So What?: Deconstructing the common rhetoric and shame surrounding casual harassment

I was five years old when a boy took hold of my shoulders behind the water fountain without warning and pressed his lips against mine. The common rhetoric I often encounter as an indirect response is that of “so what?”; essentially, how can such a trivial act lead to tangible detriment to the woman? I…

ByEllie Craven16 hours ago

Opinion

Fascism’s Insidious New Mutation: How gym bro influencers, the alt-right pipeline and Netflix’s viral show ‘Adolescence’ are connected

After watching Donald Trump’s 2024 election victory, the politically astute and the ignorant alike sat up in their seats – it was a final, overwhelming announcement that fascism is back in. The EIU's 2024 Democracy Index resoundingly supported this proposed democratic backsliding, reporting a historical low with 130 of 167 states registering stagnation or decline…

ByAtlanta Gervasoni22 May 2025

Poetry

Into the Jacaranda-Garden

‘And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time.’ – T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets Laid out lulled in luscious green, sweet muslin drawing on the breeze Springtime in our courtyard with the jacaranda tree Misty mauve effusive, Her visitation draws…

ByAtlanta Gervasoni7 May 2025

Feature

Fifty Years Since the Fall of Saigon: A legacy of war, resilience, and reflection

On April 30, 1975, the world witnessed the fall of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam. North Vietnamese troops rolled into the city, marking the end of a decades-long conflict and the reunification of Vietnam under a single government. For some, this was a day of liberation and national reunification. For others, it signalled the…

ByKevin Hua30 April 2025

Opinion

The Case for a Fairer University Admissions Process

A popular topic for discussion in Year 11 and 12 is the choice of university and degree. After all, students have just completed 13 years of schooling, and now, they face a new challenge: pursuing education in a new environment and adjusting to a different lifestyle. Gone are the regimented high school timetables; in with…

ByCathy Wang17 April 2025

Creative

Oakstand: Part II

3. The great Australian emptiness. First of December 1972 | 12pm The paddocks surrounding Lance had a sense of leopard silence which engulfed him. This land was well-versed in eternity. It made its…

ByJasper Derwent1 April 2025

Creative

Oakstand: Part I

Simon: [After a pause, to MAL] I take it you’ll be barracking for Labor tonight? Mal: [Looking at him] Well I don’t anticipate yelling myself hoarse, but I’m certainly hoping for a change of government. I take it we all are?1 • Don’s Party, David Williamson, 1971 1. The left-hand of Oakstand. 28th…

ByJasper Derwent25 March 2025

Opinion

Why We Write

To write, to put one's thoughts on paper and place them before an audience, is, in my opinion, a small act of courage. While spoken words can be swallowed and eaten up, eclipsed by a quick clarification or a huffed laugh, there is a permanency to the written word; a solidity that invites scrutiny. Just…

ByEditorial Team19 March 2025

Opinion Politics

Feminism and Fashion: The Politics of What We Wear

Fashion has always been a form of self-expression, but for women, it carries a weight that goes beyond style or personal taste. In today’s world, a woman’s clothing is still often seen as a marker of her character and intentions, with assumptions made about her morality, respectability, and consent. This troubling link between fashion and…

ByTilly Morgan9 December 2024

Opinion

Iron Mike’s Mid-Retirement Debut: The script and the legacy

Talk is currently on fire over the recent streaming of former heavyweight champion, boxing legend and senior citizen Mike Tyson, against the controversial youtuber and illegitimate Gen Z boxer, Jake Paul. Let’s go through it all – the fighters, theories and what legacy remains after the loss… Tyson or ‘Iron Mike’ holds possibly one of…

ByLucy Millar23 November 2024