One Nation’s polling surge could create serious instability after the next federal election, with the party’s growing Senate prospects threatening to disrupt the balance of power and test Australia’s political institutions.
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Category: Politics
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One Nation’s Trumpian threat
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Could Texas really swing back to the Democrats?
Texas may still lean Republican, but shifting party identification, economic discontent and doubts about Donald Trump’s leadership are giving Democrats new reasons to believe the state could become competitive.
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Decolonising democracy – part three
In the third of an eight-part series, John Keane traces America’s shift from being defender-in-chief of democracy to MAGA’s denunciation of it. (more…)
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Undersea warfare is moving faster than AUKUS
Rapid advances in lithium-metal battery systems, all-electric submarines and autonomous underwater vehicles are reshaping undersea warfare well before Australia is likely to deploy an operational nuclear-powered submarine force. (more…)
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Trump urges Israel not to retaliate after Iran missile strikes
Iran has launched missile strikes towards Israel, calling the attack a warning over Israel’s continued assault on southern Lebanon and threatening broader regional action if attacks continue. (more…)
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How governments move into Mafia – or Trump – territory
Australia’s crisis of trust is being deepened by opaque lobbying, revolving-door appointments, weak accountability and an insider culture that gives powerful interests privileged access to government. (more…)
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AFP urged to investigate Australians allegedly involved in Gaza genocide
Human rights organisations have referred evidence to the AFP, urging an investigation into whether Australian-Israeli dual nationals may have been involved in genocide, war crimes or crimes against humanity in Gaza. (more…)
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The myth of the balanced budget
A monetary sovereign government such as Australia’s does not need to balance its budget or borrow the currency it creates, provided total spending does not exceed the economy’s real productive capacity. (more…)
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Decolonising democracy – part two
In the second of an eight-part series, John Keane shows how the American empire deployed the idea of ‘liberal democracy’ to bolster its own interests. (more…)
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Marwan Barghouti is the Palestinian leader peace now needs
A sustainable Palestinian-Israeli peace process requires leadership with real legitimacy among Palestinians, and Marwan Barghouti remains one of the few figures capable of uniting Palestinian politics behind a negotiated settlement. (more…)
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The real question in school funding is where the money goes
Australia’s school funding debate has focused on headline spending figures while obscuring whether resources counted toward the Schooling Resource Standard are actually reaching classrooms, students and support staff.
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Trust US War Secretary Hegseth? Sure can’t
Pete Hegseth’s Shangri-La Dialogue speech revealed the contradictions at the heart of Trump’s foreign policy: demanding allied military obedience while claiming to defend sovereignty, stability and freedom of choice. (more…)
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Decarbonisation is now being driven by cost, security and necessity
In emerging and developing economies, the shift away from fossil fuels is increasingly being driven by energy security, affordability and economic pressure rather than formal climate targets alone.
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Decolonising democracy – part one
In the first of an eight-part series, political theorist John Keane examines the effect of disruptions to the world order on democracy and its future. (more…)
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The “China threat” narrative says more about the west than China
Much western commentary portrays Xi Jinping as a revisionist strongman bent on overturning the global order. A closer reading of Chinese political thought and diplomacy suggests a more complex emphasis on multilateralism, reciprocity and long-term stability. (more…)
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Why agreeable AI could weaken human connection
AI systems are useful problem-solvers, but their tendency to affirm users and avoid relational discomfort can undermine responsibility, repair and the human connections that give decisions meaning. (more…)
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How to rebuild what the great powers broke
As great-power rivalry weakens old institutions and disrupts globalisation, middle powers have new leverage to build coalitions, stabilise trade and provide public goods across the North–South divide.
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Gold standard? Revisiting the Hawke government’s reform legacy
A new collection of essays on the Hawke government shows why its reform legacy rested not only on policy ambition, but on evidence, public service advice, Cabinet debate, consultation and disciplined political communication. (more…)
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Homelessness needs political action, not just public sympathy
Australia has widespread public concern about homelessness, but reducing it at scale requires turning charitable support into organised advocacy for housing policy, social housing investment and systemic reform. (more…)
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A war with no end in sight
The Iran war is testing the assumptions behind US and Israeli strategy, with Tehran’s capacity to withstand economic pressure and continue missile production raising political risks for both Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu. (more…)
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That sinking feeling – Message from the Editor
Sometimes you just have to wait.
I’m not a very patient person, but I have learned two things about patience and persistence:
the hard, really important stuff never comes quickly; and
issues run in cycles. If you don’t hit the finish line this time, hang on: there will almost certainly be another opportunity. (more…)
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Seoul’s nuclear push, Toyota’s #2 status, India’s ‘cockroach’ politics – Asian Media Report
Korea’s threshold weapons-power talks, Softbank’s rise to Japan’s top spot, Gen Z’s youth slur revolt, Tokyo’s plan to shape regional power balance, China’s chip-making sanctions work-around and East Asia’s super-aged societies. (more…)
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The Tech Right and MAGA are heading for a collision
Donald Trump’s alliance with Silicon Valley’s Tech Right has united two fundamentally incompatible visions of the future. As AI infrastructure drives up energy costs, the contradiction between technocratic disruption and populist politics is becoming harder to ignore. (more…)
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Duterte’s trial should worry Trump
The court cases facing Nicolás Maduro and Rodrigo Duterte highlight the legal exposure of leaders who use violence, abduction and war as instruments of power – and raise hard questions about Donald Trump’s own vulnerability to international law.
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The quiet Australians who actually empty the bins
When the political class keeps choosing to squeeze outer-suburban, mortgage-stressed, salaried workers, we shouldn’t be surprised to see these people turning to One Nation. (more…)
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Falling house prices should be welcomed, not feared
Falling house prices should ease cost-of-living pressures and help first home-buyers, yet Australia’s political debate still treats rising housing values as a national good rather than a barrier to affordability. (more…)
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Israel’s treatment of Palestinian prisoners violates basic humanitarian law
The imprisonment of Palestinian health workers without charge and new death penalty laws targeting Palestinians expose a detention system that disregards humanitarian law, due process and equality before the law.
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Whatever happened to the baby boomer revolution?
The generation that marched against war, embraced counterculture and promised to change the world now votes overwhelmingly for conservative parties. What happened to the ideals of the baby boomers? (more…)
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The genie is out of the bottle. Where to from here for Iran’s Arab neighbours?
The Iran war has damaged US leverage in the Persian Gulf, strengthened Iran’s regional bargaining position and forced Gulf Arab states to reassess their reliance on Washington.
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The Virginia-class submarine deal exposes the real purpose of AUKUS
The shift to second-hand Virginia-class submarines exposes the deeper flaw in AUKUS: Australia is committing vast public funds to a capability designed around US strategic priorities rather than Australia’s own defence needs.