This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to theechidna.com.au
$0/
(min cost $0)
Login or signup to continue reading
Well, that went by in a flash. A year ago to the day, we marked The Echidna's first birthday and here we are again, marking the second and embarking on our third year.
They say time flies when you're having fun. And what fun it's been.
Our second year was also the second for the Albanese government. Misgivings grew over the amount of time the PM was spending overseas, when the rest of us were straining under the weight of relentless interest rates, spiralling cost of living and a deepening housing crisis.
We grumbled over the PM's poor salesmanship of the Voice to Parliament, which seemed to distract him from the pressures we were feeling. After the Voice referendum was defeated, we worried that Tory-fighting Albo had lost his mojo. He seemed to be in a funk. And the opinion polls were looking awful.
Then summer came - the silly season circuit-breaker - and Labor came back from holiday early, amending the Stage 3 tax cuts and snookering the opposition so completely, it was suddenly Peter Dutton looking despondent.
If a week is a long time in politics, a year can seem like an eternity.
Echidna's second year had its funny moments, too. When Garry Linnell wrote his dispatch from the front lines of the Christmas lights war, there wasn't a dry eye in the house - tears of laughter ran down readers' faces, just as they did when he ruminated on the difference between a smidgen and a bee's dick.
And about our readers, here's a fun fact. In the two years since The Echidna first appeared in your inboxes, you readers have appeared in ours more than 11,000 times. I've said it before but will say it again: seeing your comments come in is the highlight of the day.
We know we've struck a chord when the comments keep flowing days after publication, as they did when I penned an apology for being a boomer. You commented in droves, like me clearly tired of being blamed for all the ills of the world.
And a lament about modern life's frustrations - among them shampoo and conditioner bottles with illegible labels - had you sharing the little things that annoy you.
In the past two years The Echidna has evolved from being a newsletter into a community of people. We don't always agree but we share a platform where we can express our opinions without being trolled. It's a friendly place, far removed from the angry swamp that is social media. It's you - our readers - who have built that.
So, from all us here, best wishes for The Echidna's second birthday.
And a note of thanks to those behind the scenes: to John-Paul and Kate, there from day one; to DMac, who casts his eagle eye over our words (and yours); to Steve and Jenna, who step in when we vacate the burrow; to Mitch, who gets The Echidna to your inbox and troubleshoots when it goes missing in action; to David Pope and Peter Broelman, whose cartoons speak truths words simply cannot convey; and to James and Rod, who took the risk of creating a unique media product and have backed it ever since.
HAVE YOUR SAY: What do you like about The Echidna? What can we do to make it better? Do you read it every morning? Email us: echidna@theechidna.com.au
SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- A former Australian Taxation Office employee has been sentenced to five years in jail for corrupt conduct, which includes accepting a bribe of $150,000 from a taxpayer they were auditing. The National Anti-Corruption Commission outlined the conviction on Tuesday of the unnamed offender at the Parramatta District Court following a guilty plea last July.
- The driver at the centre of the horror NSW Hunter Valley bus crash has broken his silence. Outside Newcastle court, Brett Andrew Button said he thought about the night the tragedy unfolded on June 11 last year every hour of every day, after coming face-to-face with family members of those that died for the first time.
- Australians spent $10.5 billion on methamphetamine in 2023 amid concerns about "significant community harm". National consumption of methamphetamine increased by 17 per cent between August 2022 and August 2023.
THEY SAID IT: "Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you-er than you!" - Dr Seuss
YOU SAID IT: The fuss over a clumsy photo edit ignores the humanity of the Princess of Wales.
Lee writes: "Yes, there has been too much fuss made over the photo of Kate and the kids. Who cares if she tried to make it look a bit better? I haven't ever used Photoshop but I absolutely pick the best photos to show other people. People who use social media to promote themselves always do it to show their 'good side'. Kate is hardly likely to show us a photo of her in an apron with flour all over the kitchen. That is something I would do."
"I say leave Princess Catherine alone and focus on the good things she has done. Petty, petty people!" writes Marie.
Arthur writes: "Doctored photos are like fake news. They are lies. People who doctor photos and deliver fake news are liars and should be labelled as such."
"I'm appalled that she has to explain things while she is recuperating from surgery. Leave her alone. Her surgery is her private business," writes Deborah.
Sue writes: "Social media is another platform for publicity for a group of people who have far too much publicity already. Do we really need even more information/news/waffle about the royals? I would say 'Who cares?' but apparently social media is increasing that number too! Is the next move towards an Australian republic going to be undermined by the presence of the royals on social media? It is bad enough when the referendum is undermined by its own poor wording, as it was in 1999. If the royals want to appear like a normal family, they should give up all the money and privileges rather than falsifying the pics."
"Too many people must have too much spare time for this story to get so much coverage," writes Tony.
Four decades in the media, working in print and television. Formerly editor of the South Coast Register and Milton Ulladulla Times. Based on the South Coast of NSW.
Four decades in the media, working in print and television. Formerly editor of the South Coast Register and Milton Ulladulla Times. Based on the South Coast of NSW.
login
who are we?
contact us
qosheapp
Toi Staff
Gideon Levy
Belen Fernandez
Rami G Khouri
Donald Low
Mort Laitner
Ali Fathollah-Nejad
Nikkei Editorial
visit website
