The far right does not emerge outside mainstream political culture. Its nationalism, authoritarianism and populism draw on ideas with deep roots in Australian life.
Category: Politics
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Bird flu is spreading across Australia. What happens next?
H5N1 is spreading along southern Australia and is likely to move inland, reach vulnerable island colonies and infect more wildlife. Monitoring will be critical to understanding the damage. (more…)
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Rolling back Victoria’s energy transition could cost billions
With the Yallourn power station closing and electricity demand rising, abandoning major renewable and transmission projects could add billions to Victoria’s power costs and leave new supply years behind. (more…)
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AUKUS is a $368 billion gamble Australia does not need to take
US production shortfalls, Britain’s submarine crisis and Australia’s own infrastructure delays are eroding the assumptions behind AUKUS. It’s time to take a different path. (more…)
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The changing face of homelessness
Homelessness in Australia is increasingly affecting working families, older women and people who never fitted the old stereotype, as housing costs, insecure work and inadequate social housing widen the risk. (more…)
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Migration is not the problem. Bad migration policy is
Migration brings benefits, pressures and vulnerabilities. The challenge is not choosing between open and closed borders, but building institutions capable of managing movement well. (more…)
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The China I was taught to fear – and the China I met
Australia should be able to scrutinise China without turning a government, a civilisation and a people into a single threatening enemy. (more…)
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Trump cannot deport students for pro-Palestinian speech, judge rules
A US federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration violated constitutional protections by using immigration powers against international students for pro-Palestinian speech. (more…)
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Secret Harbour is a warning about where political frustration can lead
The Secret Harbour result may reflect less a sudden embrace of far-right ideology than a deeper mix of economic anxiety, political alienation and collapsing trust. (more…)
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Heresies: Richard Flanagan is rarely heretical, but rarely dull
Richard Flanagan’s Heresies gathers 24 essays, speeches and reflections spanning politics, literature and public life – with moral force even when the heresy itself is harder to find. (more…)
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WA by-election results diabolical for ALP
One Nation’s victories in WA and NSW tell us that Australia’s electoral landscape is shifting fast. Relying on One Nation to implode is not enough to stem the populist tide. (more…)
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Why America’s political system has failed to contain Trump
Donald Trump’s political dominance reflects more than one man’s power. Hugh White writes that deep public discontent and failing institutions have left America vulnerable to a second political revolution. (more…)
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When religious conservatives tried to reshape the ACT Liberals
Religious conservatives have long sought influence within the ACT Liberal Party. Their efforts under Zed Seselja offer a cautionary tale about factional power, political ambition and the limits of ideology. (more…)
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Time to move to fixed four-year terms
Australia’s three-year federal election cycle encourages short-term politics and uncertainty. Fixed four-year terms could improve policymaking, investment and democratic fairness – if voters can be persuaded to back reform. (more…)
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A system that abandons adolescents with severe behavioural needs
Adolescents with severe behavioural needs are too often treated as beyond help. As suspensions rise and specialist provision narrows, Australia’s public education system risks abandoning them when support matters most. (more…)
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Remembering Gaza’s children should not be controversial
The Wall of Tears names more than 18,000 children killed in Gaza. Sue Wareham writes that remembering them should transcend politics, and that every child deserves dignity, accountability and commemoration. (more…)
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Albanese, climate change and the case for greater independence
Australia faces worsening climate risks while expanding fossil fuel projects and deepening its ties with Washington. Could Anthony Albanese pursue a more independent path on climate, energy and foreign policy? (more…)
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Palestinian deaths continue and the numbers are horrifying
There has long been significant undercounting of Palestinians deaths as the Genocide continues. (more…)
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AUKUS and our strategic independence
AUKUS raises fundamental questions about Australia’s sovereignty, military dependence and place in Asia – and whether greater strategic independence could offer a more secure and peaceful path for the nation. (more…)
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A future where Australian Muslims no longer question belonging
By 2050, a new generation of Australian Muslims will be shaping the country’s institutions, communities and public life, confident in their identity, belonging and contribution to Australia’s future. (more…)
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Van Viet Truong’s death and anti-Asian hostility
As anti-Asian rhetoric intensifies and One Nation rallies its supporters, the death of Melbourne grocer Van Viet Truong raises urgent questions about racism, political scapegoating and the society Australia is becoming. (more…)
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The world is living beyond its water means
Humanity is living beyond its means as wetlands disappear and World Heritage sites face growing water risks – while one company plans to illuminate the night from space. (more…)
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Why do problems with church governance persist?
The Catholic Schools NSW ICAC inquiry raises renewed questions about accountability and transparency within the Church, and whether a decade of promised governance reform has produced meaningful institutional change. (more…)
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Flood disaster ‘bound to happen’, the ‘aging, raging’ president, and China’s business drinking culture – Asian Media Report
Nepal devastation the worst in its history. Plus: unusual response as Trump curries favour with Kim, Myanmar militias entrench cyberscam operations, China breaking Asia’s ‘flying geese’ industrial model; region seeks open-road AI pathway; and why women are forced to drink. (more…)
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Peter Wilenski: Reformer
Peter Wilenski helped reshape Australia’s public service, championing responsiveness, equality and openness. But his rejection of political neutrality left a more complicated legacy for public administration and reform today. (more…)
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Gaza’s reproductive crisis: The devastating toll on women and children
Miscarriages are rising, births are falling and malnutrition is harming mothers and children across Gaza, as war, displacement and the collapse of healthcare devastate reproductive health. (more…)
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Trump destabilising East Asia’s security order
Trump’s transactional approach to US alliances is pushing South Korea and Japan towards greater strategic autonomy, as China seeks to shape an increasingly uncertain East Asian security order. (more…)
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Albanese backflips on renewables for data centres
The Albanese government has retreated from requiring new data centres to prioritise renewables, allowing states greater control over energy sources as Queensland and the Northern Territory pursue fossil fuels. (more…)
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Afghanistan: Present, past and future
Five years into renewed Taliban rule, Afghanistan’s future remains uncertain. What went wrong with two decades of peacebuilding – and what can be done now? (more…)
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Help us tell the real China story
When I represented universities, I often appeared at parliamentary inquiries. All were instructive, but there was one in late 2020 that taught me how entrenched anti-China prejudice is in Australia. (more…)