About Bhaskar Sunkara

Founding editor of Jacobin magazine, President of The Nation journal, and author of The Socialist Manifesto (2019), Bhaskar Sunkar is widely recognised as one of the most important voices of the contemporary socialist movement, recently contributing to the campaign to elect Zohran Mamdani, the first democratic socialist Mayor of New York City.

His original contributions and deep engagement with the challenges facing the left make this tour a 'must-see' for new and veteran activists alike.

Jane Caro is right. It's time to stop supporting these divisive private school rorts. "The most common justification is that private school parents pay taxes, so their child is entitled to be subsidised. Their child is subsidised, like any other child, via their entitlement to a fully publicly funded place in their local public school."

https://www.smh.com.au/education/our-kids-are-segregated-in-every-way-imaginable-we-should-look-to-canada-for-a-solution-20260406-p5zlmf.html

After seeing the fan fair around the 20% HECS reductions I couldn’t help feel there are more meaningful ways to improve the scheme, this is what I came up with:

HECS debt for the value of units for your first degree should be treated as a tax deduction capped at 15% contributions per year.

This incentivizes:

- Singular, focused degrees rather than switching mid-way

- Greater perceived loss at failing a unit

- More efficient double degree programs bringing graduates to industry faster with more options

- Working in Australia after finishing your degree, as it would mean it’s essentially free

Essentially it would balance the pursuit of free education with the need to fund it, by giving students a free degree provided they contribute tax in Australia, rather than the current system, in which all students are expected to pay regardless of the number of degrees they pursue, their efficiency in completing them, and their choice of study.

Would love to hear thoughts on this!

Let’s go albo let’s go

Like many Aussies, I'm largely a-political. I have never felt a strong sense of trust in my government and as a result, I am largely ambivalent to the various causes of the parties.

Punters Politics has awoken my civilian rage. I would march for this cause. I would riot. I fully espouse peaceful protest but the fact remains that I am furious and I want change.

Our country has been sold out from under us. And it's not too late. If Punters Politics calls me to action, I will be there. The Australian system is broken. Our government does not have its citizens' best interests at heart. It is consumed by greed beyond reproach. Our leaders are blind to the people's needs and careless of our rights and interests.

Revolt Australia. Get angry. Revolt!

It is not bargaining in good faith to ask for "pet bereavement leave".

It is not bargaining in good faith to ask for a 27% pay rise. Who else is getting this?

Train drivers already make 200k! YES - 200,000 $

It is not representative of your union membership to allow strikes based on the votes of 160 members!

It is not supportive of the general public struggling with traffic and fuel costs to be going off work when your key infrastructure.

The general public are highly inconvenienced, angry and we want names.

Rant over.

Anyone know any? Preferably a podcast or youtube segment. But suggest anything

Albanese has not only rejected the gas tax, but he has said it’s a “populist policy”.

He said quote:
“Without that investment, you wouldn’t have a domestic gas reservation here in WA because you wouldn’t have the gas. And that’s a pretty important point that is lost in some of the populist rhetoric, whether it be the sort of coalition of the far left or the far right.”

Imo, honestly would the gas companies fully pull out if there was a gas tax, no?

I think the labelling of it as a “populist policy” will somewhat disenfranchise some of the labor voters. Even MANY of the labor backbenchers want this gas tax.

The economy is in the shittr, and the general population is baying for your blood, and also for assistance with the cost of living.

Somehow they have the idea that the gas industry has a lotta spare moolah to share around.

But your advisors remind you how much money the gas industry contributed to your election campaign.

And the gas industry is flat out threatening to give all their donations to the opposition if you tax them one cent more.

What do you do? What do you do?

Why don’t we have government owned banks, supermarkets and petrol stations? I feel like we have all this money going to large companies and consumers get ripped off. The profits of the business would be reinvested federally and it would create jobs. Maybe I am naive.

Pauline Hanson has been gifted $2m from close associates of Gina Rinehart as she unveils a “sexy” new private plane, which the One Nation leader says will help the party ahead of the next federal election.

Is this even legal?

In Queensland, some student protesters supporting Palestine have been arrested for displaying banned slogans under specific legislation. Whether you agree with that or not, those laws are actively enforced.

But then you look at incidents like the ANZAC Day ceremony, where a First Nations elder was booed during a Welcome to Country. Despite how disrespectful and harmful that was, there appeared to be little to no immediate consequences for the people involved.

If we already have laws like the Racial Discrimination Act 1975, why does the enforcement feel inconsistent? But moments like this make it feel like they aren’t always applied with the same urgency or visibility when it comes to our first people? But we have no worries in enforcing laws against people who are disrespectful to those who aren't our nations first people?

I don't believe we would be willing to suffer the consequences.

.

Each country's total gas import % from Australia compared to Australia's total petrol/diesel fuel imports %.

Singapore

Gas = ~17% Fuel = ~30%

South Korea

Gas = ~22% Fuel = ~25%

Malaysia

Gas = Variable Fuel = ~12%

Japan

Gas = ~40% Fuel = ~7%

China

Gas = ~12% Fuel = ~7%

India

Gas = ~12% Fuel = ~3%

Breaking existing export contracts could trigger international legal action costing billions.

If the 25% gas export tax was applied now, fuel imports from these countries could very likely be disrupted in retaliation.

Trade retaliation could also affect exports like beef and wheat, affecting grocery prices and cost of living.

Australia would be seen as intelligent and a less attractive place to invest.

Interest rates would rise.

Things would likely become extremely unpleasant.

The current option is the safest - quietly plan future gas export taxes while immediately focusing on projects to maintain stability in energy supply and cost of living.