Lot's Wife Edition 2 2024

Thank you to our wonderful
contributors!
We are always on the lookout for new writers
and artists to contribute to future editions. If you
would like to get involved, shoot us a message
on socials, email or pop your head into our
office!
Writers
AG, Madi Curkovic, Anika Deshmukh, Angus Duske, Elle F,
Campbell Frost, Luka Kiernan, Mandy Li, Mary Elizabeth, Lucy
McLaughlin, Elena Rufenacht, Thisanga Serasinge, Sheenam
Sharma, Dilhan Simsek, Charlottte Sutton, Bernice Ying Xin.
Artists
Mandy Li, Thisanga Serasinge, Spencer Slaney
Editors
Contact us
Mandy Li, Samantha Hudson and Angus
Duske
Email: msa-lotswife@monash.edu.au
Instagram: @lotswifemag
Facebook: Lot’s Wife
Lot’s Wife Office
Level 1 Campus Centre, next to Sir John’s Bar
Disclaimer
Lot’s Wife is the student magazine of Monash Student
Association (MSA). The views expressed herein do
not necessarily refl ect those of the MSA, the printers
or editors. All material remains the property of the
accredited creators and shall not be redistributed without
consent.
Lot’s Wife is produced and published on Aboriginal land. We acknowledge the
Boon Wurrung and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples of the Kulin Nation as the
traditional and continuous owners af the land. Sovereignty was never ceded.
3

LW
EDITION TWO
TWENTYTWENTYFOUR
5: D&C Welcome
6: MSA departmental reports
PART ONE: LOT'S X DISABILITIES
12: What is Neurodiversity?
14: Everything, Everywhere,
All at Once: ADHD and
intergenerational trauma
16: Neurodiversity tips from the
D&C community
20: An introduction to the
Sunflower Scheme
22: I Want to Write
25: Sometimes
26: Cracks
27: A Work in Progress
28: SURLY's Neurodiversity Week
book recommendations
32: 'Why Not Both?'
PART TWO
34: 'Just don't look at them and
you should be okay'
4
CONTENTS
37: Breakthroughs (art)
38: ‘Whose Streets? Our Streets!
Why You Need to be An Activist
for Queer Rights Today’
40: The Inciting Incident
42: Across the accords: what the
HECS was that?
44: A Farcical Farewell: Maggie
G's $127k send off rubs salt into
the wounds of struggling staff and
students
46: To Be Loved
46: Everytime You Vanish
47: Clockwork
47: You Don't See Me
48: Inside Socialist Alternative
Monash: For Real
50: Olive and Lotte
52: A Promise Worth Breaking
53: No more late-night campus
cramming: Monash cuts library
hours

LOT'S WIFE
x
DISABILITIES &
CARERS
"EMBRACING
YOURSELF"
A NOTE FROM CHARLOTTE, D&C OFFICER:
I can’t wait for you all to read this edition, and for the year ahead! I am very passionate
about advocacy and making sure that disabled students and carers are supported in all
areas of uni life.
The MSA Disabilities & Carers Department is here to build community and support disabled
students and carers. The community includes those with chronic illness, mental illness, who
are neurodivergent, have hidden disabilities, those without diagnoses, and anyone else
who identifies with the department. If you aren’t sure if you are part of our community,
come talk to us about it. We are not Disability Support Services, but we can support you
through that process and act as an advocate if you don’t feel you are getting what you
need. We can also help if you are having any other access issues, or you think something
might be an access issue.
This edition is being released just after the end of Neurodiversity Celebration Week, a week
for celebrating all the different ways a person's brain can function. Embracing yourself
seemed like a perfect theme to end this week of celebration. We recognise that embracing
yourself is an ongoing process and we are a community that is here to support you no
matter where you are in that process.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this edition, we are so fortunate to have a
strong neurodivergent community and we love to hear your voices.
We are a department that is led by lived experience and our messages, emails, and office
are always open if you need anything. Love, Charlotte.
5

MSA DEPARTMENT REPORTS / EDITION TWO 2024
PRESIDENT: CHLOE WARD (SHE/THEY)
I hope that everyone’s semester has started off well! I'm pleased to present a quick
progress report for the semester. Firstly, we are continuing to work with the NTEU on
the campaign against the parking fee increases, with the open letter now having over
1,000 signatures. Through collaborative efforts, we will continue to fight against these
changes and ensure that students and staff alike are being considered over corporate
interests. Secondly, O-Week was a resounding success, with a variety of activities and
food on offer. If you are yet to sign up to MSA+, please do so on the MSA website!
There is also significant advocacy work underway to re-establish previous library
opening hours. Advocating for increased accessibility to resources remains a top
priority, and I am committed to ensuring that student needs are met. Thank you and
keep your eyes peeled for even more events and advocacy in the future!
SECRETARY: ZAREH KOZANIAN (HE/HIM)
Hi everyone, I hope you’ve all settled into the semester by now. So far this year the
MSA has been hard at work making your student experience all the better. We’ve
already started with O-Week, a success thanks to all the volunteers who helped out on
the ground. We’re also fighting for you, campaigning with the NTEU against increases
in parking prices, and fighting to reverse the University’s cuts to library opening hours.
Additionally, I’ve been working to prepare the minutes from our first three Monash
Student Council meetings for public release as they are approved by successive
meetings.
TREASURER: JOSHUA WALTERS (HE/HIM)
I hope everyone had a wonderful O-Week. I was so excited to see how many students
showed up this year. The turnout was amazing. Thank you to all of the OBs and Clubs
who helped set up and run stalls, and to all the staff and volunteers for their hard
work in running the festival.
Some of my current projects as MSA Treasurer include working on implementing an
MSA Foodbank and trying to support the MSA's advocacy and activism for student
rights on campus.
As always my office door is always open to students who have queries or concerns
regarding the University or MSA.
ACTIVITIES: FATIMA IQBAL (SHE/HER) AND RAAGE NOOR (HE/HIM)
No report received from this department.
6

MSA DEPARTMENT REPORTS / EDITION TWO 2024
CREATIVE & LIVE ARTS: GINA FORD (SHE/HER) AND HAIDER SHAH
(HE/HIM)
Greetings Monash, we’re Haider and Gina; here to share our Creative and Live Arts
Department report.
It's been an exhilarating start to our 'Multicultural Wednesday Sessions' at Monash! In
the past weeks, we've ignited the campus with vibrant live music, delicious free food,
and interactive activities, transforming Wednesdays into a buzzing hub of creativity
and culture.
Highlights include the fantastic performances by Babba and a range of talented
student artists, setting an electric atmosphere. Our glitter stall added a touch of
sparkle, becoming a student favourite. The response has been phenomenal, with
increasing participation each week.
We're committed to upscaling these sessions, introducing diverse cultural elements,
and enhancing student engagement through various creative outlets. Stay tuned for
more surprises, including big-name artists and exciting challenges!
DISABILITIES & CARERS: GERARDIEN AFIFAH (SHE/HER) AND
CHARLOTTE SUTTON (SHE/HER)
So far, we have started several advocacy projects that we are planning to develop
and provide details of soon. We met with DSS to discuss issues facing our community
and to start what we hope will be an ongoing conversation. We provided Sunflower
Training at the C&S Training Day. We had a successful O-Week with many great
conversations and gift bags given away. In the coming weeks we plan to continue
our advocacy as well as addressing any issues brought to us by students. We will be
finalising an access guide for events, continuing to provide Sunflower Training and
more Auslan classes.
Upcoming Events
Accessible Activism Workshop (ESJ Week) - Wednesday April 10
Auslan Intermediate - Wednesday April 17 - 11:00am and 3:00pm - Banquet Hall,
Campus Centre
EDUCATION (ACADEMIC AFFAIRS) NAOMI DREGO (SHE/HER) AND
GRAYSON LOWE (HE/HIM)
Hey! It’s Grayson and Naomi here to give you an update on the latest developments
in the Education (Academic Affairs) Department so far. It’s been a hectic start to the
year with a large portion of our time dedicated to Academic Progress Committee
hearings, organising student volunteers and liaising with faculties. cont. pg 8
7

MSA DEPARTMENT REPORTS / EDITION TWO 2024
t’s been a hectic start to the year with a large portion of our time dedicated to
Academic Progress Committee hearings, organising student volunteers and liaising
with faculties. These have so far progressed well with volunteers being successfully
provided for all hearings.
In relation to advocacy our planning has been largely focused on our strategy for (re)
introducing five-day short extensions and universal submission time for assessments.
We’ve engaged in discussion with the National Tertiary Education Union and have
been using the feedback to inform our decisions and plan the implementation of
these reforms.
We are working to be the strongest possible advocates for you and if there is anything
you would like to bring to our attention don’t hesitate to contact us at msa-education@
monash.edu
EDUCATION (PUBLIC AFFAIRS): SAHAR FARUKH (SHE/HER) AND NAFIZ
ISLAM (HE/HIM)
No report received from this department.
ENVIRONMENTAL & SOCIAL JUSTICE: SOPHIE ALLEN (SHE/HER) AND
THOMAS WHITE (HE/THEY)
Hello again Monash!
This is Thomas (he/they) and Sophie (she/her) from the ESJ Department for another
update on what we’ve done so far.
It was incredible to hear how passionate so many of you are about fighting for
social justice and protecting our planet during O-Week. So many of you attended our
Dressed to Protest event and all of your shirts were incredible (if you forgot, grab it
from our office!)
Additionally, with the Monash Philosophy Society and Monash Vegan Society, we
delivered a public discussion on the importance of veganism to a sustainable future.
It was incredible to see such passionate people talk about something close to their
heart, and we can’t wait to see how the rest of our Discourse Series goes!
Till next time!
Upcoming Events
Sustainability Campaign Launch Panel Event (ESJ Week - Monday April 8
Pot Planting Event - Tuesday April 9
Workshop Wednesday (Zero-Waste, Student Activism / Social Justice, Queer Activism,
Accessible Protesting) - Wednesday April 10
INDIGENOUS: MARLLEY MCNAMARA (SHE/HER)
No report received from this department.
8

MSA DEPARTMENT REPORTS / EDITION TWO 2024
PEOPLE OF COLOUR: ANSHUMAN DAS (HE/HIM) AND TOOBA JAVED
(SHE/HER)
We kicked things off with a phenomenal O-Week, engaging with cultural societies
and learning about their plans for the year. We communicated our departmental
goals and fostered strong connections with each society, laying the groundwork for
collaborative efforts.
Our commitment to building a harmonious community extends beyond initial
introductions. I attended the MUIS Annual BBQ, gaining valuable insights into their
community, and we have been working closely with their executive team on two
major events: the Prayer Space Opening and the Grand Iftar for Ramadan. These
collaborative efforts demonstrate our dedication to supporting diverse cultural
celebrations and fostering intercultural understanding.
Looking ahead, the next five weeks will be packed with exciting initiatives. We will
remain dedicated to supporting MUIS with their Ramadan celebrations, ensuring
these events are truly special and inclusive for everyone.
Through collaboration, support, and shared experiences, we strive to create a
welcoming and inclusive environment for all.
QUEER: MADI CURKOVIC (SHE/HER) AND KELLY CVETKOVA (SHE/HER)
We've made an exciting and fresh start to the year by setting up activist events on
campus for queer students and allies to be involved with! In O-Week we held a
Queers For Palestine Banner Painting event, which was a huge success. Over the next
few weeks, we plan to get in touch with queer students who want to be involved with
activism on and off campus, join students at protests for Palestine and International
Women's Day, and build the Queer Office as left-wing and activist. We've invited
some long-time activists who were at the very first Mardi Gras in Sydney in 1978 to
speak on campus, and will learn what queer activists should do today. Stay tuned!
Upcoming Events
Radical Queer History Panel - Thursday April 11 - 2:00pm - Lemon Scented Lawns
RESIDENTIAL: ARIQ ILHAM (HE/HIM) AND AYLIN VAHABOVA (SHE/
HER)
Over the past weeks, our Department has made significant strides in ensuring the
safety and well-being of our community through initiatives like the air temperature check
system, which has been instrumental in monitoring the well-being of students during hot
periods on campus. Additionally, we've continued to keep up with the Period Positivity
Project in select halls, aiming to foster a more inclusive and supportive environment
for all. Our successful O-Week saw enthusiastic participation and engagement, setting
a positive tone for the semester ahead and a major instagram boost.
Upcoming Events
Res Food Drops - March 18, April 1, April 22
9

10
MSA DEPARTMENT REPORTS / EDITION TWO 2024
WELFARE: JESSE FRASER (THEY/HE/SHE) AND TEAGAN HAYWARD
(SHE/THEY)
Welfare ran our first few weeks of Free Food Mondays throughout the start of the
semester. Our first two weeks were located on the Lemon Scented Lawns and from
then we have been operating out of Wholefoods. We will be continuing Free Food
Mondays throughout the semester except for during the mid-semester break. We will
be having our first Welfare on Wheels drop in week 5 on Tuesday, Wednesday and
Thursday, where we will be handing out packs of non-perishable foods at the libraries
on campus. Check out our Instagram to see which library we will be at each day.
We will also be running Swelfare Day in week 7. We hope to see many of you at our
events throughout the rest of the Semester!
Took keep up with us, you can find us on Instagram at msa.welfare.
Upcoming Events
Free Food Mondays - Every Monday 5:00pm
Welfare on Wheels - March 26-28
Swelfare Day - Wednesday April 17
WOMEN'S: ZOE BINNS (SHE/HER) AND KATYA SPILLER (SHE/HER)
Hiya! It's Zoe from MSA women's here

MSA DEPARTMENT REPORTS / EDITION TWO 2024
assessed to ensure that best practice was followed and proper records kept. Week
2 saw our speed-friending event celebrating women on committees for International
Women’s Day. Finally, the C&S OGM was in week 3, giving club presidents the
opportunity to hear reports from and question the Executive and hold elections for
vacant positions on the Executive.
MATURE AND PART TIME STUDENTS (MAPS): STUART GIBSON
No report received from this division.
MONASH INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS' SERVICE: ZONGJUN ZHANG
Hi everyone, thank you to all who joined us in our recent events! On March 5th,
we hosted the 'Guide to Melbourne' event, offering essential insights to help new
international students acclimatise to life in Melbourne. Following this, we ventured on
our first day trip to Phillip Island on the 17th March. We hope this day trip provided
a delightful escape and an opportunity for everyone who participated to have fun
and relax. We also successfully organised our first two welfare lunches, extending our
gratitude to all who registered and participated.
Looking ahead, we are committed to continuing our support for the international
student body with additional welfare lunches and engaging events planned. Our
goal is to ensure a warm, inclusive, and supportive environment for all international
students, if you have any questions, you are welcome to contact us at: msa-muiss.
secretary@monash.edu!
RADIO MONASH: GEORGIE MCCOLM (SHE/HER)
Since last time, Radio Monash held a very successful Orientation Week! We managed
the stage at O-Week, where we had 15 artists perform live for new and returning
students. A majority of the artists were student bands, with the remainder being
alumni. We had a lot of fantastic feedback from students and peers that enjoyed our
lineup!
We were able to sign up new members, and many have already applied to run
a radio show or podcast this semester. We recently bought a new desk for the
broadcast studio, which will be used when shows go live to air.
Shows start broadcasting next week on our website radiomonash.online
We also held a very successful training night, where over 40 students got to learn
more about RadMon, and how to get involved! We were also able to publish eight
articles this year, with more on the way.
11

WHAT IS NEURODIVERSITY?
WORDS BY ELENA RÜFENACHT / ART BY THISANGA SERASINGHE
Neurodiversity is a psychological approach that recognises various neurological conditions
as types of brain variations rather than disorders which must be cured. Under the umbrella
of neurodiversity fall conditions such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Dyspraxia, Synesthesia, Obsessive
Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and more.
Through this lens, neurodivergent people are viewed as having unique abilities and
strengths which contribute to how diverse human cognition and experience is. You may
have noticed the term being more widely used in recent years, this correlates to a broader
awareness of neurodiversity and an acceptance of it as a psychological perspective. Many
people identify as belonging to the neurodivergent community, and some individuals may
feel more comfortable to use the 'neurodivergent' label, to indicate difference, without
disclosing their diagnosis. Furthermore, the term neurodiversity can also be used to mitigate
the impacts of specific disorder stereotypes, or for someone who has multiple diagnoses.
It can be polite to ask someone if they would prefer to be referred to with their diagnosis
condition or as 'neurodivergent' when for example discussing accessibility needs with other
people.
The definition continues to evolve, and today, neurodiversity represents an acceptance
and celebration of different neurotypes, and an understanding of the differences in brain
functioning as being a natural part of human diversity. The shift towards accepting this
view has had positive impacts, by improving the inclusion of people with neurological
conditions and reducing stigma surrounding disorders. Acceptance has played a vital
role in increasing individual and institutional willingness to provide accommodations and
support for neurodivergent people in many areas of life, such as employment, education,
and social interactions.
When brains are viewed as functioning differently, and not a once-off case, or something
which can be changed, it legitimises the experiences and behaviours of neurodivergent
people, and considerations for different brains-types may become normalised, not an
exception. For example, the normalisation of sensory-friendly nights, or asking people about
their access needs, are small things that significantly benefit the lives of neurodivergent
people, making it easier for them to engage in society. This is essential, because we live
in a neurotypical world built to mainly help only one brain-type excel.
It is important to embrace neurodiversity in order to foster a more supportive and inclusive
society, and reduce implicit and explicit disability-based discrimination.
12

EVERYTHING,
EVERYWHERE, ALL AT
ONCE: ADHD AND
INTERGENERATIONAL
TRAUMA
I always feel a sort of profound sadness when I’m consuming media that has an Asianled
cast – while I am eternally grateful for our stories to be told and our voices to be
amplified – I’m also keenly aware of how different every Asian person’s life experiences
can be. Crazy Rich Asians celebrates Chinese and Singaporean culture in a way that
is entirely inaccessible to the regular person. Ann Liang, a viral author known for her
K-drama stories and Asian characters writes fun rom-coms with unrealistic plotlines.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was good but disappointing, Avatar the
Last Airbender is a classic, with a lacklustre 2024 live action reboot on the horizon.
While these pieces of media made me feel connected to being Asian, with common
story threads of family, honour, and responsibility being woven throughout, I felt a lack
of connection with the characters I was watching or reading about.
I first watched Everything, Everywhere, All at Once in a crowded room with about
twenty or so other people. We were strangers. I didn’t know their life stories, and they
didn’t know mine, so it came as a complete shock to me that I was sobbing about
twenty minutes in. I’d never felt so understood in a movie, and I’d initially clocked that
up to the life experiences of the characters. Evelyn and Waymond Wang reminded
me so much of my own parents, Chinese immigrants who moved to a Western country
to pursue a better life. My parents don’t own a laundromat, but they’re familiar with
restaurant services and the king of Westernised Chinese food, that I always found very
nsulting growing up. Joy, their daughter, is a disappointment to Evelyn because of her
lack of Chinese language skills and her queer identity. This felt very familiar to me (too
familiar), so I’d chalked my emotional reaction to the film as a kind of trauma-dump
punch to the gut. I think this could go a little deeper, though.
The directors of the film, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (‘The Daniels’) had initially
sought to make a film about generational trauma and cycles of abuse. Somewhere
along the way, Kwan had discovered that he had ADHD, and then this plotline
following Evelyn’s neurodivergence had made its way into the film. Seeing Evelyn as
a neurodivergent character sheds more light on her character; her aspirations, her
worries, her actions.
At the beginning of the film, Evelyn is a failure. She’s running a laundromat where new
problems seemingly arise out of thin air, and is currently being audited by the IRS. Her
daughter is angry with her for not being accepting of who she is, and her husband
is too fickle and naive to realise that she has actual problems to focus on. Instead of
confronting her problems in the present, her head is stuck in the past and she’s too
worried about the future; her constant verse-jumping is a way to escape those alternate
realities where she is more successful, or where she is happier. In one life, she's a film
star on a red carpet, in another, she is a kung-fu master, but in the present, she stares
14

WORDS BY MANDY LI
at a seemingly never-ending pile of paperwork and cannot, for the life of her, make
sense of it. This reflects Evelyn’s inability to focus, a trait common in us folks with ADHD.
While we don’t learn a lot about Evelyn’s life in China, it’s safe to assume that in a
hardworking Chinese household, she learned to associate this kind of “laziness” as
failure.
We also get to see how Evelyn’s relationships deteriorate as a result of this. She pushes
away her family because she wasn’t entirely aware of how her actions had been
affecting them. Waymond tries multiple times to serve Evelyn with divorce papers, but
she’s too distracted with the verse jumping to truly comprehend how her treatment of
Waymond has caused him to take such a measure. In her distraction, she admits to him
that she saw her life without him, where she stays in China, and she admits that it was
beautiful. Waymond is (understandably) upset, but, before he can react, his alternate
form takes over and urges Evelyn to continue her mission. Evelyn is miffed. She had
wanted to talk to her Waymond again, to tell him how much better off she would have
been without him. In this universe, however, under the flickering yellow lights of a street
battered in rain, the Waymond Evelyn left behind asks her whether it was really worth
it. This conversation inspires one of the most heartbreaking lines I’ve heard in film – “In
another life, I would have really liked just doing laundry and taxes with you”.
To be told your entire life that you should make something of yourself, and then to fall
short of that so spectacularly, is a harrowing realisation. To also realise that these
impossible expectations of yourself are holding you back from finding happiness is
another thing. Self-sabotage is the most potent kind, and Evelyn learns to live in the
present and to accept her choices and the consequences of those choices. In the
conclusion of the film, she finally learns to accept Joy as who she is, not what she wants
her to be, and she finally understands Waymond, and how to love him because of it.
Neurodivergence and disabilities are rarely discussed in Asian households. They’re a
non-issue – can’t you just snap out of it or get over it? The depiction of neurodivergence
in Everything, Everywhere, All at Once, especially in an immigrant household was done
beautifully, and I’ve never felt more represented in a piece of media. It deserved all the
Oscars it won. Michelle Yeoh, I know you’re in a loving relationship and you’re 40 years
older than me, but if you’re reading this please call me. If you’re Jamie Lee Curtis, the
one white person in the movie with a supporting role who ended up with an Oscar…
Please do not contact me. I will be very cross if you do.
15

NEURODIVERGENT TIPS
from the Disabilities & Carers community
Generic tips applicable for multiple diagnoses
- Add your accessibility requirements to your email footer: e.g. I am disabled and
can sometimes struggle in responding to emails, thank you for your patience. If I have
not responded within 2 working days, I may have missed your message and require
prompting through a secondary message. Thank you for your understanding.
- Whiteboards can be really helpful for getting your ideas out or thinking through things.
- Goblin Tools is an amazing website that can help with breaking down tasks, formalising
words etc.
- Use Google to get text out of photos of handwritten notes, as a quicker way to digitise
it. Can also be used to digitise textbook questions.
Tips for ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)
- Use the second brain technique: jot down all of those interesting thoughts and
questions you think of that you so badly you want to google, but will ultimately lead you
down a rabbit hole, into a 'second brain' doc. That way your working memory doesn’t
have to retain everything and you don’t have to google it straight away - so you won’t
forget. It also helps manage the 1,000 tabs being open that each represent a different
thought that you don’t want to forget.
- Give one person close to you an automatic bypass on your phone so that every time it’s
on silent and you can’t find it, it will always make a noise when they call it.
- Use the calendar apps ‘Structure’, or ‘Tiimo’ to help with time blindness as it will always
tell you how many more minutes you have left of one task in your calendar before you
have to start the next.
- Bring lots of snacks to keep motivated during tutes and classes.
- Stim toys are amazing and great.
- Pomodoro Technique can be helpful to get into the swing of things.
16

- Use app limits on your apps, even though you may choose to ignore them, they help
show you the passing of 15 minutes of time.
- Don’t try to be too restrictive, but if you can aim to reduce your screen time by two hours
a day, you will have gained an entire month in the year worth of time to do things!
- Only keep the bare minimum of money in your access account, so in the process of
transferring the money to buy something, you may be able to put in perspective what you
are doing, seeing your bank balance and realise that you’re being impulsive. It’s like a
two-factor system.
- Wait to say yes to big decisions once you have gotten home and are out of the
moment, you may struggle to get the same level of motivation up or realise you will be
overcommitting yourself.
- Have a first aid kit, sewing kit, spare cutlery, warm blanket, spare jacket, spare change
of clothes, shoes, toothbrush, towel, lots of spare water bottles, pencil case, deodorant,
and a packet of muesli bars in the car. Kmart has travel kits for example. When you
forget the important things, or are running late and haven’t eaten, you will be all covered
with your backups.
- Sign up for the ADHD focus group / shared experience group Monash DSS have been
running.
- Pop to the Disability and Carers Lounge in the MSA if you are sensory-seeking to play
with stim-toys or engage in crafts / Legos.
- Install the water reminder app to help forgetting to stay hydrated during the day.
- Find a body double and hold each other accountable, make them take your phone
away from you and vice versa.
- If you struggle to get out of bed in the mornings, set an early alarm, take your meds
when you wake or have a coffee if you’re not medicated. Crawl back into bed for an
hour and set an alarm. This will let the stimulant slowly wake you up and then when you
get up you’ll feel more energised.
- Don’t force yourself into a rigid routine that does not work, if it pops into your mind,
go ahead and do it. For example, if you forgot to brush your teeth in the morning, you
don’t have to be annoyed with yourself and 'try harder' the next day! Instead, brush
them as soon as you remember, it’s better than a 'perfect' routine that is hit or miss.
These generally only work for neurotypicals and are not the law, you can do things
unconventionally & sometimes it will serve you better.
17

- ADHD chore charm bracelets are great if you really struggle to do daily morning tasks,
which were first created by ADHDer Matilda Boseley.
- Create different music playlists for different sensory needs.
- Turn your phone onto black and white mode in colour filters in settings to make it less
appealing / engaging when you’re trying to do assignment work, it will be easier to
switch your phone off or to realise when you have picked it up to distract yourself.
- Use Monash blue maps (the ones on the blue structures around campus)
- Wholefoods has couches to use when you need a rest. There are also resting rooms
around campus and couches in the lounges.
- Use text-to-speech extensions / apps to help get through readings. E.g. NaturalReaders
is a great free option. Microsoft Explore can also be used. There are paid options
available such as Speechify.
- Microsoft Word has a read aloud option which can really help with editing
Tips for ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder)
- Noise-cancelling headphones or ear putty for going out and about are so helpful.
- There is a Wellbeing Hub with sensory pods on campus to destimulate. DSS and DNC
also have rest/calm areas.
- Stim toys can help with overstimulation
- Dark polarised glasses with thick rims that block light from the sides as well are so helpful
in mitigating light sensitivity.
- Weighted blankets can be helpful for dealing with anxiety
- Wear a comfort fabric you know you can rub or self-sooth with on days you are anxious
about to help feel cosy and calm.
- Go on little unmasked adventures in public on your own or with a close friend to recharge
yourself.
- Let a friend know if you are scared an environment will be hard for you to socialise in
or will overstimulate you. They can talk through what you are to expect, ask or say things
for you and you can develop an explicit action plan for what will happen if you’re finding
things hard. They may also therefore anticipate leaving early due to overstimulation or see
the signs.
18

- Creating ‘choice boards’ serve as inspiration filled with visuals or things you like and
can be helpful when you are having difficulty making choices surrounding things like meal
decisions
- Putting Essential Oils (such as peppermint oil) on your wrists can be helpful for masking
out external smells when they may be overstimulating.
- Tiimo, Structure, or Clean Dat are apps that can help you plan your day to a T.
- Chewlery necklaces are necklaces that you can chew as a Stim.
Tips for Dyslexia and Dyscalculia
- In accessibility settings on iPhones / Macs you can change the screen tint colour, this
can help reduce the ‘dazzling’ black text on white background can do for some dyslexic
readers.
- Putting text that has to be read quickly or out loud with little rehearsal, into ‘bionic text’ via
the Bionic Text website can often make reading easier.
- Dictate your thoughts into dot points into Microsoft Word if you’re struggling to write, then
come back.
- Have your uni textbook up and open a minimised Word Doc and dictate the notes you
want to take to speed up your processing speed
- Spaced practice is so vital. Reading for ten minutes at a time will be more effective in the
long run.
Encourage voice memos.
- Get a scribe through DSS for exams to read and write for you.
- Helperbird extension on chrome will turn websites into dyslexic fonts.
Tips for Spatial Dyspraxia
- Asking for help or alternatives from your tutors for spatial tasks, and if you
feel comfortable, flagging that you have spatial dyspraxia and the types of
tasks you struggle with because of it.
- Some types of spatial tasks that can be made far easier with practice and
gentle guidance, or that may simply be more time consuming for you, so allow
yourself that extra time.
Thank you to the D&C community for providing these tips!
19

20
A D&C INTRODUCTION TO...
THE HIDDEN DISABILITY
SUNFLOWER SCHEME

What is the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower?
The ‘Sunflower’ is a global symbol for non-visible disabilities. The Sunflower
is a way for people with hidden disabilities to let those around them know
that they might need extra help, understanding, or just more time. Hidden
disabilities come in many different forms. Some of our wearers live with chronic
pain, Tourette’s, ADHD, and a lot of other conditions that aren’t immediately
visible.
Individuals can become Sunflower supporters by undergoing training about
hidden disabilities and the Sunflower – this is done via a business joining the
initiative.
How Did the Sunflower Come to the MSA?
We officially launched the Sunflower during EDI week in 2022 after being
approached by the programme. Since then, we have given out a whole lot
of Sunflower lanyards and trained OBs, members of clubs and societies, UHS
staff and tutors.
How Can You Get Involved with the Sunflower?
For those who wish to wear the Sunflower, we always have lanyards in our
lounge, you are welcome to take one.
For allies we plan to continue to expand the Sunflower Training to be available
to more and more staff and students.
What's Next?
We will continue to advocate for the Sunflower to be introduced across the
university and for all staff to undergo the Sunflower Training. We see this as
an important step towards developing broader training around disability and
accessibility.
Follow MSA Disabilities & Carers on Facebook, @msadisabilities on
Instagram or email msa-disabilities@monash.edu to learn more about
student-led disability advocacy, support and community on campus!
21

I want to write.
I want to write.
I really just want to write.
Like I don’t know what it is about writing except that same old cliché:
something inside of me wants me to do it, it wants me to write.
Here's the funny thing though, I am not sure what to write.
How I should write.
Why should I write it [ this way ] and not MYYY WAYYY ya know.
Frustrating it is,
but frustratingly enough,
I still just really want to write. It’s funnier when you know my feeling. That feeling before
writing, where I have a hundred ideas to write about. At least a couple of ways to go about
its hows. And surely something nice like you know steamed rice, cooking for the why bits,
right?
“Hey man, let’s try and be realistic. It can’t be that hard to write.”
Sure. I mean when I think about it, it feels like I have done and experienced harder things.
That 2km hike was hard.
Running 10km felt hard.
And so was confessing to that girl.
Or growing up with a mom, who loves you and cares about you, and just so always happens
to be ready to beat you up too.
Okay now.
Back to writing.
Inhaaaale and exhaaaaale.
How do we do it?
Just type down some keys on a blank screen or pen stuff down on a piece of paper.
“Sounds easy”
Suit yourself myself!
Intermission.
It just hit me.
words + art
by AG
22

23

I have been doing this writing thing my whole life!
I remember learning to write that letter "A". Okay maybe not so clearly, but definitely not so
RIGIDLY.
I am now out writing more than 2000 words academic essays every d-mn semester, d-mn.
I am texting WRITING hundreds of words away every day,
Email drafting, and even note taking.
Writing is now practically part of "AG’s top 10 things to do every day"
With of course my top 9 being: breathing, eating, sleeping, thinking…..
F**K.
Then, WHAT THE FUCK IS THE PROBLEM?
Every time I sit to write, strangely enough my heartbeat sounds louder.
My mind goes all whooshy washy.
And yo believe it or not.
The same two hands I have been writing with my whole life pretend to be like my most distant
relatives.
Strangers.
Oscar worthy acting alright. It f-cking hurts. A lot.
Is writing just writing?
A force fuelled and guided by itself?
Or is it an experience produced by the outcomes of many other outcomes?
It’s not just about typing quickly or slowly, or moving a pen more elegantly or inelegantly.
It’s f-cking so much more.
And so, when YOU ask me, how am I still not done writing?
I hate to tell you that it’s not writing I struggle with.
It’s me.
The other different parts of me, the other different ways of me, the thoughts, the sensitivity,
the mentality, the abilities to just express and materialise those same d-mn words I be
sensing inside of me.
I want to stop writing this.
My head hurts. I don't even know what or who I am writing this for anymore.
I don't want to write.
24

SOMETIMES
BY ELLE F
Content Warning: Discussion of Mental Health
sometimes the falling feels like flying,
sometimes my head is calm without even trying.
sometimes it enters all at once and at other times not at all,
sometimes it hurts to speak, to listen, to walk, or even to
crawl.
sometimes I want to curl up into myself and to become as
small as i can,
sometimes I want to lay in bed all day and do nothing more
than.
sometimes it hurts to feel so much,
sometimes it feels like I will break, even with just the slightest
touch.
sometimes I feel so alive, as if feeling in every single hue,
sometimes I feel there isn’t enough time, there’s just so much
to do.
sometimes it wants to be nice to me, filling me with so much
glee,
sometimes it wants to be the worst, pulling me under a cold,
harsh sea.
sometimes your brain can be the best and worst place to be.
sometimes I love it for the immense amount of creativity that it
brings,
sometimes I hate it for the dark pieces it creates, drawing
eyes and wings.
sometimes the flying feels like falling.
sometimes there will be those who understand you aren’t just
stalling,
and I will always be so grateful for those who don’t give up
on calling.
25

CRACKS
BY THISANGA SERASINGHE
CONTENT WARNING: IMPLIED ABLEISM, GORY IMAGERY
“Crack!”
My face, it was smooth
And shiny and perfect
Not a piece out of place
Now these cracks
Are ruining my face
Fissures branch out
Cracks chip away
Peel off, fall away
In the mirror I peer
Between the cracks
What’s under here?
My friends worry
My family frets
I’m no longer perfect
“Don’t worry” they say
“Don’t be upset
The cracks will go away”
My face is falling
There’s something
underneath
There’s something I can see
I can see outside
I can see through my face
Is this supposed to be?
Air flows in
Through the cracks
Flowing along the crevices
My face breathes
My eyes see
My skin no longer itches
My ‘face’ was a fake
As it falls off in flakes
I remember
How to relax
What I look like
Beneath the cracks
As layers peel
I begin to feel
Yes I know now
This is me
This is who I used to be
Your faces show
You’re unhappy
You fear me
“This isn’t you,
You’re falling to bits!
It’s okay! Stay still,
We can still fix this!”
Let me be! Let me breathe!
Through holes I see
The world anew
Is this what it means?
Can I be free?
Please! Oh please!
I’m stuck in between
The old and new
And what you see
Who I am to you
Isn’t who I am to me
Why can’t you see?
You pick the fragments
Off the ground
And ram them back
Seal up the cracks
You ‘fix’ the last piece
Tell me “leave it be”
My face is still cracked
Glue drying in the crevices
My heart builds resentment
I’ll never again be perfect
Once again, you call me
Your precious
So I stay between
Covered by the screen
Peering through the cracks
Peel it to let the underneath
Breathe, breathe
When you can’t see
26

A WORK IN PROGRESS
BY CHARLOTTE SUTTON / MSA DISABILITIES & CARERS OFFICER
CONTENT WARNING: ABLEISM
Embracing yourself has never been a
great skill of mine. Less than a year
ago, I was unsure if I should run for
the position of MSA Disabilities &
Carers Office Bearer because the
thought referring to myself as disabled
to a whole lot of people made me
uncomfortable for reasons that I could
not quite pinpoint.
The more I thought about it, the more
I came to the conclusion that maybe it
has got something to do with how my
interactions in the world have changed
since I have become disabled. It is
a challenge to embrace yourself in a
world that actively not only tells you
that you aren't wanted but shows
you. It's hard to feel welcome when
you literally can't get in the building
or into a room. I will never not be
amazed at the people who feel it is
appropriate to speak slowly using
heavily enunciated words when they
see that I have an accessible room
and seem deeply offended and
confused when I do the same thing
back to them.
The truth is I could have written an
entire piece about all the ignorant
comments that have been made,
about the ones that made me stare
at people in disbelief, the ones that
made me cry, and the ones that I
laughed at with friends. Unfortunately,
I don’t see the ignorant comments
stopping anytime soon, so then the
question is how do you embrace
yourself in a world that doesn't do the
same?
Ultimately, you have to do what works
for you and sometimes it is just about
getting through the day. For me it is
still a work in progress, and I think
always will be but I'm getting closer.
A big part of embracing myself has
come from advocacy and building
community. There will always be
places in the world that do embrace
and support you. I want to do what I
can to create those places and hold
others accountable to catch up. I
figured I would take my experiences
of the ridiculous crap that has been
said to me and use it to educate
people.
It's not perfect but it helps to know
there are others that are going
through the same thing and who are
working to make things a bit easier.
27

SURLY RECOMMENDS
THE PERFECT READS FOR NEURODIVERSITY CELEBRATION WEEK
Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick
Riordan
For lovers of mythology! The demigod heroes of this
Young Adult Fantasy series all have ADHD (to have
better reflexes when fighting hydras, gorgons, and
harpies) and dyslexia (they’re wired to read Ancient
Greek). Read this for adventure and a protagonist with
a great sense of humour! Start with The Lightning Thief,
and if you enjoy it SURLY also has the sequel series The
Heroes of Olympus and Trials of Apollo. If you read it
when you were younger, check out the newest addition
to the original series, The Chalice of the Gods which
released just last year!
Me vs Brain by Hayley Morris
In this self-help / memoir combo, TikToker Hayley
Morris is completely, hilariously honest about her
nearly life-long struggles with anxiety, intrusive
thoughts and panic attacks.
It’s funny and hilarious one minute, then
heartbreaking and thoughtful the next. Read this
to understand more about anxiety, and feel a bit
less alone with someone who’s been through it
all!
28

Alone With You in the Ether by Olivie Blake
Two unlikely people meet in the Art Institute by chance.
Regan lives impulsively, searching for meaning in a
seemingly predictable life. Caught after counterfeiting
art, she now visits a court-ordered psychiatrist regularly
and has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Aldo’s world is the opposite, it’s the rigidness of routine
and patterns in everyday life that keeps him going,
along with compulsive calculations about time travel
and mathematical explanations for how the world
works.
Using a poetic and lyrical prose style, Blake explores
themes of mental health and codependency. It’s an
intimate and pensive story about the desire to form a
connection with someone, the complexities that exist
within ourselves and others, and how the smallest
incident can disrupt what you think you know. If you’re in
the mood to read a story where two characters explore
a messy and complicated side of love, then this is the
book for you!
Six of Crows Duology by Leigh Bardugo
What’s not to love about an impossible heist?
Through this fantasy world, Bardugo manages to
explore symptoms of neurodivergence through her
cast of six characters. There are characters with
explicit symptoms (like Wylan with dyslexia and
Kaz with PTSD), whilst Bardugo has written other
characters to be more -coded (like Jesper who
many fans suggest to have ADHD).
Although it may be an action-packed YA novel,
there is so much depth and emotion that goes into
the story. The switching POVs between the main
characters allow ample time to delve into each of
them intricately. If you’re looking for a characterfocused
novel with unforgettable characters and
distinct personalities, then come pick up this book
at SURLY!
29

30
Strong Female Character by Fern Brady
Brady recounts her experience of growing up with undiagnosed autism, shedding
light on how society deals with anyone who is not neurotypical.
In this memoir, expect an insightful, emotional and funny delve into Brady’s life.
It’s an honest approach to the traumatic experiences that Brady herself has
lived through, with dealing with her peers at school to the lack of appropriate
treatment and care from the health services provided to her.
Give this a try if you want to learn a bit more about what it’s like to live (and
hide) your life as an autistic woman.

Ten Steps to Nanette: A Memoir Situation by Hannah Gadsby
Gadsby traces her growth as a queer person from Tasmania-where homosexuality
was illegal until 1997-to her ever-evolving relationship with comedy, to her
struggle with late-in-life diagnoses of autism and ADHD, and finally to the
backbone of Nanette-the renouncement of self-deprecation, the rejection of
misogyny, and the moral significance of truth-telling.
Read this for a harrowing yet hilarious recount of Gadsby’s rise to fame and
insights into her life that you won’t find anywhere else.
31

'WHY DON’T WE HAVE BOTH?’
BY CHARLOTTE SUTTON / MSA DISABILITIES & CARERS OFFICER
32

Content warning: COVID-19, Ableism
For most people, classes returning back to in-person was a huge relief. For me
it meant a whole lot of stress.
In 2022, I completed my first year of my law degree and the second year of
my arts degree online. This was not my first choice and was definitely not
how I had pictured doing uni, but with COVID-19 numbers still very high and
my immune system being compromised, my doctors advised that it would
not be safe for me to attend in-person classes. This was not a decision that
was made lightly and I would have preferred to be at in-person classes, but
when it’s a choice between a year of the less than ideal and long term health
impacts, it's not really a choice anymore.
I was able to participate in leadership programmes and mock courts because
student organisations made the effort to include me. They didn’t make me feel
like it was an inconvenience, they just found ways to make it happen. This has
not always been the case for my classes. I am still unsure why some lecturers
feel it's appropriate for the second sentence out of their mouths to be “thank
you to those who cared enough about their studies to attend the class inperson”
despite knowing that the seminar is being recorded.
COVID-19 showed that online options are possible and that we now have
the know-how and facilities to do them. We have since seen online options
scaled back and quietly removed altogether. This choice has been removed
for students who need it the most.
No one is disadvantaged by having hybrid learning options; it supports
international students, disabled students, disabled staff, working students,
students from regional/remote areas, carers and so many other groups. With
institutions supposedly being committed to equity and inclusion having hybrid
options presents a simple option to include and support a wider range of
students.
33

“Just Don’t Look at Them and You
Should Be Okay”
By Lucy McLaughlin
Content warning: discussions of homelessness, substance abuse and mental illness including
psychosis
Homelessness is far more apparent in Melbourne than in Manchester, and the way we speak
about those experiencing homelessness matters.
I arrived in Melbourne with my fellow exchange students in early July 2023, bidding farewell to the
UK summer and experiencing the shock of cold, jet lag and disorientation.
There was a keen sense of excitement amongst us though, and with Manchester being my home
city – one of the biggest cities in the UK – I felt prepared for Melbourne’s urban life. After settling
into a hostel, we navigated the arduous task of house-hunting, eventually securing a lovely, little
property near St Kilda’s Luna Park.
I’m well aware that the Aussies don’t give St Kilda Beach the highest of praises, but to a group of
English students who see a coastline once a year if we’re lucky, having the privilege of living so
close to any beach has honestly felt like paradise.
There have, however, been breaches to that notion of paradise; whilst we’ve sat on our porch
drinking coffee together in the mornings, it hasn’t been uncommon for there to be a person
sleeping rough on the reserve across from our house.
Only a day or two after arriving in Melbourne, as I was walking along Acland Street with some
friends, a homeless woman experienced what appeared to be a mental health crisis; she began
screaming erratically and followed us down the road, shouting verbal abuse.
Not long after that, on an uncharacteristically warm afternoon in July, I went shopping along
Chapel Street. As I was leaving a shop, I heard a shriek from further up the road. A homeless man
was experiencing what looked like a drug-induced psychotic episode: he paced back and forth,
screaming repeatedly.
It was a weekend afternoon; there were children with parents, elderly couples and dog walkers.
The nonchalance with which people simply crossed the road to avoid him, or shopkeepers tutted
and closed their doors, shocked me.
I’d never witnessed anything like this before, and I don’t claim to have the answer on how to handle
such a situation. Personal safety is paramount, and in this case, professional help was needed. Yet,
what alarmed me as much as the man’s behaviour, was the mundanity with which people carried
on their tasks, and with which, following their lead, I did the same.
I don’t know the outcome for that man, whether health services were contacted or anyone safely
intervened, but I could still hear his screams through the window of a shop much further up the
road. The volume of people sleeping rough in Melbourne’s suburbs is sobering, but witnessing
rough sleepers is not something that I'm unaccustomed to. Whilst Melbourne has the highest rates
of homelessness in Victoria, with 1,508 people without a home (approximately one in 9,890 people)
my home city fares even worse. Manchester’s levels of homelessness are some of the highest in the
UK: around 7,407 people (one in 74 people) are experiencing homelessness.
It’s important to note that rough sleepers form a small percentage of the unhoused population,
with the hidden homeless (those in substandard/unsafe housing, emergency shelters or temporary
accommodation) comprising the majority. But with approximately 91 people sleeping rough in
Manchester on any given night, it has not been the amount of people on the streets that has been
so much more apparent in Melbourne. It’s the behaviour, then, of those being forced to sleep
rough, that is in such stark contrast to my previous experiences in the UK.
34

When discussing the relationship between
homelessness and substance abuse, it’s critical
to highlight that addiction is far from the leading
cause of homelessness in the UK or in Australia,
nor are all people experiencing homelessness
abusing drugs or alcohol.
Unhoused people are far more likely to
experience poor health across the board –
including their mental health. Substance abuse,
when it happens, is much more often the result
of housing insecurity than the cause of it.
Melbourne, for example, recent research from
homelessness services has demonstrated that
while 43% of the homeless population reported
having issues with alcohol and other drug usage,
only one-third reported that they had these
problems before becoming homeless. When
substance abuse disorders are present in the
homeless population, however, the illicit drugs
that are most widely accessible differ drastically
between Australia and the UK. Melbourne has
the highest number of container shipments in
Victoria, and this has been a purported driver
of Victoria’s disproportionately high heroin
usage, accounting for 45% of the nation’s total
consumption. Methamphetamine is similarly
widespread and easy to obtain, having been
reported as the most consumed illicit drug
nationwide. Methamphetamine and heroin
directly affect the central nervous system, leading
to altered perception, increased aggression and
impulsive behaviour.
In the UK, a group of substances called synthetic
cannabinoids, referred to as ‘spice’ or ‘the
zombie drug’, have been in use for more than
a decade. A highly addictive psychoactive
substance, it induces a semi-comatose state in
users.
Although charities in other big UK cities report
spice addiction as an issue among their
homeless communities, Manchester’s problem
is particularly visible. Researchers estimate
that 90-95% of homeless people in Manchester
smoke the drug.
This means that in Manchester, passers-by
can reassure themselves that the unconscious
individual by the side of the road is not in urgent
need, but instead is only sleeping. And whilst
walking past a person sleeping rough is always
an upsetting and uncomfortable experience,
I have never once felt unsafe doing so in my
home city.
Whilst substance abuse among rough sleepers
in Melbourne often increases their visibility, in
Manchester the opposite occurs.
Discourse acknowledging the humanity of
Manchester’s homeless population rarely
surfaces in daily conversations, consigned
instead to news articles, academia, and charity
initiatives. There’s an unconscious expectation
that even a rough sleeper’s most extreme distress
will be experienced quietly and privately, never
encroaching too grievously upon a passer-by’s
day-to-day life.
In Melbourne, this etiquette is overturned: a
homeless person in a drug-induced crisis is far
more likely to be expressing themselves publicly
than passively, even if societal norms still dictate
that they’ll be ignored.
Whilst I’m not suggesting that mental illness in
the homeless population is synonymous with
dangerous or violent behaviour, it’s it’s important
to acknowledge that a subset of rough sleepers
in Melbourne do sometimes present in a way
that is volatile and/or antisocial due to substance
abuse disorders. A specific discourse has
therefore arisen to set them apart, a discourse
less commonly entering mainstream discussions
on homelessness in the UK.
A reassurance that has been expressed to me
repeatedly over the past few months is that if
you, ‘just don’t look at them then you should be
okay.’ This is not baseless advice; intervening
when a stranger’s behaviour is erratic and
potentially psychotic may escalate the situation,
no matter how good your intentions are. But for
these occurrences to be so commonplace as to
incite no reaction other than wilful ignorance
paints a very grim picture.
I’ve lost count of how many times individuals
presenting with severe mental health problems
have been described as ‘crackheads’ by people
around me. I’ve even come across an Instagram
page with over 73,000 followers that is in part
dedicated to filming and ridiculing homeless
people along Chapel Street. And whilst
‘crackhead’ is not a term I hadn’t heard in the
UK before, its ubiquity in describing some
35

of the most vulnerable people in Melbourne is
shocking.
Discourse around homelessness in mainstream
conversation seems to fall into one of two
camps: unhoused people are either regarded as
objects of ridicule to provide light entertainment,
or they are abstract nuisances, eyesores that
litter pavements. But the people we see on the
streets are exactly that: they are people first
and foremost, and that has been forgotten too
readily.
When someone refers to an individual as a
‘crackhead’, or laughs at a homeless person’s
erratic behaviour, I don’t believe that they’re
being deliberately inflammatory or intentionally
expressing hate. I believe it’s far more likely a
defence mechanism.
Reductive terms psychologically distance
homeless people from us in such a way that
they are no longer fully human. To accept their
humanity is to grapple with their suffering,
something we prefer to avoid in our daily lives.
When we regard other humans and their
behaviour, particularly behaviour that unsettles
us, it is vital to remind ourselves of the points at
which we are vulnerable, or could have been
vulnerable, if our lives had taken a different turn.
The kind of household we have been born into,
the resources we do or do not have access to,
the trauma we did or did not endure; almost all
of these things are a cruel game of luck.
We should steer clear of attempting to judge
someone’s entire character on singular moments
in their lives. This is especially true of people
who, at the time of your meeting, have fallen
through every single safety net, both in the public
and private sphere, and have been left to suffer
in one of the most vulnerable and degrading
positions imaginable.
Adjusting the way we speak about those
experiencing ho,melessness will not get them
off the streets and into secure social housing,
nor will it ensure access to adequate mental
health services to support them through these
transitions. And whilst people are currently being
forced to sleep rough on the streets outside my
house, I’m well aware that engaging in a kind of
etymological debate about homelessness can
feel tokenistic.
However, our choice of language influences
how we view and categorise issues, and this is
a necessary step in re-framing perceptions of
homelessness. Every person deserves the right
to a life that is not lived in survival mode, and
there is a governmental responsibility to prevent
that right from being denied.
Describing people in crisis is often clunkier in
diction than laughing at a ‘crackhead’. It also
asks for a lot more empathy and requires a
grounding in reality. And that reality is not a
pleasant one, least of all for the person in the
throes of it.
I’m well aware that on an individual level, the
words we use will do nothing to change the
material reality of the people whose plights we
are trying to describe. But in a world that denies
the humanity of the homeless at every possible
turn, we have an easy opportunity not to
contribute that bit further to their dehumanisation.
It’s a small ask.
Provided references for this article available
on our website.
If this article has raised concerns for
yourself or someone you know, support is
available;
Lifeline: 13 11 14 / SMS: 0477 13 11 14
DirectLine (confidential alcohol and drugs
hotline): 1800 888 236
Eastern Consortium Alcohol and Drug
Service (Eastern suburbs-based alcohol and
drugs support service): 1800 778 278
Information on housing, including
emergency and crisis accomodation can be
found on the Housing Victoria website:
housing.vic.gov.au
In the case of an emergency, call 000
36

'BREAKTHROUGHS'
PHOTO BY SPENCER SLANEY
44
37

WHOSE STREETS?
OUR STREETS! WHY
YOU NEED TO BE AN
ACTIVIST FOR QUEER
RIGHTS TODAY
Content warning: discussions of transphobia, homophobia
Madi Curkovic is an MSA Queer Offcier and a member of Socialist Alternative Monash.
"Get those animals off those horses!" There were hundreds of pro-trans protesters, chanting,
seething with rage at the sight of Victoria Police providing protection to Posie Parker's
transphobic event, ‘Let Women Speak’ at Parliament House. Behind police lines stood the
transphobic activist from the United Kingdom at a microphone, and a piddly number of rightwing
cranks, there to listen to her speech. To us, it was unbelievable. It was a galling step by
the far-right's campaign against queer rights across the world, brought to our city.
A few speakers into the event, we noticed around twenty or so neo-Nazis dressed in black
sports gear, holding a massive banner that read: "Destroy Paedo Freaks". Far from preventing
them from standing on the steps of Parliament, Victoria Police officers escorted them in, as they
marched up with their banner, performing the Hitler salute. The sheer sight of this enraged us.
Photos of the neo-Nazis were posted online, and quickly became front-page news in the days
following the protest.
But that wasn't the end of it. After being outnumbered by protesters in every other city she held
a speaking event in, Posie Parker left Auckland declaring to her livestream: "I have grave fears
for this place. This country's fucked." She cancelled her last stop in Wellington.
Two weeks following the protest in Melbourne, trans rights protesters flocked to the streets in
their thousands for Trans Day of Visibility, to oppose the far-right and stand in solidarity with
trans people. The sea of trans flags, union flags, and homemade signs made their way from
the State Library to Spring Street. Just a fortnight after the steps of Parliament had been the site
of transphobic bigotry and neo-Nazism, we took the steps back, chanting a slogan commonly
used at protests against the far-right: "Whose streets? Our streets!"
That day was a win for the left and queer activism in Melbourne. We drove out a transphobe
with protest, and (somewhat accidentally) sent the main party of the capitalist establishment
into a spin when then Liberal MP Moira Deeming was found to have spoken at the event, and
did not leave it after becoming aware of the neo-Nazis’ attendance. She was quickly expelled
from the Liberal’s party room.
But the Posie Parker saga’s not the extent of it – still we see the rise of the far-right in Australia
and internationally. Think of the new far-right government in Argentina headed by Javier Milei,
or Trumpist politics in the US becoming more and more emboldened. In Scotland last year, the
UK Government blocked a reform that would make it easier for people to change their legally
recognised sex. right-wing politics is on the rise, and it includes homophobia and transphobia.
Across the United States, 2023 saw the introduction of five times the number of anti-queer bills
than in 2022. A key focus of many of these bills was to restrict access to gender-affirming care.
While not all 510 bills designed to attack queer people passed, the 84 that did meant that by
38 38

WORDS BY MADI CURKOVIC
the end of the year, nearly half of the states had passed this kind of legislation in 2023 alone.
It now means that if you grow up trans in Utah, your access to hormone treatment and surgical
procedures for gender-affirming care are completely blocked. In some states, it is a felony for
professionals to provide gender-affirming care to minors, and can have their medical licence
revoked, and even face time in prison.
Here in Victoria over the last year, we've seen several far-right groups target drag storytime
events and council meetings in an attempt to intimidate queer people. In Sydney, the far-right
group Christian Lives Matter violently attacked a pro-trans protest in March last year. Clearly,
groups like these are feeling confident that not only do their bigoted views have a legitimate
place in society, but that they can also take real steps towards fighting for their agenda.
To add to this toxic mix, in February, the Federal Government will be discussing the Religious
Discrimination Bill. Contrary to its title, this bill does not aim to protect religious freedoms,
rather empower institutions like Catholic schools to discriminate against queer people by
having the freedom to expel or fire people on the basis of their gender or sexual identity. With
the Liberal Party’s rightward shift and frequent use of bigotry towards most oppressed groups,
there is pressure on the Albanese Government to legislate this bill.
Meanwhile, living standards in Australia have taken a turn for the worse. In November last
year, Australia won the medal for the biggest income decline in the developed world. Labor
governments both at a state and federal level refuse to introduce a rent freeze, or to raise
welfare payments above inflation has only made matters worse. A severely economically
unequal society like Australia translates into even worse conditions for oppressed groups.
Such a time calls for determined, left-wing activism. This year Kelly Cvetkova and I – as the
MSA’s Queer Officers – plan on bringing more of what we saw when pro-trans protesters fought
Posie Parker and won. We're part of a new, left-wing faction that is running the MSA Queer
Office, and we want to bring activism back to campus and the student union. We've been
part of counterprotesting the neo-Nazis in Melbourne's west, the Posie Parker protests, and
the marriage equality campaign. All of these examples have been high points for the fight for
queer rights in our city.
Right now, collective protest is a necessity if we're to beat back the rise of transphobia and
homophobia being used by far-right groups and governments across the world. After all,
protests are the reason we have the right for homosexual couples to marry in Australia, and
the history of queer activism in Australia stretches back many decades further. Take Stonewall,
or the first Mardi Gras in Sydney in 1978; Activism has always been the key to winning queer
rights. The overall picture for queer rights across the world is that they are far from being on
a linear, upwards progression. In today’s political climate, the need for more queer activists is
urgent.
Provided references for this article are available on our website
39

THE INCITING INCIDENT
How about wages? A big part of the 2022 election campaign was that Labor
would raise wages to meet the cost of living. This never materialised, instead
we are warned to tighten our BY belts. MARY For ELIZABETH most workers, wages went backwards.
Including public sector CONTENT wages, WARNING: which BULLYING, state Labor MENTAL has HEALTH held down for years,
now contributing to shortages in teaching and nursing staff. If Labor had
any inclination, they could raise wages overnight but they choose not to. This
Every story must have its protagonist. Its saviour. Someone who has a purpose, who leads the plot.
is equally true for welfare, which remains well below poverty level.
Though that person couldn’t possibly be you. Yes, you.
So Why who has will you Labor choose failed to be instead? to address cost of living? They claim there isn’t any
money, that an increase in wages, or action on housing would only drive
Protagonist
up inflation.
A:
But this hasn’t stopped them from supporting the stage three
A hero: incapable of mistakes. Untouched by bad guys, your pursuit of glory is never fractured by
those
tax cuts,
who desire
giving
your
more
downfall.
money
You’re
to
a
the
god,
wealthy.
with the world
Nor
at
has
your
it
feet.
stopped
You have
them
everything
from
you throwing could ever a half want: trillion the job, dollars the fortune, towards the lover, building and especially death the machines. recognition. That Your money strength
is could unmatched; end the flaws cost indistinguishable. of living crisis. Therefore, In truth, you’re Labor invincible is for the and rich unabashed, getting exuding richer,
confidence most could only envision.
and cares little for ordinary people, meaning they can facilitate the greatest
Protagonist transfer of B: wealth to the rich in decades.
An What angel: about admired other for your progressive solicitude. You issues? carry the calmness of the earth, the warmth of the Sun.
Your Albanese presence has allows recommitted others to be vulnerable, to the AUKUS and your pact, unwavering an agreement trust ensures with they the remain United loyal
to your character. Therefore, you’ve learnt the perceptions, beliefs and fears of various lives, and
States and United Kingdom to prepare for war with China. Meaning Australia
your intellect has gained an insight others adore. This shields you from heartbreak and betrayal.
How has could committed anyone be itself so horrid to antagonistic to a darling like exercises you? Fears in of the hardship South don’t China exist Sea. for you, Should selfassured
any of by the presumptions increasingly that no common one could “close ever possibly calls” harm escalate, you. it could start a world
war or a nuclear war.
Protagonist C:
A
But
fighter:
Labor
prepared
are also
for change
perpetrators
at any moment.
of Indigenous
With a heart made
oppression.
of titanium,
For
the
years
rush of turmoil
state
that Labor life pushes governments your way is have always been met with increasing defiance. Your police mentality budgets. is indestructible, They and have any
hindrance overseen doesn’t a dramatic easily consume rise in you. the Whether rate of internal indigenous or external, incarceration, you force through led racist these
challenges, disallowing time to hold onto the past, with everyone in awe of your strength. To others,
fear campaigns, including suspending human rights in Queensland to lock
you are mighty, a warrior victorious after every battle. Life continues; it’s all part of your voyage,
one up you more consistently Indigenous overcome. kids. When Indigenous youth rightfully resisted Western
Australia’s barbaric youth detention system, then premier Mark McGowan
Protagonist condemned D: them as terrorists.
A leader: remaining authentic to your persona. You never put on a facade – why would you when
This is only a small glimpse of the issues that Labor is responsible for. But why
everyone already loves you? Embodying your talents, you glow amongst the rest. The one you
glance is this at important? twice. Trusting These your spirit, issues you are never mobilising fear people’s more judgements. and more Being people unapologetically and it
yourself is important makes you to honourable, understand knowing that you’re Labor pristine will stand within a in mendacious opposition domain. to meaningful
change. If you want real action on cost of living, housing, wages, or climate,
So, which will it be? Don’t worry, I’ll wait.
But
if you
hold
oppose
on – it doesn’t
war,
really
racism,
matter.
and
You’re
oppression,
confused? –
you
ah you
have
see you’ll
to demand
never easily
more
be any
than
of
what the Labor Party offers, you need to be a socialist.
these people. You’ll certainly fantasise about it, but deep down you know that’s impossible.
You can’t simply be the protagonist without a backstory.
First, you must live in the reality of who you really are.
Provided references for this article available on our website.
Which will you unwillingly choose?
40

Plot A:
You’ve become lost after discovering that the world isn’t as beautiful as it first seemed. Haunted by
villains who tormented you from an early age, you were given labels that never made you laugh.
These words slipped into your intellect; whirled around repeatedly. Now you’re convinced it’s all
true, like you’ll never be good enough. You want that career, yet there’s always someone better.
You want them to love you, but you’re not one worth fighting for. You can’t help but feel this is all
your fault, holding each affront close to your chest. Now you’re struggling to find your way out of
this forest inside your head, unsure if it’s real or one long nightmare.
Plot B:
There was a time when you once allowed all to explore your home, all its rooms and passageways.
Then you made a few too many mistakes; delved with the wrong people; had your heart broken too
many times. Now your home is destroyed and you’re the one left to clean the mess others made.
This takes longer than expected and you make a promise that no one will ever be let into your
house again, even if they may take better care of its interior than the last visitors did. But now, with
the walls sturdier than ever before, you constantly remain alone, because you’d rather everything
stay clean and the same forever than risk rearranging the furniture for another.
Plot C:
Your self-possession is barely bobbing above the surface. After all your treasures floated out of
your grasp, you wonder if you’ll ever learn to swim on your own. Thoughts have slowly filled every
crevice of your brain, weighing you down as you attempt to swim through each loss the current
pulls you into. You wish to appear brave, but all you desire is to remain in control. Now your mind
is too full, anxious you might drown as cracks begin to form within your valour. You fear you may
suffocate, gripping onto whatever precious jewels you have left. Yet it’s not enough, every hardship
is too much. You’ll eventually sink to the ocean floor as everyone sees through every rift in your
psychology.
Plot D:
You’ve become alienated by an audience that wishes to undermine you. Your production isn’t worthy
of recognition. Roses could never fall at your feet. After years of comparison you’re convinced
you’re inferior to your co-stars; that your greatest antagonist is yourself. Your performance simply
isn’t captivating like the others on stage. You’d rather put on a disguise; have people fall in love
with a fantasy. Yet you worry you’ll fail at this too, that they’ll see past the act. Forever, you’re
yearning for something you could never truly be: a star.
Were none of these what you wanted? What made you think things would all just work out for you?
You could never possibly be in charge of your own story; that’s simply not how this all works. You
don’t like that? How else are you supposed to become the protagonist? To learn your purpose
within this whole narrative? You want things to simply work in your favour, to have the perfect story,
yet you know you can’t truly have this. Not before accepting who you must first be. Not before
enduring the character development. Not before the inciting incident, climax, and resolution. Only
then will you be whichever protagonist you desire.
This is all part of the narrative. It was never your choice to make in the first place. That’s how your
story works.
41

ACROSS THE ACCORDS: WHAT THE HECS WAS THAT?
BY CAMPBELL FROST
Campbell Frost is an National Union of Students delegate and a member of
National Labor Students (student Labor left)
Students across the country are set to see the education system turned on its
head in the coming future. The release of the Australian University Accords
comes as a 12-month long review of the university system to create a fairer
and more equitable higher education system. The Honourable Jason Clare,
Minister for Education says “The Accords will help to drive this change. It will
help us build a better and fairer education system where no one is held back,
and no one is left behind.” And to give credit where credit is due, I agree.
However, as one of Monash’s National Union of Student (NUS) delegates, these
accords fall short of supporting students and whilst a 400-page document of
recommendations is great, these words mean nothing, unless we start to take
action and progress on these recommendations.
The Accords have made huge progress in some areas, such as the
recommendation (Recommendation 14) to end ‘placement poverty’ - meaning
that students who are required to accrue onsite training and placements
won’t have to worry about their income during those periods. The language
provided however doesn’t give a certainty if this amount will be enough to
live on. In line with the National Union of Students, I would like to echo calls
for the Federal Government to work with tertiary institutions and employers to
provide all students on placement with a minimum wage.
Another promising development is the idea of a national student ombudsman.
Picture this – a place where we can raise our concerns and complaints about
university matters, knowing there's someone independent who's got our backs.
Whether it's about academic mistreatment or any other issue, having this
ombudsman could mean fairer outcomes and better support for us students.
It's like having a trusted ally in our corner, making sure our voices are heard
and our experiences matter in shaping a more student-friendly university
environment.
“HECS is Best” is a phrase commonly used by economic conservatives as
a form of upholding the institutionalisation of student debt into our society.
Australia stands as one of the most resource-rich countries in the world yet
unlike countries like Qatar, our Government makes more money from the
collection of student indexed-loans than from the Petroleum Resource Rent
Tax. HECS repayments collect 18% more revenue than Fossil Fuel companies.
42

are subsidising big oil in the midst of a climate crisis. Recommendation 16 asks
for the HECS system to be made ‘fairer’ and reverse the Jobs Ready Graduate
package (That’s the policy that doubled the cost of your non-STEM degree
BTW, brought to you by everyone's favourite former PM, Scomo). However
this fails to acknowledge that a system that preys on students seeking to
improve employability and the pursuit of knowledge whilst strapping them
with debt isn’t working. I may not be one of the ‘socialists’ that harass you on
campus, but I think I echo the sentiment of many students when I say the HECS
system isn’t working. Australia has the resources to make education free for
every domestic student. Our sociology classes shouldn’t be used to subsidise
Woodside Energy.
Despite some of the challenges we've discussed, it's important to highlight
the good stuff happening in our universities. Take for instance the news about
more funding potentially coming our way for student unions through SSAF (that
$300 payment you make at the start of the year). This means more resources
for clubs, events, and support services that make campus life vibrant and
enjoyable. It's like investing in the heart of our student community, giving us
more opportunities to connect, grow, and make the most out of our time at
university.
While structural reform of how we approach the funding model of tertiary
education is still on the agenda for student activists closer to home, most
students are facing a cost of living crisis. As a student from a regional
background, I know that government payments are a make or break for
many. Centrelink's age of independence still remains stuck at 22, closing the
door yet again on low-income and regional students. In our own backyard,
only 8.1% of students at Monash come from low socio-economic backgrounds,
a statistic that speaks volumes on the work needed to level the playing field.
While any financial support that helps students complete their degree is
welcomed, this can and must go further - lowering the age of independence
ASAP because students can’t wait for a review, students need financial
support urgently.
I, of course, understand that whilst many bureaucrats may see this as a huge
step forward, for students living through a cost of living crisis, struggles remain.
We need action and we need it now.
Provided references for this article are available on our website.
43

A FARCICAL FAREWELL FIASCO: MAGGIE G'S $127K SEND
OFF RUBS SALT INTO THE WOUND FOR STRUGGLING
STAFF AND STUDENTS
BY ANGUS DUSKE
$127,134. One-hundred-and-twenty-seven-thousand-one-hundred-and-thirty-four dollars. To
put this into perspective, that is more than double the median annual personal income
in Australia, $54,890, it could cover the costs of an entire Bachelor of Arts course (with
honours) at Monash, coming to $121,600 using fees dated to 2024; pay the annual parking
fees of 157 people parking in the blue permit zone five days a week, a cost of $806; or
pay the salaries of three casual employees working for Monash.
It does beg the question, during a cost of living crisis what precisely did the University spend
$127,000 on? Being an education institution one may presume it was spent on improving
teaching conditions for staff and learning conditions for students. And as reasonable a
deduction that may be, it does beg the question when has a managerial bureaucracy ever
employed reason, let alone logic in their decision-making, particularly those of a financial
nature.
The truth in the matter is that this one-hundred-and-twenty-seven-thousand dollar splurge
was not spent on students but rather – as reported by The Age on March 5 – on a
black tie dinner at the National Gallery of Victoria in July 2023, to give our former Vice-
Chancellor and now Governor of Victoria Margaret Gardner a last hurrah complete with
all the trimmings: a three-course meal, one of Gardner’s favourite musicians, and a guest
list featuring many notable names from around the state.
In short, this exorbitant affair can only be described as completely lacking in self-awareness,
and students and staff alike ought to be livid that it happened at all. For at the same time,
Monash is slashing student amenities before our eyes, upping the price of parking, robbing
44

staff of their deserved salaries, and crying
poor to the Australian University Accords
alongside other Group of Eight members.
All these actions in the name of supposed
frugality, yet they decide that a celebration
of this magnitude is entirely appropriate. It
merely cements what all these cuts actually
mean, Monash has no care for its students,
so long as they can report a profit – and
that should anger not only students but staff
as well.
It is the height of ignorance that Monash
would choose to spend its money like this
at a time where it claims it is too strapped
for cash to keep the Matheson Library open
until midnight, let alone the HA Library open
until 8:00pm, or for that matter repair the N1
elevator which has broken down for what
seems like the umpteenth time in the last
year. And then when we ponder about the
cost-cutting that prevails in the delivery of
the degrees we pay for – the digitisation of
lectures, increased class sizes, cuts to unit
offerings, to name but a few instances – we
are forced to remind ourselves that this is
a university, not a corporation transfixed on
posting the highest profit margin possible.
Without the faintest shadow of a doubt
though, the ones who ought to be harbouring
anger towards University management for
this egregious decision are its staff. Not only
are they the ones doing the hard work, but
they are the main point of interaction with
Monash for many students. And how are
they rewarded?
The answer is rather straightforward:
Not well enough! Not only are Monash’s
beleaguered staff kept in a position of
constant uncertainty as the majority are
forced to re-apply for their fixed-term or
casual contracts as frequently as every six
months, but over 4,500 of them have had
their wages stolen – amounting to more
than 10 million dollars – by the University
refusing to acknowledge the extent of work
staff put into their jobs.
With all of this in mind it’s no wonder
staff are at breaking point. The Monash
University Enterprise Agreement expired in
mid-2022 and now nearly two years later
the University and its staff are still yet to
come to an agreement to give staff a better
arrangement than the one that currently
exists. And yet somehow despite their
reluctance to spend more on the very lifeblood
of this institution, they can justify an
expense worth the wages of three casual
staff members in the blink of an eye – in
short it is an insult to Monash’s hardworking
staff, who deserve better.
How the University can continue down this
path of needless cost-cutting and fragrant
disregard for the needs of its staff and
students is beyond me. In the meantime we
should all be demanding better, for clearly
Monash has money to spend!
NOTE FROM FELLOW LOT'S EDITOR:
Angry about paying thousands of dollars
each year for subpar education standards?
So are we. One of the best ways to push for
change is to show solidarity with teaching
staff who are in ongoing negotiations
with Monash for fairer wages and conditions.
Staff working conditions are student learning
conditions, its that simple. Everyone benefits
when staff are provided a secure workplace
where they a fairly renumerated for their
labour and expertise.
Lot's Wife encourages students to keep up
with ongoing NTEU actions (following @
nteumonash on Instagram is a great place
to start), and to support strike actions by the
National Tertiary Education Union. As Angus
mentioned in his article, EBA negotiations
have stretched almost two years - but staff
are not backing down. Now more than
ever, they need our support as studentsfor
teachers are the backbone of our uni
experience! - Sam
45

'To Be Loved'
by Bernice Ying Xin
To be loved by a writer is one thing,
To be loathed by a writer is another.
You can never escape it.
Her words will haunt you to your
grave.
Her name is up in the lights.
And you're just a muse for her page.
You get a mention in the dedication,
But you're so un-noticeable it's missed.
No one reads the dedications anyway.
And you'll never stop thinking about
this.
'Everytime You
Vanish'
A poem on casual situationships by
Sheenam Sharma
Everytime you leave without a
goodbye,
Leaves this soul, full of desires, left
to untie…
Longing for the next sight of joy,
Counting the days that take forever
to fly by…
The hazel in your hair, the innocence
in your eyes,
Oh, how it makes my body scream
a cry…
Wanting you to stay, escaping this
lie,
Still can’t hold you from finding your
next high…
From a you, to an I,
If only, I could try,
To alter the reality, and prepare to
rely…
46

'Clockwork'
'You Don't See Me'
by Anisha Deshmukh
Jemima holds a star in her head like
the limbs of her girls fanning out in the
sun they are swans they are wolves
with
canines for days who hold the world
in their exhale
deep release with sweet sweaty
palms clasped around forearms the
earth is sprouting out
the back teeth like the lock clicking at
the back door only
there is no passcode to renter
no logical fallacies no perfect
combination arrangement soliloquy
Jemima can do now but fall deeply
in the great bodies of water curdling
dreams and arise with
hair streaming
molars pulsing
A poem on intense female friendships
by Sheenam Sharma
I put you on a pedestal,
And now I look up at you looking
down on me, like an enigma so
forgettable…
I told you where it hurts,
And you didn’t hesitate to stab right
there, like it was already rehearsed…
You told me I meant everything to you,
And I believe your words more than
your eyes telling lies, behind the
beautiful hazel hue..
I gave you my mind, my heart, and
my soul,
And you didn’t flinch a minute to turn
that love into pain, taking a toll…
I guess I chose to give myself to you,
And I can’t blame you for taking me,
taking all of me,
When you can’t see that I was alone,
in love with you…
47

Inside Socialist Alternative Monash: For Real
By Luka Kiernan
A recent anonymous article in edition 1.24 of Lot’s Wife accuses the Socialist Alternative (SA)
club at Monash of a whole array of things, ranging from the slanderous to the hilarious. It
is a flagrantly right-wing critique of a serious left-wing group, dressed up in the language of
social justice and trauma.
For people who aren’t familiar, SA is the largest socialist group in Australia. We play a key
role in organising the protests to free Palestine, rallying against the far-right, sexism, racism,
and LGBTI+ oppression, freeing refugees, and every other social justice question. We are
revolutionaries that think capitalism can’t be reformed, that it has to be overthrown. That
Stalinism has nothing to do with socialism. That racism, sexism, LGBTI+ oppression, and all
other forms of oppression all stem from capitalism. We oppose imperialism, and think we
need popular struggle to fight back against the capitalist class. We try to convince people
of those things and more, because we want to build the left to fight for socialism and human
liberation. I am an active member of SA at Monash, and am proud to have played some
role in building our club and national organisation into the dynamic, intellectual, impactful
organisation that we are today.
After starting with an outrageous disclaimer that the piece may “elicit memories of traumatic
experiences”, the piece walks through some of the supposed horrors our club has committed.
First, we stand accused of “manipulating student leftists to join [our] cause… [which is]
gaining a seat in the Victorian Parliament”. If I were just trying to gain a seat in the Victorian
Parliament, I would have joined the slimy, aspiring politicians in one of the two Labor Party
factions on campus, or maybe even the Greens Club. We are revolutionaries that don’t lower
our horizons to whatever crumbs the capitalist class and its servants in the Labor Party are
willing to offer. On the other hand, hell yeah we want a socialist in parliament. Unlike the
major parties, we don’t want a seat in parliament to build our careers and line our pockets.
We participate in the Victorian Socialists electoral project because it would be great to
have a radical agitator in parliament to denounce the system and its lackeys. We don’t think
change can come through parliament, but we do think the platform can be used to build
struggle and
expose politicians. Who (besides the author) wouldn’t want a radical alternative to the bullshit
of the major parties.
Besides that, there are a whole series of superficial right-wing critiques. It is alleged that
some of our “members appear to be drawn to the group more for social enjoyment”. In
reality, our club is probably the only club or society on the entire
campus that is not just about socialising. Our club is for left-wing students horrified by the
crimes of capitalism around the world, and motivated to do something about it. The author
does their best Peter Dutton impression and accuses us of being dole bludgers: the “hypocrisy
of criticising the government while exploiting its benefits” . The argument that ‘you critique
society, and yet you participate in it’ is a tired right-wing trope, an argument that even Ben
Shapiro has stopped using. The article also astutely notes that we have a “membership fee”.
This makes us like every other political organisation in the world.
48

Besides these weirdly specific allegations, the article's basic contention is that SA is problematic
because we 1) want to recruit new members; and 2) have political arguments we make to
the world. These are the most basic premises of left-wing organising, and on both of these
fronts, we are guilty as charged.
Of course we want to grow! Anybody remotely serious about challenging capitalism agrees
that we should grow the socialist left, and the fact that the author rejects this demonstrates
that they are not. We fight for our politics, and try to convince people of our arguments,
because we take the project of radical change seriously. We want to convince other left-wing
people that they shouldn’t just passively think left-wing things, but should be active, organised
socialists.
Over the last few years, we have thrown ourselves into every progressive movement, and
had a real impact on politics in this country. We led the counter-protests against far-right
transphobe Posie Parker, which got arch-conservative freak Moira Deeming kicked out of the
Liberal Party. Our student members helped organise the student strikes for Palestine, which
in Melbourne were the largest school strikes in the world. We called a rally of 20,000 people
against the overturning of Roe vs Wade, and multiple rallies of up to 60,000 people against
the Government’s handling of the 2019 bushfires. Anywhere you see protests for progressive
issues, our group has probably had a hand in them.
Beyond that, our worker members have led inspiring strikes around the country. At University
of Melbourne, Monash, the University of Sydney, and RMIT in particular, our members have
pushed for staff strikes, and organised important student contingents. Our comrades in Mint
My Desk led an impressive series of walkouts, and at Knauf Plasterboards led a victorious
industrial campaign as lead delegate. We further Marxist theory for the 21st century in
the Marxist Left Review, a globally leading Marxist theoretical journal, and print Australia’s
biggest socialist newspaper Red Flag. We think you need to understand the world in order
to change it.
In the five years that I have been a member, Socialist Alternative has roughly doubled in size
across the country. If you are someone that is sick of watching the horrors of capitalism unfold
in front of you, and want to get serious about activism, join us. We are the largest and most
vibrant socialist group in the country for a reason, you might like what you see!
Editor's notes:
1. This article is written in response to an anonymous submission in Edition One (2024) of
Lot's Wife titled 'Inside the Cult of Socialist Alternative Monash'.
2. Lot's Wife would like to disclaim that while Socialist Alternative Monash is referred to as
a 'club' in this article, Socialist Alternative Monash is not a registered club with MSA Clubs &
Societies, and has no affilation with the MSA.
49

OLIVE AND LOTTE
BY ANONYMOUS
It was different now they didn’t talk. Olive and Lotte had always been something,
even when they were fresh-faced fifteen-year-olds, too young to put words to the
feelings that were growing between them. By the time they’d reached second year
they were everything. But now, after Olive had gone off to Italy for six months and
come back, something had changed.
If Olive had to, she would probably pinpoint the moment of their decline as that
argument they’d had one evening in Rome. It had been months without seeing each
other in-person, tied together only by phone calls. Late at night for one and early in
the morning for the other, Olive sometimes thought maybe it was then they started
slipping away from each other. One of them was always tired from their day, ready
to go to bed and the other would inevitably be pulled away by the lures of the
whole day awaiting her.
So this trip – the first time they’d been reunited in months – was meant to be for
them to reconnect. It had, unfortunately, been going in the opposite direction. That
day had started with a trip to the Vatican Museum, and while Olive had walked
through the rooms listening to the guide, content to simply look and observe, Lotte
had started to become restless.
The afternoon had continued much the same. After leaving the Vatican, they had
struggled to agree on a place to eat. Olive had wanted to find some hole in
the wall, a place with a real ‘feel’ about it. Lotte just wanted to eat. Eventually
Olive surrendered, agreeing to eat in one of the many restaurants just beyond the
entrance to St Peters. She had not made it pleasant – firing snide remarks at Lotte
every time Lotte had tried to brighten the mood.
The trip to the Colosseum went much in the same way. Olive had wanted to walk,
breathing in the city as they went. But they had argued so much trying to find a
place to eat that there was simply no time, and they had had to run for the metro in
order to make it. At some point in the train ride, pressed up so close against each
other, Olive wondered how they got here, and hoped that maybe they would be
able to fix it this afternoon at Palatine Hill.
It was no use. Olive was, as always, enthralled in the history of the place. She was
so taken, so distracted by the weight of the history that surrounded them, so drunk
on the way that the crumbling marble absorbed the light of the setting sun to the
point that it no longer seemed white, but golden – that she had completely missed
that Lotte was struggling along beside her. Having only arrived in Italy three nights
ago, Lotte was tired, and hungry, and ultimately bored. She had arrived, desperate
to see Olive, to spend time with her for the first time in months and all Olive had
done was drag her from Florence to Rome, from landmark to museum to landmark
50

all over again. They had walked, and walked, and walked, and Olive had sat and
looked in awe at all of the different statues and hills before her. But she had not
once looked at Lotte, not once touched her, not once really talked to her, except for
a quick glance behind her every once in a while, to make sure she was still there.
So they had fought that evening after sitting through another miserable dinner. A
bottle (or two) of wine in, and still suffering from jet lag, Lotte no longer had it in her
to be pleasant. When Olive had started on explaining her plans for them tomorrow,
Lotte had just snapped.
“What about me?” She had asked. “What about something I want to do?”
Olive had stopped, and paused, and before she could even help herself, snapped
back. Later she’d look back and wish that her temper, her undying need to be in the
right could have been controlled, but it was too late.
They argued for what seemed like an eternity, when eventually, exhausted from the
words they had hurled at each other, Lotte looked up at Olive and asked “What
happened, Olive, when did you
change?".
Olive had refused to face Lotte.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“It’s like you’re not the same person anymore.”
“That’s not true.”
“Yes, Olive, yes, it is.” Lotte paused, and grabbed Olive’s hand. “You went away,
and I stayed, and now you’re different. You’re not like the Olive I used to know.”
Olive sat and stared down at the table. On one level, she understood Lotte. She
had changed, she was different, she knew that. But there was also anger burning
deep inside of her. Anger, and that indescribable feeling that one gets when they
have had their eyes opened to the smallest glimpse of what the world has to offer
and they know, deep down, they cannot return to the person they were before they
had seen it.
And so Olive, unwilling, or perhaps, unable, to explain to Lotte all of this, had simply
answered,
“These past few months, I have felt more like myself than I ever have.”
It was so cruelly honest that Lotte felt as if she’d driven a knife down into her heart.
They had not lasted much longer than that. Olive wished sometimes that it would
have ended immediately. Instead it petered out over a few more months, like the
flame of a candle struggling to keep alight even though there was not enough wax
left to fuel it, until one day, everything that had been keeping them going simply
stopped. Olive often liked to think of them like that candle. Liked to think that they
had been something definite, that it was not their fault that they had ended. She
had gone away, and Lotte had stayed, and during that time she had grown so much
that there was simply nothing left between them.
51

A PROMISE
WORTH BREAKING:
BY DILHAN SIMSEK
DIlhan SImsek is a member of National Labor Students (student Labor left)
Since the inception of stage three tax cuts in the 2018 budget, I have held
large reservations. The Liberal and National Coalition government's proposal
introduced a regressive and flat income tax structure and to top it off announced
it without any costings. When the costings eventually surfaced, four years later,
they were substantial. Recent estimates from the Parliamentary Budget Office
(PBO) revealed that the stage three tax cut would incur a 20.7 billion dollars
expense in its first year.
However, upon closer examination, the distribution of these cuts proved even
more concerning. A significant portion, over $11.2 billion (more than half), would
benefit taxpayers earning above $150,000.
Despite the Coalition government's promise for a boost in productivity and
participation this policy falls short under scrutiny. The lion's share of the tax cut
would have gone to individuals earning $200,000, maintaining their marginal
tax rate of 45% unchanged.
Additionally, the assertions that these cuts would have mitigated bracket creep
were highly flawed. It's evident that this phenomenon disproportionately affects
low- and middle-income earners, contrary to the Coalition's claims.
But now, they are gone. Or, to put it more accurately, they have been replaced
by something new, fairer and catered to the current economic conditions.
So what does this exactly look like?
The median annual earnings for Australian workers now stand at $67,600. This
represents the true middle Australian worker. Under Labor's new stage three
tax plan, middle Australian workers stand to gain $804 more compared to the
previous arrangement, receiving a $1,369 tax cut as opposed to $565. According
to PBO estimates, 90% of income earners make less than $153,000. Considering
that the new tax cuts benefit those earning less than $146,500, it's safe to say
that approximately 85% of income earners will fare better under this revised
plan.
There’s no hiding that this change is quite formidable.
Ultimately, these changes result in a tax system that is considerably more
progressive than what would have been achieved under the previous stagethree
cuts.
While there will undoubtedly be political contention surrounding the breaking of
an election promise, such arguments will only carry the Coalition so far.
Do they really think people on median and average incomes will be angry they
are getting a bigger tax cut? Complaining that because Labor broke a promise
90% of people are going to be better off is rather unconvincing.
Data sourced from the Parliamentary Budget Office.
52 52

NO MORE LATE-NIGHT CAMPUS
CRAMMING: MONASH CUTS
LIBRARY HOURS: BY ANGUS DUSKE
t’s a cold winter’s night, outside a wind is howling through darkened trees, while
in a quiet corner of a library you’re too busy to take any notice. The minutes are
ticking away, yet you haven’t noticed the passage of time since you sat down to
finish off that essay you’d been procrastinating on for the last week. And now
that all too familiar ever-compounding dread finally reaches its boiling point.
So now you’re in the zone, typing away at a ferocious pace, pausing every so
often to consult the growing pile of resources you’ve accrued. And that terrible
dread begins to subside, and a growing sense of optimism emerges; you can
pull this off.
And then a tap on the shoulder, your train of thought derailed, your optimism
smashed to pieces. You’re told the library is closing and you’ll have to leave,
you glance down at the time it’s only 9:55pm. You’ve still got another two hours
of work to do. So you gather up your things and are ejected into the frigid
night air, trying to find somewhere else to study. You try Campbell Hall, alas it’s
full. You’re not a science student so the Science Students’ Lounge is out of the
question. Distraught, you finish the assignment in your car, cold, uncomfortable,
and without access to the resources that make a library so valuable.
This is a fundamental experience for a university student, snowed under with
assignments, and a seemingly limited window to meet the University’s demands.
Yet instead of trying to ease the burden of these periods where students need
safe, comfortable spaces to study, Monash is only exacerbating the situation by
slashing the opening hours of two of the Clayton Campus’s libraries.
In previous years, the Sir Louis Matheson Library closed at 12:00am, and the
Hargrave-Andrew Library closed at 8:00pm. Now, it has been decided that both
libraries ought to have their opening hours slashed by two hours each, now
closing at 10:00pm and 6:00pm respectively – in fact the latter library will no
longer open on weekends either.
To put this into perspective as I was leaving my 4:00pm workshop one Wednesday
afternoon, while the sun was still high in the sky, and while Wednesday sessions
was still alive and well, that positive buzz was interrupted by an announcement
instructing students to leave the HA Library, and as such a flood of students
poured out. I witnessed a similar occurrence leaving a club event nearly four
hours later, this time outside the Matheson Library.
What this proves categorically is that these libraries are not deserted of an
evening, and it certainly pokes holes in the University’s excuse that there’s a
‘lack of demand’ from students who want to study late at night – coincidentally
this is the same feeble excuse used to renege the promise of 24/7 access to
the LTB. Really this is all an elaborate farce so the University can avoid having
to pay the salaries of the staff needed to keep the doors open until later in the
evening. Yet another chapter in the sorry of Monash putting its profits ahead of
the needs of the students it claims to serve.
This is evident in the fact that students were not consulted, nor was the MSA or
53

or any other student body given notice for
that matter. The reason for choosing not
to do so is abundantly clear, because no
student in their right mind would approve
of this change. Hence they told no one,
and gave little to no warning, exactly
what they did when hiking the cost of car
parking – coincidence, I think not!
This decision seems to overlook the
repercussions throughout the entire
University. Currently the LTB and Woodside
Buildings are both open until midnight,
however these spaces do not provide
the same amenity as either library might,
and there is now the distinct possibility
that these spaces will now be overrun,
and unimaginably loud.
The two 24/7 study spaces, the Campbell
Hall Study Space and the Science
Students’ Lounge, are not fit for purpose
as is. The latter is only for the exclusive
use of a single faculty, and neither have
the capacity to accommodate displaced
students from the library, only holding
a fraction of a percentile of the student
body, a figure slowly returning to prepandemic
levels.
Unfortunately, it is already disadvantaged
students, who will suffer most from these
changes. Those students that must work
part-time jobs to make ends-meet during
the day and study in the evening may not
be able to access the libraries at all. Not
to mention students who don't have the
means of studying at home or students
who have classes that stretch into the
evening. The bottom line is the University
is depriving these students of an option
for somewhere safe and secure to study
with the resources that they need.
The reality is that Monash believes it can
make these kinds of changes without
consultation, because they assume we
will just shrug our shoulders and go along
with it. It is now more important than ever,
whether these changes affect you or not,
to make your voice heard and demand
the University reverse its decision, and
put students ahead of profit.
At MSC 3/24 on March 15, an unanimous
motion was passed committing the
MSC to demanding that the University
restorethe previous library hours, and
condemns them for cutting them short in
the first place without consultation.
You can help the MSA in their campaign
by emailing your feedback on these
changes to President Chloe Ward (msapresident@monash.edu)
who will pass
your feedback on to the University., to
make your voice heard.
54

WE'LL
HAVE A
LOT'S TO
CATCH UP
ON...
UNTIL NEXT TIME!
Edition Two, 2024 / Front cover art by Mandy Li