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Volume 20, Issue 1  To get anywhere these days It seems a clerkship’s a necessity An expo here, a summit there It may well be the end of me I lied to the interviewers Said I’d like to help the poor I hope it isn’t obvious I’m here for corporate law Enough about me – how about you What can you do for me? I would like to discuss the culture here And of course, my salary On my way out of the top tier I shook the partner’s hand My grip was firm, I held his gaze Winked and said: “I think you know my dad” I’ll miss the oh-so-moral high ground Of the student society But these are just the things you do When you’re law school royalty. Byrion is a second year JD student The views in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of De Minimis or its Editors.
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‘I feel like I can’t say anything anymore’, Says Conservative Man Stuck In The Don’t Breathe House29/7/2021 Volume 20, Issue 1 Winston Baker The world has come to a sad pass, a local man is convinced, on this dark winter’s evening. Jerry Peterson (22), laments the stifling atmosphere of fear created by PC culture, and the murderous denizen of this house. ‘I just feel like in the current climate [referring to the darkened home of a blind former soldier] I have to really watch my words in a way I didn’t before,’ Peterson told De Minimis. The R.M.-wearing member of the MLS Young Liberals has found himself in hot water recently, for airing some rather unvarnished views on cancel culture, in a place where even the slightest whisper could see him shot with improbable accuracy.  Volume 20, Issue 1 Gazza  As we all trudge back to another semester at the University of Zoom, it is okay to feel a little embittered.
The solemn email we all received last week from the Provost relayed his ‘extreme disappointment’ at the latest lockdown. The message, seeking to sympathise with both domestic and international audiences, assured us of the University’s commitment to its students. It was sent a couple of days after the notification about our student invoices. Well, Professor McCluskey, perhaps we might be forgiven for snarling at UniMelb’s professions of camaraderie. We are not all in this together. In fact, it’d be more apt to say that students and MLS have been pitted against each other by the pandemic. The University has flatly refused to cut fees, even for students who are literally not allowed into the country of their purported alma mater. What does it mean for your resume to proclaim ‘attended Melbourne Law School’? Frankly, a lot less than it used to, if attending Melbourne Law School means lying naked in your bed with undiagnosed depression, constantly checking that your camera is still off. Volume 19, Issue 12 Anonymous Week 12 can be a brutal time at the Melbourne Law School. Some lucky students begin their QUIET retreat to beach houses in Noosa, Portsea, or Byron Bay for “some quiet space.” But for the unwashed masses, it must suffice to allow the filth to pile up our living rooms and kitchens as we begin to bury ourselves in practice exams. Of course, De Minimis’ offices are no exception to this filth – and I am not talking about the stuff we publish on our website. Deep within our subterranean lair beneath the university, the palest and thinnest among us – starved from any sort of nutritious eating – have become near-indistinguishable from the white rats. But that’s okay. Unlike holding a position of leadership within a socially valuable enterprise – like the LSS – the best part about being a columnist is that one does not need to show one’s face. Come to think of it, even the term ‘columnist’ seems a bit far-fetched; a journalistic bid for respect from perhaps the least self-respecting writers within the student body. But alas, here we are. It is a cold Thursday morning. The law school edges towards exams. The city towards lockdown. And I have nothing else to write. See you on the other side, friends!  Source The views in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of De Minimis or its Editors.
Volume 19, Issue 12  Silent tears under a fitted mask Why don’t you become a pirate instead Or an Egyptologist, like you dreamed when you were nine? Though now you don’t even know who you are without the Vacant, purple-rimmed eyes After midnight, writing bad acrostic poems as therapy and Carving out alternate realities on the phone in the palm of your hand - Person X
Volume 19, Issue 12 A first year student, Daniel Kaffee, has experienced what he describes as a “moment of enlightenment” this week at the law building. Not usually known as an ideal place for meditative reflection and enlightenment, the rarity of such an event led De Minimis to immediately dispatch reporters to learn what happened.  Not having let the experience go to his head at all, Daniel described the phenomenon as “a conversation with God himself, like he was speaking directly to me. I totally understand what Moses must have felt, to have experienced such raw divinity and majesty.”
So, what was the revelation Daniel was selected to hear? Volume 19, Issue 11  Dear Regretful on Royal Parade,
In the words of our Lord and Saviour, DJ Khaled - Congratulations, you’ve played yourself. You’ve cooked this semester so brutally a college fresher is impressed. And to think if you’d just read my study tips in Week 4 this whole thing could’ve been avoided. Never fear though, I’ve always been attracted to hopeless cases so you’re in good hands. First things first, ‘work smart’ is going to become your life. You do not have time to panic. If you must, a quick cry while showering is allowed, but otherwise remain on task. No use beginning the readings and lectures from Week One and just plodding through as if you have 3 months, you don’t, you have less than 3 weeks. Some serious efficiency is required. What you’re going to do is set a timer for 2 hours. Right now – like your Year 9 English teacher, I’ll wait. Ok good. Now that the clock is running, open Canvas, the website you haven’t visited since March. For each of your subjects you’re going to get the subject outline with your list of topics to study and put them in some kind of word doc/table/list situation. Aesthetics are not important, as long it makes sense to you. Under each big topic you’re going to break it down even smaller. A simple example would be ‘Agreement’ in Obligations, split into Offer and Acceptance. Again, they’re your subjects so do it in a way that makes sense to you. Under each of those headings you’re going to list the cases and statute referenced as “required” on the reading list. Repeat for all subjects. Now you effectively have a one- or two-page to-do list for each subject, you need to work out when it's getting done. Sit down in front of a calendar, write in your exam and any other non-negotiable time sucks between now and then e.g. week 12 classes, work, etc. Look at the gaps and slot in your subjects in Morning and Afternoon sessions. For example, Obligations in the Morning one day, Torts in the afternoon with a break in the middle. Once that is all laid out, block out the last 2 slots of each subject to do practice papers. Whatever is left is your note-making time. Volume 19, Issue 11 Start at 1.01 It has come to my attention that this semester will be the first time the first and second year JD cohorts will be able to study for exams on campus. I’m sure many of us intend to take advantage of the law building to escape our freezing cold sharehouses or noisy younger siblings. I am also aware that a great many of us third years are wary of what this migration into the building entails. We feel it important to inform the younger cohorts of how things are done.
You see, prior to COVID there were many rules governing the study spaces at MLS, rules that I fear will be lost to history if left unaddressed. Level 1 and 2 seating is fair game for everyone, including other faculties. The Mezzanine is for social study, complete with frequent coffee runs and meal breaks. And then there is level 3. The law library is for silent study. The JD study space is for JD students to use for silent study. You can do as you wish in other parts of the building, but the JD space is our space, and we all need to be on the same page about how we’ll use it. I’m sure we’ve all heard the silence rule by now. The law library staff certainly noticed the shift in attitude towards, or perhaps lack of awareness of, this rule compared with March 2020. They kindly asked us in an email dated 11th May 2021 that “[we] respect this rule and ensure [we] do not have discussions (study-related or otherwise) in the [level 3] study space.” I am here to tell you that they have phrased this mildly. This is no joking matter. We must all be silent in the level 3 study space. It is a mandate. This rule is not limited to talking, it includes chip-munching, paper-rustling, drink-slurping, and especially the party-inducing volumes of Dua Lipa pumping through some students’ AirPods. One of my final memories of the law building before the world collapsed was of a girl sitting in the far back corner of the level 3 space. You know the one, that seat that that one guy, my dear friend, always sits in. She had her laptop open in full view of the rest of the room and we all stared at the powerhouse of the cell spliced open on her screen. We were mortified that some first year science student had been allowed into the space, but worse, we were furious with whoever had let her in. I cannot believe that this has to be said. The JD space is for JD students. If they can’t swipe in, they must stay out. Doesn’t get much clearer than that. “Rebecca, who cares? It’s not that deep, move on with your life.” Volume 19, Issue 11
The LSS Special General Meeting (SGM) was on the 5th of May. De Minimis has written this short account of what went down, if you couldn’t make it on the night. A number of proposals were voted on. A copy of all proposed changes will be appended to the end of this article. The meeting barely maintained quorum throughout, at one point having to be briefly paused when a poor internet connection saw attendance drop below the minimum-required thirty Members present. The motion to change membership requirements passed easily, despite it coming out that the Masters Last Students’ Association had not been consulted about the change. However, the proposal to merge the Environments portfolio with Equity and Social Justice (ESJ) failed to get up. It was obvious that the Leadership Team (LT) had thought carefully about the change, but it still faced significant questions regarding the effects it would have on service delivery, including from a current ESJ Director. Volume 19, Issue 10 Winston Baker In bad news for MLS parents, a young clerk’s existing family have been superseded this week, it can be confirmed. De Minimis has independently verified reports that Ray Goopta, the supervising partner of MLS student Virginia Hallifax, has informed the young woman that the firm is her family now. ‘We’re all a family here,’ Mr. Goopta is reported to have said, ‘so if you need anything at all, please just tap the call button on your electronic collar.’ He later added, ‘your appointed sleeping cell is on level B4.’ The celebrated commercial law firm had not previously released any indication that they intended to expand their business into fostering young lawyers, stealing a march on their competitors. Industry analysts say that taking in young students and graduates, and forcing them to sleep on premises as a legal ward of the firm, has the potential to increase productivity. ‘You know, I kind of figured Ray meant it as a figure of speech, at first,’ Ms. Hallifax told De Minimis, ‘but he’s just handed me these adoption papers…which have already been approved by the court.’ She seemed a little put out that the papers in question refer to her as ‘mentally incompetent’, insisting she had graduated third in her MLS corps class. Whatever her opinion on the matter, law firm Helter Smith Skelter is now the official legal guardian of Ms. Hallifax (26). The new direction of the commercial legal industry has come under fire from human rights lawyer and long-haired hippy Geoffrey Robertson, who has alleged the young lawyers in the Helter Smith Skelter (HSS) basement are housed in ‘inhumane, cramped conditions’.  Volume 19, Issue 10 Those who answer every single question in class have announced they will partner with those who stay silent and pretend to be writing notes to avoid answering to pressure lecturers to, “stop asking so many damn questions,” by the end of 2021. According to the answerers, this decision was motivated by, “just feeling bad for flexing my extensive legal knowledge,” and, “making those silent noobs look stupid every week.” A spokesperson for the borderline silent monks said that, “This really benefits everyone. I swear we know the answers every time, we just don’t feel the need to be so arrogant by answering every single question that’s asked like our more talkative friends.” The leader of the ‘How else can I prove I’m smart and not an imposter if I don’t answer every question’ party has expressed concern over this initiative, stating, “It’s just not fair. The whole class needs to know that I know the answer. They need to see me as smarter than them. Answering questions is what I live for.” Members of the ‘Wait, you guys actually go to class?’ party have shown overwhelming support for the initiative citing, “Well I mean, it’s not like I show up anyway. I already feel superior enough by not wasting my time in those classes,” as a key motivator. However, it is extremely unlikely the alternatively named ‘I can just get the notes from one of those stupid attenders’ party will be bothering to provide any meaningful support for the partnership. The impact of the partnership long-term is currently unknown, but as all parties are confident they are superior to the others, the viability of the partnership remains doubtful. More to come. Tim is a first-year student. This week's winner of De Minimis' 'Articles Against Real News' competition wins a $50 book voucher.
 As a law student, I have attended countless MLS events. Normally, they are enlightening and distinguished.
But, when I recently received an email promoting a conversation on sexual assault in the legal sector, I was shocked by the sole listed presenter – The Hon Kenneth Hayne AC QC. Hayne is a formidable judge, and I would not blink an eye if this event had him speaking to one of his areas of expertise – the Banking Royal Commission, for example. However, he is not someone who has demonstrated expertise or experience of sexual assault. Nor, is he someone that has been victimised by the glass ceiling, or boys’ club mentality rife in the legal profession. In fact, Hayne has explicitly benefitted from these things. His marriage to Michelle Gordon, whom he met when she was his instructing solicitor 20 years his junior, validates and encourages the culture of senior men making advances on young lawyers. It has clearly worked out for this so-called “power-couple”, but the vast majority of older men who hit on their younger female colleagues do so unwelcomed, and it turns into sexual harassment or assault far too often. Why did MLS think it was a good idea to have a conversation about sexual assault in the legal profession, but have the sole presenter be a man, and someone with the seniority and background of Kenneth Hayne at that? People with structural power should not be the voices we give a platform to when it comes to discussing issues which overwhelmingly affect those without structural power. Women make up the vast majority of sexual assault victims, and men make up the vast majority of offenders. This appointment reinforces the sexism in the legal profession that gives rise to sexual assault, while piggybacking off sexual assault victims’ trauma. It is virtue signalling at its most transparent. Volume 19, Issue 9 If you have a burning question you’d like our Learned Friend to answer, fill out the google form under the “Your Learned Friend” tab on the De Minimis website.  Dear Dripping in Distress
While there is nothing wrong with being proud to be an MLS student, wearing merch off campus is the uni equivalent of being the high school prefect who wore their badges off duty (you know who you are). It sends the message that you eat, sleep and breathe law school. Reading statute is your one true joy in life. You can name all High Court Justices 12 standards in on a Friday night. You are one set of Invisalign away from the veneer-like porcelains that will get you your own brochure feature on the JD handbook. If this is the image you wish to put out there, then by all means. If you’d like to cultivate a less MLS-centric personality though, maybe consider reaching for a different grey hoodie. I get it – it’s week 9, exams are looming and laundry baskets spilling. However, wearing MLS merch outside your own house is only going to make things worse. It’s one thing to feel like you’re on the verge of breaking down, it’s another to openly broadcast it. Wearing MLS merch at uni sends the message of “I’m hanging onto this degree by a thread, and that thread is mostly polyester.” Volume 19, Issue 9  Photo by Matthew Henry on Unsplash Gale Galderon is in a bit of trouble.
The self-described intellectual cowboy should have learnt his lesson on the last exam he failed, but Gale is quite sure that this time he has all the answers. Well, technically the answers are not his. He says that’s beside the point. “Tap tap tap. Scribble scribble scribble. That white noise you hear in every class of people taking notes. Don’t you just hate it? What’s the point when I can just use someone else’s notes for the exam? Half the effort for twice the reward. [REDACTED] made the best notes anyway. My classmates can keep their carpal tunnel, the suckers.” De Minimis writers, renowned for our faithfulness to high moral standards, made sure to warn the young student that his strategy was likely to put him in the Academic Misconduct Committee’s crosshairs – but he could not be deterred. Volume 19, Issue 8 Tim Irving  Photo by Denise Jans on Unsplash Sadly, not every film can be the first Shrek – Not every film can be widely popular and beloved. It’s an immensely difficult task to accomplish, and to me is achieved through finding the perfect balance of artistic quality and commerciality. Raw filmmaking quality and the inclusion of advanced film techniques often creates enjoyable films, however enjoyable films that nobody bothers to see. On the flip side, extreme commerciality without real quality might achieve the $$$ at the box office, but nonetheless doesn’t translate into must-see events.
This particularly struck me watching this year’s Academy Awards, where it dawned on me the average person has arguably never even heard of many of the nominated films. This is especially noticeable in comparison to last year’s awards, where the nominated films were widely discussed, enjoyable, must-see events. In my own experience, many people recommended or wanted to go see films like Parasite, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Joker, and 1917. I can’t really recall anyone having recommended films from this year’s field of nominees to me. It goes without saying the dreaded COVID is greatly to blame. Cinemas were shut and movies were delayed out of this awards season, leading to a depleted field of nominees. It could also be said that there is a shift occurring away from movies and towards TV/streaming. It is undeniable that these reasons contributed, but I don’t think they are entirely to blame either. Many of the nominated films were available on streaming services, and for us in Melbourne cinemas have been open for many months. I’d also argue that while this was a depleted field of films, the major delayed films were probably unlikely to meaningfully compete and dramatically alter the field of nominees. Finally, while there probably is a general shift towards TV/Streaming, I don’t think it is sizeable enough to have established this degree of ambivalence for movies so quickly. Volume 19, Issue 8 Matt Harper Making the news these past few weeks was the bombshell news that Menulog, Australia’s homegrown food delivery rival to Uber Eats, is planning to trial giving its drivers employee status. This marks a radical departure from prevailing trends in the industry, with major players like Deliveroo and Uber Eats steadfastly maintaining an opposition to any moves to strip their drivers of their current classification as independent contractors. The announcement and what it may mean for the future of insecure work provides abundant fuel for thought about the ethical and economic implications of an ever-expanding gig economy, but it also raises some extremely interesting legal questions as well, leading us to question in whose favour these apparent acts of corporate charity are actually working. The changes were announced by Menulog’s managing director Morten Belling at, fittingly enough, a public hearing of the Senate Select Committee on Job Security on the 12th of April. The timing and nature of the announcement was clearly designed for maximum impact and effect, painting the company as the ‘good guys’ in an industry currently receiving a great deal of bad press for its perceived insecure, unsafe, and exploitative business model.  Volume 19, Issue 8 Next Wednesday evening, the LSS will hold a Special General Meeting, to propose several changes to their Constitution. De Minimis has written this short analysis of the proposed changes, to help if you’re unsure what the proposed changes are all about. New rule: By far and away the biggest proposed change is the addition of a new rule: ‘Rule 61A Transparency’. In a proactive move, the new ‘Transparency’ rule will see the LSS publish key operating information, without Members needing to file a request. In addition, the Committee is charged ‘to ensure the transparency of the Association’. In the past, the LSS has drawn criticism for its perceived opacity, and it seems as though this new rule is aimed squarely at quashing such attacks. Certain information will still not be volunteered under the proposed change (membership information, for example, or details on sponsorships), but there are likely considered policy reasons for such omissions. It appears as though the change will also force a departure from the established practice of the LSS Committee approving the minutes of a meeting at the subsequent meeting, which currently delays access to minutes for weeks or months. It is also pleasing to see the explicit inclusion of key financial information in the list of items to be voluntarily published, after financial issues brought on by the COVID pandemic gave some Members an unwelcome surprise at last year’s AGM. The only issue in what is a very positive proposal is a spelling mistake in r 61A(3). If passed, this will have to be corrected at a future General Meeting. Nevertheless, the new rule is likely to be well-received by Members, who will be able to more easily oversee the activities of their representatives.  Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
Volume 19, Issue 7 Winston Baker  In a move guaranteed to stoke tensions with the uni, the MLS Student Collective (MLSSC) today announced to pay for online classes in a manner more befitting their value.
Describing the decision as a “no brainer”, the Collective, which is comprised of all JD and MLM students, announced plans to pay for subjects undertaken online in the blockchain currency Dogecoin. “Digital lectures, digital currency. It just makes sense,” MLSSC President Pippa Henkerston said in a statement. “The amount paid for each subject will be calculated at a very reasonable Doge-AUD conversion rate of 1:1.” The University of Melbourne had not seen fit to lower fees as the change to online delivery took place last year, despite the qualitative difference in the service delivered. The new move is expected to cause friction with UniMelb administration, who are concerned the move may impact their ability to suck students dry. Volume 19, Issue 7
Rebecca Poynton *** content warning: sexual assault *** The federal government’s consent training video “moving the line” has been taken down after public backlash. The video aimed at year 10-12 students was ridiculed for a number of reasons, but mostly for insulting the intelligence of every human on the planet. Background “The Good Society” is a website created as part of the Australian Government’s “Respect Matters” program. The initiative is funded by the Australian Government Department of Education and aims to teach school-aged children the importance of respecting others in all aspects of life. The video in question is a part of “The Field Model” program (FM), a series introducing year 10-12 students to the notion of consent in their personal relationships. The FM covers a lot of ground and originally included four videos: “Stop, Ask, Listen”, “Yes, No, I Don’t Know!”, “Moving the Line”, and “Stepping In”. As of today only the first and last videos are available, “Yes, No, I Don’t Know!” was apparently taken down long ago for being even more ridiculous than “Moving the Line”. The Video – “Moving the Line” I must say, after seeing the many memes about Scotty’s absolute disaster of a government-approved educational video, I thought “surely it’s not that bad…”. I was wrong. It was bad. If you’d like to see it for yourself, one humble YouTuber, username MininCrafter, managed to upload the entire five minute video before Mr Morrison tried to erase the Godforsaken thing from living memory. If you’d rather not melt your eyes, essentially a young couple is shown drinking milkshakes before the girl proceeds to defy the laws of physics by grabbing a handful of milk and smearing it on her boyfriend’s face. The rest of the video uses the analogy to talk about when an abusive partner “moves the line” of consent and ignores your “no”. So what’s wrong? There are a number of things that this video does wrong. I’ll be touching on just one issue that I think is particularly noteworthy. The issue I have picked is the way the government has managed to reinforce the underlying harmful beliefs that they are trying to prevent, while simultaneously dumbing down the severity of sexual assault. Before I continue, I’d like to say that I will not tolerate any smack talk about the acting. Those unfortunate souls did the best they could with the milky mess they were given. I should also note that the series itself isn’t just about unwanted sexual advances. In later modules it goes on to cover a number of different scenarios couples face, such as spending each other's money or respecting when your partner really does not want to watch The Bee Movie for a fifth time. They confront these issues head on and have some rather uncomfortable scenarios acted out for the camera. To me this just makes the milkshake analogy all the weirder. Splatting a milkshake on your partner’s face, a ‘minor’ incident, is a very far cry from unwanted intercourse. How did this get past the drawing board? The video says that sometimes when a partner ‘moves the line’, that is ignores your ‘no’ in favour of their ‘yes’, you might not mind when it happens once, but start to get upset after a number of minor incidents. It says that the growing number of minor incidents or one serious incident might make you question your partner’s intentions and want to confront them about your issues with their behaviour. Ideally you both mend the problems in the relationship. Volume 19, Issue 7 By Philomena Anderson-Zhang Recently, my deliciously evil Spotify algorithm fed me the new version of Taylor Swift’s 2008 album, Fearless. After switching to a private session – a function which I only recently learnt of and now frequently use so that my 2021 top songs will finally align with my precariously constructed self-image – I remembered how catchy these tunes are. I was transported back to my tweenage years where I eagerly imagined the heartbreak and passion of songs like The Way I Loved You and Forever & Always. Although, now, as an emotionally stunted JD student, thinking about the kind of passion evoked by these songs makes me tired. I just want to arrive windswept, to a home where the only big thing about it is the mortgage, ABC News blaring through my car window. It seems like the rest of the world has also remembered how listenable the album is with it becoming a ‘No. 1 Album Again.’ This emotionally stunted JD student who is alarmingly behind in Copyright became curious as to whether T-Swift could actually re-record her entire oeuvre. The impetus for her decision to re-record has been widely publicised over the last few year. In short, T-Swizzle, supposedly like many artists, does not own the master rights to her back catalogue – these are usually owned by whoever financed the album. The label which owned her master rights was bought by another group and with that purchase came the rights to Taytay’s “musical legacy.” Something which she finds egregious as one of her many feuds is with the owner of this particular group. However, if she had signed away her rights, how is it that she is able to re-record her earlier work without fear of copyright infringement? A cursory google (not even google scholar) led this JD wunderkind to realise that owning the master copies are not the same as owning the copyright to the musical or literary works embodied in the songs. It is common practice for artists to sign away their rights to their music to the record labels which provided funding, particularly if the label is taking a risk on a relatively unknown newbie, as Schwifty was back in the day (I think; I don’t actually remember a time before the Swizzle). Volume 19, Issue 6  Dear Peeved with their Penultimate Peers,
It is an amazing feat for the class of 2020 to be associated with anything beyond beginning a law degree during a global pandemic, and yet this cohort has done just that. While law school is already known for being clique-y, second years have gone above and beyond (cute lil over-achievers). But don’t fret! It’s not just the first years being shunned, but also a large proportion of their own cohort. Volume 19, Issue 6
Melbourne Law School has won its bid to host Season 11 of the post-apocalyptic horror television series. The quiet Parkville building has beaten out a desert hideout in Death Valley and an abandoned medical facility in Chernobyl for the honour. Director Julius Joyce told De Minimis that location scouting for this sort of thing doesn’t usually involve university campuses, since residents tend to be too upbeat. “But that wasn’t an issue with this place,” said Joyce. “The law building is great because we don’t have to look far to find zombie extras. You students really know how to play the part.” A little hurt, I raised my eyebrows and asked what he meant by that. Volume 19, Issue 6 Winston Baker The hearts of the MLS community go out today to our very own Professor Jason Varuhas. The beloved Remedies teacher suffered dual puncture wounds to his neck after a scuffle on the mist-shrouded MLS Moor. This reporter visited the home of the Professor, as he takes time off to recover. What many people don’t know about ‘Big V’ (or Count Varuhas, as he is formally known), is that he hails from a long line of New Zealand nobility. He was kind enough to receive me at his family home – a beautiful building of undressed stone, set in the frigid North Island countryside. I was admitted past the heavy front door by Fushnchup, an austere man who helps the family tend to the house and grounds. Fushnchup showed me into a candle-lit drawing room, where I was graciously received by my host.  Volume 19, Issue 5 Tim Irving 5 Stars Greta Gerwig’s Little Women (2019), available on Amazon Prime, is the most joyous film you’ll ever see. While the film did earn $200 million at the box office, and also received six Academy Award nominations, I’m of the opinion the film is underrated and underappreciated. To me, there are two possible reasons for this: Firstly, this is the seventh film adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s 1868 novel of the same name, and I think this causes a degree of ambivalence towards any subsequent adaptation. Secondly, 50% of the population, and I think it’s pretty obvious who I’m talking about here, have either never read the novel or never seen one of the films. Further, this segment of the population likely has a certain apprehensiveness to a film with this title, and certainly an apprehensiveness to a film concentrating on four sisters.  Volume 19, Issue 5 Matt Harper Margaret Thatcher once said that there is no such thing as society, only individuals. While Thatcher’s credentials as a sociologist might be doubted, former vice-president of the Fair Work Commission Graeme Watson seems to have taken her specious aphorism to heart in his crusade against collective bargaining in the Australian industrial relations system. The Australian Financial Review last week spruiked Watson’s recent appointment as a partner at Corrs Chambers Westgarth, with his stated purpose to “lead a push by business into agreements with staff that go around the failing enterprise bargaining system” – a move symptomatic of the Right’s increasing willingness to once again make industrial relations ‘reform’ a hot topic on the political and economic agenda, and break what remains of the already vastly reduced influence of unions and collective worker power in Australia.  |
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