Melbourne, Jordan van den Lamb (aka. @purplepingers.bsky.social).

Revealed: Israel bulldozed part of Gaza war cemetery containing allied graves Satellite images and witness testimony show destruction as IDF claims it was forced to take defensive measures

www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f... Israeli forces have bulldozed part of a Gaza cemetery containing the war graves of dozens of British, Australian and other allied soldiers killed in the first and second world wars, satellite imagery and witness testimony reveal.

Bowen set for COP31 as Australia hits coal export record The latest update from the department of industry shows that the September quarter in 2025 saw Australia’s highest volume of thermal coal exports, ever. it is a remarkable comeback for thermal coal af...

In some ways Labor are worse than the Coalition on climate change. They aren’t ignorant buffoons like their opponents: they know the damage they’re doing, and they do it anyway. And then they lie shamelessly about how they are addressing climate change, and ppl lap it up. The hypocrisy is sickening.

“if I have a missile in my goddamned kitchen can I not defend myself?” - Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who does not have a missile in his goddamned kitchen, but does sign missiles dropped by his military on Palestinians in their kitchens.

Minns out here again citing “the understandable need for the Jewish community to grieve” and mate I have never seen more public opportunities for a community to grieve in my life. It is not that they should not grieve. It is the political justification does. Not. Stack. Up.

bsky.app/profile/ingr...

if there are concerns for public safety when Herzog is here after 2.5 years of peaceful protests against his genocidal state then maybe Herzog is the problem.

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive, Alex Ryvchin, has said Herzog's visit would bring "tremendous comfort to the families" of Bondi victims and "hopefully a reset of the bilateral relationship". "Sometimes it takes a catastrophe, a tragedy, to bring a sense of perspective and clarity and bring two feuding partners together," Rychin has said.

unusual frankness on leveraging tragedy to boost Aust-Israel relations.

NSW Labor politicians to protest Israeli president Isaac Herzog’s visit in defiance of premier Cameron Murphy, one of three MLCs to rally next week, says ‘we should not be welcoming to Australia the head of a state engaged in an ongoing genocide’

they can not arrest us all.

www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

Living costs rise for all but those on government payments hit hardest Cost-of-living pressures are being felt by all households, but some have been hit harder than others as annual costs increased between 2.3 and 4.2 per cent in 2025, according to the Australian Bureau ...

The households that saw the largest increase in costs over the past year were those on government payments, with increases of at least 4 per cent largely driven by rising energy costs www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02...

IDF supplier Bisalloy Steel targeted by Herzog protesters - Michael West Wollongong Friends of Palestine are holding community picket at Bisalloy Steel to protest the visit of Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog.

Herzog. The protests and pickets have begun, over Israel prez visit. Bisalloy Steel which exports to IDF picketed now
@sstephanietrann.bsky.social #whatsthescam
michaelwest.com.au/idf-supplier...

This email between Epstein and JD Vance’s tech oligarch benefactor Peter Thiel where they plan to “collapse” society to create investment opportunities for themselves seems… not great

(They also met with the UN ambassador to Russia together)

ISIS vs IDF. Selective justice and the fall of Australian law - Michael West Australians who went to fight for ISIS were prosecuted, their families vilified, while former IDF soldiers fighting for Israel walk free.

"When Australians fight in Gaza under the Israeli flag, amid credible allegations of genocide now before international courts, the state looks away."

Andrew Brown on govt "policy" re Australians fighting for the IDF
#auspol
michaelwest.com.au/isis-vs-idf-...

The WA EPA have recommended in favour of fracking in the Kimberley Saving the nature of the Kimberley

WA EPA okays fracking in Kimberley

“With WA EPA making shocking recommendation that fracking go ahead in the heart of Martuwarra Fitzroy River catchment, act to protect the Kimberley's rivers & wetlands.

Send an appeal now – it's quick & easy to do.
👇
www.environskimberley.org.au/epa_submissi...

No, I'm not across what's available in Melbourne sorry

Precarious Invitations: Israel’s President Isaac Herzog’s Visit to Australia | Countercurrents Things are getting rather ropey on the invitation of Israeli President Isaac Herzog to visit Australia on February 8. It came amidst the anguish following the Bondi Beach attacks of December 14…

“When someone is accused by the UN of inciting genocide, you don’t invite them for tea, you don’t give them a platform, and you certainly don’t welcome them as a guest of honour” @davidshoebridge.bsky.social

"A citizen’s arrest might be in order" -Binoy Kampmark
countercurrents.org/2026/02/prec...

If you're in North Sydney I can recommend a good organisation.

64 ADF Properties to be sold for $1.8B. @albomp.bsky.social you said it's a
"Win-Win". No Albo. It will be a Win for the filthy rich & greedy developers. Your Govt should own and develop public housing on these sites. Just like HDB of Singapore Govt, go and consult them #Qt

They should not have invited Herzog to Australia. Now the police are saying they have concerns about how his visit will cause “significant animosity”.

The Albanese Government needs to withdraw this invitation now!

French Response * @FrenchResponse X.com Investigating child sexual abuse material isn't controversial. Turning it into political theater is manipulation. Maybe that logic flies on some island. Doesn't fl in France. Elon Musk & X @elonmusk • 3h This is a political attack

My apologies to France, I was not familiar with your game.

How do you explain to extremely offline people that some random pedophile billionaire and his wealthy pervert friends have been deliberately stoking culture wars the world over for potentially decades?

Alarming. Thankyou for trawling through the stuff

Repression will continue until cohesion improves

Human Rights Watch researchers resign after report on Palestinian right of return blocked The organization claims the report, which finds Israel’s denial of the right of return is a crime against humanity, is ‘paused pending further analysis and research’

Two HRW employees that make up the entirety of the organization's Israel and Palestine program are stepping down after the leadership blocked a report that deems Israel’s denial of Palestinian refugees the right of return a "crime against humanity." www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...

Single frame. Title: “[redacted]” A line of early teen? girls looking at the viewer. Behind them, silhouettes of four generic men, some with hand on shoulders of the girls, which have been through six iterations of redaction to satisfy the newspaper’s lawyers that none are identifiable.

A heavily redacted cartoon.
My @smh cartoon.

lotta rich people screaming about government spending. Easy solution, Ted. Stop giving billions of our dollars to expensive schools, franking boomers, and landlords. Nothing more inflationary than free money for the rich who produce nothing but speculation and bubbles.

We can do this the easy way or the hard way, or the poached way or the scrambled way, or we can make this an omelette

The NSW police approved a neo-Nazi rally on the steps of parliament, but want to ban people from protesting against genocide.

Get this: the Israeli president’s visit will be so divisive, according to NSW Police, that the appropriate response is to ban all public assemblies while he’s here, rather than, say, him not coming.