Libby Robin
@libbydeq.bsky.social
Writer, historian of ideas, Environment in museums
What Birdo is That? A Field Guide to Bird People 🦅
New book coming soon on Conservation and Care. 🌿
Environmental science
37%
Philosophy
11%
Australia news live: Angus Taylor says he is not ‘focused’ on a leadership challenge; Melbourne council rejects new McDonald’s
Follow live
www.theguardian.com
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne... Angus admits he is not focused. Well done Angus!
Reposted by Libby Robin
'Dark book but joy to read': David Szalay's Flesh wins $100k Booker Prize
Hungarian British author David Szalay has bested past winner Kiran Desai and former shortlistee Andrew Miller to win the prestigious Booker Prize for his sixth book, the 'extraordinary, singular' Flesh.
www.abc.net.au
Hungarian British author David Szalay has bested past winner Kiran Desai and former shortlistee Andrew Miller to win the prestigious Booker Prize for his sixth book, the 'extraordinary, singular' Flesh.
New interactive map shows how flammable your part of Australia is right now
As Australia faces longer, more erratic fire seasons, tools like this may prove essential for staying one step ahead of the flames.
theconversation.com
theconversation.com/new-interact... Great work Marta! @anufennerschool.bsky.social
There is also something about outsourced AI billing systems. Greater Western Water and the Melbourne Museum have now gone well over half a year late with "new systems". I don't want monthly apologies for this. Just get a human system. It's astonishing how consultants stall ... and charge for this!
‘Set up to fail’: ATO outsourcing to private call centres focused on boosting profit not helping Australians
Consumer advocates raise significant concerns as union says contractors use lower-paid staff to boost profit
www.theguardian.com
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne... Doesn't work with refugees either. Dubious with prisons and in the care sector. "For profit" models are no good for governance and services. Let's stop wasting money on them. Public interest needs public servants. They cost less too.
Reposted by Libby Robin
Endangered parrot found in northern Tasmania for first time in decades
The presence of an endangered and "cryptic" parrot species at a northern Tasmanian national park has been hailed as "very good news" by a bird expert.
www.abc.net.au
Exciting!
Endangered, cryptic eastern ground parrot found well outside known areas of occurrence in Narawntapu National Park
Endangered, cryptic eastern ground parrot found well outside known areas of occurrence in Narawntapu National Park
Telling authentically Australian stories on screen takes more than just a content quota | Julianne Schultz
How do you create a powerful local cultural moment in the streamers’ age of algorithmic digital colonisation?
www.theguardian.com
www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio... Wise words here. Too much of the too glossy.
Does anyone else feel that entertainment should not add to the decisions at the end of the day? Sometimes options overwhelm & it is just nice to retreat to a good book 📖📚
Does anyone else feel that entertainment should not add to the decisions at the end of the day? Sometimes options overwhelm & it is just nice to retreat to a good book 📖📚
Fear rules on gambling in Albanese government
Andrew Wilkie has asked the PM to allow a free vote on banning gambling advertising and it appears many Labor MPs would support it.
www.abc.net.au
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11... Here's a good idea! Treat gambling reform as a matter of personal commitment, not something lobbyists dictate. For Peta's Sake, @albomp.bsky.social
Carrie-Ann 'won the lotto' after being priced out of Sydney housing market
Carrie-Ann is now cooking in her own kitchen thanks to a mandatory affordable housing contribution scheme.
www.abc.net.au
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11... Affordable renting also makes London safer. Empty mansions abandoned by celebrities and oil barons (and rich English ppl too) make parts of London unsafe. Buildings filled with happy renters make communities. Charging developers at the start makes process transparent.
The Aboriginal-owned art collective at the centre of the “white hands on black art” saga is suing Rupert Murdoch’s Nationwide News over a series of articles published by The Australian alleging white staff routinely painted on Indigenous artists’ works. satpa.pe/pxj7xtH
The $4.4 million case against Murdoch
EXCLUSIVE: The APY Art Centre Collective is suing Nationwide News over its ‘white hands on black art’ stories.
satpa.pe
Consequences! Maybe this will slow pernicious journalism?
Beefs, ops, and escalating violence: Inside Melbourne’s youth gang culture
When Mar Riek was 13, he dreamed of being a professional basketballer. His family couldn't afford the fees, so he joined a gang and started selling drugs.
www.abc.net.au
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11... @abcnewsbot.bsky.social finally runs a story not on Sydney ... but oops it is "African gangs" in Melbourne again. Really? Lots of people love living here legally. "Youth crime" is widespread in rural areas too & even in Sydney. This isn't just Melbourne. Or African.
IMF economists say inflation targeting hasn't performed brilliantly in recent years
IMF economists say inflation-targeting central banks did not achieve better outcomes than others following the 2022 surge.
www.abc.net.au
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11... So maybe think about using history, not just eco modelling. And a little empathy for humans. Not just "markets" ... who would have thought short-supply might behave differently from over-demand??? 🤔 More compassion for vulnerable people will be a winner every time.
Reposted by Libby Robin
The $4.4 million case against Murdoch
EXCLUSIVE: The APY Art Centre Collective is suing Nationwide News over its ‘white hands on black art’ stories.
satpa.pe
The Aboriginal-owned art collective at the centre of the “white hands on black art” saga is suing Rupert Murdoch’s Nationwide News over a series of articles published by The Australian alleging white staff routinely painted on Indigenous artists’ works. satpa.pe/pxj7xtH
Forever renters want solutions. Experts say look at Vienna
Australia has a growing cohort of forever renters and experts say the government should be looking to examples in other countries where more social and affordable housing options are being developed.
www.abc.net.au
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11... Of course the gov support should be for renters and not for landlords! When -ve gearing makes leaving places empty viable, we all suffer. Gouging landlords are forcing out small otherwise successful cafes & restaurants too.
Firefighters sound alarm over missing data on new BOM site
As bushfire season approaches, firefighters say the BOM's redesigned website is missing crucial safety data.
www.abc.net.au
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11... The devil's in the detail and the forecasts have been getting blander and less precise with more and more reliance on automated predictions and less and less on observed data. Wind changes (timing, direction & strength) need real precision for fire fighting. 🔥🔥🔥
It's impossible. But the habitats that might help them survive would also help other animals ... protecting habitats is better than booking shooters.
‘Poor doors’: affordable housing tenants have to use back entrance to access Barangaroo apartments
Those paying discounted rent at Watermans Residences can’t use pool or gym, either. Critics say segregation ‘a dystopian microcosm of housing inequality’
www.theguardian.com
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne... Apartheid reinvented. 🤔
This tiny native mouse is legally considered both dead and alive
Animals and plants aren't automatically taken off most national and state extinct species list in Australia if they are rediscovered, leaving them without protection as threatened species.
www.abc.net.au
www.abc.net.au/news/science... Crazy loopholes in the law. Let's make #protection a priority not extinction! @ipbes.net @ipbesfr.bsky.social @dollyjorgensen.bsky.social
Scientists question use of burns to cut bushfire risk
Dry winter conditions have resulted in extra fuel reduction burns in regional Victoria ahead of the fire season. But some scientists are asking if fuel burns are the best way to reduce fire risk.
www.abc.net.au
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10... Burning more, burning hotter isn't better. It is just less nuanced - and awful for air quality. Burns leave adjacent forests exposed to wind damage (pers obs) It is nothing like cultural burning at all. Just industrial risk management. @anufennerschool.bsky.social
#BillieEilish is a big philanthropist for hunger & climate action. Nice that she is chasing even bigger ones:
“If you have money... give it to some people that need it...
“If you are a billionaire, why are you a billionaire? No hate, but yeah, give your money away, shorties.” No claps from #MetaMan
“If you have money... give it to some people that need it...
“If you are a billionaire, why are you a billionaire? No hate, but yeah, give your money away, shorties.” No claps from #MetaMan
Eagles, Marmots, Humans: Knowing Wildlife Through Fieldwork - Springs
The work of two biologists in remote forests shows that species recovery depends on both data and human-animal bonds forged in the field.
springs-rcc.org
springs-rcc.org/eagles-marmo... A fantastic tale of #conservation and #care in logged landscapes. Rich in personal detail - free-to-air with #Springs @carsoncenter.bsky.social Congratulations @monicavasile.bsky.social
@esehnextgate.bsky.social @iceho.bsky.social @nichecanada.bsky.social
@esehnextgate.bsky.social @iceho.bsky.social @nichecanada.bsky.social
Editorial: Monique Ryan’s bill would stop ministers and senior staff from working as lobbyists for three years after they leave politics. It would reveal who lobbyists meet and force ministers to publish their diaries. The reforms are simple and effective and will not pass. satpa.pe/HL0EtFi
A poodle is a dog
Christopher Pyne was still a cabinet minister when he met with EY to discuss taking a job with the consultancy. There was no confusion about the purpose of the meeting.
satpa.pe
We need this bill. Politicians used to retire and do honourable service living on their well-paid pension. Now it is a stepping-stone to big money. And all those "national security" secrets not publicised to taxpayers are available to commercial interests. Outrageous.
Elon Musk's idea of lawless London is complete bollocks
Elon Musk is obsessed with London crime, despite the fact that one is now less likely to be mugged or murdered here than in many other major European capitals, or almost any city in America.
www.crikey.com.au
www.crikey.com.au/2025/11/03/e... Interesting parallels with Sydney-based media telling us all about crime in Melbourne. It's a "narrative" not a fact.
Reposted by Libby Robin
A poodle is a dog
Christopher Pyne was still a cabinet minister when he met with EY to discuss taking a job with the consultancy. There was no confusion about the purpose of the meeting.
satpa.pe
Editorial: Monique Ryan’s bill would stop ministers and senior staff from working as lobbyists for three years after they leave politics. It would reveal who lobbyists meet and force ministers to publish their diaries. The reforms are simple and effective and will not pass. satpa.pe/HL0EtFi
Australians to get at least three hours a day of free solar power - even if they don’t have solar panels
Labor announces ‘solar sharer’ program for households in NSW, south-east Queensland and South Australia
www.theguardian.com
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne... But only some 'Australians' ... the cold states miss out. And WA.
Three hours of free solar power
www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au
www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/post/2025/11... Oh dear! The cold states that need it more don't get it... more "national" stuff that leaves out Victoria, WA, Tas...
'Highly unusual' suspected meteor event seen across Victorian sky
Victorians living in the state's Gippsland region say they saw a streak of light whizzing through the Sunday afternoon sky and heard a sonic boom, with many wondering if they saw space junk or a meteo...
www.abc.net.au
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11... A meteor in Maffra?
Reposted by Libby Robin
“The Australian Government is telling Australians that we don’t have enough gas for manufacturing…yet it allowed the export of enough gas to supply manufacturing for 60 years.”
📺Mark Ogge, Principal Advisor
@markogge.bsky.social #auspol
📺Mark Ogge, Principal Advisor
@markogge.bsky.social #auspol
Two growing tax loopholes that are exploited by the rich – and how to plug the leaks
Those on million-dollar incomes should not be able to manipulate the tax system to avoid paying their fair share.
thepoint.com.au
thepoint.com.au/explainers/2... Easily fixed to make the system fairer... but not if the pollies are being lobbied by vested interests & "clever accountants". Let's also stop calling them clever. They are robbing the poor to pay the rich. Not nice.