The Daily Recap - Monday 11th July 2022

Your daily dose of news stories in the world of intersectional feminism.

**TRIGGER WARNING. The first story features an image of Aboriginals enslaved by colonisers.**

Monday 11th July 2022

Scott Morrison's Government Tried To Change The School Curriculum to Teach Kids a More "Positive, Optimistic View of Australia’s History"

According to leaked documents, the Liberal Party sought to rewrite Australia's history and cut out half of the years 7-10 history curriculum.

References to the "invasion" of Aboriginal land were to be taken out of the school curriculum and replaced with the "occupation" and "colonisation" of Australia.

To satisfy the Morrison government's Christian beliefs, references to Christianity were to be added to the curriculum so students can "appreciate the cultural and historical foundations of Australia's Christian heritage," and how Christianity impacted "Australian values."

Former Education Minister Alan Tudge says the Coalition "had some success" in rewriting the curriculum but wants more to done so young people understand "Australia is one of the wealthiest, freest, most egalitarian and most tolerant societies that has ever existed in all of human history."

"I still want to see a more positive, optimistic view of Australia’s history,” Tudge told Sky News, "there are opportunities for further improvements to the national curriculum and more are going to be needed."

Australia has a long history of slavery, genocide and mistreatment to Aboriginals - there is no "positive, optimistic view of Australia's history." Source: welcometocountry.org

According to reports, Opposition leader Peter Dutton will likely continue to push for these curriculum changes and reignite the education wars.

He says parents are concerned school curriculums and education in general is being "driven by unions and by other activists."

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Republican Senators Get Sent Poo

All 25 Republican members of the Ohio State Senate have been mailed envelopes filled with poo.

Sadly for the poopers, all the envelopes were intercepted by post offices before the legislators could actually receive them.

A spokesperson for the Senate Republican caucus says they presume it's human poo and not animal poo. Source: Engadget

Thanks to the Republican senators of Ohio, abortions are banned after six weeks of pregnancy.

Only last week a 10 year old rape victim was denied an abortion in Ohio and forced to travel interstate to terminate the pregnancy.

For those with regular menstruation cycles, this ban prevents abortion only two weeks after a person would miss their period.

It makes no exceptions for rape, incest or life threatening health concerns.

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Casual Hospitality Workers Are Calling On The Government To Reintroduce COVID Disaster Payments

Casual workers in the hospitality industry are in desperate need of the COVID leave disaster payment.

Since June 30, Australians without sick leave could no longer access the $750 pandemic leave disaster payment when sick with Covid-19.

Yet all workers that test positive for the virus still have to isolate for seven days.

Victoria is the only state where casual workers can access sick leave pay when isolating with Covid-19.

Head of Restaurant and Catering Australia Belinda Clarke says if the disaster payments weren’t brought back "there could be an increased spread of COVID-19 among hospitality staff which would strain the labour force in our industry."

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The Daily Recap - Tuesday 5th July 2022

Your daily dose of news stories in the world of intersectional feminism.

Tuesday 5th July 2022

NSW Government Overfunding Private Schools And Underfunding Public Schools

According to a new report, commissioned by The NSW Teachers Federation, the New South Wales government is overfunding 28 private schools.

It's estimated the government is spending $850 million over budget on these private schools.

Barker College, William Clarke College and Oakhill College Castle Hill beneifyted the most from government funding - each of these three schools were allegedly overfunded $2 million in 2021.

William Clarke College has allegedly been overfunded by the NSW government. Source: Fielders

The commissioned report also found that public schools were being underfunded by the NSW government.

The state's public schools are allegedly being underfunded around $2 billion a year, which is estimated to be 10 per cent of their funding.

The NSW Department of Education claim they remain committed to "needs-based, sector blind funding."

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The Woman Responsible For Calling Brittany Higgins a “Lying Cow," Now Says The Liberal Party Should "Listen To Women"

In an interview with Sky News, Liberal senator and former Defence Minister Linda Reynolds says the Liberal Party should "do something and listen to women.”

She recommends the Liberal Party introduce a short term gender quota to repair the party's reputation with women.

She says something must be done as "inaction is not a strategy, and is not a plan."

Unsurprisingly Reynolds refused to say WHY so many women have turned from the Liberal party.

Liberal senator and former Defence Minister Linda Reynolds in parliament. Source: BBC

For those unaware, Reynolds is the former boss of Brittany Higgins.

Brittany Higgins was allegedly raped by another staffer in Reynolds' office.

The same day she went public with her claim, Reynolds called her former employee a "lying cow."

Reynolds publicly apologised and retracted her comments.

She said she "did not mean it in the sense it may have been understood."

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Six People Killed at 4th of July Parade in Chicago

A 22 year old gunman has killed six people and injured dozens after he opened fire at an Independence Day parade in Highland Park, Chicago.

At least 30 people, including at least four children, have been hospitalised with gunshot wounds.

The alleged suspect, Robert E Crimo III, has been arrested and is currently in custody.

Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering says the violence "has shaken us to our core."

"On a day that we came together to celebrate community and freedom, we are instead mourning the tragic loss of life and struggling with the terror that was brought upon us," she says.

According to independent data collection organisation Gun Violence Archive, 309 mass shootings have occurred so far in America.

Only six weeks ago, America witnessed its deadliest mass shooting since the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

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The Daily Recap - Monday the 4th July 2022

Your daily dose of news stories in the world of intersectional feminism.

**TRIGGER WARNING - The following stories discuss sexual assault and domestic violence. If these stories are triggering please contact 1800 RESPECT**

Monday 4th July 2022

Female Police Officers Detail Sexist Culture Within Queensland Police

An inquiry into the culture of Queensland police has received troubling submissions from current and former female police officers.

According to the anonymous submissions, male officers have been accused of sexual harassment, sexist comments and dismissing victims of sexual assault and domestic violence.

As reported by Guardian Australia, here are some of those submissions:

• References by male police officers to an area where female detectives sat as “cunt corner”

• A male officer questioning “is this a real rape or is she looking for a free pap smear?”

• Officers questioning the validity of a domestic violence complaint involving two police officers because the incident was the second allegation and “you’d think she’d learn the first time”

• Male officers claiming a new inclusion and diversity initiative encouraging anonymous complaints had been set up “just because you chicks don’t like getting grabbed on the arse anymore”

• Officers deterring women from making complaints by providing “unappealing if not terrifying” versions of court proceedings

• Officers convincing domestic and family violence victims their issues were related to mental health

• A male officer making comments about a female investigator that she was “a good operator until her arse got fat” and other detectives being judged based on their appearance

• Promotion panels ignoring or making derogatory comments about female applications

• A male commissioned officer complaining about a female subordinate being on leave suffering post-natal depression, saying “not only do I have to put up with having women in my office I have to manage this crap”

• The male officer in charge of a large Brisbane police station repeatedly showing colleagues footage of a drunk young woman urinating in public

• Officers giving pregnant women who are subject to domestic and family violence unwanted anti-abortion information

• Officers performing “diversionary tasks” to avoid attending domestic violence calls

QPS say they welcome any opportunity to learn and improve their workplace culture. Source: ABC News

A serving police sergeant wrote in their submission that despite organisational practices changing within the force, there continues to be a sexist police culture.

"The cultural, gender or socio-economical diversity of persons sometimes factored into how victims and respondents were treated,” they wrote in their submission, "the more times a person became known as a regular, the less support and empathy they received regardless of their reason for interaction with police."

A former senior sergeant says female investigators are often subjected to sexual harassment and discriminatory behaviour, and dismissed when it comes to career opportunities.

"The QPS [Queensland police service] has had and still has a multitude of passionate officers who are trained and qualified DFV [domestic and family violence] investigators,” she wrote in her submission, "however, they are not valued or heard - the work they perform at the coalface is ignored, criticised and devalued daily."

She says female officers are treated this way because of the existing "engrained cultural misogynistic attitudes towards women such as female victim survivors and female advocates."

A QPS spokesperson says they welcome any opportunity to learn and improve their workplace culture.

“We are encouraging and supporting current and former QPS officers in contributing to the commission of inquiry (COI)," a QPS spokesperson told The Guardian, "as the submissions are being made directly to the COI, the QPS is not in a position to comment on specific matters raised at this time.”

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10 Year Old Girl Forced To Travel Interstate For Abortion

A young child from Ohio was denied an abortion after being raped.

The 10 year old had to travel over 380km to the state of Indiana to terminate the pregnancy.

According to the Indianapolis Star, the young girl was 6 weeks and three days pregnant.

And thanks to the Supreme Court, that little girl was too far along in her pregnancy by only THREE DAYS.

Crowds gathered outside the Ohio Statehouse protesting the abortion laws. Source: The Columbus Dispatch

Thankfully Indiana-based abortion provider Dr. Caitlin Bernard was able to help the 10 year old rape survivor and provide her with the necessary procedure.

She says in the past week she’s seen “an insane amount of requests” from out-of-state abortion patients, particularly from Kentucky and Ohio.

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Studies Shows Women Are More Likely To Experience Long Covid

According to new research in the UK, women are 50 per cent more likely to develop symptoms of Long COVID than men.

Symptoms of Long COVID include extreme fatigue, shortness of breath or chest tightness, brain fog, and difficulty with memory and joint pain. 

Research shows patients with Long COVID can also develop postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), which can lead to sever fatigue, headaches, and difficulty concentrating.

University of Queensland virologist Dr Kirsty Short says the medical community needs to focus more on the impact of long COVID.

"This is something we really need to focus on, in the scientific community, in the medical community, and in public health," Dr Short told the ABC, "there is going to be a burden of disease from long COVID, but how significant and what it means for the workforce and healthcare system, we don't really know yet."

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