John Monfries

Australian landscape with kangaroo

A poem for the times by John Monfries - with apologies to Dorothea Mackellar.

David Attenborough: It’s amazing, the discoveries made in my lifetime. Have you heard of hox genes?

Andrew Denton: No. (Then didn’t pursue the matter.) [From an interview a few years ago.]

This dastardly duo deserve dusty derision, writes John Monfries.

The AFP raids have inspired this poem by John Monfries.

Big Brother is watching.

My secret heart has always begged
To see Scott Morrison soundly egged
And now it’s happened, but alas,
It’s crude and naughty (second-class).
Like Shorten, I hawed and hemmed,
Yes, it’s something to be condemned.

The Reds are under the beds again!
They’ve hidden there since god knows when,
Our world is torn asunder
It’s kids’ beds they’re under
Along with Muslims and refugee men.

Labor’s dared to turn the focus
To the low-paid worker locus.
Don't they know it’s millionaires
Who need more cash and more shares,
Labor’s done it to provoke us.

It’s such an esoteric case,
Why care about the working base?
We know the best way to go
With wages now nicely low,
Don’t these workers know their place?

A long time ago Martin Luther King

Sought justice for his minority,

But his white friends demurred, “That’s not a thing

What do you need to lead our nation?

PNG has asked that someone be tasked
To examine Manus as a destination
For tourism indeed, so let’s take heed!
They’re awaiting a recommendation.

               Dear Sir or Madam
For your disposal I have a proposal
For the Manus tourism survey,
They need some actions, they need attractions
For the industry they want to purvey.

It might be great to celebrate
What happened at the war’s close,
When vast shipments of US equipments
Rotted on the base, as everyone knows.

(To the tune of Teddy Bears' Picnic)

If you go up to the Senate today
You’ll surely feel no surprise
If you go up to the Senate today
You’ll scarcely need a disguise

For every tycoon who ever there was
Is rejoicing there for certain becos
Today’s the day they’re getting their tax cut….

A party day for millionaires
They’re having a lovely time today,
It hardly took them unawares
It’s been planned since election day.

Peter Dutton’s talking to the gun lobby,
Cos that’s the kind of thing he does.
After all, it’s just a harmless hobby,
Giving macho men a lovely buzz.

And now he’s desirous of importing
Some macho men from far away,
He has great experience in sorting
Who should be blocked and who should stay....