Nearly 25 years on from the Tampa crisis, Australia needs a parliamentary inquiry to lift the lid on offshore detention.
Category: Politics
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US alliance holding us back
Australia’s US alliance is preventing the country from signing and ratifying the Treaty for Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, despite overwhelming public support for the government to do so.
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Working with PM Fraser – the business view – Part 2
John Menadue stayed on as the most senior public servant in the land, after the trauma of the Dismissal. In this 5-part series he details what life was like working with PM Fraser. Given his closeness to Whitlam, some of his conclusions are surprising. -
Nurturing the next generation of voices
One of the things that sets P&I apart is the seniority and deep experience of many of our authors. And that will not change, facts and historical understanding of issues are essential if we are to tackle the huge issues confronting us all. But the other essential element is fresh thinking and the kind of sparkling hope and action that young Australians bring to the table. (more…)
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Five reasons Trump’s economy stinks and 10 things the Dems should do about It
The Trump economy is truly awful for most Americans. Democrats need to show America that they can be better trusted to bring prices down and real wages up. (more…)
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Fatal free lunch
Indonesia’s free meals for kids program has left thousands of youngsters with food poisoning, and returned the country to the bad old days of military influence.
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Investigative journalists are the heroes of our time
Investigative journalists and whistleblowers must be cherished and protected if there is to be any chance of maintaining our fragile democratic system.
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UN approval of Gaza ‘Stabilisation Force’ slammed as ‘Denial of Palestinian self-determination’
CodePink said the plan “will leave Palestine in the hands of a puppet administration, assigning the United States, which shares complicity in the genocide, as the new manager of the open-air prison.” (more…)
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Overworked, overburdened, and burning out: Australian teachers’ workloads among the worst in OECD
Australian teachers have unsustainable workloads, and government responses have done little to ease their burden.
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A search for purpose, vision and identity in Australian universities
The Australian university sector has become disconnected from the national imagination and needs a compelling new vision for the future.
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Australians are markedly more worried about the US, but still wary about China
Australians’ concerns and mistrust of China are easing, while doubts about the US are increasing.
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From Whitlam to AUKUS: Sovereignty silenced
When governor-general Sir John Kerr dismissed Gough Whitlam on 11 November 1975, Australia lost more than a government. It lost a measure of its independence a loss that still shadows our politics half a century later. (more…)
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Working with PM Fraser – the changeover – Part 1
John Menadue stayed on as the most senior public servant in the land, after the trauma of the Dismissal. In this 5-part series he details what life was like working with PM Fraser. Given his closeness to Whitlam, some of his conclusions are surprising. -
Coalition politicians who can’t accept the threat of climate change should resign
Politicians who cannot accept climate change is humanity’s greatest threat should have no place in the Australian parliament.
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Book review: Turbulence – Australian foreign policy in the Trump era
For anyone concerned about where Australia’s foreign policy including AUKUS, is taking us, Clinton Fernandes’ book is essential reading.
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Breaking free of media group-think is a scary, lonely journey. I know. I was forced to do it
The western media’s failure to report the reality of Gaza didn’t start on 7 October 2023. It’s always been like this. Here’s why journalists won’t tell you the truth about Palestine. (more…)
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Migration myths
Migrants aren’t to blame for expensive houses or stress on infrastructure: in fact they’re making more contribution to our shared assets than Australians. (more…)
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It’s as if their lives do not matter
Many Rohingya have gone missing at sea, but this latest boat tragedy highlights ASEAN’s indifference. (more…)
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Pope Leo and transparency in child sexual abuse cases
If the Catholic Church wishes to change a culture of secrecy, leadership has to come from the top.
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Stop pretending punishment works
When Premier Jacinta Allan is photographed proudly advancing Victoria’s Treaty process, she is rightly praised. (more…)
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Daniel Ghezelbash: The Refugee Convention is under threat, but it is not the problem
We are at a crossroads for refugee protection. Around the world, displacement has reached record highs, with more than 122 million people forced from their homes, including over 31 million refugees. (more…)
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US Democrats cave once more
The perils of unprincipled, performative so-called “resistance.” (more…)
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Gaza winter catastrophe repeating in tents that resist neither wind nor rain
The seasons change, but for those fighting for survival through wet winters and baking summers in Gaza’s tents, the suffering remains.
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Emergency powers and tariffs: The US Supreme Court’s test of the President’s authority
The Supreme Court is set to decide on the limits of executive power – and that decision will have practical implications for Australia.
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Richo’s grave should be extra deep
Graham Richardson was a very successful operator of the Labor Party from the late 1970s who was distinctly short on redeeming virtues. (more…)
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Sudan cannot be an invisible tragedy
The end of violence must be a first step in the Sudan Civil War. And Australia has a key role to play.
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50,000 march to celebrate death of fossil fuel industry at COP30
An estimated 50,000 people took to the streets of Belém do Pará, Brazil, on Saturday to demand a just transition toward a more renewable energy system and egalitarian economy. (more…)
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‘My Viceroy’ – Part 5
“I thought it no bad thing that the public in Australia and, perhaps, also those in other monarchical Commonwealth countries, not excluding Britain, should have been reminded that the Crown possessed reserve powers.” Sir John Kerr to the British High Commissioner to Australia, December 1975. (more…)
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‘Good neighbours are essential’: the history behind the Indonesia-Australia security treaty
Indonesia and Australia signed a landmark bilateral security treaty last week. But from the outset, Australia has enjoyed warm relations with its giant neighbour. (more…)
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Nuclear testing threatens global stability
Gareth Evans, Robert Hill, and Larissa Waters are among the Australian signatories of a statement calling on Trump to clarify that the US will not resume nuclear explosive testing.