Paul Keating says Australia should resist strategic subordination to the United States without accepting Chinese dominance, and instead preserve its own sovereignty. (more…)
Category: Politics
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It’s too late for 1.5°C. That doesn’t mean we give up
The UN now accepts that global warming is going to exceed 1.5°C but it’s unlikely that this will change anything governments or corporations do. It’s now too late to avoid catastrophic global warming. The task now is to limit further damage and prepare honestly for what follows. (more…)
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Aggression against school staff is a workplace failure, not a wellbeing problem
Aggression towards teachers and principals is being normalised as something to manage, rather than treated as a workplace hazard employers must prevent. (more…)
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Protesters challenge Israeli military-linked presence at Sydney Marathon
Hundreds of protesters lined the Sydney Marathon route over the presence of Israeli military-linked participants, calling for scrutiny under Australia’s character laws. (more…)
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The danger of not knowing what you don’t know, part two: Why Trump’s Board of Peace is floundering
In the second of a two-part series, Connie Peck explains why Trump’s Board of Peace is struggling to turn its Gaza plan into reality as implementation stalls and critical institutions remain undeployed. (more…)
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The far right feeds on grievance. Democracy has to answer it
Falling trust, social isolation and a sense of lost status can make far-right politics more appealing. Rebuilding connection and democratic voice is part of the answer. (more…)
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Powerhouse Parramatta is about to open without the leader who defined it
Lisa Havilah’s departure just weeks before Powerhouse Parramatta opens leaves a museum shaped closely around her vision facing questions of leadership, authority and legitimacy. (more…)
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Europe should stand with Canada against Trump’s economic coercion
Trump’s escalating pressure on Canada should be a warning to Europe: middle powers need deeper economic and strategic cooperation if they are to resist coercion. (more…)
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Australians are hunkering down – and becoming less happy
Australians are becoming less connected, trusting and satisfied with life, but resilience remains – and tackling insecurity could help rebuild social cohesion. (more…)
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Nepal’s catastrophe demands more than climate silence
As climate-fuelled disasters intensify, political leaders should stop treating discussion of their causes as untimely and confront the consequences of continued inaction.
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What are we missing about Helen of Troy?
Debate over who can play Helen of Troy misses something more interesting: in Homer, she emerges as a rare figure capable of questioning fate, power and her own responsibility. (more…)
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Britain’s security establishment has discovered the ecological crisis
A UK national security assessment warns that ecosystem collapse threatens food, water, health and geopolitical stability – and that no country will escape the consequences.
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Performance Politics: how Australian politicians write themselves into history
Joshua Black’s ‘Performance Politics’ traces how Australian politicians have used memoirs, publishing and television to shape public personas and secure their political legacies. (more…)
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Australia cannot deny its share of the climate catastrophe
Bob Brown says Australia cannot keep expanding fossil fuel production while denying its share of responsibility for the mounting human toll of climate change. (more…)
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The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is becoming harder to ignore
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) now represents 3.4 billion people and a quarter of global GDP, as its members seek a greater role in shaping a multipolar international order. (more…)
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The danger of not knowing what you don’t know, part one: How Trump dismantled the US Institute of Peace
In the first of a two-part series, the destruction of the US Institute of Peace shows what is lost when decades of conflict-resolution expertise are discarded. (more…)
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China’s AI boom is reviving Marxist economics
China’s use of AI in industrial production is reviving Marxist ideas about labour and value – and raising the possibility of an economy less dependent on capitalist accumulation. (more…)
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Australia must break the link between alcohol, schools and sport
Alcohol-related deaths and harms are rising, yet schools and organisations associated with them still promote drinking. Education should help break the cycle, not reinforce it.
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Big Tech knows what its algorithms are doing. Australia should too
Australia’s public sphere is increasingly shaped by privately controlled algorithms, yet researchers and regulators still lack the independent access needed to see how those systems work. (more…)
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EVs outsell petrol and diesel as Australia’s car market shifts
Battery EVs took a record 24.9 per cent of Australia’s new-car market in August, outselling both petrol and diesel as electrified vehicles continued their rapid rise.
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The major parties collapsed. Why didn’t the Greens rise?
As Labor and Coalition support has collapsed, the Greens have remained stuck around 12 per cent – constrained by geography, culture and a changing generational base. (more…)
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The pieces I can’t shake – message from the Editor
Some articles do more than inform. They challenge assumptions, expose uncomfortable truths and stay with us – which is why independent journalism needs room to publish them.
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The world will overshoot 1.5°C. That is not a reason to give up
The world is likely to pass 1.5°C of warming around 2030, but rapid emissions cuts and carbon removal could still make the overshoot temporary and avoid far worse damage. (more…)
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House prices are falling. Now we’ll find out who really wants affordability
Australia cannot make housing more affordable while protecting homeowners from falling prices. The current downturn may reveal how serious politicians really are about fixing the system. (more…)
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Do forests really stop growing after 25 years?
Claims that forests stop growing after 25 years are contradicted by field evidence showing old forests continue storing carbon, while dead trees and burned forests retain vital ecological value.
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From Myanmar to India, a generation is testing South Asia’s politics
Youth-led uprisings are reshaping South Asia, but similar frustrations have produced radically different outcomes depending on whether political institutions repress, adapt or give way. (more…)
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We want to know what China wants. Or at least we say we do
Debate over China too often treats growing military power and authoritarian rule as proof of hostile intent. Australia should prepare for risk without assuming the conclusion in advance. (more…)
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Australia has one chance to get data centre energy policy right
Data centres could consume 13 per cent of National Electricity Market power by 2036. Australia should require them to bring new firmed renewable energy rather than add pressure to the grid. (more…)
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Private health insurance costs taxpayers $13 billion a year. What for?
Taxpayers spend about $13 billion a year supporting private health insurance, yet there is little evidence it relieves pressure on public hospitals or delivers fair value.
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Hard New World: Can Australia survive America’s decline?
Hugh White’s new book warns that declining US power and China’s rise are remaking Asia, while Australia remains dangerously attached to old assumptions about American protection. (more…)