Australia in 2025 is living up to Dorothy McKellar’s poetic vision of a country stricken by “drought and flooding rains”. (more…)
Category: Policy
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Trump’s second term is taking the US back to the bad old days
“Words mean just what I say they mean”, Humpty Dumpty (more…)
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The Coalition’s climate change wars: Costs and opportunities
There should be no surprise that the Nationals’ climate change denial-infected policy preferences have led to a rupture of the Coalition. (more…)
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Labor bankrolls wealthy sportsmen, but underfunds a crisis of violence against women and children
On average, one woman is killed every nine days by a current or former partner in Australia. Twenty-four women and seven children reportedly have been killed by violence this year, with five deaths occurring since the federal election was announced. (more…)
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It’s time for Albo to lead in new directions
Anthony Albanese is coming under pressure from different sections of society to change his approach to governing and also being criticised about the lack of imagination in his approach to foreign affairs.
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David Littleproud cites nuclear energy disagreement as major factor in Coalition split
Nationals’ leader David Littleproud has singled out nuclear energy as a key reason for his party’s spectacular split from the Liberals, as both parties seek to rebuild following the Coalition’s devastating election loss. (more…)
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Australia and China can power up Southeast Asia’s green energy transition
Australia and China share key interests in Southeast Asia in the context of a global green transition and great power rivalry. (more…)
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US decays; for Australia, independence beckons
Donald Trump is not an aberration, but rather a symptom of the disease, not its cause. (more…)
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Brave new world
As Australia’s newly elected government seeks to navigate the shoals of President Donald Trump’s new world after the election on 3 May, it will behove us to think beyond our tariff concerns and AUKUS and focus on Southeast Asia. (more…)
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Incoming immigration minister faces immense challenges
Whoever is appointed immigration minister in the second Albanese Government will face immense challenges from both a policy and political perspective. (more…)
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Trump is the symptom of a deeper American malaise
The US president’s disruptive policies reveal a superpower unsettled by its waning dominance. (more…)
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Ignoring the impact of racism undermines effective policymaking
We have heard about a variety of urgent issues during the federal election campaign in the past few weeks and months, from cost of living, immigration, crime and health to housing and energy policies, but one of the topics that have received no attention — indeed never appeared high on the political agenda — is how to address racism. (more…)
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A fistful of dollars: The dumbing down of Australian election campaigns
We are mugs. This seems to be the first assumption behind most Australian election campaigns. (more…)
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Whither national urban policy?
Urban policy in Australia, despite our historically high level of urbanisation, has made only on-off appearances at the federal level of government. (more…)
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If I were foreign minister…
I don’t want to be Australia’s foreign minister, and here’s why: I would not be good at promoting Australia’s current foreign policy to the world. That’s also why I stopped being a diplomat in 1996. (more…)
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Framing the future: Australia’s China policy in the lead-up to the 2025 election
In the lead-up to the Australia election, new research examines the ALP and Coalition messaging and policy on the People’s Republic of China. (more…)
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The Palestine election
Why has an election 6000 miles from the Dome of the Rock become about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? (more…)
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A minority Labor Government’s policy agenda – Part 2
In this second part of this article, discussing the possible policy agenda for a minority Labor Government, the focus is on taxation and how to improve productivity – issues that are most difficult to agree on. (more…)
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If I were defence minister…
On becoming Australia’s new defence minister, I will advise cabinet at its first meeting that our nation is at a perilous, strategic crossroad. (more…)
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When I’m 65…
The Australian Bureau of Statistics defines anyone over 65 as “old”. You don’t qualify for the means tested “old age pension” for two more years, and when politicians talk of ageing, they focus on nursing homes and care, dementia and falls. Ageing policy is confused and confusing. (more…)
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A minority Labor Government’s policy agenda – Part 1
A minority Labor Government is widely seen as a likely outcome in the forthcoming election. (more…)
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Housing affordability: Which party has better policies?
The housing policies announced in this election by both the Labor and Coalition Parties are seriously flawed. (more…)
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If I were minister for employment services: No more bastardry dressed up as policy
If I were minister for employment services, I’d begin by stating what should already be obvious: Australia’s employment services system is not fit for purpose. (more…)
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AUKUS is more than nuclear submarines and that’s a problem
When we think of AUKUS, most people picture the dangerous $368 billion gamble on a handful of nuclear submarines. The truth is AUKUS is a lot more, and a lot more dangerous, than these submarines. (more…)
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Health and the election: Band-aids when surgery is needed
Health policies are out and there is little difference between the two major parties. The policies definitely help patients afford to see GPs and get medication. (more…)
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Australia urgently needs to get serious about long-term climate policy – but there’s no sign of that in the election campaign
The federal election should be an earnest contest over the fundamentals of Australia’s climate and energy policies. (more…)
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Trump: a ridiculous ego and incredibly ignorant
The analysis underpinning Donald Trump’s tariff policy is fatally flawed. Thus, it will fail to achieve its objective of restoring the living standards of his MAGA supporters. (more…)
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Good migration policy pays — this is what it looks like
Migration can continue to be a transformative benefit for Australia if it can look past the myths to develop policy that will pay off. (more…)
