Latest news with #AustralianNationalDictionaryCentre
Sydney Morning Herald
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
Student loses court bid to stop Newington becoming co-ed
Lawyers clashed over the definition; Noel Hutley, SC, acting for Newington, argued the 1873 meaning of youth was a collective noun for young men and women. 'The ordinary meaning of youth as a collective is gender-neutral,' Hutley said. He submitted that the Oxford English Dictionary pointed to youth having a non-gendered meaning, and that was constant in all dictionaries from 1848 through to today. Michael Izzo, SC, acting for opponents of coed, said at the hearing earlier this month that 'there is at least one possibility that 'youth' when used in particular context is being used to refer to men alone'. Izzo cited a Barclay's 1848 dictionary containing a definition of youth as being 'the part of life which is between childhood and manhood', from adolescence to young man. Solicitors for the co-ed opponents commissioned a report from lexicographer and historian Amanda Laugesen, who is the director of the Australian National Dictionary Centre at ANU. Laugesen conducted extensive research into the meaning of the term 'youth', and about 500 historical newspaper articles in the report were provisionally admitted into evidence. The boy who launched proceedings – known as student A – cannot be identified, after he obtained a non-publication order based upon a psychiatrist's report that said he could be bullied or shunned if his identity were to become known. The 162-year-old college plans to admit girls in the junior school from next year and become fully co-ed by 2033. The decision sparked fierce backlash and protests from parents and alumni of the $45,000-a-year school, who have spent months lobbying to have the move overturned. Loading In his judgment, Parker wrote that he was presented with extensive extracts from dictionaries for guidance on the meaning of some terms in the deed and the word youth. Definitions from historical dictionaries including Barclay's, Webster's, Chambers's Etymological Dictionary, The Imperial Dictionary and A Dictionary of Law were in evidence. 'The attempt by counsel for student A to explain away the gender-neutral language of the deed by saying that everyone would simply have assumed that the pupils would all be boys or young men was, I thought, unconvincing,' Parker wrote. 'In my opinion the meaning of the term youth in [clause three] of the deed is unambiguous.' In a letter to parents on Wednesday afternoon, college principal Michael Parker said he welcomed the court's decision affirming the move to co-education. 'We have been steadfast in our position throughout these proceedings, and we remain excited to build on our rich history and traditions by taking Newington into our next era,' Parker said. 'We are optimistic that today's determination will now pave the way for our community to move forward together.' The student's civil suit was supported and funded by the Save Newington College group, a coalition of old boys and parents opposed to the co-ed move. In a statement, Save Newington said the group was disappointed by the court's decision. Former student and Save Newington spokesman Ian Webster said there 'will be detailed consideration of the reasons behind the judgment before any further decisions are made'. Webster said an appeal had not been ruled out. 'Today's decision, while respected, is at odds with the understanding held by generations of old boys, parents, staff, and community members – that Newington was founded, funded and entrusted as a school for boys,' the Save Newington statement said. The group said the case highlighted the 'many risks and pitfalls that will be encountered' by moving to a co-ed model. The group said risks remain about the 'future academic and financial performance of the school and continuation of its GPS traditions'. 'Particular challenges around … anticipated pushback from surrounding all-girls schools and retreat by former supporters of the Newington Foundation have not been addressed.' In late 2023, some members of the Newington Founders Society indicated they would be withdrawing their bequests to the school. Newington was founded in 1863 due to a growing view in the Wesleyan Methodist Church that a secondary school was needed in Sydney. The college opened in Silverwater, then moved to Stanmore in 1880.
NDTV
03-05-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Democracy Sausage, Voting In Swimsuits: Bizarre Polling Trends In Australia
Quick Take Summary is AI generated, newsroom reviewed. The "democracy sausage," a grilled sausage in bread, symbolises Australian election culture, served at polling places nationwide and abroad. It reflects humility in politics and has become part of folklore and tradition, like voting in swimwear. A democracy sausage is a cultural tradition as Australian as koalas, vegemite and TimTams. It's a simple grilled sausage wrapped in a slice of white bread and topped with onions and ketchup, however, when the same is offered at polling places on election day, it becomes a 'democracy sausage' that has become a national symbol for participating in elections, and is served everywhere Australians vote. Not just in Australia, but these democracy sausages are also served at polling places for citizens abroad at Australian embassies in New York, Riyadh, Nairobi and Tokyo, and even at a research station in Antarctica. There is a website that also tracks in real-time crowd-sourced democracy sausage locations on polling day: "It's practically part of the Australian Constitution." The spokesperson of the website added, "We've heard reports of people who are tourists over here, foreign students, that will go along to election days just to get the sausages. I think that's a great piece of Australian culture for people to take home with them." The sausage is also a way for aspiring leaders to show that they are humble enough to eat a cheap piece of meat wrapped in bread, and photographs of politicians eating these democracy sausages have become memes, and generally a part of Australian political folklore. The Australian National Dictionary Centre also named "democracy sausage" as its word of the year. Moreover, the Australian constitution does not mention anything about a dress code for voting, and it has become a tradition to vote in swimwear. This started when the maker of "Budgie Smuggler" was giving out free swimming trunks to the first 200 people who voted in smugglers. "It's a little bit revealing and may be confronting for some of your viewers. But a lot people here come out of the water and come and vote. I think it's a nice statement of Australian democracy", Nick Fabbri, a voter in the Bondi area of Sydney, told Reuters. Voting in Australia for the national election began on Saturday. Per polls, voter appetite for change has been dampened by US tariffs, and hence the elections might favour Labour Prime Minister Anthony Albanese over conservative challenger Peter Dutton.
Sydney Morning Herald
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
To prick or not to prick? The secret to the perfect DIY democracy sausage
It's the great Aussie tradition of polling day: the democracy sausage. Served hot from the grill, with loads of onion and sauce, inelegantly slapped onto soft white bread and bundled into a paper napkin. According to traditions that began as far back as compulsory Australian voting in 1924, food stalls are the reward for braving long lines on a Saturday, with money going to the community venue hosting the voting. The term 'democracy sausage' was officially coined in 2010, appearing alongside interactive maps locating polling day barbecues, and was voted Word of the Year by the Australian National Dictionary Centre in 2016. But the tradition came into its own long before that, with the rise of the 1980s portable gas barbecue. What's the best sausage for the job?
The Age
01-05-2025
- Politics
- The Age
To prick or not to prick? The secret to the perfect DIY democracy sausage
It's the great Aussie tradition of polling day: the democracy sausage. Served hot from the grill, with loads of onion and sauce, inelegantly slapped onto soft white bread and bundled into a paper napkin. According to traditions that began as far back as compulsory Australian voting in 1924, food stalls are the reward for braving long lines on a Saturday, with money going to the community venue hosting the voting. The term 'democracy sausage' was officially coined in 2010, appearing alongside interactive maps locating polling day barbecues, and was voted Word of the Year by the Australian National Dictionary Centre in 2016. But the tradition came into its own long before that, with the rise of the 1980s portable gas barbecue. What's the best sausage for the job?
