As healthcare, education and housing costs rise sharply across Indonesia, public frustration is increasingly colliding with political rhetoric that appears disconnected from everyday economic realities.
Category: Politics
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Budget 2026: Responsible, reformist – but still too cautious
This is a responsible budget that responds sensibly to inflation and weak productivity, but it stops short of the deeper tax and climate reforms needed to reshape the economy.
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Budget 2026: Leadership means more than keeping campaign promises – Message from the Editor
The obsession with whether governments have broken campaign promises is shrinking political ambition and discouraging the kind of leadership needed to tackle Australia’s deep structural problems, P&I Editor Catriona Jackson writes. (more…)
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Budget 2026: The biggest tax reform agenda in a generation
The government’s Budget reforms on negative gearing and capital gains tax will not solve the housing crisis overnight, but they represent the most ambitious attempt this century to rebalance Australia’s tax system and address intergenerational inequality. (more…)
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Budget 2026: It pains me to say nice things about politicians, but this is a good budget
The federal budget takes long-avoided steps to curb housing tax concessions, rein in spending growth and reduce intergenerational unfairness – despite the political risks. (more…)
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Budget 2026: Clean energy spending grows but gas giants still avoid reform
The federal budget increases investment in emissions reduction, batteries and clean energy infrastructure, but leaves major fossil fuel tax concessions and gas industry profits largely untouched. (more…)
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The war on Iran will likely end in American retreat
The US and Israel expected a rapid collapse of the Iranian regime, but the war has instead exposed the limits of American power, the rising cost of modern warfare and Iran’s capacity to impose regional consequences. (more…)
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Symbolic empathy is no substitute for tackling homelessness
Fundraising sleepouts may raise awareness, but homelessness is fundamentally a systems failure driven by housing shortages, inadequate support services and political inaction.
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Trump’s China visit watched in US for signs of stability – and tangible wins
Donald Trump’s visit to China comes amid mounting tensions over trade, AI, security and the Middle East, but both Washington and Beijing appear determined to prevent the relationship sliding into deeper confrontation.
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The rules-based order is breaking down before our eyes
In an edited version of a speech delivered at the Restoring Democracy launch in Melbourne, Gillian Triggs says that weakening respect for international law, human rights and democratic institutions is placing both global stability and Australian democracy under pressure. (more…)
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Farrer exposed a political divide the Liberals cannot bridge
The Farrer by-election revealed a deep political realignment, with One Nation consolidating support in regional Australia while multicultural and younger voters continue to move sharply against it.
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Is Australia America’s 51st state in Asia?
Both Labor and the Coalition are deepening Australia’s alignment with the United States, even as doubts grow about AUKUS, the rules-based order and the risks of being drawn into a US-China conflict. (more…)
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The old economics is failing – and the World Bank knows it
By coming out in favour of industrial policy after many decades of advising against government intervention in the economy, the World Bank has taken an important step. But it still has much further to go to translate real-world evidence into better policy advice.
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One Nation now represents two of Australia’s best wind and solar regions
One Nation’s victory in Farrer places the party at the centre of major renewable energy and transmission projects in regional New South Wales, despite its strong opposition to the clean energy transition.
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Labor should be worried about the Farrer result too
The Farrer by-election exposed not only the collapse of Coalition support, but signs that One Nation is also attracting disillusioned Labor voters.
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War destroys more than lives – it destroys cultural worlds
War, displacement and colonisation do not only destroy lives and communities, but also the cultural worlds, histories and shared meanings that give people a sense of continuity and belonging.
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One Nation’s win in Farrer leaves Liberals on the brink
The Farrer by-election result marks a dramatic collapse in Liberal support and signals a broader shift in Australian politics as One Nation surges. (more…)
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Australia’s ISIS cases test law, politics and fairness
Three women repatriated from Syria have been charged with serious offences under Australian law, but the response from political leaders risks undermining the right to a fair trial. (more…)
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Time to rob old relics to bring up new generations
The principle that those who are best off should be paying more tax as a proportion than those of more modest income is a fundamental one. That includes baby boomers. (more…)
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Trump raises voice – Vatican lowers heat
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s Rome visit exposes the contrast between White House fury and papal diplomacy. (more…)
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The two-party system is breaking under the weight of capitalism
Election results in Britain and Australia point to a deeper crisis in the two-party system, as economic power drifts further beyond the reach of democratic control. (more…)
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On-again, off-again war/peace rhetoric: just epic insider trading?
Epic insider trading by those who likely know Trump’s plans is one characteristic of the US war on Iran, with some observers suggesting the on-again off-again peace deals are deliberately choreographed for the markets.
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Is Earth on its way to becoming the ‘Forbidden Planet’?
A 70-year-old science fiction film offers a stark warning for today’s AI race, showing how powerful technology can amplify humanity’s most destructive impulses. (more…)
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Is the renewed push for a Human Rights Act worth the effort?
A Commonwealth Human Rights Act must do more than help courts identify breaches of human rights; it must enable them to strike down offending laws and give relief to wronged litigants. The groundwork for an act with teeth is still to be done. (more…)
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NDIS: the way forward
To take the NDIS to the next level will require cultural and operational changes that give the National Disability Insurance Agency the tools, and the mindset, to properly manage its business. (more…)
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An irresponsible – and inexcusable – delay
Not giving adequate protection to human rights, particularly to the most vulnerable people in our country, when the government has the political financial and legal resources to do so is a national disgrace. We need a Human Rights Act.
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India’s farms dodged the Hormuz crisis, but its budget didn’t
The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to commercial vessels on 17 April 2026 came as a great relief for India. But the blocking of the strait revealed both how exposed Indian agriculture is to a single waterway and how heavily the government must lean on subsidies to insulate farmers from the consequences. (more…)
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Trump’s tragedy of errors
Regardless of how long US President Donald Trump’s ill-advised war and today’s stagflationary conditions last, the long-run consequences will be profound. Fancying himself an absolute monarch, Trump has broken something he cannot fix and unleashed forces he cannot control. (more…)
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New partner, new voices: message from the Editor
P&I is digging deeper into issues and, thanks to new partnerships, bringing you perspectives from leading thinkers both in our daily feed and in curated series about important topics. (more…)
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Modi’s power grip, Japan’s regional pitch, Suu Kyi’s house arrest – Asian Media Report
BJP’s historic state dominance, Takaichi’s ‘proactive’ Indo-Pacific role, AI’s emerging role in diplomacy, Pyongyang’s ‘normal nation’ push, Myanmar’s change without change, Taiwan’s national happiness win. (more…)