Alison Pennington

Reporting a male Coalition staffer's bad behaviour as “lewd” downplays the systematic nature of sexism and misogyny, argues Alison Pennington.

Centre for Future Work senior economist Alison Pennington talks about the economic implications of the COVID-19 pandemic and alternatives to austerity and deregulation.

In our latest podcast, Green Left sits down with Alison Pennington, a senior economist at the Centre for Future Work, to discuss the economic implications of the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government's response and alternatives to austerity and deregulation.

Reading the polls makes it clear that Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is a hit. Overnight, Rudd's return has turned the tables for Labor. From staring down electoral annihilation, Labor is now on par with Liberal leader Tony Abbott. The election is a contest once again. “Kevin07” was a popular campaign that gained mainstream traction among Australia’s youth in the 2007 federal elections. Even though “Kevin13” lacks the same ring, his return has marked clear moves by Rudd to regain his attraction to young voters.
Over the past year, we have seen a huge rise in activity around women’s rights in Australia and other parts of the world. Attention has turned to a range of horrific individual tragedies as well as broader issues, including sexual assault and violence against women, the disparity in income between men and women, and a debate about misogyny. Although the idea that feminism is no longer relevant still dominates, women know through experience that sexism is rife. They are learning to organise together and taking to the streets in large numbers to demand change.
This is an extract from a zine written by Resistance members. You can pick up a copy from a Resistance stall on campus during Orientation week. *** Like any other day, a female student is on her way to campus. As she rides her bike down the main road, a head pops out a moving car window and yells out to her: “Nice legs!” Later that day she receives a text from one of the men in her group assessment task who she barely knows: “Hey beautiful we should definitely have a beer sometime ;)”.
What is solidarity? It is a term used frequently on the left, and one that demands attention. Solidarity refers to an act or expression of mutual support among a group of people. However, capitalism can narrow the parameters of solidarity and weaken its collective power to acts of individualism.