If there was any doubt in Canberra that the traditional political alignment with the US is in turmoil, the past week or so confirms it irrefutably. (more…)
Category: Politics
-
Peace in Gaza needs a full accounting by both sides
Suppose that one day the states of Europe wearied of the prolonged slaughter, genocide and war crimes in Gaza and resolved to intervene to end the fighting and to bring about a settlement. (more…)
-
Palestine Action reaches beyond the capital cities
It was a common assumption during the darkest days of the US’ war on Vietnam that support for the war would dwindle once the body bags began coming home along “the low road” to small rural communities. (more…)
-
Lowering tobacco tax to make illegal tobacco sales ‘disappear overnight’: At last we have a proposed figure and it’s an absolute doozie
Last week Ross Fitzgerald wrote a piece here titled Time to get real on taxing cigarettes and restricting vapes. (more…)
-
‘Stop the genocide’: Thousands of Israelis rally against war and famine in Gaza
“We stood proud and tall together because there is nothing that will stop the just civilian resistance to the genocide and occupation,” said one protester. (more…)
-
The great dying
The heedless march of man has now laid waste to 60% of the planet’s land surface area, putting humanity’s own future at risk, the latest science reports. (more…)
-
Cutting through the spin – Ten logging ‘myths’ in the new ABARES report
Australia’s native‑forest debate has long been characterised by falsehoods generated by industry and arms of industry such as parts of government. (more…)
-
‘Betrayal of humanity’: Nearly half of 383 aid workers killed last year were in Gaza
“No state should be above the law,” said Younis Alkhatib of the Palestine Red Crescent Society. “The international community is obliged to protect humanitarians and to stop impunity.” (more…)
-
How should Services Australia be constructed?
The Robodebt Royal Commission recommended that the government “undertake an immediate and full review to examine whether the existing structure of the Social Services portfolio and the status of Services Australia (SA) as an entity are optimal” (Rec. 23.1). (more…)
-
Australia must defend International Criminal Court
If it were China or Russia, the imposition of sanctions and threats of harm to prosecutors and judges of the International Criminal Court would be front page news in Australia. (more…)
-
Message from the editor
Many of you would have heard P&I publisher, founder and editor-in-chief John Menadue in conversation with David Marr on ABC Radio National’s Late Night Live last Wednesday evening. If not you can catch it any time. We will publish a transcript. (more…)
-
Israeli data shows 83% of Gaza war dead are civilians: Report
Leaked Israeli intelligence confirms one of the highest civilian tolls in modern conflicts. (more…)
-
China’s critical minerals chokehold sparks Quad action
The global production of advanced technologies — from smartphones and electric vehicles to renewable energy and military systems — relies on rare earth elements such as neodymium and dysprosium, essential for permanent magnets. (more…)
-
Australia’s first Jewish governor-general would have stood with Gaza
Our first Australian-born governor-general, Sir Isaac Isaacs, was a Jew and rejected Zionism as “undemocratic, unjust, dangerous”. (more…)
-
Forgotten but not gone: The Rohingya crisis in Cox’s Bazar
As we mark the eighth anniversary of the Rohingya genocide on 25 August, we remember the horrific violence that forced more than 700,000 people to flee their homes in Myanmar. (more…)
-
The smart home energy burden: How AI is driving up power bills globally
Artificial intelligence is no longer just a buzzword – it’s part of our daily lives. (more…)
-
Yet another example of cultural vandalism by Thai military forces
As part of a Cambodian parliamentary observation team, I visited the border village of Anseh in Choam Ksan district in Preah Vihear province on July 30. (more…)
-
Shared vision, greener together: China and Australia unlock opportunities in eco initiatives
On 9 April, Swatten, a subsidiary of Sieyuan Electric which is headquartered in Shanghai, China, made an appearance at Booth 58 of the Smart Energy 2025 expo in Sydney. (more…)
-
Palestinian statehood without liberation
Why are European countries shifting towards recognising Palestinian statehood at this late stage of Israel’s genocide in Gaza? Three Al Shabaka policy analysts weigh in. (more…)
-
Ben-Gvir spoke to Palestinian leader Barghouti as a master speaks to his slave
They stood facing each other – the fat man and the thin man, the strong and the weak, the oppressor and the oppressed, the conqueror and the conquered, the perpetrator of injustice facing his victim, the wicked against the righteous, in an image that said it all. (more…)
-
‘Who will look after the elderly?’ Bush Summit is back, and so is Gina Rinehart’s dystopian net zero vision
The Australian Bush Summit is back – the Murdoch media’s annual regional roadshow sponsored by Australia’s richest person, Gina Rinehart, who is using the opportunity to present a highly dystopian vision of Australia as it heads towards net zero. (more…)
-
Environment: Humanity’s big success: turning forests from saviours to spoilers
We’re destroying the ability of forests to mitigate global warming. Extreme weather events cause food price hikes and social unrest. Airlines are ignoring sustainable aviation fuel, but does it matter? (more…)
-
Paper promises, real weapons: Transparency, accountability and arms transfer policy
Australia will recognise Palestinian statehood in September, while at the same time continuing to supply critical components for the F-35 fighter jets used by Israel in its military operations in Gaza. (more…)
-
When water becomes war: The moral failure of global governance in the Middle East
Global powers that once justified their interventions in the Middle East with rhetoric about human rights remain silent when basic rights are violated through the denial of water. (more…)
-
The Gaza crisis and the Australian Church
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has illustrated once again that Australian Catholics should not look to their church for high-level collective moral leadership. (more…)
-
Time to get real on taxing cigarettes and restricting vapes
Australia’s cigarettes are now the most expensive in the world. Excise has been increased cumulatively by over 340% in the past 20 years, clearly helping to depress consumption for many years. (more…)
-
The real Gaza death toll is impossible to know today, but the minimum isn’t
Note: At the time of writing, a summary analysis similar to the one below was published in Current Affairs, attributed to “Lex Syd.” There are a few differences in our sources and analyses, but the numbers are the same. (more…)
-
Albanese’s politics of patience: Democracy needs mature leadership
When the Voice referendum failed, political commentators and Opposition leaders demanded an immediate response from Anthony Albanese. (more…)
-
Trump’s attacks on BRICS could strengthen its cohesion
President Donald Trump, exploiting US geopolitical heft and market power, has ushered in “a new world order of tariffs”. (more…)
-
Consumer watchdog launches investigation into ‘sneaky, confusing’ energy retailer tactics
A “super complaint” alleging “sneaky, confusing energy pricing tactics” by Australian electricity retailers has sparked an investigation by the national competition watchdog, amid concerns consumers are being deliberately misled about which energy plans to choose. (more…)