Australia’s home ownership rate is 66 per cent when counted by household, but just 51 per cent when counted by person. The difference leaves millions of Australians living in an owned home without owning one themselves – and changes how we should understand Australia’s housing crisis. (more…)
Category: Politics
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The growth of Chinese soft power, and the decline of America’s
Global opinion is shifting towards China as its technology, manufacturing and development record strengthen its appeal, while decades of war and political turmoil erode America’s standing.
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Seven hours to prove he speaks English: Gaza students in visa limbo
Young Palestinians offered a place by Irish universities shouldn’t lose that future because the mechanisms of a visa system can’t accommodate the reality of the place from from which they are applying. (more…)
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AUKUS Pillar One, part one: The nuclear dilemma – strategic and operational concerns
In the first of a two-part series, AUKUS is examined as a strategic choice, not simply a procurement program. The planned submarines are designed for US-led coalition warfare rather than a self-reliant defence of Australia. (more…)
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The democratic danger of knowing more and understanding less
Humanity has built an extraordinary system for producing and sharing knowledge, yet many people still lack a broad understanding of the systems shaping their lives. That gap is becoming a democratic dilemma. (more…)
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Are the rich and old to be pitched against the young and poor?
Making housing affordable for younger Australians will require lower land prices and a major increase in housing supply. But the rush to build risks sacrificing planning standards, urban amenity and sustainability, while the labour shortage makes immigration an unavoidable part of the equation. (more…)
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NDIS reforms are coming. Who could lose support?
Proposed NDIS reforms would tighten eligibility, cut some participation funding and move hundreds of thousands out of the scheme, while replacement supports remain uncertain. (more…)
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The planetary emergency is here. The warnings are getting louder
Decades of scientific warnings have done little to change humanity’s course. A new warning looks at the interconnected pressures facing the planet and what can be done about them. (more…)
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Cuba needs energy security, not another generation of collective punishment
Six months of intensified US pressure on Cuba’s energy supply have deepened blackouts, transport failures and shortages. The immediate need is humanitarian relief; the longer-term answer is energy sovereignty. (more…)
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AUKUS Infrastructure, part 7: Sorting the submarine source and sustainment stalemate
In part seven of the AUKUS infrastructure series, the focus turns to Henderson, where fragmented planning risks locking Australia into costly nuclear bottlenecks before construction has properly begun. (more…)
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Australia knows the climate risk – and keeps waiting
Australians increasingly accept that climate change is real, yet governments continue approving fossil fuel expansion and development in known risk zones. The longer action is delayed, the harder and costlier it becomes. (more…)
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Six things Tony Burke should say about immigration
Australia’s post-COVID migration surge is receding, but it exposed deep weaknesses in the temporary visa system. Restoring public confidence requires better regulation, clearer pathways and less fixation on a single net migration number. (more…)
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New Zealand government on rocky road to November election
Winston Peters’ comment to a Chinese-born MP has drawn a formal rebuke from Beijing and exposed the political cost of relying on New Zealand First as Christopher Luxon heads towards a difficult election. (more…)
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After Robodebt, why did the ATO remove a protection for people over 70?
The ATO has changed how it treats previously suspended tax debts, raising serious questions about older and vulnerable Australians, retirement savings and whether government has absorbed the human lessons of Robodebt. (more…)
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Remembering Anas, Mohammed and Gaza’s other slain journalists
Gaza’s journalists have reported through the displacement, bereavement and lethal danger of genocide, while colleagues and family members have been killed around them. Their work has become both testimony and a demand for accountability. (more…)
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A Trump-linked oil push raises the stakes in Greenland
Donald Trump has renewed his threats to take Greenland as a US oil company with ties to his allies makes unauthorised preparations to drill there, raising fears that pressure on the territory is moving beyond rhetoric. (more…)
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Five Fijian sparkies and the real challenge of remote renewable energy
A remote solar and battery system can replace diesel, but lasting energy independence depends on something less easily shipped – local people with the skills and confidence to maintain it. (more…)
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Chinese Australians a largely silent constituency in the AUKUS Debate
In this abridged submission to the public inquiry into AUKUS, Wanning Sun warns that the pact’s securitisation of China is discouraging Chinese Australians from political participation and constraining academic freedom. (more…)
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Teaching is a calling. That’s no excuse to underpay teachers
Teaching can offer meaning, dignity and a profound sense of responsibility to others. But devotion to the work should never become an excuse for poor pay, insecurity or burnout. (more…)
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Environment: Australia’s diesel use increasing despite the harm it causes
Australia is subsidising rising diesel use, personal carbon footprints distract from systemic change, forest loss is accelerating and feral cats are killing even more native wildlife than we thought.
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Regime Change: essential, chilling reading on Trump’s second term
Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan’s Regime Change documents the corruption, cruelty and concentration of power defining Donald Trump’s second presidency – and why the international restraints he is dismantling still matter. (more…)
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What the census tells us about Australia losing its religion
From a handwritten response in 1911 to the largest single census category today, “no religion” charts a profound shift in Australian identity – shaped by secularisation, migration and changing social attitudes. (more…)
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What courage looks like: David McBride walks free
David McBride has emerged from prison after paying an extraordinary personal price for exposing information about alleged war crimes. His case should leave Australia with more than gratitude – it should leave lasting whistleblower reform. (more…)
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Of melons and militarism: A Japanese nationalist’s verbal missile hits Canberra
Former ambassador Yamagami Shingo is again shaping Australian political debate. His nationalist commentary, partisan interventions and revisionist views deserve scrutiny before his attacks are treated as the voice of Japan. (more…)
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Human rights groups challenge Trump’s attack on the ICC
Four US human rights groups are challenging Trump administration sanctions they say criminalise cooperation with the International Criminal Court and obstruct efforts to pursue justice for Gaza. (more…)
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Muslim defence pact, China-Indonesia naval drill, and giant reformer’s death – Asian Media Report
Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan’s new defence pact could reshape West Asian security, while China and Indonesia plan naval drills east of Taiwan. Also: Thailand’s welcome for Myanmar’s leader, Zhu Rongji’s legacy, the weak yen and India’s TV credibility crisis.
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November could be the turning point in the Trump era
Donald Trump may refuse to accept Republican losses in November, but America’s electoral institutions are likely to hold – and the midterms could mark a decisive shift towards a post-Trump political era. (more…)
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Gig workers get new rights – without the catastrophe platforms predicted
New minimum standards will give food delivery workers an earnings floor, accident cover and clearer workplace protections. The changes also test years of warnings that regulating gig work would send delivery prices soaring. (more…)
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Who should build the low-carbon economy?
Clean technologies are spreading rapidly, but the ability to design, manufacture and profit from them remains concentrated in a handful of countries. A just transition requires developing nations to build their own capacity to innovate. (more…)
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Mental health is not a niche issue. It is the electorate
Australians are experiencing extraordinary levels of psychological distress while mental health services remain underfunded and overstretched. The political cost will be measured not just in health outcomes, but in deepening distrust of government. (more…)