Honi Soit

On Sunday, July 5th at 11 am, approximately 35 people rallied at Town Hall. The demonstration was organised by the Australian Uyghur Association (AUA). After an Acknowledgement of Country, the group held a minute of silence for persecuted Uyghurs, followed by speeches.

International students will face another increase in visa costs after the Federal Government raised the application fee for the Subclass 500 Student Visa from $2,000 to $2,500, prompting criticism from the National Union of Students (NUS), who state that  the decision will place further financial strain on students already struggling with rising living expenses.

An equally hilarious, progressive, and introspective film, The Invite marks Olivia Wilde’s latest directorial feature since Don’t Worry Darling in 2022. Seth Rogen, Penelope Cruz, and Edward Norton join Wilde in the starring cast, an odd bunch that surprisingly harmonises naturally throughout the film. “One should always be in love. That is the reason one should never marry.” is a quote from Oscar Wilde that is displayed at the beginning of The Invite.

University of Wollongong Chancellor Michael Still resigned effectively immediately, days before he was due to give evidence at the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC). The corruption probe is investigating whether Still influenced the award of a contract to consultancy firm Aspirall and failed to manage former interim Vice-Chancellor John Dewar’s conflict of interest. Dewar was, and remains, a partner at the consultancy firm KordaMentha.

The University of Sydney Union (USU) Board elected its executive for the 2026-27 term at a meeting on 23 June, with Archie Wolifson elected President. One week later, on 30 June, the Board voted unanimously to censure Wolifson at a special meeting. Wolifson was censured the day before his Presidential term began. The USU Board of Directors is composed of 14 members: 11 student directors elected annually at USU elections, two Senate-appointed directors, and the Immediate Past President.

Two university academics have launched legal action against Macquarie University, alleging they were selected for forced redundancy because of their union activity. The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU), is funding proceedings in the Fair Work Commission (FWC) on behalf of Dr Jo Faulkner and Dr Jumana Bayeh, who are seeking reinstatement after losing their positions during a restructuring process within Macquarie University’s Faculty of Arts and Engineering.

A government survey has exposed a record-high count of dissatisfied university graduates. The Graduate Outcomes Survey (GOS), part of the government-funded Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) survey suite, measures key outcomes for new graduates, including employment, further study, and student experience. The 2025 report included more than 120,000 new graduates from 136 higher education institutions, including 42 Australian universities, who participated in the survey.

Have you ever made a dirty joke that didn’t quite land? Fantasised about sex that isn’t quite the cuddly affectionate missionary you’re having with your partner? Read or written something that made your loins quiver? Did it feature the word ‘member’? Was the item of sexual fantasy human, or part-alien? Did it feel really good? Did you feel really guilty about it?

It’s hard to know what to expect when you walk into LOUDER. The Metropolitan Orchestra is poised behind sheer billowing curtains. Conductor Sarah-Grace Williams strides onto stage, heels clicking and coat swishing. She tunes the orchestra, nods to the choir. Her baton is held at the ready with a pinky half-raised. A painstakingly slow intake of breath, and then… nothing. Have you walked into a 4’33’’ prank?

The Indian Ink Theatre company’s Balloon Dog is modern, tragic, funny, and incisive in its exploration of class. A loose adaptation of the Calcutta Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s short story ‘Kabuliwala’, Balloon Dog follows in the footsteps of class-critical, Chekhov-esque stories which have garnered recent popularity. I was reminded of the satire of Aravind Adiga’s The White Tiger, a novel adapted into a film.