The High Court has struck down a Victorian law favouring major parties, but the bigger test lies ahead – whether federal electoral changes unlawfully entrench incumbency and disadvantage challengers. (more…)
Category: Policy
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Values-based citizenship is vague, selective and dangerous
Angus Taylor’s plan to tie citizenship to “Australian values” rely on vague definitions and risk embedding double standards, exclusion and anti-foreign sentiment. (more…)
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Private health insurance is a painfully bad deal – and a costly one
Australia’s private health insurance system is heavily subsidised, increasingly unaffordable and delivers poor value – especially for those on lower incomes.
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Climate change, the community and the Coalition: going slower
The Coalition’s abandonment of net zero by 2050 marks a retreat from climate action, putting it at odds with public opinion and weakening Australia’s long-term response. (more…)
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By avoiding means testing, the government is giving handouts to the rich
Australia’s highly targeted tax and transfer system is being eroded by a shift toward universal benefits – redirecting support away from those who need it most.
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Albo’s signature secrecy will ultimately bring him down
A court-ordered release of the Pezzullo report is a win for transparency – but it exposes a deeper culture of secrecy and institutional failure.
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Australia’s pre-emptive strike against Iranian asylum seekers
A new law allows Australia to block entire groups of visa holders from entering the country – a sharp break from past practice with major consequences for asylum policy.
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A costly rewrite of R&D – with no price tag
Proposed changes to Australia’s R&D tax system would expand eligibility beyond genuine research, concentrate benefits among a narrow group of firms, and proceed without clear costings.
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When the world changes, economic policy must too
A new geopolitical shock is exposing the limits of economic orthodoxy, echoing past crises where sticking to old rules only deepened the damage. (more…)
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Job-ready Graduates has failed – a first step to fixing it is on the table
The Job-ready Graduates reforms have increased student debt, failed to shift enrolments, and entrenched inequality across Australia’s higher education system. (more…)
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Why “drill baby drill” won’t solve Australia’s energy problem
Calls to expand fossil fuel production ignore Australia’s real energy vulnerabilities, while electrification and renewables offer a clearer path to lower costs and greater security.
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Punishment alone won’t fix youth crime
Tougher penalties dominate the politics of youth crime, but without addressing how young people – particularly First Nations children – learn, relate and develop, punishment risks deepening the very problems it seeks to solve.
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Pope 1, Trump 0 – Message from the Editor
You think things can’t get any worse and then they do! (more…)
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Cost of living? We should be more concerned about something else
While cost-of-living pressures dominate headlines, deeper shifts are reshaping Australian politics – with Labor consolidating the centre and the Coalition struggling to respond.
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Populism grows where inequality is ignored
Populism is often dismissed or ridiculed, but its rise reflects decades of policy choices that have deepened inequality and left many Australians behind.
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A culture of secrecy is taking hold in Canberra
The refusal to release the Pezzullo investigation report highlights a culture of secrecy across the public service and government.
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Unwinding the capital gains tax folly
Tax concessions on property and capital gains have driven housing inequality and distorted the market, and fixing them requires structural reform – not Budget tinkering. (more…)
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Reform requires trust – and trust requires openness
Economic reform depends on public trust – and that trust is being undermined by declining transparency, weak accountability and limited public engagement.
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Australia’s under-16 social media ban is facing early limits
Australia’s under-16 social media ban has removed millions of accounts, but compliance gaps, loopholes and unanswered questions remain. (more…)
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The fuel crisis won’t save the Coalition. It might finish them
Cost-of-living pressure will not automatically shift votes to the Coalition, as culturally aligned voters begin drifting toward alternatives that project conviction and stability. (more…)
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Fuel crisis exposes decades of policy failure
Australia’s fuel crisis may have been triggered by global conflict – but it reflects decades of political failure to reduce oil dependence and plan for transition.
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When charity no longer means need
Australia’s charitable framework now rewards compliance over need, allowing well-resourced institutions and contested activities to sit alongside genuine relief of disadvantage.
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Labor’s caution is becoming a barrier to progress
A political culture of caution and bipartisanship is limiting the government’s ability to act on major issues including human rights, climate and social cohesion. (more…)
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Half the truth: defending public education requires more honesty, not less
Criticism of public schools is not entirely wrong – but by ignoring unequal conditions, it misdiagnoses the problem and misplaces responsibility.
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Tax reform isn’t enough – Australia needs an economic reset
Tax reform is necessary, but on its own it cannot fix an economy shaped by housing speculation, resource dependence and weak productivity. (more…)
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Environment: Industry’s carbon capture fantasy is climate action’s nightmare
Carbon capture and storage continues to fail for the climate but keeps fossil fuels and profits flowing. Renewables are taking over the US power system despite Trump.
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Batteries and electrification buy time on gas
Falling gas demand and a surge in batteries and electrification have delayed forecast supply shortfalls – but only for now.
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Underfunded public schools, overfunded private ones – the gap grows
Private schools are pulling further ahead as funding policies deepen inequality across Australia’s education system. (more…)
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Free speech and antisemitism: drawing the line
In this extract from his submission to the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion Gareth Evans argues that it is crucial that protest language claimed to be inherently antisemitic be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, taking into account context and intent. (more…)
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Budget savings for Chalmers – fix the bloated pay system at the top of the public service
As the government looks for budget savings, the biggest opportunity lies at the top. Senior public service pay and structures have become costly, inconsistent and hard to justify.