One Nation is the symptom. Labor must treat the cause
One Nation’s rise reflects deeper economic insecurity, political alienation and distrust in institutions. Defeating it requires more than condemnation.
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PEARLS AND IRRITATIONS
John Menadue’s Public Policy Journal
AI slop is learning to tell us what we want to hear
AI-generated misinformation is not only exploiting anger and fear. Increasingly, it is feeding people comforting stories tailored to their politics and values.
Albanese governs with insiders and leaves voters outside the room
The Albanese government may be adept at negotiating with insiders, but its failure to explain decisions and engage voters is deepening public distrust.
What Paul Keating wants for a country ‘swimming between sharks’
Paul Keating says Australia should resist strategic subordination to the United States without accepting Chinese dominance, and instead preserve its own sovereignty.
It’s too late for 1.5°C. That doesn’t mean we give up
The UN now accepts that global warming is going to exceed 1.5°C but it’s unlikely that this will change anything governments or corporations do. It’s now too late to avoid catastrophic global warming. The task now is to limit further damage and prepare honestly for what follows.
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Aggression against school staff is a workplace failure, not a wellbeing problem
Aggression towards teachers and principals is being normalised as something to manage, rather than treated as a workplace hazard employers must prevent.
Protesters challenge Israeli military-linked presence at Sydney Marathon
Hundreds of protesters lined the Sydney Marathon route over the presence of Israeli military-linked participants, calling for scrutiny under Australia’s character laws.
What antisemitism and homophobia have in common
Antisemitism and homophobia have different histories, but both can cast minorities as threatening, subversive or powerful – and both belong in a broader response to prejudice.
Free in two senses – keeping P&I independent
Pearls and Irritations depends on its readers to remain free and independent. David Armstrong explains why their support is vital as P&I reaches a growing audience seeking progressive perspectives.
The danger of not knowing what you don’t know, part two: Why Trump’s Board of Peace is floundering
In the second of a two-part series, Connie Peck explains why Trump’s Board of Peace is struggling to turn its Gaza plan into reality as implementation stalls and critical institutions remain undeployed.
The far right feeds on grievance. Democracy has to answer it
Falling trust, social isolation and a sense of lost status can make far-right politics more appealing. Rebuilding connection and democratic voice is part of the answer.
Powerhouse Parramatta is about to open without the leader who defined it
Lisa Havilah’s departure just weeks before Powerhouse Parramatta opens leaves a museum shaped closely around her vision facing questions of leadership, authority and legitimacy.
Europe should stand with Canada against Trump’s economic coercion
Trump’s escalating pressure on Canada should be a warning to Europe: middle powers need deeper economic and strategic cooperation if they are to resist coercion.
Australians are hunkering down – and becoming less happy
Australians are becoming less connected, trusting and satisfied with life, but resilience remains – and tackling insecurity could help rebuild social cohesion.
Nepal’s catastrophe demands more than climate silence
As climate-fuelled disasters intensify, political leaders should stop treating discussion of their causes as untimely and confront the consequences of continued inaction.
What are we missing about Helen of Troy?
Debate over who can play Helen of Troy misses something more interesting: in Homer, she emerges as a rare figure capable of questioning fate, power and her own responsibility.
Britain’s security establishment has discovered the ecological crisis
A UK national security assessment warns that ecosystem collapse threatens food, water, health and geopolitical stability – and that no country will escape the consequences.
Performance Politics: how Australian politicians write themselves into history
Joshua Black's 'Performance Politics' traces how Australian politicians have used memoirs, publishing and television to shape public personas and secure their political legacies.
Reflections of a migrant's daughter
The death of Dutch migrant Dick Van Teulingen at 101 closes a chapter in Australia’s post-war migration story, shaped by those who left war-torn Europe to build new lives here.
Australia cannot deny its share of the climate catastrophe
Bob Brown says Australia cannot keep expanding fossil fuel production while denying its share of responsibility for the mounting human toll of climate change.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is becoming harder to ignore
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) now represents 3.4 billion people and a quarter of global GDP, as its members seek a greater role in shaping a multipolar international order.
Israel's war against Gaza
Media coverage of the war in Gaza since October 2023 has spread a series of lies propagated by Israel and the United States. This publication presents information, analysis, clarification, views and perspectives largely unavailable in mainstream media in Australia and elsewhere.
Download the PDFLatest letters to the editor
Federal Labor needs vision and narrative
David Griffiths — Mordialoc, Victoria 3195
The Albanese government is risk-averse
Ken Russell — Redcliffe, Qld
Medical and dental costs could be a game-changer
Meg Schwarz — Macclesfield, South Australia
Migration is neither bad nor good but size matters
Jenny Goldie — Cooma NSW
TAFE barriers
neil hauxwell — Moe Vic
Transparency in the Catholic church
Kieran Tapsell — Stanwell Park
Carbon offsetting has become greenwashing
Ken Russell — Redcliffe, Qld
Unaccountable and untrustworthy
Les Macdonald — Balmain NSW 2041
