Defence Strategic Review – Read all about it
According to the terms of reference Defence Security Review is now required to ensure that Defence has the right capabil…
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Your Medicare card: the Whitlam government’s contemporary legacy
On December 2 we celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the election of the Whitlam government. Health reform was one of that government’s signature achievements. It appears that the stars are now aligning to build on Whitlam’s remarkable legacy and create a new Medicare fit for purpose in the 21st century. Continue reading »
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Weekly Roundup: is the Reserve Bank overshooting on inflation?
A former Liberal leader calls for higher taxation; Is the Reserve Bank overshooting in its war on inflation; and wasn’t Medicare meant to be universal? Read on for the weekly roundup of links to articles, reports, podcasts and other media on current political and economic issues in public policy. Continue reading »
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Housing crisis: Can a universal basic income solve homelessness?
Chalmer’s first budget critiqued; Why does Australia have a rental crisis?; and Razzhigaeva explores whether a universal basic income can help address homelessness. Read on for the latest monthly digest of articles on housing affordability and homelessness. Continue reading »
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Outrageous executive salaries: undemocratic, unethical and unproductive
The current threat to democracy in several countries is not helped at all by the growth of executive salary packages. Continue reading »
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French ambassador: US ‘rules-based order’ means Western domination, violating international law
France’s ex US Ambassador Gérard Araud criticised Washington for frequently violating international law and said its so-called “rules-based order” is an unfair “Western order” based on “hegemony.” He condemned the new cold war on China, instead calling for mutual compromises. Continue reading »
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‘Strike Force Guard’: suppression of climate protest threatens us all
“The totalising control that [NSW police] have on my life is crushing and it is clearly designed to be so,” writes an activist in this collection of first-hand accounts of the suppression of climate protest by NSW police ‘Strike Force Guard’. Continue reading »
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Coming next year: one President indicted, another President impeached
And you thought the big digital entertainment in the months ahead is Donald Trump’s return to Twitter. Continue reading »
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Ukraine: The other side of the story
It appears that wherever one looks or reads there are calls for Russia to withdraw from Ukraine: no other event is called for; in other words, capitulation by Russia. Continue reading »
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Noel Pearson and the job guarantee
Indigenous leader Noel Pearson’s third Boyer lecture, first broadcast on ABC on 18 November 2022, is worthy of much praise. It is titled ‘The first game changer: a job guarantee for the bottom million’. Continue reading »
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Robodebt: can you recall a greater failure of public administration?
Federal Court Justice Bernard Murphy described Robodebt as “a massive failure of public administration”. So far the Royal Commission has made little progress is establishing how it happened, given contrary legal advice and warnings from mid-level public servants of the policy dangers. Continue reading »
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An open letter to Bill Gates on food, farming, and Africa
We, 50 organisations focused on food sovereignty and justice worldwide, want you to know there is no shortage of practical solutions and innovations by African farmers and organisations. We invite you to step back and learn from those on the ground. Continue reading »
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The central importance of China’s common prosperity
Nikkei diplomatic correspondent Ken Moriyasu debunks the notion that Xi Jinping has been set up as some sort of President-for-life, stressing that Xi’s tenure is conspicuously dependent on maintaining overall performance legitimacy at a time when head winds look set to dominate. Continue reading »
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COP27: Australia promotes fossil fuels as pathway to carbon neutrality
It seems the Australian media still has to be told: COP 27 was a disaster and the glaring flaws in Australia’s grab bag of climate change policies were there to be exposed – if any reporters cared to do so. Continue reading »
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DeSantis’ ideology is clearer, darker and more coherent than Trump’s
DeSantis would likely deliver the next staggering blow to liberal democracy in America. He has made his ideology unambiguously clear, and it is darker and more coherent than Trump’s. America’s allies would be well served to monitor closely the political tides as the 2024 presidential election approaches. Continue reading »
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Australia’s fake coal emissions certificates rort major trading partners
Companies responsible for testing the quality of Australian coal altered “40-50 per cent of the certificates” to make dirty coal look cleaner than it was and sell substandard products for higher profits to Australia’s export partners and underplay carbon emissions. Continue reading »
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