Can Australian citizens break away from the decaying major parties to elect independent MPs that will fight for their constituents, not sectional interests? Former Senator Margaret Reynolds interviews founder of Australian Community Futures Planning, Bronwyn Kelly, in this must watch P&I podcast. (more…)
Margaret Reynolds
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Palestinian statehood is the only way forward for peace. Our media don’t help.
Australia’s recent vote to increase the status of the State of Palestine in the United Nations General Assembly is as welcome as it is historic. The positive vote recognizes that Palestine is qualified to join and recommends to the U.N Security Council that it reconsider the matter favorably. (more…)
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Why is violence against Australian women not rated as terrorism?
Weekend rallies highlighted the anger and fear of thousands of women and men about the ongoing violence against Australian women. It is a crisis, and it is occurring day and night in homes and suburbs across the country where police are struggling to keep up with reporting of male violence and too many offenders avoid detection, because our leaders do not rate violence against women as the extreme terrorism it has become. (more…)
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Australia is a silent partner in atrocity in Gaza and the West Bank
On 27 February, we wrote to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) expressing concern that Australia had failed to fulfil its obligation under the Genocide Convention (1948) to prevent any action that further risks the survival of the Palestinian people. That failure continues. (more…)
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Accountability for the deaths of innocent people applies to Australia too
The death of young aid worker Zomi Frankcom in Gaza last week was a tragic reminder that we have all failed to stop this unrelenting violence against the innocent. Many Australians have been horrified that the six months war continues, because governments fail to uphold international law and even our own leaders have hidden from their obligations. (more…)
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How well is the Albanese Government communicating with Australians?
Since the 1980s I have been urged by my Labor Party colleagues to keep political messages simple and to listen to the local community. (more…)
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Shock as Australian PM learns he is not above international law
Prime Ministers are too often monopolised by people telling them what they want to hear. Most political advisers can’t see beyond the latest opinion poll and the Australian bureaucracy has become equally reluctant to offer frank and fearless advice. It appears that the Attorney General, Defence and Foreign Affairs and Trade Departments have each failed to alert the Prime Minister and his government to the risks inherent in ignoring international law when responding to the Gaza crisis. (more…)
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Australian Civil Society submits statement on Gaza genocide to the International Court of Justice
As a signatory to the Genocide Convention, Australia is obliged to prevent any action that further risks the survival of the Palestinian people and failure to do so risks complicity in genocide. In the absence of a response from the Australian government to the ICJ ruling, at least 100 groups representing civil society are observing with concern Australia’s failure to act to prevent genocide in Gaza, and have made the following submission to the International Court of Justice. (more…)
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Podcast: The Tragedy of Gaza
John Menadue, Editor-in-Chief of Pearls and Irritations interviews former Australian Senator Margaret Reynolds on the role of the United Nations, Australian foreign policy and the tragedy unfolding in Gaza. (more…)
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The Australian Parliament fails to uphold international law preventing genocide in Gaza
The Australian Parliament failed to recognise its responsibilities last week when Greens Leader Adam Bandt, responding to the International Court of Justice interim ruling to prevent genocide, initiated a vote for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. (more…)
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Stark lessons for Australia in ICJ Genocide Ruling: But is anyone listening?
I doubt if any Australia political leader was watching the International Court of Justice President Judge, Joan E Donahue (United States of America) deliver the ruling in South Africa’s case alleging Israel has committed genocide on Palestinians in Gaza. (more…)
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A loyal apologist for Israel: Australia and the Genocide convention
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong is making an official visit to the Middle East this month and will need to convey a clear position to different audiences: the Palestinian Authority, Israel and neighbouring countries. But at home, many Australians are shocked that their government has been a loyal apologist for Israel and failed to condemn the military and political assault on Palestinians. (more…)
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Does Gaza ceasefire vote signal a shift in foreign policy?
Since coming to office in 2022, the Albanese Governments foreign policy has been dominated by its enthusiastic embrace of the AUKUS agreement with old allies, the United States and the United Kingdom. However these nations are totally out of step with global opinion about gross breaches of international law by the Netanyahu regime and neither has been able to influence Israel to at least consider alternatives to the ongoing catastrophic war. (more…)
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Is this what Australia has become?
On the eve of International Human Rights Day when invited to support the existing international rules-based order the United States’ leadership failed. Not only did their veto prevent a cease-fire in Gaza, but this powerful nation could not even offer an alternative path to protect humanity. Does the United Nations matter to the Australian Government? Will Prime Minister Albanese have the courage to confront Australia’s friend and ally about its diplomatic intransigence? (more…)
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Australia left isolated as neighbours demand protection of civilians at UNGA
Many Australians will be ashamed that our nation has failed to speak and vote unequivocally at the United Nations during this crisis. As a nation we cannot continue to pretend that Israel has “a right to defend itself” while Palestine has no such right and is being systematically destroyed. (more…)
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Nuclear submarines are now a core Labor value
Perhaps AUKUS should be renamed MAUKUS – the Morrison, Albanese, United Kingdom and United States agreement – to clearly identify those responsible. Indeed, it is surprising that neither Defence Minister Richard Marles nor Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy invited Australian Labor Party National Conference delegates to support a motion of appreciation to former Prime Minister Morrison for providing a ready-made defence policy for the Labor Government. (more…)
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Albo cannot be both a reasoned diplomat and a subservient ally
Australia’s leader Anthony Albanese is responsible for much more than window dressing at the ALP National Conference. As our elected leader he is required to speak for the nation about how Australia will meet its international obligations to peace and security in our region. In order to re-assert an Australian independent middle power foreign policy advocated by Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong, Albanese must tell the global community that he has not made a secret pact to follow the United States into war with China. (more…)
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Robo Debt shows we need an Independent Inquiry into AUKUS
The Royal Commission into Robo-debt has provided significant insights into how a cavalier government can ignore fundamental processes of good governance by ignoring accepted standards of decision making to pursue its ideological agenda. (more…)
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A subservient defence policy undermines Albanese’s successful first year
There were celebrations and high expectations when Prime Minister Albanese and his talented front bench formed the government in May 2022. The language and style of the national agenda appealed to Australians wanting realistic policies and a two-way conversation about what is in the best interests of our community. There were inspiring speeches and commitments that introduced policies and programs of reform and social justice. (more…)
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Australian peacekeeping: our best kept secret?
Why are Australian political leaders so insecure about our capacity to be independent and create a peacebuilding role for our nation when so many Australian military and police personnel have already demonstrated their capacity for strong leadership as peacekeepers? (more…)
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How many ABC journalists will report from COP27 in Egypt?
Many loyal ABC supporters were puzzled that our cash strapped public broadcaster could afford the cost of sending 27 staff to London to report on Queen Elizabeth’s funeral, but at least some of us hoped this may signal a fresh direction in overseas news reporting and analysis. (more…)
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Wanted: a role for MPs in waging war and seeking peace
There must be a number of current parliamentarians concerned about the direction of foreign and defence policy, but why are they so silent?
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Tasmanian state election result has important lessons for Labor and Liberal parties
The headlines and bland media commentary about the island states weekend election indicates that the Tasmania’s Liberal Government won a major vote of confidence for its policies. But they may end up with just a one seta majority. (more…)
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When will Australian political parties professionalise their preselection processes?
The shocking ongoing revelations about men behaving badly in the Australian Parliament has exposed a number of individuals for their misogyny and antiquated attitudes to women generally and their female colleagues in particular. They are discredited dinosaurs who do not belong in any modern workplace ,let alone in the national forum for charting best practice in public policy development . (more…)
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Hunger games: is it any wonder that most of the Independents and MPs from small parties are women?
The major parties are largely managed by men who manipulate the choice of candidates to favour men like themselves. I doubt there has been a woman working in Parliament who has not experienced sexual harassment at some time in her career. It is time men in leadership roles faced up to their individual responsibility to eradicate this toxic culture. (more…)
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An open letter to the Prime Minister from ABC friends and supporters
Dear Mr Morrison, I write on behalf of many angry Australians who want to know why your government continues to undermine Australian public broadcasting with ongoing funding cutbacks at the same time as the commercial media sector is favoured. (more…)
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MARGARET REYNOLDS. Australian Councils Need a Stimulus Too
Australian councils, as the front line in so many areas of public policy, need to be properly funded in order to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. (more…)
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MARGARET REYNOLDS. Labor Review ignores Centralised Factional Control!
The ALP Reviewers certainly deserve recognition for facing some of the issues which led to its recent Federal election defeat. The Review Team has put on the record the factors contributing to misunderstanding and failure to capture the public imagination. Recommendations are a welcome start in charting new directions. However, the fundamental issue of factional control is not considered as a major factor in community alienation. (more…)
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MARGARET REYNOLDS. Queensland – A Special Place?
I lived in Queensland for three decades and represented the sunshine state as a Labor Senator for sixteen years. I spent much of my time trying to convince my parliamentary colleagues and the media that Queenslanders are very much like the rest of us. They too are concerned about job prospects for themselves and their children. They want good quality health and education services. They expect governments to listen and respond to their concerns. (more…)
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SHARON PARKINSON, DEB BATTERHAM, MARGARET REYNOLDS. Homelessness soars in our biggest cities, driven by rising inequality since 2001 (The Conversation)
Homelessness has increased greatly in Australian capital cities since 2001. Almost two-thirds of people experiencing homelessness are in these cities, with much of the growth associated with severely crowded dwellings and rough sleeping. (more…)