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Events

Australia Day is here to stay

The dabate over Australia Day hasn’t raged too much this year (yet), but I’d like to add my own view.

Why January 26 and why is it controversial?

January 26 has been Austaralia’s official day since 1994, after it was agreed upon in 1988. Before 1994, January 26 was celebrated, but not in every State and Territory.

This has become a significan’t day, not just for many Australians, but also many migrants who are eligible for citizenship. Citizenship ceremonies are held by local councils across the country on that day, (and if Prime Minister Scott Morrison keeps getting his way, it’s staying that way).

Achievements are also acknowledged and various awards, such as the Australian of the Year and Young Australian of the Year are given out. People are nominated by the public and are chosen by a panel. These people are believed to have made a great contribution to Australia, whether in science, education, charity or a sociaal cause.

January 26 1788 was when the First Fleet from Britain came to Australia. This is when the world for Aboriginal people started to crash down; a start of a number pf years when many Aboriginal people lost their home and culture.

This is why Australia Day is such a controversial and sensitive topic for some Aboriginal and non – Aboriginal people alike. It’s dubbed Invasion Day by a number of critics. A number of people equate it to the loss of culture, family (i.e. the Stolen Generations) and grief. I’m really sympathetic to people who feel that way, I do.



Why Australia Day is hear to stay

Despite debate and controversy, polls suggest that the majority of Australians favour Australia Day remaining on January 26. A Guardian Essential poll from 2017 revealed that 70% of respondents wanted Australia Day to remain on January 26. An article in by the ABC reported that a poll indicated that most people aren’t too fussed about what day Australia Day is celebrated.

Why is this? Maybe people don’t think too much about the history of the day. Unfortunately, I think it’s fair to say that many people may be apathetic to what has happened in history. However, it may be a bit more complicated than that.

Aboriginal people who support January 26 being Australia Day (or don’t protest it).

Not all Aboriginal people support in changing Australia Day. Alice Springs councillor, Jacinta Price is one of them. She argues that the 26 January, despite all the negative impacts of colonisation, is an important day in Australia, shaping the way it is today.

It’s a very significan’t date in our country’s history.

Jacinta Price, SBS 26 January 2018

Price argues the positive of British settlement, including her own existence (her mother, Bess Price is Aboriginal and her father is Caucasian. Price has been more critical of social issues, like domestic violence (Aboriginal women are more than thirty times more likely to be victims of domestic violence than non – aAboriginal women. She goes against the narrative of blaming the trauma caused by settlement, and instead has been critical of attitudes about women that are common in a number of Aboriginal communities.

Former Labor president, now member for Liberals, Warren Mundine has mixed feelings. While he is uncomfortable ablut January 26 and its meaning, he has resolved not to protest it. According to The Australian, Mundine argued that there were more “pressing issues” facing Aboriginal communities.

I’ll alwa6s say that, if you don’t like the day Australia Day falls on, you have every right to not celebrate it. If you have mixed, uneasy feelings about it, that’s OK. Nationally, however, momentum to change the date isn’t stron enough.

What do you think about the date 26 January for Australia Day? Let me knpw in the comments below.


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Uncategorized

Why do some men become motor cycle gang members? Herald Sun has found out.

In 2012, Channel 10 ran a mini series, Bikie Wars: Brothers in Arms. It was based on Sandra Harvey and Lindsay’s book of the same name. It chronicled one of the most infamous crimes in Australian history – the Father’s Day Milperra Massacre.

Loyalty was everything

‘Patched’ members (full member of a gang with logo emblazoned on their jackets and vests), were expected to be loyal to the club. Anyone who was kicked out, or chose to leave a bikie club had to leave the lifestyle altogether.

Broken loyalty has been proven to have deadly consequences. It was a major factor in the Milperra Massacre between the Commancheros and Australia’s first chapter of the Bandidos.

On Thursday (10 January 2019), Melbourne’s Herald Sun did an interesting article on why men join motorcycle gangs and how they’ve changed over the decades.

Who are most likely to join motorcycle gangs and why?

Former police officer and co – author, Duncan McNab offered some insight into the personalities and backgrounds of would – be motorcycycle gang members. These included a rough childhood and involvement in juvenile crime. I couldn’t help but notice that the formerr gang member that was interviewed, Steve Utah, also killed his brother’s pet mouse when he was around eleven, (animal cruelty in childhood, can be a warning sign of an anti- social personality disorder in adulthood.

Traditionally, men who have wanted to join motorcycle gangs do so for the loyalty and brotherhood. While some men still seek commeraderie, motorcycle gangs have been more interested in businesses including prostitution, illicit drugs and tattoo parlours. The battle over illegal drug trade has seen extreme violence between rival gangs.

Violence

Content/ trigger warning: this part of the post mentions extreme violence and may be distressing or triggering to readers. Please proceed with caution.

While Australia or other countries haven’t seen an event like the Milperrra Massacre again, bikie clubs around the world have been embroiled in fierce violence.

These acts of violence include, shootings, affray (brawling) and acts of torture resulting in death. The biggest change from the seventies and eighties is that rather than loyalty, money is a major cause for much of the brutal violence.

Reactions from governments and law enforcement

Governments have tried to crack down on motorcycle gangs. In 2013, former Queensland Premier introduced a number of State laws that placed restrictions that limited the way bikies move and meet.

While the laws passed, the Newman Government recieved opposition from the Labor opposition leader, Annastacia Palaszczuk and human rights groups. Bob Katter requested amendments to protect law – abiding bikies, but the suggestions were rejected.

In 2017, the ACT introduced laws that gave police investigating bikie – related crimes more powers. Under the laws, a property where an alleged drive – by shooting or bombing had ocurred, police could declare the private property a crime scene without a warrant or cooperation from people involved.

Has the war on bikies been won?

Going by the article I talked about above, the answer is arguably no. They’re still

In 2015, Terry Goldsworthy wrote a skeptical analysis in The Conversation. He argued that there was a lack of consensus on what ‘success’ meant in combatting bikie – related crime. Healso pointed out that, in fact, most bike club members are not involved inncrime. According to Australian Crime Commission data from 2014, less than half (40%) of bikie club members have a criminal record.

 

While I don’t downplay crimes that bikies have been involved in, it doesn’t seem ro be the motive for many of them. Maybe the brotherhood and comraderie that men are craving is still a major factor.

Categories
Events

Happy new year and plans for Glycerine Queen Media in 2019

Happy new year everybody! I hope you all had or are having a great New Year’s Eve. Mine was great.

I’m quite pumped about this year and am determined to make this blog grow more. Thank you to everyone who supported Glycerine Queen Media in 2018.

No doubt there’d be a lot for me to write about this year. There often is. What lacks is hours. However, this year, my hope is I can update the blog more consistently.

The last few days, I’ve wondered to myself whether I’d like to make a YouTube channel as an extension to GQM. I do have a channel, but have nothing uploaded onto it. Has anyone here got a YouTube channel as well as a blog? Do you have any tips for juggling both? Feel free to drop any tips or insights in the comments.

Anyhoo, happy new year! May 2019 be everything you hope for!