John Menadue

For the second year running, independent research by two philosophically opposed Right and Left think tanks finds that public policy making at federal and state levels is rarely evidence and consultative based. Unlike last year, none of the 20 case studies this year got close to a perfect score of 10. Only four case studies got a sound score of 8 or 8.5. Sadly eight case studies got rated below 5.0.   (more…)

Australia is the only western democracy to ban the sale and use of nicotine for vaping. Australian policy is out of step with the scientific evidence and denies smokers who can’t quit a safer and potentially lifesaving alternative. There are better policy options available. (more…)

Labor has taken Government from Conservatives only 3 times in the past 70 years. It must start representing those who have no effective power – the majority – if it wants to be taken seriously. (more…)

After a show of hands in my north London synagogue, I started to wonder if this rolling row had its roots in how both groups define themselves

It’s not easy to make sense of the current furore about antisemitism and the left. But it may be that a fundamental part of the explanation is quite simple.  (more…)

Commenting on the 2017 Las Vegas shooting that killed 60 people and injured more than 400, the US National Rifle Association said ‘This sort of response isn’t helpful. Families are mourning. Offer a prayer and temper your desire of politics…’  It sounds just like the response of  the Prime Minister and Coalition Ministers to the recent bush fires. But former senior fire chiefs in their Emergency Leaders for Climate Action decided not to put up any longer with political evasion on the link between the’ urgent threat’ of climate change and the escalating bush fire risk. Hear what they had to say last week.

Fire chiefs want more than thoughts and prayers. (more…)

Despite Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) payments having been rolled out initially in 2016, with good intentions, the level of suitable disability accommodation in Australia is still woefully low. The approval process for individuals to get SDA into their NDIS plans has been slow, inconsistent and not transparent. Even the eligibility criteria are unclear.

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There is, in front of me, a book entitled “Not my family: never my child”.  The title of that book is so right. WE are on the front line. We are affected.  It is OUR families and our children who take these drugs. It is OUR children that suffer and die and cause us grief.  (more…)

For old-time Asia watchers, there was a delicious irony in the way Chile has decided it does not want to be the site of this year’s planned APEC annual meeting. (more…)

A bunch of decrepit old Australians had a particular interest in South Africa’s astonishing win at the World Cup in Yokohama last week. As a delighted and inspirational black captain, Siya Kolisi raised the Webb Ellis trophy high in victory, some of us had teary eyes. We are some of the survivors of a bunch of Australians who almost 50 years ago were heavily involved in the 1971 anti-Springbok campaign. (more…)