June 2026

Where a border became a barrier

We had been winding our way along the McPherson Range, the road rising and falling through pockets of rainforest and open ridgelines, when we crossed from New South Wales into Queensland almost unnoticed. There was no gate, delay, or uniformed inspector asking questions, just a sign by the roadside and a subtle shift in the feel of the country.

The swift parrot and the convenient scapegoat

5 June 2026 / 4 Comments

Few species in Australia have been so effectively weaponised in public debate as the swift parrot. A small, fast-flying migratory bird that once moved in flocks of hundreds across the forests of eastern Tasmania has, in recent decades, been recast as more than just a species in trouble. It has become a symbol, a banner, and, most conveniently of all, a scapegoat.