Bob Brown says Australia cannot keep expanding fossil fuel production while denying its share of responsibility for the mounting human toll of climate change. (more…)
Category: Top 5
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The danger of not knowing what you don’t know, part one: How Trump dismantled the US Institute of Peace
In the first of a two-part series, the destruction of the US Institute of Peace shows what is lost when decades of conflict-resolution expertise are discarded. (more…)
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The major parties collapsed. Why didn’t the Greens rise?
As Labor and Coalition support has collapsed, the Greens have remained stuck around 12 per cent – constrained by geography, culture and a changing generational base. (more…)
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The pieces I can’t shake – message from the Editor
Some articles do more than inform. They challenge assumptions, expose uncomfortable truths and stay with us – which is why independent journalism needs room to publish them.
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Private health insurance costs taxpayers $13 billion a year. What for?
Taxpayers spend about $13 billion a year supporting private health insurance, yet there is little evidence it relieves pressure on public hospitals or delivers fair value.
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Hard New World: Can Australia survive America’s decline?
Hugh White’s new book warns that declining US power and China’s rise are remaking Asia, while Australia remains dangerously attached to old assumptions about American protection. (more…)
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AUKUS is a $368 billion gamble Australia does not need to take
US production shortfalls, Britain’s submarine crisis and Australia’s own infrastructure delays are eroding the assumptions behind AUKUS. It’s time to take a different path. (more…)
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Migration is not the problem. Bad migration policy is
Migration brings benefits, pressures and vulnerabilities. The challenge is not choosing between open and closed borders, but building institutions capable of managing movement well. (more…)
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The China I was taught to fear – and the China I met
Australia should be able to scrutinise China without turning a government, a civilisation and a people into a single threatening enemy. (more…)
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Remembering Gaza’s children should not be controversial
The Wall of Tears names more than 18,000 children killed in Gaza. Sue Wareham writes that remembering them should transcend politics, and that every child deserves dignity, accountability and commemoration. (more…)
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Might Kyrgios actually know what he is doing?
Nick Kyrgios, Rafael Nadal and Kylie Minogue took very different paths to success. Their lives raise a deeper question about ambition, sacrifice and what it really means to fulfil our potential. (more…)
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Why do problems with church governance persist?
The Catholic Schools NSW ICAC inquiry raises renewed questions about accountability and transparency within the Church, and whether a decade of promised governance reform has produced meaningful institutional change. (more…)
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Gaza’s reproductive crisis: The devastating toll on women and children
Miscarriages are rising, births are falling and malnutrition is harming mothers and children across Gaza, as war, displacement and the collapse of healthcare devastate reproductive health. (more…)
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Afghanistan: Present, past and future
Five years into renewed Taliban rule, Afghanistan’s future remains uncertain. What went wrong with two decades of peacebuilding – and what can be done now? (more…)
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Help us tell the real China story
When I represented universities, I often appeared at parliamentary inquiries. All were instructive, but there was one in late 2020 that taught me how entrenched anti-China prejudice is in Australia. (more…)
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Debunking mass deportation hype
Both One Nation and the Coalition have been talking up their mass deportation target of around 75,000 – with zero details of how that would be implemented or what it would cost. Abul Rizvi looks beyond the hype. (more…)
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How decades of bad policy broke public service pay
Decades of flawed pay policy have left the Commonwealth public service with a dysfunctional remuneration system – and the latest round of enterprise bargaining looks unlikely to fix it. (more…)
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Who is lobbying the Australian government? Most of the industry is hidden from view
Much of Australia’s lobbying industry remains hidden from public view, with new research exposing major gaps in the federal register and calls for stronger transparency. (more…)
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Banks claw back credit card rewards
Banks are clawing back rewards as new credit card fee rules threaten their profits, raising bigger questions about competition, cash and who ultimately benefits from Australia’s card system. (more…)
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Anger and fear is real – but don’t blame migrants
Australia’s anger over housing, inequality and living costs is real, but blaming migration risks fuelling the populist politics of fear and division. (more…)
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Can AI fix Australia’s cost-of-living crisis? Part one: productivity and living standards
Is the government right to encourage the development of AI in Australia? If so, how should they do it, and do it equitably. Michael Keating examines the issues in a two-part series. (more…)
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Labor – the middle ground is not enough!
If Anthony Albanese wants Labor to remain in power for the long haul, it will need to offer more than competent management, says Jack Waterford. (more…)
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A judgment that challenges the IHRA definition of antisemitism
A NSW Supreme Court judgment has sharply distinguished criticism of Israel from antisemitism, raising important questions about the IHRA definition and its use by governments and institutions. (more…)
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Smuggled smokes and the benefits of cooperation with China
A joint crackdown on tobacco smuggling shows what Australia and China can achieve through practical cooperation – and why a relationship dominated by security fears comes at a cost.
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Gen X is still driving down to The River – and finding it dry
Many in Generation X have reached midlife carrying mortgages, insecure work, dependent children and ageing parents. The growing anger across middle Australia did not come from nowhere. (more…)
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Keeping P&I strong, brave and free – Message from the Editor
P&I can pursue important issues early and keep publishing when others look away because it answers to readers, not powerful interests. One week into the August fundraiser, that community has already taken us almost 20 per cent towards our target.
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After 81 years of men, will the UN finally choose a woman?
The United Nations has never appointed a woman Secretary-General. Four experienced women are now in the running, but the Security Council’s veto politics could still decide the outcome. (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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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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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…)