Labor’s new migration restrictions respond to public concerns about immigration, but tighter visa rules alone cannot resolve deeper anxieties about housing, economic security and social change. (more…)
Category: Politics
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Keating by Biggins: a rollicking ride and some solemn reflection
Jonathan Biggins brings Paul Keating’s famous wit to the stage in The Gospel According To Paul, but beneath the laughs lies a moving portrait of family, sacrifice and loss – and the personal cost of a life in politics. (more…)
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Eighty years after independence, India faces a crisis of identity and institutions
Youth unemployment, economic inequality, religious nationalism and growing tensions between India’s states are placing mounting pressure on its democratic institutions and federal system. (more…)
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South Sudan: the human stories the camera cannot capture
Behind the photographs of South Sudan’s humanitarian crisis are stories of violence, grief and preventable deaths that cannot always be captured on camera. Ethical storytelling means finding ways to bear witness to those lives, too. (more…)
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Women, power and the politics we choose
The rise of women within populist-right politics complicates assumptions about representation, showing that putting women in positions of power does not determine the politics or values they will pursue. (more…)
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Tariffs, debt and deportations: Trump’s dangerous economic gamble
Higher tariffs, debt-fuelled spending and a shrinking migrant workforce are weakening US growth while adding to inflationary and financial pressures. (more…)
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AUKUS assurances collide with the reality of Britain’s submarine fleet
British officials insist AUKUS remains on track, but serious pressures across UK submarine availability, design and reactor production – alongside continuing US shipyard delays – raise questions about the assumptions underpinning Australia’s nuclear submarine plan. (more…)
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Australia needs UN votes. Its position on Gaza will matter
Australia’s bid for a 2029–30 UN Security Council seat raises the stakes at this month’s General Assembly, where Gaza, international law, climate and relations with the Global South will all matter. (more…)
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WA builds more prison beds as Closing the Gap goes backwards
Western Australia has the highest Aboriginal imprisonment rate of any state while expanding prison capacity. Yet shortages of stable housing can obstruct bail, parole and successful reintegration. (more…)
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Three reforms the IMF needs to make its lending work
As the IMF reviews how it designs lending programs, reforms to policy conditions, contingency planning and country ownership could better support economic recovery, development and democratic accountability. (more…)
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Trading urban green space for concrete is a bad bargain
As cities grow and land becomes scarcer, mature parks and urban forests are increasingly under pressure from development. But their cooling, ecological and public health benefits cannot simply be replaced later. (more…)
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Who decides whose suffering matters?
Amid political arguments over Gaza, individual lives can disappear from view. Compassion should not depend on nationality, religion or allegiance, nor should suffering have to earn our recognition or empathy. (more…)
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Have ethics and morality become dispensable?
As truth becomes subordinate to political narratives, democracy itself is at risk. From Australia to the US and Israel, defending ethical principles increasingly demands courage from those willing to speak. (more…)
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The government’s failure to make the case for refugees
Australia’s migration debate has become consumed by numbers, borders and fear, while failures in temporary migration management and the treatment of Palestinians expose deeper questions of multiculturalism and humanitarian responsibility.
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AUKUS makes a US-China war more likely
By giving the United States greater military access to Australia, AUKUS has changed the strategic geography of any future conflict with China – and may have increased both the likelihood of war and Australia’s chances of being drawn into it. (more…)
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The Big Steal: Paul Barry probes how steel tycoon Sanjeev Gupta hoodwinked the powerful
Paul Barry’s ‘The Big Steal’ traces the wreckage left by Sanjeev Gupta and Lex Greensill – and the bankers, regulators, politicians and journalists whose credulity helped them along the way.
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What is wrong with Oasis helps them to thrive
Oasis are easy to mock for blunt songs and ridiculous lyrics, but the tension between Liam and Noel Gallagher helps explain why their music still carries such emotional weight. (more…)
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Disturbing admissions from US Republican Congressman
US submarines at HMAS Stirling, B-52 rotations through Tindal and deepening military integration are tying Australia ever more closely to US strategic priorities – including the prospect of war with China over Taiwan, Paul Keating writes.
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Australia’s China policy is trapped in the rear-view mirror
While China builds influence through BRICS, the SCO and economic ties across the Global South, Australia is pouring almost $1 billion into Solomon Islands amid fears of a Chinese military presence. Australia’s China policy risks being overtaken by the regional order taking shape around it. (more…)
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Australia needs migration with dignity, not scapegoating and political panic
The government’s new migration measures tighten rules for students, visa overstayers and protection claims. A fair migration system should address genuine policy challenges without turning vulnerable communities into political scapegoats. (more…)
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International students face tougher visa rules – but what’s the bigger plan?
New visa rules will make it harder for international students to bring family members or extend their stay through further study, as the government continues its push to reduce net overseas migration. (more…)
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Power in Numbers: recovering the hidden history of Australia’s female economists
‘Power in Numbers’ tells the stories of 16 women who helped shape Australian economics, while raising questions about why the profession remains so male-dominated. (more…)
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In an age of doomscrolling and AI, young Australians are turning to poetry
From poetry slams and pop-up readings to chapbooks and Instagram, young people are embracing a form that offers honesty, experimentation, connection and a way to navigate an increasingly complex world. (more…)
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Age usually changes what matters. Pauline Hanson has spent 30 years rewarded for grievance
Emotional priorities often change as people grow older. Pauline Hanson’s latest remarks raise a more troubling question about what happens when grievance is repeatedly rewarded instead. (more…)
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AI apocalypse? – Message from the Editor
Warnings from AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton make the risks of artificial intelligence harder to dismiss – and the case for robust controls much harder to postpone. (more…)
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Barnaby Joyce exposes the gaps in One Nation’s migration plan
One Nation promises negative net migration and a major reduction in temporary entrants, but its policy leaves crucial questions unanswered about permanent migration, skilled visas and how its headline targets could be delivered.
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SIEV X at 25: 353 lives Australia should not forget
Twenty-five years after SIEV X sank, the 353 poles beside Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra remain a reminder that debates over migration, borders and belonging must never lose sight of the human beings behind them. (more…)
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Climate change versus logging? That misses the point
Climate change and logging are not competing threats to native forests. Their effects compound one another, increasing emissions, fire risk and pressure on biodiversity. (more…)
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Vance and the anti-Christ
JD Vance’s increasingly apocalyptic religious rhetoric, and his relationship with billionaire Peter Thiel, raise questions about the theology shaping the US Vice-President’s politics and his growing distance from Vatican teaching. (more…)
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One Nation and the trust crisis, part two: Give people a reason to believe politics can work
In the second of a two-part series, rebuilding trust requires more than competent economic management – Australians also need institutions that listen, include and respond. (more…)