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wombatpunch.bsky.social
@wombatpunch.bsky.social
360 followers 24 following 1.4K posts
Whatever post prompted you to follow me was probably atypical. Apologies in advance.
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grogsgamut.bsky.social
From the explanatory memorandum
Sections 80.2, 80.2C and 80.2D would be explicitly excluded from the definition of hate crime as these offences are targeted at conduct that would be inappropriate to capture in the definition of hate crime. Urging violence against the Constitution captures a broader range of conduct aimed at opposition to the institutions of Australia as opposed to violence directed at groups distinguished by race, national or ethnic origin. Hate crime conduct, while violent and offensive, generally falls short of terrorism, and is distinct from genocide. As such, advocating terrorism and advocating genocide should not be captured in this framework and are best criminalised through existing frameworks within the Criminal Code.
January 14, 2026 at 4:09 AM
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dieworkwear.bsky.social
scott adams accepting jesus christ at the last minute, saying he looks forward to spending eternity with him, opening his eyes and learning that jesus is black
January 14, 2026 at 4:02 AM
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grogsgamut.bsky.social
The @jewishcouncilau.bsky.social " urges pause on rushed and dangerous hate speech Bill"
Media Release: Jewish Council urges pause on rushed and dangerous hate speech Bill The Jewish Council is concerned by a number of the proposed measures in the Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism Bill that will be tabled this Monday, and urges the Government to undertake extensive consultation before moving forward. Lack of real consultation risks a bill that is both harmful to human rights and ineffective against the racism it claims to target. Approaches which centre on criminalisation and migration powers cannot meaningfully address racism and antisemitism as they treat racism as an individual pathology to be punished rather than a systemic problem that must be prevented through education, leadership, accountability and sustained community investment. The Council warns that the Bill is a mess of legal inconsistencies. While some sections target religious instruction, the new vilification offences exclude religion, sexuality, and gender. This may mean that Islamophobia and other forms of vilification may not be covered by some of the proposed measures, including some forms of antisemitism.
January 13, 2026 at 11:58 PM
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ingridm.bsky.social
the logic of hating on a Director for scheduling a writer who “defended someone”. Reposted with alt text.
Letter in The Australian, January 13, 2026 It's clearly Louise Adler who has wounded Adelaide Writers' Week - not the board, nor the South Australian government. Three years ago, to the week, The Australian published my letter to the editor, calling for Adler's resignation - but for writers to stay. Back then, she programmed eight pro-Palestinian activists, with zero alternative voices. One, Mohammed El-Kurd, compared Israel to Nazis and defended someone who tweeted that she wanted "to kill every mothett.king Zionist", "curse the Jews", and who supported Hamas. Others weren't far behind. Adler well knew that including Randa Abdel-Fattah ("if you are a Zionist you have no claim or right to cultural safety") would endanger the institution. But it mattered nil to her - her obsessive cause is more important to her than our precious 66-year-old writers' festival. Morry Schwartz, publisher, Collingwood, Vic
January 14, 2026 at 2:05 AM
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justiniannews.bsky.social
Morry Schwartz attacking Louise Adler and in the process damaging the credibility and independence of his media products ...
January 14, 2026 at 1:07 AM
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leena.reuben.games
🫠
Who can make a submission? Any interested individual or organisation can make a submission to a parliamentary committee. Several people or organisations can make a joint submission. [Organisations and people from other countries can make submissions to an inquiry.] However, protections under parliamentary privilege (see Your protections' below) cannot be enforced outside Australia.
January 14, 2026 at 12:39 AM
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internethippo.bsky.social
I don't think right wingers should go down the path of saying it's ok to shoot people who are annoying
mmfa.bsky.social Media Matters for America @mmfa.bsky.social · 9h
Fox News' Will Cain: “There's a weird kind of smugness... in the way that some of these liberal white women interact with authority”
January 14, 2026 at 1:41 AM
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grogsgamut.bsky.social
Want to make a submission into the inquiry on the "Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism Bill that was released yesterday?

You got till 4pm Thursday (ie TOMORROW)

That is quite disgraceful
www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentar...
Review of the Exposure Draft Legislation: Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism Bill 2026
The Minister for Home Affairs, Hon Tony Burke MP, wrote to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (the Committee) on 12 January 2026 to refer an Exposure Draft of the Combattin...
www.aph.gov.au
January 13, 2026 at 10:09 PM
wombatpunch.bsky.social
Now we wait to see whether Captain Underpants will continue to double down (quadruple down? Quintuple down?) with the defamation, or beat an undignified retreat while trying to find a way to blame someone else.
January 14, 2026 at 12:27 AM
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fahad-s-ali.bsky.social
Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah: "My lawyers have today issued a concerns notice under the Defamation Act on Premier Malinauskas. This is his opportunity to undo some of the harm he has inflicted, and stop punching down."
January 13, 2026 at 11:55 PM
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jewishcouncilau.bsky.social
"My community’s security will not be possible at the expense of others. That is not safety. It is scapegoating."
January 13, 2026 at 10:38 PM
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dominictarason.com
This feels significant. Games Workshop will do ANYTHING for a quick buck.

Them making a company-wise declaration that there's not a single use-case or penny to be made from AI feels like it's going to make waves.
ign.com IGN @ign.com · 13h
Warhammer maker Games Workshop has banned the use of AI in its content production and its design process, insisting that none of its senior managers are currently excited about the technology. https://bit.ly/49xT9Xl
January 13, 2026 at 10:54 PM
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joshbornstein.bsky.social
Defamation litigation update
Breaking: Randa Abdel-Fattah launches defamation proceedings against SA Premier
Palestinian-Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah says her lawyers have launched defamation proceedings against South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas, following his public commentary about her sch...
www.abc.net.au
January 13, 2026 at 11:41 PM
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fahad-s-ali.bsky.social
That no criminal conviction nor procedural fairness is required for the minister to desginate a hate group as such will invariably lead to the criminialisation of peaceful activism and protest groups. If you don't think Labor would do this, then imagine the Coalition salivating at the prospect.
marquelawyers.com.au marque lawyers @marquelawyers.com.au · 7h
The Albo government's antisemitism bill is a rushed hatchet job. Nobody has proper time to consider it carefully enough, and it will have all sorts of unintended consequences if passed. It is the worst kind of law-making: moral panic induced, pandering to powerful lobby groups' demands.
January 13, 2026 at 11:38 PM
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joshtaylor.bsky.social
They did the same thing with the social media ban bill...yeesh
January 13, 2026 at 10:11 PM
wombatpunch.bsky.social
Trump urges Iranian protesters to keep protesting, take over their institutions, and record the names of the "killers and abusers".
"Can't have cognitive dissonance when you've lost your cognitive ability."
January 13, 2026 at 11:54 PM
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grogsgamut.bsky.social
"As a Jew who knows antisemitism, I need answers, not the stifling of free speech" Max Kaiser, Exec Officer of @jewishcouncilau.bsky.social
www.smh.com.au/national/as-...
As a Jew who knows antisemitism, I need answers, not the stifling of free speech
We’ve heard calls not only to investigate how the Bondi massacre occurred but to place universities, protest movements and migrants under suspicion.
www.smh.com.au
January 13, 2026 at 11:06 PM
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miriamcosic.bsky.social
And here we go again:

'South Africa has canceled its
"highly divisive" submission for this year's Venice Biennale because its chosen artist had planned to use the exhibition to commemorate the deaths of women and children in Gaza.'

news.artnet.com/art-world/so...

#Gaza #art #censorship
Venice Biennale Uproar as South Africa Cancels Artist Over Artwork Referencing Gaza
South Africa has cancelled its "highly divisive" submission for this year's Venice Biennale by artist Gabrielle Goliath.
news.artnet.com
January 13, 2026 at 10:47 PM
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jasonsanford.bsky.social
GenAI companies keep claiming the books and copyrighted works their programed were "trained" on without permission didn't retain complete copies in their systems. This was a lie.

These companies may now face for even more liability for violating copyrights. 1/
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
AI’s Memorization Crisis
Large language models don’t “learn”—they copy. And that could change everything for the tech industry.
www.theatlantic.com
January 13, 2026 at 2:45 PM
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anothersmd.bsky.social
I don't remember the BBC using this framing once when Israel does this to Palestinians. Should we take it as bad when armed forces fire into civilians indiscriminately?
Screenshot from the BBC front page Welcome to the BBC BBC Homepage Live. Iran protester 'to be executed tomorrow', rights group says, as official says 2,000 killed in crackdown Eyewitnesses tell the BBC Iranian security forces "fired directly into lines of protesters, and people fell where they stood". World
January 13, 2026 at 2:01 PM
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byteseu.bsky.social
The first female crash test dummy for women

https://www.byteseu.com/1709861/

It is the year 2026 and the world is finally starting to realize that women’s bodies are not shrunken men. They have different organs, different body structure, different movements. And that it would be nice to include …
The first female crash test dummy for women - Bytes Europe
It is the year 2026 and the world is finally starting to realize that women's bodies are not shrunken men.
www.byteseu.com
January 13, 2026 at 11:13 AM
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beneltham.bsky.social
Posted this last week
beneltham.bsky.social Ben Eltham @beneltham.bsky.social · 5d
Bendigo Writers Festival, Meanjin, now Adelaide Writers … powerful vested interests would rather destroy the cultural institutions they are supposedly responsible for than allow certain voices to be heard
nickfeik.bsky.social Nick Feik @nickfeik.bsky.social · 5d
Adelaide Festival board facing a stark choice: Are they willing to sacrifice the entire festival to prevent a single Palestinian-Australian author from speaking?
January 13, 2026 at 5:09 AM
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gtconway.bsky.social
January 13, 2026 at 10:49 AM
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peterwmurphy1.bsky.social
The ABC News headline writer is doing an outstanding job of minimising any criticism of Israel.
• The headline: Israel limits aid
• The report: the Israeli Govt is refusing to allow caravans, temporary housing or building materials into the strip. #IsraeliTerrorism #GazaGenocide
January 13, 2026 at 10:05 AM
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in-otter-news.bsky.social
Steve has had a new idea he wants to implement in the office.
It’s not a good one, but he is very excited about it.
January 13, 2026 at 10:46 AM