Hundreds of bodies have been recovered from Gaza’s ruins, with thousands more believed buried as the UN warns continued clearance could compromise evidence of possible war crimes. (more…)
Category: Politics
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Rolling out the pork barrel again
A $560 million invitation-only grants program heavily favoured Labor-held seats, according to the Centre for Public Integrity. The controversy raises a broader question: should the Commonwealth control community grants at all? (more…)
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Slowing AI is not enough. Governments need to govern
Calls from AI leaders to slow frontier development are welcome, but companies whose profits depend on the technology should not decide how much risk society must accept. (more…)
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One act of courage calls for another
Mary Kostakidis stood with Julian Assange when others stayed silent. After two years of legal action over her own speech, thousands of Australians returned that solidarity when she needed it. (more…)
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Funding crisis leaves UN nuclear watchdog begging for resources
The International Atomic Energy Agency faces a serious funding crisis as major contributors delay payments, putting nuclear safeguards, safety and security work at risk and exposing deeper problems with how the agency is financed. (more…)
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Advocates want plug-in solar legal in Australia within 10 months
Energy ministers have agreed to develop a pathway for plug-in solar and batteries, technology that could extend the benefits of household renewables to people locked out of rooftop systems. (more…)
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One Nation and the trust crisis, part one: Why alienated voters are turning away
In the first of a two-part series, falling trust in institutions and a growing sense of political alienation help explain One Nation’s rise, particularly in outer-suburban and regional Australia. (more…)
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Anthropic researcher quits, warning AI race is ‘gambling with our lives’
A former OpenAI and Anthropic researcher has resigned, warning that private companies are racing towards self-improving AI without adequate safeguards or external control. (more…)
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Australia must double down to meet climate targets
New modelling shows Australia can still help limit climate overshoot, but only with much steeper emissions cuts, faster electrification and a genuine fossil fuel phase-out. (more…)
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US says Hormuz is under control. Oil markets say otherwise
Oil prices have surged above $107 as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains constrained and attacks threaten alternative Gulf export routes. (more…)
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Australia needs a population policy built around capability
Australia’s population debate should move beyond arguments over growth and migration to a larger question: what population can a capable, inclusive and ecologically sustainable country support? (more…)
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Kostakidis case strikes a blow for free speech
The case against Mary Kostakidis has been discontinued without any finding that she breached the Racial Discrimination Act, ending a two-year legal battle over political expression and criticism of Israel. (more…)
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The NT’s dangerous addiction to punishment
The Northern Territory’s soaring imprisonment rates, punitive youth justice policies and rejection of expert advice reveal a system failing Indigenous communities and strengthening the case for urgent Commonwealth intervention in justice. (more…)
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Albanese’s credibility problem is becoming a political liability
Repeated reversals and broken promises are feeding a broader collapse of trust that reaches from economic policy to government transparency and defence. (more…)
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AUKUS, deterrence and the questions Kevin Rudd left unanswered
Kevin Rudd calls for greater Australian self-reliance while defending AUKUS and the US alliance, but key questions about sovereignty, deterrence and China remain unresolved. (more…)
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Australia has a skills shortage. Why are we wasting the skilled migrants already here?
Australia is struggling to fill critical skills gaps while hundreds of thousands of qualified migrants work below their capabilities. A longer-term migration strategy could help unlock that wasted talent. (more…)
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China’s clean-tech glut poses risks. But Australia can turn it to its advantage
Australia can use low-cost Chinese clean-energy technology to accelerate decarbonisation, strengthen energy security and build domestic industry without pursuing costly self-sufficiency. (more…)
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Australians want capable government – not simply smaller government
Australians still expect government to solve big problems and provide universal services, and evidence suggests they will pay more tax if it is fair and well spent. (more…)
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Australia needs nuclear submarines – but not AUKUS
Australia needs a larger, self-reliant nuclear-powered submarine force, but AUKUS is too costly, too dependent on the US and too uncertain to deliver it.
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Aged care report card: 4/10 – not good enough
Nearly a year into Australia’s aged care reforms, access remains difficult, waiting lists persist and costs are unaffordable for many, while flawed assessment and funding systems continue to undermine care. (more…)
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When menopause becomes a digital marketplace
Women seeking answers about menopause are entering a digital health landscape where intimate data, algorithmic predictions and aggressive marketing increasingly influence medical decisions, raising serious questions about privacy, autonomy and care. (more…)
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Population growth, environment and Australia’s economy
Australia’s population debate cannot be separated from environmental decline, inequality and economic wellbeing. With continued growth adding pressure, zero population growth deserves a serious place in the national conversation. (more…)
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A visit to the West Bank: homeland and legal apartheid – part four
In the final part of a four-part series, expanding Israeli settlements and land acquisition reveal how security, law and political power are reshaping Palestinian life across the occupied West Bank. (more…)
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Blaming China for building better value is not a strategy
China’s manufacturing advantage cannot be explained by subsidies alone. Tariffs may offer temporary protection, but rebuilding Western industry requires investment in skills, capacity and competitiveness rather than simply blocking imports. (more…)
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Xi’s diplomatic push puts China’s global ambitions on display
As Xi Jinping travels from Central Asia to Egypt and India ahead of a planned US visit, China is promoting its vision of multilateralism, security and South-South cooperation more broadly. (more…)
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Fixing the APS remuneration mess
Australia’s public service pay system remains fragmented after decades of failed reform. Fixing it requires a coherent APS-wide approach to classifications, labour markets, remuneration and the merit principle itself. (more…)
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Paul Keating’s AUKUS hostility reflects his passion for hard‑nosed realism over subservience
James Curran’s ‘Grand Ambition’ traces Paul Keating’s attempt to reshape Australia’s place in Asia – and the enduring realism behind his opposition to AUKUS. (more…)
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Environment: Fossil fuels, children and a changing climate
Fossil fuel companies gain access to children through education sponsorships, Barclays eyes opportunities from El Niño, while climate change brings increasingly destructive consequences to communities from the Himalayas to islands. (more…)
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Luna Park and Neville Wran’s bum
A chapter in Helen Pitt’s ‘Luna Park’ revives claims that Neville Wran blocked a lease for personal reasons, but official tender records point elsewhere. (more…)
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A visit to the West Bank: security apartheid – part three
Israel’s expanding security regime across the West Bank is reshaping Palestinian life. In part three of a four-part series, Jeremy Webb considers whether these measures amount to institutionalised apartheid. (more…)