Joel Duggan

Originally published in Farrago Edition Two (2022). “And so here was the lure of this magical place called Carlton, which became an obvious mecca.

One of the big policies at this year’s student elections was a promise to expand the free tram zone, championed by the Rebuild ticket. It was an ambitious proposal that raised eyebrows and raised questions (namely, “how do you plan to do that?”), but it got at something that students care about: the fact that our public transport system does not work for us. Consider the free tram zone: everyone loves being able to get around the CBD without worrying about fares, but whom does it benefit the most?

CW: Suicide, mental illness. It’s the night before your assessment is due and you’ve finally given in. You’re not going to get this paper done in time–you’ve got over 1000 words to go and all you can do is stare at the accusatory blink of the cursor. It’s time to wave the white flag. It’s time to email your professor. You descend into your Gmail inbox and hit ‘Compose’, and so it begins.