Sarah Steel

“When people cannot find affordable housing, and when the government’s response is to build housing bureaucracies rather than houses, the far right’s narrative—that immigration is the cause—acquires a surface plausibility that reasoned argument struggles to overcome.”

BREAKING: High Court ruling today in AA v Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle opens avenues for justice in child sexual abuse cases.

The decision means survivors can seek compensation from the institutions that failed them via a 'non-delegable duty of care'.

😮😮😮 amazing!

Korean Unification Church’s links to Nepal come under new scrutiny Investigative reports reveal alleged political ties between the church and Nepali leaders, raising questions about influence and accountability.

"Dhakal maintained regular communication w/...the Unification Church [AKA "Moonies" cult] & sought political support through alliances w/ major parties, particularly the CPN-UML. A leaked letter dated Nov. 30, 2017 cited in the investigation also alleged Dhakal demanded money from church officials."

We knew from the moment we heard it that “social cohesion” would be one of those Orwellian terms which would be used to cover all manner of state sanctioned abuse and deprivation of civic freedoms.
It fuels the very unrest it pretends to seek to quell.

Reading through the papers and checking social media this morning and it could be easily said we’ve never been less socially cohesive.

This is the ur-grift: it’s not the get-rich-quick scheme that makes you rich, it’s teaching other people how to sell it to someone else.

Minns invokes special powers for NSW police to restrict protests during Israeli president’s visit Thirteen state and federal NSW MPs appeal to police to allow planned march protesting against the visit

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

Former 'Christian cult' member says she was pressured to give thousands Former members of Christian fringe group Shincheonji have alleged financial abuse by the religious organisation.

“People are actually basically giving the majority of what they have, even like, missing their rent just to be able to give to the church” – former ‘accountant’ member of Shincheonji

www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02...

I don’t have much hope this investigation will result in meaningful action under current laws. Call me old fashioned but I think antisocial groups that mislead, coerce and exploit people should be banned from operating charities #cults

In the DOJ's Epstein documents, Lawrence Krauss, facing a complaint of sexual misconduct, noted Australia's plaintiff friendly defamation laws: "We may need to initiate a lawsuit (and against Gizmodo in Australia, where basically anyone can sue and win)"

AUKUS is a toxic package, not just hundreds of billions to maybe get a handful of US nuclear subs, it’s expanding US bases here, taking the nuclear waste AND going to war with China whenever the US demands it. Paying to surrender sovereignty and join the next US war! End AUKUS.

So the point is that a lot of what’s happening at One Nation is a Western (and broader) networked play. Holly Valance reworking her one-hit song for Pauline is also ex-wife of Reform UK treasurer billionaire.

Worth watching Opus Dei possible impact with *ultra* conservative Catholics big in Atlas.

Front page Epstein files story today reveals Steve Bannon told Clive Palmer to spend $60mil on anti-China and anti-climate change ads for the 2019 election.
D’ya think this could be why we want our media to ask “who’s behind this & who does it serve?” rather than just reporting “pollie said this”?!

'Don't question it': Inside the world of Tasmania's 'living Buddha' For decades, an eccentric spiritual group called Holy Tantra Esoteric Buddhism has been not just accepted but celebrated in Hobart. But now, an insider desperate to reach her son is describing the gro...

‘"There are two principles: You never have questions, and the teachings are a secret," said one former member, who asked to remain anonymous.’
www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08...

Exclusive Brethren members, Gina Rinehart donate to right-wing group Advance Clive Palmer was Australia’s biggest political donor, pouring $53 million into his failed campaign, while Coal Australia donated millions to third-party “grassroots” campaigns.

“Industry lobby group Coal Australia donated more than $5 million to third-party campaigns that attacked Labor, the teals, and Greens under the guise of grassroots groups.”

www.smh.com.au/politics/fed...

Giardian GINA RINEHART'S COMPANY HANCOCK PROSPECTING DONATED ALMOST $900K TO RIGHT WING GROUP ADVANCE, POLITICAL DONATIONS DATA SHOWS 2nd Feb, 2026. Authorised by Peter Whish-Wilson, Australian Greens, Canberra, ACT 2600.

= Q (* DeSmog DONATE Billionaire Mining Magnate Gina Rinehart Revealed As Key Donor to Australian Climate Science Denial Promoter Institute of Public Affairs By Graham Readfearn on Jul 17, 2018 @ 20:09 PDT 4 min read blic Allairs LE VOICE FOR FREEDOM ARS: 1943-2013 Institute of IF Public Affair 1943-201 Public Affairs stitute of blic Allairs of Ins 70 YEARS A ostitute of ublic Affairs T0 Ye FOR FREEDOM 1943-2013 기 Institute of Public Affairs THE VOILE

ACTU ACTU accuses Gina Rinehart of oligarch-style influence over the Coalition Media Release - February 5, 2025 The ACTU has criticised billionaire mining magnate Gina Rinehart for behaving like an oligarch for trying to buy influence over the Coalition's industrial relations policy. Disclosures from the Australian Electoral Commission have revealed that Gina Rinehart is the Coalition's second-largest donor, channeling $500,000 in political donations to the Coalition using multiple accounts through her company, Hancock Prospecting.

Australia World AU politics Environment Climate crisis 7% e one RAC* trali Indiger Australian political donations • This article is more than 11 months old Liberal party investment vehicle donated $500,000 to rightwing group Advance Cormack Foundation is a multimillion-dollar investment group for the Liberal party and one of its biggest single donors

Thanks to The Guardian. Gina 💰💰💰who is now shaping and gathering “talent” for far right nativist party One Nation, is also funding Atlas Network-linked Advance & longterm IPA. Liberal Cormack Foundation is also Advance funder. Will Advance back both horses? Is Gina/Advance/ON/LNP ouroboros? #Auspol

A purple stall advertising Shen Yun – staffed by two people handing out flyers and manning a desk behind a screen playing footage of dancers

Taipei too, right in the middle of the Ximending Walking District

We know the Redress Scheme has been critically important for many survivors of institutional child sexual abuse but has been plagued by delays, abusive orgs not signing up and more. Submissions into the review of the scheme are due by this Friday 6 February - share widely.

Ex-Shincheonji member says cult targets Australian churches to recruit A former member of cult-like religious group Shincheonji says the group targets pastors around the world in an attempt to boost membership by recruiting entire congregations.

A South Korean fringe religious organisation accused of brainwashing members, Shincheonji, is targeting pastors in order to recruit entire Australian congregations, a former member says.
www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02...

An ABC (Australia) News headline underneath an image of a blistering-looking sun that says “What 50C summers will mean for Australia — and why they’re more likely

Can’t possibly imagine why

In the USA, UK & definitely here in Australia for 25 years there has been a complete absence of care about thinking “what if your enemy was in charge & took advantage of these laws?”

Comes IMO from both sides mostly agreeing those who challenge the status quo / power structures as the bad guys

“so far, the muted response has left many First Nations people feeling that acts of violence against them are not treated with the same gravity as those against other communities.”

An image of billboard advertising for Shen Yun performances in Taiwan, my translate app has this as “Shen Yun Evening Party 2026, The world’s top performance from New York, 12/30-2/8 performances in seven major cities in Taiwan”

Sad but not surprised to catch some Shen Yun advertising on my Taiwan trip – this billboard for “The world’s top performance from New York” with “performances in seven major cities” (according to my translate app) displayed at Sun Moon Lake.

“The academic reluctance to apply psychological analysis doesn’t protect religious freedom; it protects abusers by making their methods invisible to scrutiny.”

Labor to fast-track data centre approvals as OECD flags energy strain The global body said the cloud computing boom meant Canberra would need to make additional efforts to meet its 2050 net zero carbon emissions target.

Record temperatures, bushfires, meh fire up those data centres that use stonks of water and require a shit tonne of electricity

www.afr.com/politics/fed...

Device allegedly thrown into Invasion Day crowd designed to 'explode on impact', say police A 31-year-old man is charged with making explosives in suspicious circumstances after a device was allegedly thrown into a crowd of hundreds of people attending an Invasion Day rally in central Perth ...

A white guy threw a homemade bomb into a crowd protesting colonialism in Australia and the media have broadly reframed it in more gentle terms, eg this describing it as a "device" that was 'designed to explode'.

Donate to support families of Aboriginal deaths in custody.

Thanks to the ABC for this great reporting.
#auspol

www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01...

Opinion | State Terror Has Arrived

Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/24/o...