The abrupt resignation of the National Anti-Corruption Commissioner Paul Brereton is a pivotal moment for the federal watchdog. For years, questions over the commissioner’s leadership, arising from concerns about his ability to manage conflicts of interest, had undermined public confidence and trust in a key Australian integrity institution. (more…)
Category: Politics
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Gender inequality still haunts the economy – here’s how to fix it
Why do gender pay gaps and other disparities persist despite converging education levels and mounting evidence that the public opposes such forms of inequality? The problem lies less in outdated beliefs and biases than in entrenched structural constraints to women’s economic advancement. (more…)
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The facts about the suburb of Lakemba
Pauline Hanson is wrong. Lakemba’s residents are welcoming, hard working and kind. (more…)
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Don’t forget the plight of Palestinian Christians
The brutal beating of a French Catholic nun in Jerusalem has caused revulsion. It should also remind us of the marginalisation of Christians in the Palestinian homeland. (more…)
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A chance to re-create the NACC
The eventual departure (in six weeks’ time) of Paul Brereton from the position of Commissioner of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) provides the Albanese Government with the opportunity to review and reform a body that has failed to live up to the expectations of most people who wanted the Federal Government to establish the Commission. It is unlikely to do so, not least because the Government did not share the aspirations for the NACC of most of those who urged its creation. David Solomon reports. (more…)
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Why the criticisms of Labor’s tax changes are mostly wrong
Labor’s tax policies will improve intergenerational equity and ensure more equal tax treatment of income from labour and capital. (more…)
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Some further thoughts on the Federal Budget
The income tax reforms in the 2026 budget do deliver greater equity, despite the protests from those who think they will lose out. (more…)
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Deep fakes, doctrine and dunces hats: can the Pope school all of us on AI?
In his new encyclical on AI, Magnificat Humanitas, Pope Leo seeks to lead a global conversation on the need to ensure that human dignity guides us in this brave new world. (more…)
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What the White House doesn’t understand about Iran
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard are ruthless, but they are not irrational, reports Pulitzer Prize winner Seymour Hersh. (more…)
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A breakthrough year for batteries in Australia but solar and wind lag
Australia is now the third-largest utility-scale battery market in the world, behind China and the US, but structural barriers are impeding investment in big solar and wind projects. (more…)
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Why not a Teal Party?
A Teal Party might become what the people want, a combination of grassroots democracy and organisational capacity. No wonder the major parties are nervous. (more…)
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Death to News Ltd’s propaganda
Let’s not mince words, the “death tax” campaign begun by The Australian and the rest of News Ltd stable is a pack of lies and manipulative misinformation. It is best met with facts and reassurance. (more…)
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Governing on empty: the Hormuz crisis across Asia and the Pacific — part 1
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz is reshaping energy, governance and inequality across Asia and the Pacific. This three-part series examines the very different long and short term impacts across the region. (more…)
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The chilling effect of recent legislation
Freedom of speech and assembly is being curbed by legislation designed to address hate speech. What does this mean for the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement? (more…)
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Tensions in Australia’s migration system: a missed opportunity for the Coalition
The Liberal Party has missed an opportunity to design a sophisticated migration policy that incorporates demand for labour, housing, infrastructure and energy. (more…)
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The facts about Australia’s income tax system
Chris Minns has suggested that Australians work half the week just to pay their income tax? The numbers tell a different story. (more…)
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Understanding counters fear – let’s learn more about Australia’s diversity
A recent panel discussing multiculturalism addressed both the issues facing the policy and its positive artistic and cultural contributions. (more…)
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NACC commissioner Paul Brereton resigns
National Anti-Corruption Commissioner Paul Brereton resigns after three years, citing leadership scrutiny as a distraction from anti-corruption work. (more…)
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It is time for a real liberal party
More than 20 years after he wrote that the Liberal Party has deserted it roots and become deeply conservative, Greg Barns argues it is well beyond time for a genuine liberal force to enter the fray. (more…)
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China on the way to being the first electro-state
China’s careful approach to ensuring its energy security is paying off, even as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz damages the global economy. (more…)
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Albo stumbles with the hard sell
Of all the things which most frustrate about the Albanese government is the tendency of ministers to fall into a form of paralysis the moment it meets any sort of organised opposition, particularly from lobbies of the rich and powerful. (more…)
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War games behind the Iran Curtain
The US and UK governments continue to ignore their parliaments and public opinion, on the most important issue, going to war. Again Australia is on the wrong side. (more…)
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Rehabilitation fails when prisons strip people of dignity
Overcrowding, poor mental health care and degrading prison conditions across Australia are undermining rehabilitation efforts and raising serious questions about how the correctional system treats human dignity. (more…)
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When the Earth’s well runs dry
Beneath our very feet, a silent crisis is unfolding. Unseen, unheeded, the Earth is running out of freshwater. (more…)
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The Emperor has no clothes
The continuing saga of the Trump ballroom is yet another sign that everything the man touches turns to anything but gold, writes Noel Turnbull. (more…)
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Australia abandoned harm minimisation on smoking – and fuelled a black market
Australia’s steep cigarette excise increases and restrictive vaping policies have fuelled a massive illegal tobacco market while undermining the country’s long-standing harm-minimisation approach to public health.
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Thugocracy: the Iran war shows how instability can become profitable
The Iran war has revealed how instability can become a powerful political instrument that benefits insiders and gives them incentives to prolong conflict. (more…)
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The importance of plantations in the Australian forest industry
Timber plantations now provide the overwhelming majority of Australia’s sawn wood products and will become even more important as native forest logging declines and climate pressures intensify. (more…)
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Why have we not heeded Attenborough’s warnings?
We have collectively created a self-propelling destructive system that no-one is in charge of.
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Ben-Gvir’s flotilla humiliation exposes Australia’s selective human rights language
The detention and public humiliation of Australian citizens aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla raises broader questions about whether Australia applies its human rights principles differently when the state involved is a close ally.
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