Five years ago this was what Australia looked like from above. In the grip of catastrophic firestorms that had been raging for months and cost us all dearly. We could not see the sky. It was hard to breathe everywhere. Our PM took off anyway for his Summer holidays in Hawaii and famously told the journos who tracked him to a luxury hotel, mate I don't hold a hose. Or give a shit, as it turned out. A new norm was revealed, as dangerous as any inferno.

The fires here in all our backyards were put out mainly by our incredible RFS. Like our SLSCs who patrol our many beaches, comprised of unpaid volunteers who sacrificed their time, work, businesses and safety for their communities. All while the big end of town argued amongst itself, withheld money and resources while pointing fingers to save only themselves. And utterly refused to acknowledge climate crisis, long term mining and forestry impacts and a total lack of appropriate land care as causes.

The world watched in horror and changed nothing. The rain we prayed and danced for arrived on this day five years ago too, saving what was left. Then the pandemic hit and we were all swept up in the next polycrisis.

Nothing changed.

Our government is still owned by media and mining interests who have relabelled their resource gorging death cult a green option. The government made it illegal to protest, hiked penalties and sentences, while maintaining its culpable funding in exchange for their power.

If you track back through ALL the places that have been invaded in the name of democracy or bombed for peace in the name of God or mysteriously incinerated or flooded. If you ignore the wailing and turn a blind eye to the devastation. If you dig beneath the rubble and ash, you will discover what truly lies beneath.

The resources that fuel the old world. Those that set it terms, prescribe its values and have condemned us all to its death cult.

There is only one way to save ourselves and it lies outside the locked gates that guard power, far beyond the rules and the way it's always been. Politics is a numbers game that is always outweighed by the people it hopes can't count.

Divest or die.
Now or never?
Nothing ever changes if you don't.

•

Climate change will manifest as a series of disasters viewed through phones with footage that gets closer and closer to where you live until you're the one filming it.
~ viral tweet from 2022

Sending love and long hugs to those affected, prayers for trees and animals and rain. And a solid middle finger to the politicians who defunded local L.A. fire stations in favour of increasing LAPD funding and arms.

Words c. Kerrie Basha