Nearly a decade ago, posters began popping up in cities around the country with a striking image of a Muslim cameleer and the caption "Aussie" — provoking conversations at a time when racial tensions were high.
The artist, Peter Drew, wanted to challenge what it means to be, and who exactly is, Australian.
Today, against a backdrop of anti-immigration protests and sentiment across the country, his message has renewed relevance.
He says it's time to strike up another conversation, as he reprises the project for its tenth anniversary with at least six new profiles.
Voices from the sea, part one: people rescued in the Mediterranean tell their stories of survival in ‘onboard workshops’. By Morgane Dujmovic, The Conversation
The words echo those of Shakir, a Bangladeshi man I met on the OV – as the Ocean Viking ship is commonly nicknamed. He told me: “You refreshed our minds with the workshops. Since Libya and the sea, we felt lost. Now, we understand the journey that we’ve undertaken.”
Meet the retiree activists on a mission to tidy the 'mess' of their generation. By Anastasia Safioleas , ABC News
The freedom of life after work is allowing people to fight for what they say is the chance for a better world.
But what drives these retirees to protest when they could be slowing down and enjoying life?
Palestinians in Gaza with Australian visas remain trapped as Israel keeps borders closed. By Daisy Dumas and Adeshola Ore, The Guardian
Australian visa holders in Gaza have the paperwork they need to flee the razed Palestinian territory but remain trapped due to closed borders, prompting refugee advocates to intensify calls for support.
Ahmed Abumarzouq’s two nephews were granted humanitarian visas on 15 October – two days after all living Israeli hostages were returned to Israel under the tentative Gaza ceasefire plan, which has not yet produced a possible border re-opening. For the small number who are eligible for Australian consular assistance – those whose immediate family members are citizens or permanent residents – the pathway to Australia is still complex.
Diwali celebrations in Australia: ‘It’s about sharing our joy and excitement’. By Adeshola Ore, The Guardian
Diwali – the festival of lights – is one of the Hindu calendar’s biggest celebrations (though Sikhs, Jains and some Buddhists celebrate it too). The festival hails the triumph of light over dark and goodness prevailing over evil.
Minister 'concerned' at setting migration targets as protesters march across the country. From AAP, SBS News
Minister for Home Affairs Tony Burke stressed the need to keep the debate surrounding migration respectful.
"People used to talk about being able to engage in dog whistle politics, and you give a message, and only certain people would really hear what you were saying. It's not a dog whistle any more. It's a set of bag pipes coming over the hill," he said.
"We are a multicultural nation, and when people sledge multicultural Australia, there are a whole lot of Australian citizens who hear it, feel it deeply.
Meanwhile, there have been tense scenes across the country as anti-immigration rallies were met by anti-racism counterprotests in capital cities, as well as some smaller regional centres.
Savvy politicians know how to ‘perform’ authenticity – the Jacinda Ardern doco offers a masterclass. By Susan Fountaine, Pearls & Irritations
There’s a telling moment in the documentary film Prime Minister when Jacinda Ardern reflects on her rapid rise from Labour leader to prime minister, saying she had “no time to redesign myself […] I could only be myself”.
This reference to her “true” self signals a commitment to political authenticity, a thread that runs through the award-winning documentary about Ardern’s remarkable time in office.
But in political communication, authenticity is seldom straightforward. It is primarily understood as a “performance” of self, usually by politicians for voters, and filtered by news and social media.
Skilled politicians — on the right as much as the left — know this. And voters, too, can accept things as simultaneously “real” and manufactured.
Conservative Liberals want to use immigration to bludgeon Labor. But it’s bad politics, and bad on principle. By Tom McIlroy, The Guardian
By seeking to turn migration into a political bludgeon against Labor ahead of the next election, Liberal rightwingers will not only pick away at the fabric of modern Australia, but further alienate the party from the voters they need to win back.
Childhood on hold: Growing up too soon in Gaza and beyond. By Meg Schwarz, P & I
UNICEF has called Gaza the “most dangerous place in the world to be a child.” It estimates every single child in Gaza will need mental health support.
An entire generation is being scarred by trauma before they have even had the chance to grow.
Childhood should be a time of play, safety and learning. It should be the period in life when children are free to dream without fear. For too many though, living in war/genocide zones, their childhood has been stolen.
Childhood on hold: Growing up too soon in Gaza and beyond. By Meg Schwarz, P & I
95 dead from hunger, disease in W. Sudan's refugee camp during past 40 days: volunteers, Xinhua
In a statement, the Abu Shouk Camp Emergency Room said 73 children under five and 22 elderly individuals had died from hunger and illness among camp residents.
"The security and humanitarian situation in El Fasher remains dire, with residents facing severe shortages of food, water, and healthcare, especially displaced people cut off from aid and basic services," the statement said. The group warned of a looming health crisis, citing unburied bodies across the city amid ongoing insecurity, and urged international organizations to establish safe corridors for civilians fleeing the conflict.
95 dead from hunger, disease in W. Sudan's refugee camp during past 40 days: volunteers, Xinhua
“Night is dark for us”: Rohingya refugees need protection before repatriation. By Joe Freeman & Carolyn Nash, The New Humanitarian
Today, the UN General Assembly is hosting a high-level conference on the situation of the Rohingya and other minorities in Myanmar. While the overall goal is for Rohingya to be able to go home to Myanmar, few are under any illusion that it can happen any time soon. Northern Rakhine State, where most of the Rohingya in the Bangladesh camps are from, is now under the control of the Arakan Army, which is engaged in active conflict with the Myanmar military and Rohingya armed groups………….
…In the meantime, Rohingya children, who make up almost half the population of the camp, face urgent protection needs. But the funds to meet them are disappearing. As the US under President Donald Trump pulls back from the humanitarian landscape, the aid response in Cox’s Bazar is, as of August 31, only 37% funded for this year, the lowest level since 2017.
What we've learnt about the 'ISIS brides', as federal police anticipate more returns. By Ewa Staszewska, SBS
Home Affairs and relevant security agencies, including the AFP and ASIO, have been aware of the individual's intent to return since June.
It remains unclear whether the women had committed any terrorism offences.
Nutt reassured the public that they were being monitored as part of Operation Howth, which has been going on since 2014, in coordination with other agencies.
"We will leave no stone unturned in understanding, identifying and investigating any activity, and if there are criminal offences, we will proceed as appropriate," he said.
'Heartbreaking': The children Australia won’t bring home from a Syrian detention camp. By Sara Tomevska, SBS News
A drawing of 'Rapunzel' surrounded by blue skies and roses is how six-year-old Yara imagines life in Australia.
Yara, whose name SBS has changed, has spent her entire childhood in al-Roj detention camp in northeast Syria and has never smelled flowers.
"It was heartbreaking," says Greens senator David Shoebridge, who was given the drawing while visiting the "high security desert prison" in September.
Women and children stranded in Syria return to Australia after smuggling themselves from country By political reporter. By Jake Evans, ABC News
A group of six women and children have smuggled themselves from Syria and have returned to Australia.
The cohort, who were among those stranded after the fall of Islamic State Group, escaped to Lebanon without Commonwealth assistance.
Asylum seekers on Nauru going hungry despite government spending $1.5m a year for each person. By Ben Doherty & Sarah Basford Canales, The Guardian
Refugees and asylum seekers held on Nauru claim they can’t afford to eat and are forced to skip meals. Their plight comes despite Australia spending $1.5m per person for a US prisons operator to house them, although the contract does not provide food.
One asylum seeker, who spoke on condition of anonymity, claimed he often skipped meals to make his fortnightly stipend of $230 from Australia’s home affairs department last.
US private prisons operator to be paid $790m to hold 100 people on Nauru in quiet expansion of contract. By Sarah Basford Canales and Ben Doherty, The Guardian
At the current rate, MTC’s contract on Nauru is worth $157m a year: to hold 105 people on the island, at nearly $1.5m per person per year. If the contract does not increase further in cost before its expiry, Australian taxpayers will have paid $430,512 a day to process asylum seekers offshore.
A US fascism expert warns: Australia is not immune and undoing the damage is ‘very, very hard’. By Ben Doherty, The Guardian
Much of the US’s political upheaval is idiosyncratic to its own history and political moment, but Australia, far distant, perhaps, with a different political culture, is not immune from a descent into fascism, Stanley insists………………..
…………….“You guys had a White Australia policy until the 1970s. That’s a terrible sign. And you attacked your universities ages ago.”
Stanley cites, as well, Australia’s history of Indigenous displacement, its “performatively vicious” treatment of asylum seekers and the fierce “anti-woke” rhetoric that pierces public discourse.
“A lot of what you’re seeing in the United States must seem familiar to you, even though you’ve come nowhere close to what we’ve seen in the last few months; but the ideological preconditions are certainly familiar to you.”
Over to you: The man who had to follow Trump’s wild UN speech. By Zach Hope, SMH
“Every day we witness suffering, genocide, and a blatant disregard for international law and human decency,” he growled. “In the face of these challenges, we must not give up. We cannot surrender our hopes or our ideals. We must draw closer, not drift further apart.”
The Trump-drained audience loved it. With rounds of applause from the delegates, Prabowo offered the UN Indonesian peacekeeping forces for Gaza and “other parts of the world”. One of his ministers had previously announced the proposal, but Prabowo came to New York with numbers: at least 20,000 men and women………………
……..Some will find Prabowo’s platitudes pretty rich. The strong-armed and often brutal activities of Indonesia’s security forces in Papua have been condemned by human rights groups for decades.
The country also refuses to sign up to the UN’s 1951 Convention and the 1967 protocol on refugees, leaving thousands of persecuted people who have fled to Indonesia languishing destitute and helpless.
Over to you: The man who had to follow Trump’s wild UN speech. By Zach Hope, SMH
UNHCR official warns that the 1951 refugee convention is increasingly under threat'. By Renata Brito, AP News
The U.N. refugee agency said Wednesday that governments around the world, especially in the Global North, which includes the United States and countries in Europe, are increasingly undermining the global convention on refugees and asylum-seekers — even threatening its very existence.
The stark warning by UNHCR came on the 75th anniversary of the U.N. Refugee Convention, a 1951 document that defines who refugees are and outlines the responsibilities of countries hosting them.
Israel must end its genocide in Gaza. But Australia must act too. By Chris Sidoti, SMH
Deciding to take all possible action to prevent Israel’s genocide should not be complicated, especially when, as our reports have found, the majority of victims are children, women and the elderly, when children are intentionally targeted and sexual violence is weaponised to terrorise all Palestinians and undermine their right to self-determination, and when starvation is used as a weapon to destroy the group.
Israel must end its genocide in Gaza. But Australia must act too. By Chris Sidoti, SMH