Acknowledgement of Country//
Headlines:
We heard updates from an 'australian' activist currently in Palestine, who shared recent developments in the area of Masafer Yatta, a collection of herding communities in the West Bank. This dispatch includes reporting on settler intimidation and land-grab attempts and the steadfastness of Palestinian herders' efforts to stay on their land.//
James Godfrey from Free Gaza Australia joined us to discuss the May 2nd drone attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla’s ship the Conscience, which occurred just off the coast of Malta. The vessel was carrying humanitarian aid to thousands of starving people in Gaza facing famine after a total blockade on aid imposed by the state of Israel since March 2nd. Free Gaza Australia is a member of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla Coalition, a people-to-people solidarity movement of initiatives from all over the world, working to challenge Israel’s illegal blockade of Gaza by the state of Israel using non-violent direct action.//
Katrina Kiernan-Walker, one of two vice-president candidates for the Community and Public Sector Union or CPSU Victoria's A Voice for Members ticket, talked with us about the rank and file demand for a fighting union representing public sector workers. Katrina has been in the Victorian public service for five years, and has spent four of those as a CPSU Victoria delegate and health and safety representative. There are still a few tickets left for tonight's CPSU A Voice for Members Trivia Night with Tom Ballard - grab one here.//
Dr Chris Taylor, Research Fellow at the Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, unpacked the state of native forest regeneration in Victoria after the end of native forest logging at scale with the closure of Vic Forests in July 2024. Chris is an environmental researcher with expertise in landscape analysis and spatial ecology, working on modelling forest conditions, disturbance regimes, and biodiversity priorities. Chris has led and co-authored studies examining forest regeneration failure, fire severity, and habitat fragmentation across Victoria. At the Fenner School, Chris is currently contributing to interdisciplinary research on forest dynamics, conservation prioritisation, and environmental policy. Chris acknowledges the First Peoples of the Countries he works on, the People of the Bunurong, Gunaikurnai, Taungurong and Wurundjeri nations and their Elders.//
Kate Allingham, CEO of Economic Justice Australia, discussed a newly-released report by EJA analysing barriers to service delivery for women attempting to access and maintain social security entitlements in regional, rural, remote and very remote australia. The report is the first release in a series of three pieces of work by EJA spanning key service delivery, law and policy issues related to social security access, and making substantial recommendations for reform.//
Emily, Inez, Leila, Priya
