New research shows immigration is not driving voter anger, yet the Coalition is targeting it anyway – risking further losses in the diverse, urban seats it must win back. (more…)
Category: Politics
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Another interest rate rise will tip Australia into a recession we don’t have to have
A sharp fall in confidence and rising fuel prices point to a potential downturn, but traditional policy responses risk making the situation worse.
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Shock, horror! An effective parliament in our time?
An ACT Legislative Assembly committee has strengthened proposed sentencing laws by listening to expert evidence and improving the legislation. (more…)
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What is the 25th Amendment and could it be used to remove Trump from office?
Renewed calls to invoke the 25th Amendment have put the spotlight on how it works – and why it may be ill-suited to dealing with a president accused of mental incapacity. (more…)
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Insider confirms US worked with Al Qaeda to fight the Syrian government
New insider claims revive long-standing questions about whether US policy in Syria involved working with extremist groups – and what that means for how the war is understood. (more…)
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On asylum, the Coalition is offering old fixes to problems of its own making
The Coalition’s asylum plan repackages familiar measures that have failed before, while sidestepping its role in creating a large and growing backlog of unsuccessful applicants. (more…)
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Electoral laws versus free political speech
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…)
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Angus Taylor and the Liberal Party’s moral decline
Paul Keating says Angus Taylor’s embrace of “values” politics marks a return to racism, abandoning the Liberal Party’s traditions in favour of base political appeal. (more…)
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Trump has turned the pope into an adversary – and exposed himself
By targeting Pope Leo XIV, Donald Trump has exposed the limits of political power when confronted with a moral authority it cannot silence or absorb. (more…)
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The war on renewables is really about protecting fossil fuel profits
As global fossil fuel prices surge amid conflict, attacks on Australia’s energy transition are intensifying – driven by industry interests that stand to lose from cheaper, more reliable renewables.
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Italy breaks with Israel as public anger forces a political shift
Italy has suspended military cooperation with Israel after months of mounting public anger. (more…)
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Iran war: rights and wrongs
International law rulings on Israel’s occupation place clear obligations on all states, yet Australia continues to back US and Israeli military action in Iran. (more…)
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We’re soaking in it
Human waste is overwhelming rivers, oceans and ecosystems worldwide, driving pollution, disease and ecological breakdown on a planetary scale. (more…)
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Urgent warning to Congressional leaders: Trump is psychologically unstable and dangerous
President Trump exhibits what forensic mental health experts have identified as the “Dark Triad” of personality traits: narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy. What this represents is a constitutional emergency. (more…)
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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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‘A very dark picture’: IMF warns Trump’s Iran war could unleash global recession
The war on Iran is disrupting energy supplies, fuelling inflation and raising the risk of a global downturn, with the poorest countries set to suffer most. (more…)
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Logging and thinning are putting Alpine Ash forests at risk
Australia’s Alpine Ash forests are endangered and highly vulnerable to fire. Logging, thinning and burning are increasing that risk – not reducing it. (more…)
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The UAE’s shadow network of power and war
Behind multiple conflicts across the Middle East and Africa sits a powerful but often overlooked actor – the UAE’s network of finance, logistics and proxy forces shaping outcomes on the ground. (more…)
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Indonesia’s rice bowl gets bigger
Indonesia’s claims of rice self-sufficiency clash with import deals, opaque data and the growing political control of the food system. (more…)
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Stagflation risk puts tax reform back on the table
This budget will be especially challenging. Given the risks of stagflation, fiscal policy needs to be tightened. But in a cost-of-living crisis the main burden should fall on those who are relatively well off and that requires tax reform. (more…)
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Voters no longer want managers – they want fighters
Across Western democracies, voters are abandoning consensus politics in favour of leaders willing to fight, name enemies and prosecute a cause – a shift now reshaping both left and right. (more…)
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Trump deletes image of himself as Jesus-like saviour after backlash
Donald Trump is facing criticism from church leaders, conservatives and political figures after posting an AI-generated image of himself as a Jesus-like figure and attacking Pope Leo XIV.
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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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No one likes the Job-ready Graduate scheme – so why does it still exist?
The architect of the HECS scheme Bruce Chapman, says economists agree, the Job-ready Graduate scheme is bad economics. (more…)
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China doubles down on state-led tech – and delays reform
China’s latest Five-Year Plan doubles down on state-led investment in high-tech sectors, strengthening national power while sidelining structural reform and consumption-led growth. (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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Iran debacle is Suez moment for US-Australia alliance
While there is already introspection both in the US and among its allies as to the long-term effects of this crisis on American capabilities and capacities, will Canberra seize the moment to reflect? (more…)
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Defund, don’t debate – the playbook for silencing dissent
The closure of the Grace Tame Foundation exposes a troubling pattern – dissent isn’t debated, it is defunded through pressure applied behind the scenes.
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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.