THE NATION REVIEWED

“The Labor Party hardly needs reminding that because of the deep conservatism of the Australian electorate there are very real dangers in its collaboration with the Greens. The potential collaboration, however, does not only pose dangers for Labor.”

In the Monthly Comment, Robert Manne highlights the breakthrough performance of the Greens in the recent federal election. A formalised Labor–Greens agreement has shifted national politics to the Left. Here, Manne questions how the Greens will respond to this new political power.

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Plus, in “Blanche’s Boy”, Anna Krien revisits the tumultuous career of the Indigenous actor Jack Charles in preparation for his new one-man show; and in “Not My Type”, Anna Funder puts her loyalty to the test.

THE MONTHLY ESSAYS

“Assange has rejected the idea of journalistic balance, admitting that some of his motivation is simply the joy of 'crushing bastards'. WikiLeaks, which grew in part from Assange’s conflicted history with state authority in Australia, is not so much a reporting outlet as a stateless, digital hive-mind with revolutionary pretensions.”

In “The Man Who Fell to Earth”, John Birmingham reflects on the Afghan War Diaries, released by WikiLeaks in July 2010, and questions the ethics of publishing unfiltered secret documents that could place individuals or groups in grave danger.

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“Sure, this is the group that got an extra 58,000 people on the electoral roll, and raised $100,000 in a day for an ad nailing Tony Abbott’s views on climate change and abortion. But convincing nearly one in five Australians to snub the ALP and the Coalition – just how influential is this upstart organisation?”

In “Exclamation Politics”, Kathy Marks looks at GetUp!’s influence in Australian political life. Is GetUp! simply an instrument of the Labor Party, do its campaigns reveal a sympathy to the Greens, or is it truly the voice of the people? Marks interviews past and present GetUp! staff to comprehend the inner workings of this internet-based activist force.

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“The spectre of the Pilbara looms again, and there are glimpses of the era in which nothing stood in the way of big business. And it sets a bad precedent in the Kimberley, where – whether environmental groups like it or not – more deals will be broached between state government, industry partners and Aboriginal traditional owners – whose recognised native title rights cover half the Kimberley landmass.”

In “Dividing the Territory”, Victoria Laurie reveals the political and social issues surrounding the James Price Point gas plant proposal in the Kimberley. Much more than a ‘greenies’ versus ‘greedies’ divide, Laurie weighs up the politics of big business dealings with Indigenous communities.

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“In a country where the names of missing or murdered children remain indelibly in the national consciousness, why do the Bowraville children not figure? The Beaumont children, Samantha Knight, Jaidin Leskie, Kiesha Abrahams – these and many more are embedded in the Australian lexicon of tragedy. Why are Colleen Walker, Evelyn Greenup and Clinton Speedy-Duroux not firmly fixed in our national memory?”

In “The Mission”, Malcolm Knox revisits Bowraville 20 years after the small town was devastated by the disappearance of three Indigenous children. Re-examining the circumstances surrounding the missing children and the subsequent police investigation and unsuccessful criminal hearings, Knox asks why this case has not penetrated the national psyche as other such cases of missing children have.

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“Then it is Isabella’s turn and a jockey, all wizened and gnarled, steps from the shadows and swings on board in one easy sideways leap. She trots out to the warm-up track and just for a minute I can fantasise. She looks like a fine English thoroughbred. Suddenly there she is galloping out of a cloud of mist, all energy, taut muscles and power as the urgent sound of hooves on turf rolls over us. Bridadoom bridadoom! I am spinning with the thought of it for days afterwards.”

In “How Not to Win the Melbourne Cup”, Anne Manne reflects on her days as a racehorse owner. We follow Manne’s horse, Isabella, as she grows from a gangly filly into a promising race-prospect and gain an insight into the fickle, sometimes cruel, and nearly always financially doomed, nature of a racehorse’s career.

ARTS & LETTERS

“It’s clear Flannery has an important role to play in keeping the egregious excesses of modern Australia in check. But it’s hard to see how this book will assist his cause. Flannery’s attempt to knit Earth systems science and environmental activism together with deep history and ‘big ideas’ into a grand whole is more baffling than illuminating.”

In “Primary Care”, Christine Kenneally reviews Tim Flannery’s latest offering on how humankind is destroying the planet. Here on Earth: An Argument for Hope is, according to Kenneally, lacking in hope. Recognising Flannery’s indisputable expertise on the subject, Kenneally yearns for a more practical and engaging argument to force us into action.

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“Jerrems stands naked in front of a used bed, her camera, with its metallic, monocular lens, replacing her face ... The camera masks her feelings about his indifference or preoccupation. Unable to see the suffering in her eyes, we are challenged to intuit the emotional atmosphere. For Jerrems, an image was an education in empathy.”

In “The Faith of Images”, Peter Conrad gets Up Close and personal with Australian photographer Carol Jerrems. Conrad explores Jerrems’ impact on the Australian art scene in the context of the current exhibition of her work at Melbourne’s Heide Museum of Modern Art, where she steps onto a global stage alongside Larry Clark and Nan Goldin. Conrad is critical of our national desire to create parallels between Australian and international artists and yet, his depiction of Jerrems’ catalogue can be as gentle as the heartbreak she depicts in her pictures.

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Plus, in “The Infinite”, Robert Forster takes a look at Tom DiCillo’s film When You’re Strange: A Film About The Doors; and in “Quaint Misogyny”, Kirsten Tranter considers whether our devotion to Don Draper and the Sterling Cooper boys will endure through Mad Men: Season Four.