Photo QLD Police Dash Cam Media outlets across Australia have carried headlines about a “youth crime crisis” in recent months. While drawn from actual events, often involving serious criminality and antisocial behaviour, these often sensational reports have the same narrative subtext. The story is one of “bad kids” doing bad things in otherwise “good communities”. Our understanding, as a society, of who we are is informed in part by the media. What the youth crime crisis is and who we understand young offenders to be corresponds with media framings of these individuals and their actions. More often than not, the reports present a “good-bad” binary: where “bad” young people who do bad things should be locked up to protect “good” people. It’s a basic, albeit understandable, reaction that makes sense in terms of a logic of punishment and retribution. For the Youth Community Futures research project, we have been working with groups of young people to explore how they engage w...
Shadows of Funding: Unmasking the Hidden Backers Fueling Australia's Pro-Palestine Fury
Y Palestine Action Group Sydney Unpacking the Palestine Action Group : Funding, Faces, and the Australian Pro-Palestine Movement In the heart of Australia's bustling cities, voices rise in unison, chanting for justice and peace in Palestine. The Palestine Action Group (PAG), also known as Palestine Action Group Sydney, has become a prominent force in organizing these protests. But who funds this grassroots powerhouse, and who are the people filling the streets? Amidst debates about their origins and participants' appearances, let's dive into the facts behind PAG's operations and the diverse crowds they attract. What is the Palestine Action Group? PAG PAG is an Australian activist organization dedicated to advocating for Palestinian rights . They focus on highlighting Israel's actions in Gaza and the West Bank , organizing rallies, sit-ins, and awareness campaigns. It's important to distinguish them from the UK-based "Palestine Action," a separat...