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👋 G’day everyone, Archie here.
If you’ve been paying attention to the traditional news cycle this week, you’ve probably seen (or heard) reporting on an upcoming march / rally / protest inviting “all Australians” to get together to celebrate their national pride later this month.
This supposed “March for Australia” has been ringing some pretty loud alarm bells in my head.
We’ve seen all over the western world how quickly nationalistic rallies can spiral out of control and, ultimately, come to mean something much deeper and more sinister.
The way Australia’s media has been so quick to jump on this latest effort, despite there being not much clear information on where it will be, who will be speaking, or who is running it, has created more confusion.
Rumours the event is actually a creation of far-right nationalists, coupled with bizarre A.I. slop promoting the march all over social media, has meant any individual (or publication) looking for a story to publish has plenty of content to riff off of.
Meanwhile, the next generation of news creators, social media personalities and media brands (from the left and the right) have been sparked into outrage.
So, how should we talk about this sort of thing?
I spent some time reading through research papers and recommendations from think tanks, anti-misinformation groups, and journalism researchers to put together what I hope is a helpful resource if you are feeling (like I was) a little unsure about how to engage with this whole mess.
You can watch that report here.
What else has been happening lately? Let’s crack on and find out 🗞️
$451.6 million
🗣️ Reading between the lines
Not to make today’s newsletter all about my video from today (though I do think it’s quite good and recommend you check it out 😅) but here’s some basics I’ve put together about recognising the messaging tactics used by extreme groups — and how to discuss or share information about them.
🗣️ First of all, ask: Should I share or talk about this at all, or would it just fuel their agenda?
🐕 Then: look out for common dog whistles like:
“The elites”
“The thought police”
“Political correctness”
“Ordinary Australians”
“Real Australians”
“Defending our way of life”
“Australian heritage”
These sorts of phrases can often be used to signal exclusion without stating it outright.
Fear campaigns, particularly those focused on issues like immigration, will also often ignore that diversity has historically strengthened Australian identity.
👀 Look out for post-event narrative manipulation:
Here’s how supporters might talk about one of these events after the fact.
If there’s a large turnout = “All of these people mean Australians want this.”
But then how many of those people were marching for the same reason?
If there’s a small turnout = “This is a great lesson to res-strategise and approach”
If there’s a police or government crackdown = “Join us, because the people in power don’t want you to.”
If there’s no crackdown at all = “The people in power support us.”
🧠 Remember to do a reality check:
Is there any actual indication of how many are involved with this “movement” and, if so, how many people is it?
Do you actually know where the online engagement and audience has come from?
There is obviously so much more you can say about this topic, but I’ll leave it there for now.
A big week for me — jumping from an international pokie convention into a guide on how to navigate radical online movements. I’m looking forward to the weekend…
Around the Grounds 🦘
Across the country, things are happening at a local level that have an impact nationally. Here’s the stories you might not hear about in the traditional media.
1️⃣ What do Aussie farmers think about American beef?
The federal government’s decision to lift long-standing restrictions and allow North American beef – including cattle born in the US, Canada and Mexico - into Australia has raised some eyebrows across the country.
The change, announced in July, means such imports will be allowed for the first time in more than two decades.
Australia exported a record volume of red meat in 2024, including 1.34 million tonnes of beef, according to Meat & Livestock Australia.
Industry group Cattle Australia has warned the move could pose biosecurity risks, particularly around traceability, but the federal government has insisted the decision is backed by science and will not threaten Australia’s disease-free status.
🐮 But what do regional farmers think?
In Victoria’s East, seventh-generation Gippsland beef farmer and owner of Bowman Performance Genetics, Glenn Bowman, is concerned about biosecurity risks, saying it would be “catastrophic” if foot and mouth disease entered Australia via North America.
“It seems strange that they put us through all the hoops of having the strongest biosecurity and lifetime traceable cattle supply chain, and yet they can open it up to countries that don't have those same measures,” Bowman told the Gippsland Monitor.
Mortlake’s Western Victoria Regional Livestock Exchange (WVLX) manager, Jake Last, told the West Vic Brolga there had been “probably a little bit of reaction” from local farmers and buyers since the announcement, but he did not expect major market disruption in the short term.
“We’re still exporting so much beef into the US because of their all-time low beef numbers in America, with all the drought that’s going on over there at the moment,” he said.
“I don’t see it being a major contributing factor to our local market right at the present time – while we are exporting so much beef – because they don’t have it and the demand is so high.”
Still, Last did say he also had concerns about biosecurity.
Read more on this by clicking the stories below 👇
2️⃣ How much does it cost to move a hedge?
A local council in Melbourne’s East has just approved the relocation of 20 Photinia hedges. Now, how much would you expect this to cost? If you said anything other an estimated $100,000 you’d be wrong.
Mathew Sims at the Eastern Melburnian reports the Whitehorse council’s decision to move the hedges four metres is part of a $3.7 million upgrade of the Box Hill City Oval.
On July 28, six local residents met with council officers to object to the hedge removal, arguing it was the “only one of its kind in the municipality”.
Read that story by clicking below 👇
3️⃣ A service pushed to its limit
Melissa Mantle over at the North Shore Lorikeet reports how an essential service in Sydney’s North is being pushed to its limit.
Mary’s House, on the lower North Shore, accommodates four women and their children fleeing domestic violence every night.
In the last year, 118 women have been denied refuge due to “no vacancy”.
Mary’s House CEO Yvette Vignando said the government is missing the mark when it comes to tackling the issue of domestic and family violence.
“They talk about primary prevention — like men’s behaviour change programs — which is very important, but [our data] paints a very different picture of where the government should be investing.”
Statistics from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) show the North Sydney, Northern Beaches and Mosman LGAs have among the highest rates of alcohol-fuelled domestic violence incidents in Sydney.
Yvette said it’s likely those numbers are even worse given the fact “When you factor in that the women we work with haven’t ever talked to the police, the rates are astronomical.”
Read that story by clicking below 👇
That’s it from me. I hope you enjoyed this issue, and I’d love to hear your thoughts. Just reply to this email and I’ll be on the other side 👋
I’ll be back on Monday.
Cheers, Archie