Our recent 10-point plan for an ALP victory at the next election prompted a reaction that shows many voters desperately want Labor to stand for something.
Noel Turnbull
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Surge in independent candidates illustrates mistrust of the party system
A report into the state of Australian politics should serve as a wake-up call for the major parties — and anyone who cares about the nation’s future.
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A 10-point winning strategy for Labor
The Albanese-led Opposition is having trouble cutting through to voters despite the Morrison government’s corruption and waste — here’s a plan to turn things around.
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PM ignores our modelling experts and hires a controversial global consultant
The awarding of a $6 million climate modelling contract to McKinsey was no surprise given the government’s record of rorts, secrecy and corruption. (more…)
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Liar, liar pants on fire
It is commonly believed if you are going to consistently tell lies you need either a good memory or a hide like a rhinoceros. These days neither seems to be necessary.
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Will Australia learn from Saigon?
It is a few months more than 179 years since 4,500 British and ‘Native’ troops and 12,000 camp followers were forced to leave Kabul.
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The mystery political staffer running government rorting.
It is now known that one person in the Prime Minister’s office drew up the spreadsheets for both the sports and car park rorts. (more…)
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Commemoration is the second casualty of war
The Australian Government is very, very slow to address veterans’ problems – witness the tardiness on the veterans’ suicide issue – yet it is always quick off the mark to dream up some new commemoration of conflict. (more…)
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The Nordics are way out in front for happiness in the COVID era
It may be surprising but a lot of people in the world are happier in the midst of COVID and lockdowns than they were – although Australia is a slight exception. (more…)
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Wanting a social marketing campaign on Covid and getting a band aid instead
There is one thing almost everybody commenting about Australia’s poor vaccine roll out agrees with – the need for an advertising campaign. (more…)
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Making atheists and doubters count in the next Census
While fundamentalist Christians are busy infiltrating the Liberal Party the Rationalist Society of Australia (RSA) and other groups have launched a campaign – the Census 21 Campaign – to encourage people to tick the no religion box in the August 10 2021 Australian Census.
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What does it take to get sacked from the Morrison Cabinet?
Once upon a time in a galaxy far, far away there was a concept called the Westminster principle of Ministerial responsibility – if you failed in your responsibility you resigned or got sacked. (more…)
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The difference between fake and genuine apologies
These days there are frequent apologies, non-apologies, refusals to apologise and extended qualifications of apologies with weasel phrases such as “this is not who we are” – despite the behaviour of the organisation uttering the words obviously being exactly who and what they are. (more…)
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AICD outflanks Morrison on the left
The Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) doesn’t immediately spring to mind as one of the major progressive voices – except perhaps in contrast with Scott Morrison. (more…)
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Climate tipping point looms
It is ironic that the most successful film – in box office terms – about climate change and dramatic changes to the earth was made by Rupert Murdoch’s 20th Century Fox. (more…)
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Liberal Party accusations on Premier Andrews’ spinal injury
The Victorian Liberal Opposition has been clutching at straws for some time – witness their landslide loss at the last election – but now they are now sinking into desperate measures with this latest attack on Premier Daniel Andrews.
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Australian barriers to electric vehicles and batteries
There are two significant barriers to the take-up of electric vehicles (EVs) in Australia – publicly accessible charging infrastructure suitable for a large country, and Scott Morrison.
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The rich are getting richer and richer – what is Labor planning to do about it?
While Federal Labor is disappearing into a fearful huddle desperate to avoid any suggestion it would ever try to make Australia a more equitable place, the rich are getting richer and richer. (more…)
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Morrison churlishly ignores scientific achievement
Scott Morrison’s churlishness is always on show when some Australian achieves great success in any area when Morrison’s perceived political enemies lurk.
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An intellectual populist precursor
Before Maggie Thatcher, Nigel Farage, John Howard, George Osborne and Donald Trump there was Enoch Powell.
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Our Christian heritage and the culture wars
The culture war drum-beats are sounding again – pounded out by the usual suspects in the Murdoch media and among shock jocks and the Morrison Government. (more…)
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When does Scotty’s frenzied marketing become counter productive?
The majority of Australians aren’t that interested in politics. They have their life to get on with and really only get involved in issues which affect them directly – like vaccinations – or which touch a nerve as Morrison’s handling of women’s issues has with Australian women.
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Debunking misinformation and climate change
It might be surprising given the scale of the problem, but there is an emerging consensus about the current status of the science of misinformation and its debunking in respect to climate change. (more…)
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Who is Australia’s worst Health Minister? How does Greg Hunt rate?
In the past 50 years, Australia has had 23 health ministers. But who is the worst? (more…)
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Take a closer look – the art galleries among victims of the pandemic
There are many things so many of us have missed during lockdowns that it is difficult to make a list – or even start to develop one in ranked order – even though there has been plenty of time to think about it. (more…)
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A nauseating colonial cringe by our media for an upper class Steptoe.
The BBC scrapped all regular programming to cover Prince Phillip’s death. The complaints roared in from viewers, listeners and online followers who complained that it was all too much and they wanted their regular programs back (more…)
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A tale of two Morrisons
There are two Morrisons who have confronted sexism in their ranks. One, David, showed leadership. The other, Scott, showed the antithesis of leadership.
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Have unions healed their racist past?
When Federation occurred in 1901 trade unions and conservative politicians were agreed on one thing – keeping Australia white. (more…)
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Is technology the only way to solve technology-driven misinformation?
Technology-driven misinformation has become so powerful that it is impossible to reply on individuals to sift through the ‘facts’. Is technology-driven truth detection our only way out?
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How to tackle the dangerous epidemic of fake news and conspiracy theories.
The Macquarie Dictionary recently declared ‘fake news’ the word of the decade. While the epidemic of fake news and conspiracy theories shows no signs of abating, the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communications has made a significant contribution to the fight.