Radio Reversal Podcast

As most of you probably already know, over the past few years we've seen a sharp increase in the number of people experiencing homelessness across south east queensland as the housing crisis has intensified. This has led, unsurprisingly, to more people living in public spaces.

This week on the podcast, Marissa catches up with Sam Tracy, Practice Director at Basic Rights Queensland, a community legal centre that works on human rights, discrimination and poverty-related laws. Marissa and Sam discuss a recent win on behalf of homeless clients in the Supreme Court in the case of Bobeldyk and Anor v Moreton Bay City Council; Eichin & Ors v Moreton Bay City Council [2026] QSC 27.

In response to complaints from other residents, city council employees and the police have been directed to enforce evictions, removing people and their property from public parks. In 2025, this led to a number of people (including the claimants in the matter we're discussing in this week's show) being forcibly evicted from Eddie Hyland Park in Moreton Bay. These evictions were incredibly cruel, and led to significant distress and the destruction of priceless belongings (including in one horrific case, the destruction of the claimant's deceased daughter's ashes).

This case was brought on behalf of some of the people evicted from Eddie Hyland Park. While the decision sadly does not stop Council’s from enforcing laws to move people on and destroy their belongings, it does set some limits on the way that these evictions can happen. The Supreme Court determined that the way the council "evicted and disposed of property belonging to people experiencing homelessness breached the human rights (and other legal protections) of those affected and was therefore unlawful."

While this is not a resounding victory against evictions from public parks, it's a starting point for thinking about the role of lawyers and the legal system in this moment. For people sleeping rough, and for the people organising in solidarity with them, these kinds of legal processes offer a site of potential leverage. Forcing council's to slow down processes like evictions gives people more time to advocate for their own needs; more time to call in support; and importantly, more time for their neighbours and comrades to organise effective anti-eviction actions.

This week we're bringing you a very special double episode of the Radio Reversal podcast, featuring not one but TWO of our wonderful producer Nat's recent radio programs which showcase content from the recent Palestine Calling: Roads to Justice forum hosted by Geographers for Palestine at the University of Tasmania in lutruwita. You'll be hearing in this episode from Dr. Adel Youssef, a Palestinian academic and researcher based in lutruwita, alongside dear friend and comrade of Radio Reversal, Remah Naji. Dr Youssef begins by setting out the linkages between settler colonialism in so-called israel and here in so-called australia, and why the struggle for Palestinian liberation demands a real reckoning with settler colonialism everywhere. He reminds us that we cannot afford to look away from the violence that is required to maintain colonial occupations - nor from the discourses and justifications that are used to normalise, erase, or justify that violence. 

We then hear from Remah, who talks a bit about the history of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, skeching out an understanding of this theory of change and how it emerged from the specific conditions of colonial occupation in Palestine. Remah helps to situate BDS as a set of tactics that emerged as a resistance to the fragmentation of Palestinians from their homelands, offering strategies that could help disrupt and challenge Israel’s occupation from beyond its borders.

In earlier episodes of this podcast, we've tried to get our heads around what's going on with this legislation here in queensland. But this week on the podcast we're digging a bit deeper by looking at the underlying relationship between settler colonialism in so-called australia and israel. We're considering how the regulation, policing, imagining, representing and controlling of space (and how people use it) operates as a key tactic of colonisation. We're learning about the long history of Indigenous struggle against colonial spatial violence, and how Indigenous peoples across the globe have refused to "disappear". And we're situating some of the contemporary strategies of Palestinian resistance (in particular, the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement) within the context of an ongoing and steadfast refusal to be disappeared (as Dr. Amy McQuire puts it).

A reminder to head to radioreversal.org to subscribe to the podcast if you haven't already, to make sure that you never miss an episode.

In this week's episode, we're sharing a really special interview with Dr. Raylene Nixon. Dr. Nixon is a Gungarri woman, an academic researcher and writer, and in 2021 her beloved son, Stevie-Lee, was killed in police custody in Toowoomba . Steve had been recently hospitalised with severe asthma, and (as the family later found out) pneumonia, and had been on his way back to his grandmother's house to be cared for by family. As Raylene explains in this interview, he was sitting in a parked car in his Aunty's driveway when police officers arrived, smashed the car windows, and then violently restrained Steve using the widely condemned Lateral Vascular Neck Restraint - or chokehold. This interaction led to Steve's death at the age of 27.

His family have been fighting to find out what really happened that night and why. In our interview, Raylene reflects on the violence of the coronial inquest itself, the ways that her family were further silenced through the process of attending the inquest, and how Steve's humanity and dignity were stripped from him at every point in the inquest process.

She also reflects on the ongoing fight for justice for Stevie-Lee, and the family's ongoing campaign to put pressure on the Queensland Coroner to accept their request to release the bodyworn camera footage from the police officers whose violent interaction with Steve led to his death. You can support that campaign by signing their petition here: https://www.change.org/p/release-footage-of-killing-by-police-chokehold-now-justice-for-stevie-lee

A note to listeners that this week's interview with Dr Nixon includes graphic descriptions of the police interaction that led to Stevie-Lee's death, as well as discussions of racism, the death of a child, and police brutality.

This week on the Radio Reversal podcast we introduce our new weekly episode structure with a special edition digging into Queensland's new "Fighting Anti-Semitism and Keeping Guns Out of the Hands of Terrorists and Criminals Amendment Act" (spoiler: it's as ridiculous as it sounds). We share a recording from Justice for Palestine Magan-djin's public meeting with Anna Reynolds from Action Ready Queensland and Palestinian lawyer and legal observer Rouba Rayan, where they reflect on some of the state and federal laws introduced ostensibly to combat "anti-semitism" over the past few years, and their impact on pro-Palestinian protest in this state. We explore the new "prohibited expressions" and "prohibited symbols" offences here in Queensland, and how they are being used to target pro-Palestinian voices and censor legitimate political expression. It's a big show and an exciting start to our new weekly podcast. Enjoy!

This episode* of the Radio Reversal podcast brings together two interviews recorded over the last couple of months digging into the targeting of trans people, especially trans kids, and moral panics about gender and transition here and abroad. The first interview is between Anna and Necho Brocchi, proud trans woman and Service Delivery Coordinator at Open Doors Youth Service, and together they discuss the Crisafulli Government’s ban on puberty blockers for trans youth here in so-called queensland, the Albanese Government’s spurious “review” into gender affirming care, moral panics, and the ways the fight for trans justice is intrinsically tied to other struggles for justice, including prison and police abolition, housing and educational justice, and justice for First Nations People, here and everywhere. In the second interview, Han speaks with Wiradjuri transgender and non-binary academic, Professor Sandy O’Sullivan, about the recent wave of attacks on trans people, including the UK Supreme Court decision and how it threatens the rights and safety of trans people, and they unpack the colonial and white supremacist logics at play in anti-trans movements and the enforcement of the gender binary.

This is part of our ongoing series on crisis, colonialism and collective futures - this time, we’re considering how the confected “crisis” about trans people, their access to gender affirming care, their ability to make decisions about themselves/their identities/their lives, the spaces they have access to, which bathroom they use, and on and on, uses the tools and techniques of moral panic to justify harmful, discriminatory, oppressive, and violent government actions and policies. This confected “crisis” deflects scrutiny from the actual crises facing trans people, like structural discrimination, violence, over-policing, difficulties accessing gender-affirming care or indeed any medical care, issues relating to housing, employment, education, and more.

As we see with other moral panics (e.g. around “youth crime” in so-called queensland), draconinan government actions are authorised by the discourse of “crisis”, and often, these actions are framed in terms of “safety”. Where we’re writing from, so-called queensland, the recent ban on puberty blocking medication for trans youth has been positioned as a matter of safety, as taking precautions, for the kids’ own protection. This is reprehensibly dishonest, given the overwhelming evidence that accessing gender affirming care (including puberty blockers) improves the safety and wellbeing of trans kids. But, for those who don’t know any better, this might seem like a common sense precaution. In other cases, it is cis people whose safety is foregrounded; the recent Supreme Court ruling in the UK (amongst other things) excludes trans people - particularly trans women - from accessing certain single sex segregated spaces, in the name of “protecting” cis women.

Hello friends,

This episode* of the Radio Reversal podcast brings together two interviews recorded over the last couple of months digging into the targeting of trans people, especially trans kids, and moral panics about gender and transition here and abroad. The first interview is between Anna and Necho Brocchi, proud trans woman and Service Delivery Coordinator at Open Doors Youth Service, and together they discuss the Crisafulli Government’s ban on puberty blockers for trans youth here in so-called queensland, the Albanese Government’s spurious “review” into gender affirming care, moral panics, and the ways the fight for trans justice is intrinsically tied to other struggles for justice, including prison and police abolition, housing and educational justice, and justice for First Nations People, here and everywhere. In the second interview, Han speaks with Wiradjuri transgender and non-binary academic, Professor Sandy O’Sullivan, about the recent wave of attacks on trans people, including the UK Supreme Court decision and how it threatens the rights and safety of trans people, and they unpack the colonial and white supremacist logics at play in anti-trans movements and the enforcement of the gender binary.

This is part of our ongoing series on crisis, colonialism and collective futures - this time, we’re considering how the confected “crisis” about trans people, their access to gender affirming care, their ability to make decisions about themselves/their identities/their lives, the spaces they have access to, which bathroom they use, and on and on, uses the tools and techniques of moral panic to justify harmful, discriminatory, oppressive, and violent government actions and policies. This confected “crisis” deflects scrutiny from the actual crises facing trans people, like structural discrimination, violence, over-policing, difficulties accessing gender-affirming care or indeed any medical care, issues relating to housing, employment, education, and more.

As we see with other moral panics (e.g. around “youth crime” in so-called queensland), draconinan government actions are authorised by the discourse of “crisis”, and often, these actions are framed in terms of “safety”. Where we’re writing from, so-called queensland, the recent ban on puberty blocking medication for trans youth has been positioned as a matter of safety, as taking precautions, for the kids’ own protection. This is reprehensibly dishonest, given the overwhelming evidence that accessing gender affirming care (including puberty blockers) improves the safety and wellbeing of trans kids. But, for those who don’t know any better, this might seem like a common sense precaution. In other cases, it is cis people whose safety is foregrounded; the recent Supreme Court ruling in the UK (amongst other things) excludes trans people - particularly trans women - from accessing certain single sex segregated spaces, in the name of “protecting” cis women.

Also! This episode is coming out just in time to remind you that Saturday 19th July 2025 is Magandjin People’s Pride’s annual celebration of the queer community, in honour of the Stonewall riots. The event kicks off at 1pm at King George Squre for a rally and march, and then continues from 2pm at Jagera Hall, Musgrave Park. There will be markets, an art gallery, panel discussions, workshops, food and drinks, and live music and other performances. The event is all ages until 6pm, and then it’s 18+. It’s going to be a great day! Get your tickets here (free tickets available).

That’s your Saturday sorted; on Sunday, 20th July, kicking off at 1pm in King George Square is a rally organised by Justice for Palestine - Magandjin demanding sanctions on Israel, an end to Israeli occupation, apartheid, and genocide, and justice for Palestinians.

And, the following weekend, on Sunday 27th July, at 1pm in King George Square there will be a rally in protest of the Crisafulli Government and the dangerous escalation in policing and incarceration of, and attacks on the rights of, young people, homeless people, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. Also, one last thing - we are in the process of leaving Substack. We’ll be publishing our newsletter via Ghost, instead. We’ll finish up our current series on Crisis, Disaster and Collective Futures here, but just wanted to let you know of the change. We’re hoping it’ll be a seamless transition, at least insofar as your podcasting app goes.

Yours in solidarity,

Nat for the Radio Reversal Collective

*If you’re seeing “Episode 20” and thinking - “wait, did I miss an episode? Where is Episode 19?” - firstly, I appreciate you, hardcore Radio Reversal fan! Secondly, no, you haven’t missed an episode, we messed up the numbering somewhere along the way.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit radioreversal.substack.com

Today, I’m coming back to the core of this series on crisis, disaster & collective futures to ask: how can we think about the crisis when the crisis is permanent?

As of today, it's 610 days since the Israeli Occupation Forces began their most recent genocidal siege on Gaza. It’s more than 76 years since the Zionist occupation of Palestine began with the events of the Nakba: massacres, displacements and the ethnic cleansing of huge swathes of Palestinian land. It’s 237 years since the first British penal colonies - prisons - were established on the homelands of the Gadigal, Dharug and Dharawal peoples of the Eora Nation. And it’s just over a week since Kumanjayi White, a young Walpiri man who lived with complex disabilities, was killed after being restrained by off-duty cops in Mparrtwe, Alice Springs. And then, just a few days ago, we heard reports of a second Aboriginal death in police custody in the Northern Territory in as many weeks. Kumanjayi White’s death in police custody is the 597th Aboriginal death in custody since the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody handed down its findings in the 1990s - many of which, as Senator Lidia Thorpe has consistently pointed out in Parliament, are yet to be implemented.

So as we look back at the unending crisis conditions of colonialism, what does it mean for how we look ahead? What does it ask of us - to think about these current atrocities in the context of a much longer, ongoing crisis?

In case you missed it, over the weekend, a loose collective of performers, workers and patrons of the Wickham Hotel downed tools and refused to take shifts or perform their sets to protest a decision by Aus Venue Co, the parent company who owns the Wickham Hotel, to book an event hosted by the State Zionist Council of Queensland. For some context: the State Zionist Council of Queensland is a political lobby group set up as an umbrella organisation for other Zionist groups in Queensland with the express purpose “to promote and communicate Israel’s interests within the broader Queensland community and to promote Queensland’s relationship with Israel” as well as “to create an atmosphere within the community that values Zionist thought and expression…and pride in Israel and her achievements.”

To get across the opposition to this group hosting an event at the Wickham Hotel, we catch up with drag performer and artist Lulu LeMan, who stopped her performance on Friday evening at the Wickham in order to join talks with workers and management about the planned picket for Saturday night. We then share a interview from our live show with two of the organisers who helped workers hold a picket on Saturday evening: Oriela, who is a non-binary Lebanese person and a proud disabled dyke, an advocate, and a long-time patron of the Wickham; and Bizzi, who is a Wakka Wakka and Arrendte Burlesque performer and writer with deep ties to the Wickham performance community. We talk about the work that went on behind the scenes to build some momentum for a protest against this booking, and in opposition to this exploitative use of a beloved queer venue to pinkwash an event hosted by a Zionist political lobby group.

If you’re not familiar with the term, Dean Spade explains that pinkwashing is: “a term activists have coined for when countries engaged in terrible human rights violations promote themselves as “gay friendly” to divert attention from terrible human rights violations, in this case diverting attention from the brutal colonization of Palestine. Israel is the country most famous for pinkwashing, engaging it as a strategy in their rebranding campaign for the last decade.”

This particular angle has been largely erased in media commentary about the picket, which, as Oriela and Bizzy explain, was largely focused on challenging the use of an iconic queer venue for this particular State Zionist Council of Queensland event. Another key thread that has been largely ignored by mainstream commentary is the fact that this picket was organised by a collective of workers, patrons and performers and included the incredible decision of workers from the Wickham Hotel deciding to refuse to work if the booking went ahead. To talk about the importance of this action, I catch up with dear friend of Radio Reversal, Ari Russell from Unionists for Palestine, to put this action in the broader context of workers organising against the ongoing genocide in Gaza. We talk about how hard it has been for many of us to find ways to leverage our power as workers; and the ongoing struggle to build a sense of collective power in a time of record-low union membership and ineffective trade union bureaucracies.

This week’s episode of the Radio Reversal podcast features an interview with Dr Jeff Rickertt, renowned People’s Historian, for Labour Day 2025. Han speaks with Jeff about histories of labour organising (particularly here in so-called queensland), the early formation of unions, and the tensions and contradictions these movements expressed and revealed regarding race, gender, and colonialism. They spoke also about the history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organising, particularly Aboriginal labour strikes as a strategy in anti-colonial struggle, often outside of the systems of mainstream/whitestream organised labour. They explored labour organising as a site of solidarity and transformative politics, discussing some of the recent examples of labour organising against the genocide in Gaza, and how workers have attempted to leverage their collective power to refuse complicity in this genocide.

This is part of our ongoing series on Disasters, Crisis & Collective Futures. The polycrisis shapes and reconfigures the nature of work and working conditions; the possibilities of labour organising to contest the crisis conditions of colonial racial capitalism warrant exploration and action. But organised labour movements can also be sites of liberal reform, sites where (some) workers are strategically drawn back into complicity and cooperation with capital in order to ‘stabilise’ the crisis without addressing the conditions of exploitation and injustice that (re)produce it.

As we face down emboldened fascist movements, growing political repression and overt genocidal violence in Palestine and beyond, we’re looking back to think about the long history of workers organising on this continent, its tensions and contradictions, and what we ought to be doing collectively as workers in this moment.

Welcome to another episode of the Radio Reversal podcast, continuing our current series on crisis, disaster & collective futures. This week, we’re turning our attention to the recent federal election here in so-called australia. Last Saturday, roughly 1 in 3 people voted Labor, 1 in 3 voted Liberal/National, and 1 in 3 voted for someone else.

Has anything changed?

With the centre-right-wing Labor party now dominant nationally, what lessons should we take from this election? Is running for elections still worth the time for those of seeking deeper radical change? Where should we all be putting our energy?

In this episode, we talk through some of the initial results from the election, and what we might be able to learn from these trends. With help from Mununjahli and South Sea Islander Professor Chelsea Watego’s new “Let’s Talk Race on the Run” series, we debunk the unhinged-from-reality narrative that this election constituted a “progressive” victory against Trumpism, and work to contextualise the election results in the context of the broader waves of repression that we’re seeing in this moment.

We wade through the mixed results that we saw for the Greens in this election: minor swings against the party in the lower house, an increase in the Senate vote, and some absolutely massive swings towards some key candidates, including our dear friend Remah Naji in Moreton, and Huong Trang in the seat of Fraser. Notably, both of these candidates ran on explicitly pro-Palestine platforms, and both Remah and Huong are actively involved in activism and community organising beyond the Greens. Both the Moreton campaign and the Fraser campaign drew explicit connections in their campaigns between racial justice, environmental justice, housing justice, and anti-colonial solidarity, focusing more directly on discussions around refugee justice, Palestinian liberation, and Land Back for First Nations communities on this continent. Perhaps not coincidentally, Remah & Huong are both the children of refugees: Remah’s family were displaced from Palestine during the 1948 Nakba and she grew up as part of the Palestinian diaspora in Jordan; Huong grew up in the seat of Fraser and describes herself as “the daughter of Vietnamese boat people.” Both Remah & Huong saw significant swings towards them, particularly in the most racially and culturally diverse and working class parts of their electorates.

So - what does this all mean for what’s to come? We end this episode with a generative reminder from local organiser Bec from the Community Union Defence League who are right now organising eviction defence, food support and mutual aid for folks sleeping rough in Musgrave Park. In case you missed it, the Lord Mayor, Adrian Schrinner, announced a couple of weeks ago that they planned to forcefully evict all homeless people from parks across the city on the grounds of “community safety” and “public accessibility”, despite the fact that no suitable housing could be provided to folks sleeping rough. I doubt that it is a coincidence that they decided to move ahead with the evictions only a few days after the federal election, perhaps in the hope that many organisers would be burnt out from the long election campaign. What they didn’t bank on was the scale of popular opposition to these evictions, and this week we’ve seen inspiring solidarity with hundreds turning out early each morning to support folks facing move-on directions, to challenge these evictions, and to refuse to allow this violence to go uncontested.