Young Australians will live with the consequences of today’s climate decisions for decades. Lowering the voting age to 16 would give more of them a say in the policies shaping their future. (more…)
John Menadue
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Australia preaches the rules-based order. Its record tells another story
Australia is campaigning for a UN Security Council seat on a promise to uphold international law and defend middle powers. Its record on Gaza, Indigenous rights, military alliances and international rulings tells a far less consistent story. (more…)
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A final call for your help
P&I is reaching more readers, attracting younger voices and becoming an increasingly important part of Australia’s democratic conversation. But as we enter the last week of our fundraising campaign, John Menadue writes, our independence depends on you. (more…)
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The government’s failure to make the case for refugees
Australia’s migration debate has become consumed by numbers, borders and fear, while failures in temporary migration management and the treatment of Palestinians expose deeper questions of multiculturalism and humanitarian responsibility.
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P&I is growing – and its independence still depends on you
P&I is reaching more readers, attracting younger voices and becoming an increasingly important part of Australia’s democratic conversation. But as John Menadue writes, our independence still depends entirely on reader support. (more…)
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One Nation and the trust crisis, part two: Give people a reason to believe politics can work
In the second of a two-part series, rebuilding trust requires more than competent economic management – Australians also need institutions that listen, include and respond. (more…)
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One Nation and the trust crisis, part one: Why alienated voters are turning away
In the first of a two-part series, falling trust in institutions and a growing sense of political alienation help explain One Nation’s rise, particularly in outer-suburban and regional Australia. (more…)
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Kostakidis case strikes a blow for free speech
The case against Mary Kostakidis has been discontinued without any finding that she breached the Racial Discrimination Act, ending a two-year legal battle over political expression and criticism of Israel. (more…)
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Private health insurance costs taxpayers $13 billion a year. What for?
Taxpayers spend about $13 billion a year supporting private health insurance, yet there is little evidence it relieves pressure on public hospitals or delivers fair value.
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Palestinian deaths continue and the numbers are horrifying
There has long been significant undercounting of Palestinians deaths as the Genocide continues. (more…)
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Albanese inherited a migration mess. It is taking too long to fix it
Labor inherited a migration system burdened by asylum backlogs, temporary visa pressures and administrative failure. Four years later, the clean-up remains far from complete. (more…)
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Terrorism and the deliberate corruption of language and meaning
The word “terrorism” is applied selectively to enemies of the US and its allies, turning a legal and moral category into propaganda that obscures state violence and normalises genocide. (more…)
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Australia is wasting the skills migrants bring
Almost half of skilled migrants are working below their qualification level, while Australia’s complex recognition system leaves urgently needed teachers, nurses, engineers and tradespeople underused. (more…)
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Racism and the response of four former Prime Ministers
In an open letter in August 1998, four former prime ministers expressed their concern about the upsurge in racism at the time of the Howard Government and the coming election. (more…)
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Genocide, the word Albanese and Wong will never utter
By refusing to name genocide in Gaza, the Labor government avoids the legal and moral obligations that would follow – but not the shame of complicity. (more…)
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What is the point of power without purpose?
The ALP Conference this week will be carefully managed, but Labor’s deeper problem is a hollowed-out party increasingly driven by factions, polling and caution.
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Who would want an ally like Israel?
Looking back from 2026 to 1967 reveals the extent to which Israel will go to serve its own interests, even when this means harming its ally. (more…)
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How to address a democracy in retreat
The democratic project is about more than elections; its institutions must be revitalised on the basis of fairness, respect, openness, integrity and trust. (more…)
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Labor’s conference must be about democratic renewal
In the second of a two-part series ahead of the ALP National Conference, John Menadue argues Labor must apply its values to the great issues before Australia – sovereignty, human rights, democratic renewal, tax and the role of government.
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Labor must remember what it stands for
In the first of a two-part series, John Menadue argues the upcoming ALP National Conference must do more than produce careful resolutions – it must confront Labor’s loss of values, membership and purpose. (more…)
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The bamboo ceiling: Australia’s business failure in Asia
Australia’s parochial company boards are failing to equip themselves for Asia. This is a major barrier to developing our potential in the region and improving productivity. (more…)
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Fraser, Whitlam, Albanese and national sovereignty
Malcolm Fraser and Gough Whitlam both warned against surrendering Australian sovereignty to US military and intelligence interests, but AUKUS and the Albanese government’s foreign policy have deepened that dependence. (more…)
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Specialist fees are out of control. Medicare needs reform
Medical specialist fees have been rising far beyond Medicare support, leaving patients with heavy out-of-pocket costs, long public waiting lists and a health system that needs stronger public controls. (more…)
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Housing policy should build homes, not wealth
Housing policy should reflect the kind of society Australia wants to be: one that treats homes as a human right, builds neighbourhoods and social mixing, and stops privileging wealth accumulation over shelter. (more…)
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The new working class needs more than gentle capitalism
Australia’s working class has not disappeared – it has changed, becoming more female, migrant and white collar, and social democratic parties must speak to its pressures before the populist right exploits them further. (more…)
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The Albanese government and the lobbying scourge
Declining trust in government is helping fuel One Nation’s rise, and the failure to properly regulate lobbying has left powerful insiders in gambling, defence and fossil fuels with too much influence over public policy. (more…)
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One Nation is not the worker’s friend
Is One Nation the worker’s friend? Or a fully owned subsidiary of Gina Rinehart, as Jim Chalmers suggested? (more…)
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Our intelligence services need to break free from excessive US influence
Australia is part of the white man’s intelligence network, Five Eyes. That means too much CIA input into anti-China perceptions in recent years. It also helped bring down the Whitlam government. (more…)
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The weaponisation of antisemitism by the Zionist lobby hides the genocide
In a personal submission to the Antisemitism Royal Commission, P&I founder John Menadue argues that it is impossible to separate increasing rates of antisemitism from the way Israel has conducted its genocide in Gaza. (more…)
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US support for Israel is faltering
The political consensus in America that sustained unconditional US support for Israel was built over decades; it will not be dismantled quickly. But the direction of change is now clear. The shift in public opinion away from supporting Israel reflects generational change. That demographic trajectory will not reverse. (more…)