Reasons to be cheerful: The rise of the resistance

There are many monstrous things happening in the world, but nevertheless there are reasons to be cheerful, IA founder Dave Donovan says.

READING INDEPENDENT AUSTRALIA can often be a bleak affair. COVID, the rise of White supremacists, Gaza genocide, the Iran War, fuel prices and the cost of living, attacks on freedom of speech, the Epstein files, Trump and his band of baddies, Hanson and her horrid accomplices... the list goes on... and on...

Daily doses of death, devastation, disease and depravity can be depressing, we know.

But IA has some good news for you: there are reasons to be cheerful. We have experienced a bleak few years since COVID and then the re-election of Trump, but it may be that we have finally reached the darkest hour and are starting to see the first few rays of a new and better day. We briefly present a few of these “rays” (or reasons) below, starting first here at home.

AUSTRALIA SHOWS STRENGTH

Independent Australia has been critical of the Australian Government in recent times for not pursuing more progressive policies and repeatedly kowtowing to the United States. Recent examples may be seen by Prime Minister Albanese’s establishment of an entirely unnecessary Anti-Semitism Royal Commission and this week’s craven capitulation to the gas industry over exports and taxation.

However, the Australian economy under the brilliant stewardship of Dr Jim Chalmers – probably Australia’s next PM – is performing exceptionally. While inflation did jump this week to 4.5% due to rising fuel prices, the Government did announce an unprecedented measure of support to first home-buyers, in which it would effectively provide the deposit. These are the sort of policies progressives should support.

Also, most encouraging is watching America’s belligerent President attack Australia for not sending troops to support their criminal war in Iran. Whilst the Government has been weak on the Gaza genocide and mostly a supplicant to American imposts and insults, perhaps for the first time since Federation, Australia has not sent the cream of its youth to fight and die in an unjust imperial war in the Middle East.

Independent Australia says bravo, Australian independence.

HANSON’S PREJUDICED PATRIOTISM WILL LOSE

With the savage decline in the Liberal Party’s fortunes following Sussan Ley’s lacklustre leadership and after being boosted by bots, fake AI news and Rinehart’s millions, Pauline Hanson’s deeply bigoted One Nation party are on the rise. Or are they?

In the 2026 South Australian State election, One Nation was predicted to win a swathe of seats, with some reports showing their polling numbers as approaching Labor’s. As IA confidently stated in several articles beforehand, this was mere puffery. In fact, One Nation won a mere four seats, fewer even than the Liberal Party, despite gaining slightly more primary votes (PHON 22%, LPA 19%).

One Nation has another chance to establish its credentials in the important Farrer Federal by-election in NSW next week. And it should have every chance, given the Coalition parties have decided to preference One Nation over One Nation’s main challenger, Independent candidate Michelle Millthorpe. Millthorpe ran the retiring sitting member, that self-same Sussan Ley, reasonably close at the last election.

And given the latest polling numbers, Millthorpe would be almost assured of winning this seat were Taylor’s Liberals not preferencing PHON. The Nationals preferencing PHON is particularly interesting, given them releasing an especially savage attack ad on One Nation last week.

But despite all this, Independent Australia does not believe it is assured Hanson’s band of Islamophobic incompetents will win in Farrer. In fact, we are pretty sure they don’t want to win.

After Hanson gloatingly accepted a “sexy” $1.5 million plane from Gina Rinehart this week, her argument about being all for the average Aussie, not billionaires, is laughable. And with her candidate now revealed as having donated to Millthorpe’s campaign at the last election and to have tried to join the Labor Party, the wheels are falling. If Farley does scrape over the line, as is possible, One Nation will be destroyed in its next major test, the progressive beacon of Victoria’s State election in November.

Those crooks fading away, as they surely will, is a reason to be cheerful.

THE RISE OF THE RESISTANCE

The Israeli genocide in Gaza, the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran and Israel’s attempted ethnic cleansing of Southern Lebanon have shocked the world. As has Western governments globally, including our own, trying to limit attempts to protest against these acts and declare any criticism of the nation-state of Israel as a bigoted attack on Jews has been an appalling recent development.

But the tide is turning. In Australia, 300,000 people walked over the Harbour Bridge last October to express their outrage against the Israeli war crimes in Gaza — despite the Minns Government in NSW doing everything possible to stop this peaceful, principled protest. The head of Anthony Albanese’s antisemitism taskforce, Jillian Segal, who might reasonably be called anti-Indigenous, originally called the protest antisemitic.

This week, in a forum in Victoria, she was forced to admit it was not, but hedged by saying it did not aid “social cohesion”. One may suggest that a royal commission into a prejudice Australians do not particularly possess to prevent criticism of heinous acts by the key ally of our major ally, the U.S., is not a great way to promote social togetherness either.

NSW Premier Chris Minns in NSW brought in laws to stop reasonable protest against alleged war criminal Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who signed his name onto bombs destined for Gaza, amongst other things. In that protest, NSW Police officers were filmed bashing old and young alike, who posed no threat, with excessive, appalling force.

Minns’ unjust anti-protest laws, which led to such outrageous scenes, were protested in the courts and were declared invalid in April. Unrepentant Minns haughtily condemned the judiciary for this, of course. Because of this contempt for the people – and the justice system as well, now it seems – Minns has put Labor into the near minor party zone in NSW and is likely to be rolled any day by his grumpy caucus. Good riddance, if that occurs, but more importantly, well done to the judiciary. It restores faith.

Here in Queensland, where Independent Australia is published, pocket-sized Premier David Crisafulli, a Newman Government reject, has brought in hilarious laws banning the words “from the river to the sea”. Apparently, because Palestinians sometimes say that phrase, according to Crisafulli, it is antisemitic. Absurdly, Israelis also use this term, including their Prime Minister, Netanyahu. And in fact, it is also used in the John Farnham hit song ‘Two Strong Hearts’. Several people have already been charged for saying this phrase in Queensland, or having the phrase on a piece of art, or a t-shirt.

But here’s the good part. Two of the people arrested for using these words – a student with a placard and a Catholic priest on a billboard – today (Wednesday 30 April 2026), as IA writes, pleaded not guilty to the charges brought by the Queensland Police. And last week, there were hundreds of people outside the Brisbane City Hall wearing John Farnham blonde mullet wigs and dancing and singing along with ‘Two Strong Hearts’.

The resistance is rising. Worldwide, the resistance is rising. With the benefit of space, this editorial would talk about how these terrible recent events are leading to a rise not only in private resistance, but also in the resistance of nation-states against this imperial tyranny. The overstretch by the United States and Israel is drawing people from the Left and Right together, fostering better ties between the developing world and the First World, making medium powers, such as Canada and Australia, to get into serious talks about developing a more multipolar.

All of these are heartening developments and, without knowing where they may lead, are reasons to be cheerful.

(With due apologies to Ian Dury and the Blockheads.)