An Obadiah Slope column
Offended: Section 18c of the Racial Discrimination Act, which offers a low bar to establishing a case of discrimination. 18c “makes it unlawful to do an act in public if: the act is reasonably likely to offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate a person or group of people; and, the act is done because of the race, colour, nationality or ethnic group of the other person or group.”
It is normally conservatives who protest that low bar. But maybe progressives should join in. Let Kim Wingerei of independent news source, Michael West Media, explain: “Former SBS newsreader and journalist, Mary Kostakidis, was sued by the Zionist Federation of Australia for making racially motivated statements when sharing posts about the genocide in Gaza on X.”
Telling readers about the latest twist, Wingeri reported on a ruling in the case that “was to decide if claims made by Kostakidis about the merits and substance of the case should be dismissed. The Court ruled in her favour on some points, dismissed many, and allowed for the ZFA to amend its statement of claim further…”
… “Justice McDonald [of the federal Court] has forced journalist Mary Kostakidis to continue her lengthy and expensive fight against the Zionist lobby. What’s the scam?
“The scam is that Section 18 of the Racial Discriminating [sic] Act is so poorly drafted that it effectively enables the persecution through the courts of people for voicing (or sharing) an opinion about what’s happening in a war zone. Or in any kind of public conflict. Or, for voicing an opinion at all in a public forum.”
Left-wing speech is also targeted by Australia’s health regulator, As reported by AUSDOC, “AHPRA has received 188 complaints related to the Gaza conflict, including health practitioners sharing news stories on social media, says the watchdog’s CEO.
“Justin Untersteiner told a Senate estimates committee last week that AHPRA now had a unit dedicated to complaints related to the two-year-long war.
“’We look to expedite those matters to ensure they are taken seriously,’ he said.
“’We have special training for our employees to make sure they are ready to handle those sorts of matters, and where we need to, we are making referrals through to the tribunal for action.’”
Another arm wrestle over free speech for Gaza demonstrators played out this week in Sydney with a new law restricting demos around places of worship was overturned by the Supreme Court for being too broad in its scope. It was noted that existing laws would protect the rights of worshippers to assemble. Sensible timing of demos might be a good answer, Obadiah thinks. So mid-afternoon in Town Hall Square, rather than when there’s a service in the Cathedral.
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Shoot! You have not lived in Sydney until you have had a shooting in your suburb, or the one next door, it seems. Obadiah’s local was on the NRL grand final day when some 50 shots were fired by a man with a high-powered rifle from a window in the apartment next door to the cattery where generations of Obadiah cats have stayed.
But this item is not about Obadiah’s cats, but a shout-out to the people who quickly repaired the shattered glass in the bus stop that got hit. As Mrs Obadiah said “We don’t recognise the things that work in our society.” So congratulations to Transport NSW and maybe the outdoor ad company J C Decuax.
And to the police who safely handled a dangerous situation, who saw two police officers shot at, and passersby injured.
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The games are really pacific: At the Pacific Nations Cup, Rugby Union players from Samoa and Fiji come together after their game to worship and lift up the name of Jesus. Can’t embed this type of video so you will have to click. It is safe.
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1574075280624237
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Both sides now! Nils von Kalm from reading his posts is a person of the left, and has a solid background with an aid agency. He is being typically upfront here. But he is also an outlier on the left.
Obadiah has noticed a tendency on The Other Cheek threads for reactions to recent news about Israel and Gaza for lefties to say ANYTHING except, well maybe Trump might have done a good job. A pause at least in Gazans getting slaughtered is surely good from the progressive point of view. At least that is what Obadiah thinks.
An emerging suggestion is that Trump leveraged a blunder by Israel in attacking Qatar, using the implied threat of follow-up attacks to persuade Islamic Gulf States to pressure Hamas to release the hostages and accept at least part of the wider deal. That shows the Trump team as bold and quick to react. But the verdict of history will take time.
A “maybe” is justified when offering any praise of Trump. Very true. This deal could fall to bits, or be twisted so it is one-sided. But perhaps just once, a bit of a nice comment about the orange-haired one might be okay. Then you can drown it in comments about tariffs or mass deportations or the National Guard.
Perhaps a deeper thought for Obadiah is that the bifurcation into progressive and conservative that occurs as Australia distressingly follows the US example, is so very unhelpful. As Christians our identity surely is in Christ and that is beyond left and right. And while The Other Cheek strives to support and encouage free speech, we need also to recognise and treat each other as human, and fellow members of Christ first of all.