🐈‍⬛💜 phonakins 🍉🌲

The Foodbank(TM) hunger report drops on Monday ahead of their Xmas fundraising drive (I wonder how much they'll be charging the charities on the ground for hampers this year @kyleatink.bsky.social?)

Protests call for Centrelink to 'stop profiteering off poverty' as payment cancellations resume

New blog post

"But the preferred option comes with a price tag of more than half a billion." Oh no! We couldn't possibly run hourly trains between two of the North Island's three biggest cities for a price tag as steep as *checks notes* 1/7th the cost of a motorway to save a few minutes on the drive to Northland

happy 10th anniversary to this tweet

Just… tax the rich, guys. They HAVE money.

Due to changes by the Albanese Government at least 250 refugees seeking asylum that the ASRC helps have just lost their Medicare Card. It will cost us $270,000 for the next year to cover this. You can help by choosing welcome and donating today: donate.asrc.org.au/donatetoday

Australia does not have a “proud” human rights record. Human rights are standards, worthy but unenforceable standards. Any persuasive weight is political and cultural, not legal. The purpose of Senator Thorpe’s bill is to codify the birth-shackling Bangkok rule and make it legally enforceable.

I have said this before but bears repeating, if you read between the lines on these ugly cold robot-sounding official statements, the people who are paid money, by us, to shackle and traumatise fellow human beings *do not want* to stop doing it. bsky.app/profile/ingr...

update. Conventional types will say this “risks” our human rights “record”, usually based on conventions that Australia ratified, or contributed to drafting, or even codified, in years past. We do not uphold human rights standards. We could, but we don’t. www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10...

It is even worse than that, because the only reason they are able to do this at all is because they've spent over 3 years ignoring this Robodebt Royal Commission recommendation to restore the ordinary statute of limitations to social security debts. They're relying on the Coalition's Robodebt laws.

I've always wanted to collab with an AFL player, so I'm stoked we are finally doing it! Leigh Ryswyk (first gay male AFL player past or present) & I are teaming up for an event Thu 19 Nov at Cambridge Library. Details & tickets from the QR code below. Yeah the Boys! 🏈🤙

Jess Wilson's Liberal National Coalition—along with One Nation—want to tear up Victoria's Treaty Don't let them‼️ Common Threads-organised Together for Treaty Barnstorm, at Hawthorn Arts Centre, Fri 30 Oct, 5.30 PM (h/t @candicenhendry.bsky.social)

Those MPs should be named.

No cheating. Your last saved celebrity pic is your therapist.

OMG look at this!!!!

Why does the government insist on trying to recover blood from a stone? If they want to aggressively recover so-called debts from people who've relied on Centrelink payments, they should at least wait until they can actually afford to live. @kristin8x.antipovertycentre.org on the latest debt BS

“The ‘Mutual’ Obligations Survival Guide is designed to cut through the bullshit and give people confidence that when something sounds like a lie, they can point to the evidence that it is,” – Jay Coonan

paypal.me/psiidmon help me get dinner please I've managed to have most of the deli meat packs already and I'm still hungry

Foodbank hunger report – turning the temperature up on that donated tin of Sketti #costofliving #foodanddrink #welfare @phonakins

"I don't know of a single MP that I've spoken to...who hasn't received some sort of violent threat. "But the threats that I hear [about] from women are particularly personal. "They are completely dehumanising & they come all the time." - @amyremeikis.bsky.social 🎧 theaus.in/4kdbNut

BUY THIS BOOK!! It's always a cracker, it's a GREAT stocking stuffer AND you'll be helping to keep the art of political cartooning alive!

Our country stands at a critical crossroads. Change must occur - but what kind of change? And crucially, for who? I'm presenting our alternative vision for this country at the National Press Club this Wednesday, 12:30pm AEDT. Tune in live on ABC TV & iView.

I don’t know who needs to hear this but you aren’t in a poly relationship or doing ENM if all the other people don’t know and agree. 🤦‍♀️ www.smh.com.au/politics/fed...

These are the organisations who put out the statement opposing the resumption of payment cancellations under the govt's Targeted Compliance Framework. #auspol

No one should have their safety net suspended by job search providers, but especially not people who qualify for the Disability Support Pension. The government will say, 'oh yes, we have compulsory requirements for people on the DSP, but only if they're under 35 & only if...' SHUT UP! It's cruel!

The only time I saw staff at my child's community run childcare centre in tears was when they learned that child care was to be privatised. Profiting from essential services leaves vulnerable people at HIGH risk. Take profit out of childcare,aged care,disability services. Whove I missed? #auspol

can’t leave him alone for two seconds lmao

As Centrelink penalties resume this week, @antipovertycentre.org has launched a new survival guide to help welfare recipients understand their rights and protect themselves from unfair treatment. Read the full piece on The Point: https://sbrew.link/Spnhj3iD

"AS always, they call for MORE food relief, to expand the footprint of “Australia’s third supermarkets” – surely with so many people accessing Foodbank-supplied charities the reach of the purple supermarket is getting up there, especially when you add the fleet of yellow OzHarvest vans?"

The systems should feel guilty that food banks need to exist, not users feeling guiltily they attend a food bank

So long as it's written by Tony Armstrong and the team from Always Was Tonight iview.abc.net.au/show/always-...

"We don't really do case management, you see". Well, what I want is what you specifically offered me. I manage to stay fairly positive these days but that's because I'm in good conditions and I still completely understand why people just give up. I won't, but I get it.

It's very clear they want to fob people off onto organising their own support, and if I thought I could reliably do that, I would. Fortunately I have a lovely phone manner and am good at insisting without being rude. But navigating the system should NOT depend on having those skills!

Ugh. Eating disorder people called me. They tried, nicely but quite insistently, to say no they can't really offer me the services they sent an email to me offering them. But I'm even NICER and more insistent. Got an appointment with their nurse to discuss things and at least liaise with my GP.