The reinstatement of artist Khaled Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino as Australia’s representatives for the 2026 Venice Biennale closes a bruising recent cultural episode and exposes the fragility of the systems meant to protect artistic freedom in Australia. (more…)
Category: Politics
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Saving the NDIS doesn’t need to cost more money
The Albanese Government has a lot hinging on the successful delivery of savings earmarked from the National Disability Insurance Scheme. (more…)
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Food aid or firing squads?
In Gaza today, hunger has a price – and for far too many civilians, that price has been death. (more…)
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China’s rapid adoption of AI demands greater scrutiny of the social impact
In contrast to the perception that Beijing has placed a lot of “guardrails” on AI, China’s AI regulation so far has been limited. (more…)
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What are police allowed to do at protests and who keeps them in check?
Earlier this week, former Greens candidate Hannah Thomas was hospitalised with serious injuries after being arrested at a protest in Sydney. (more…)
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The Western allies of the US as vassal states
A vassal state is one that retains some autonomy at home but is effectively dominated by another power in its foreign affairs. (more…)
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Iran: The things it won’t do to say
If Thomas Friedman’s fairytale world of light-versus-darkness were to evaporate, less noble motives for US and Israeli actions might be revealed. (more…)
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‘Watershed moment’: Big battery storage prices hit record low in huge China auction
The price for big battery storage modules have hit a record low in the latest giant auction in China, where more than 70 bidders competed for 25 gigawatt hours of capacity in what is being described as a “watershed moment” for the industry. (more…)
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Dangers of renewed civil war in Syria
With 150 armed groups in Syria, the ruling HTS (al-Qa`idah) doesn’t control the country, while Israeli bombing intends to expose the weaknesses of the so-called central government in Damascus. (more…)
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The time has arrived for a comprehensive Middle East peace
The attack by Israel and the US on Iran had two significant effects. (more…)
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So… calling for peace isn’t enough, but dropping bombs gets a free pass?
When China submitted a draft UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Iran, the response wasn’t debate or discussion. It was suspicion. (more…)
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From globalisation to AI: Why history is about to repeat itself
When globalisation loomed on the horizon in the late 20th century, governments around the world faced a choice: open the economy fully or manage the transition strategically. (more…)
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UN report lists companies complicit in Israel’s ‘genocide’. Who are they?
The United Nations special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) has released a new report mapping the corporations aiding Israel in the displacement of Palestinians and its genocidal war on Gaza, in breach of international law. (more…)
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The devil’s dance with Iran
Iran has been on a hit list of seven countries in a geostrategic plan for the reconfiguration of the Middle East first drawn up by the US in 2001 following the 9/11 attacks. (more…)
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Trump’s worldview is causing a global shift of alliances – what does this mean for nations in the middle?
Since US President Donald Trump took office this year, one theme has come up time and again: his rule is a threat to the US-led international order. (more…)
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India’s state and central governments still aren’t speaking the same language
The first rule of discussing language policy in India is to leave any expectations of a calm conversation at the door. (more…)
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I’d rather a bloodied shark than AI
Until recently, I regarded AI as just another technical assist, a natural enhancement of Google where one finds the perfect word to complete a sentence, or to expand on the broad brush of Wikipedia info. (more…)
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Israel’s genocide and German Staatsräson: Thwarting a youth’s political sensibilities
It was the third month of Israel’s genocidal onslaught in Gaza, just before the Christmas break in 2023, when my daughter Lelia came home one day and mentioned an unhappy confrontation with one of the directors of her school, the Freie Waldorfschule Berlin Mitte. (more…)
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Australia, the UN and the future of humanity
The Albanese Government is now very well placed to encourage and assist the United Nations, to prevent human extinction, and make our planet habitable for future generations. It has also, now become very urgent that we take comprehensive action on the issues discussed below. (more…)
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How spending more on defence harms the nation
Anthony Albanese is taking a battering from ill-informed commentators for thinking Australia can be defended by spending a little over 2% of GDP on its military forces. (more…)
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Gaza’s Hunger Games
Israel is weaponising starvation. The objective is to dismantle all remnants of civil society and reduce Palestinians to herds of desperate scavengers who can be driven from historic Palestine. (more…)
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As heatwave grips Europe, coalition says ‘no to a climate law for polluters’
“Will the European Commission propose a climate law that ends fossil fuel use and reflects the EU’s fair share of climate responsibility? Or will it choose political convenience?” (more…)
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Flour instead of homeland: manufacturing the crisis and the end of the Palestinian dream
Since 4:00 p.m. on 14 May 1948, the Palestinian cause has been one of a homeland seized by force, a land torn from its people by Zionism through weapons and terror. (more…)
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Southeast Asia needs to ramp up its trade links with Europe
Southeast Asia faces rising US tariffs and pressure to limit Chinese links, prompting a search for stronger European trade ties. While Europe offers promising opportunities, ASEAN must navigate complex bilateral deals that may risk regional cohesion. Closer EU ties can diversify markets and investments, but will not replace China’s role in supply chains. To fully benefit, Southeast Asian nations must drive domestic reforms, enhancing resilience and inclusive growth amid global trade uncertainties. (more…)
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Will the ‘Mr Magoo Nation’ stand up against ‘Trumpist’ geopolitics?
In the June 7-8 issue of The Australian Greg Sheridan railed against the ‘’crushing waves of [Chinese] military threat” and satirised the Albanese Government’s “pathological passivity” as reminiscent of Peter Seller’s quietly subversive Chauncey Gardner. (more…)
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Research misconduct: Strengthening Australia’s research integrity system
A new book, Doctored: Fraud, Arrogance and Tragedy in the Quest to Cure Alzheimer’s by Charles Piller is a deeply dispiriting story. Dispiriting in particular, as it yet again tells a story of harmful unchecked research misconduct. (more…)
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Australia’s decision-makers are ignoring climate, hailing coal and impersonating Elvis
You could barely believe that there is a climate crisis going on. In the same week that climate scientists suggested the world will exhaust its remaining carbon budget within two years, carbon bombs are being set off left, right and centre, or allowed through regulatory hurdles on the promise of buying dodgy offsets. (more…)
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Courage needs to be shown in politics – Israel is no longer above the law
In the past weeks, an estimated 500 more Gazans have been killed, bombed out of existence by the IDF or killed while queuing for food. (more…)
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Five books the Bible could do without
When ancient scriptures continue to shape modern ideology and policy, especially where harm is done, it becomes necessary to ask: do all parts of the Bible deserve to be treated as sacred? (more…)
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The contemporary world is run by political dinosaurs facing extinction
An aging generation of mostly male leaders is presently occupying the commanding heights of the most powerful states around the world. (more…)