Launching Pearlcasts
The 50th Anniversary of the Dismissal of the Whitlam Government
We kick off with a topic close to our hearts, the 50th anniversary of the Dismissal of the Whitlam Government. We have three of the best sources in the nation taking part: our editor-in-chief John Menadue – the living link to the scandal and the nation’s top public servant at the time; Jenny Hocking, author of The Palace Letters and Australia’s pre-eminent Dismissal historian; and Brian Toohey, the journalist who has dug deepest into the darkest elements of the events.
Go to Pearlcasts
24 November 2025
Juvenile crime is a very complex issue
When governments resort to ‘adult crime, adult time’ sentencing, they are shifting the blame onto children for the failure of adults to come to grips with the necessary policies and programs to tackle youth crime.
24 November 2025
Message from the Editor
First of all my thanks to those who've already made a donation to our end of year fundraiser. As many of you know we are absolutely independent and fund operations purely through the generosity of the Pearls and Irritations community.
24 November 2025
What science tells us about Earth’s changing climate
As leaders leave Brazil and the 2025 UN climate summit draws to a close, it's worth reflecting on what science says about Earth’s climate – what’s changing, why it’s happening, and where we’re heading next.
This month, support Pearls and Irritations with your tax deductible donation
We continue to see powerful interests shape the headlines and spread misinformation faster than facts in current times. This year, Pearls and Irritations has again proven that independent media has never been more essential. We have continued to push the issues ignored by mainstream media, building our voice as a trusted source for local and global issues. We ask you to support our plans for 2026.
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24 November 2025
US foreign policy and Sudan: hypocrisy, incoherence and self-interest
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s recent remarks on Sudan appear empathetic – but they may reveal more about strategic positioning than genuine concern.
24 November 2025
Will AI kill the middle class?
When the creators of a new technology warn that it could destroy the primary engine of global growth of the past half a century, it’s worth paying attention
24 November 2025
David Lindenmayer, Bruce Chapman and John Mitchell: A rare win-win for climate, farming and biodiversity – if policymakers act
Restoring Australia's farm dams could slash emissions, improve water quality, boost livestock productivity, and enhance biodiversity – all at low cost.
24 November 2025
Net Zero and the metaphysics of anxiety in Australia
Net zero is not simply an environmental target. It has become a psychological and cultural anchor in a society that feels increasingly unstable.
24 November 2025
The China shift: Australia's universities in an age of suspicion
Over four decades, Australian universities developed strong teaching and research ties with China. But a wave of fear-driven policies and rising national security pressures has reshaped those relationships. Are we witnessing a retreat from engagement – or the start of a new era?
24 November 2025
Middle power moves: South Korea and the future of global governance
Is South Korea eyeing a new global order? A quiet debate is emerging over Seoul's potential alignment with a rising alternative to Western governance.
24 November 2025
Innovation talk, austerity walk: Australia’s failing science policy
Despite constant rhetoric about innovation, Australia is steadily dismantling its scientific capacity. Public schools, universities and the CSIRO are all under pressure – the result of decades of market-driven policy-making that prioritises short-term cost-cutting over long-term national capability.
23 November 2025
The UN embraces colonialism: the Security Council and the US Gaza plan
The Security Council's backing of the Trump plan for Gaza ignores international law, punishes the Palestinians, and rewards those responsible for genocide.
Latest on Palestine and Israel
23 November 2025
The UN embraces colonialism: the Security Council and the US Gaza plan
The Security Council's backing of the Trump plan for Gaza ignores international law, punishes the Palestinians, and rewards those responsible for genocide.
21 November 2025
UN Members complicit in genocide
UN Special Rapporteur on Palestine Francesca Albanese discusses why, in her most recent report, she called out more than 60 nations for their collective-crime roles in the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
20 November 2025
UN approval of Gaza ‘Stabilisation Force’ slammed as ‘Denial of Palestinian self-determination’
CodePink said the plan “will leave Palestine in the hands of a puppet administration, assigning the United States, which shares complicity in the genocide, as the new manager of the open-air prison.”
18 November 2025
Gaza winter catastrophe repeating in tents that resist neither wind nor rain
The seasons change, but for those fighting for survival through wet winters and baking summers in Gaza's tents, the suffering remains.
17 November 2025
Israeli settler attack on West Bank mosque draws international condemnation
Calls for justice grow as Israeli settlers set Hajja Hamida Mosque ablaze in latest attack on Palestinians in West Bank.
16 November 2025
Trump’s ploy at the UN is American imperialism masquerading as a peace process
The Trump administration is pushing an Israeli-crafted resolution at the UN Security Council aimed at eliminating the possibility of a State of Palestine.
15 November 2025
Gaza woman blinded in Israeli strike opens bakery to subsist and hope
Despite her injury, Warda Abu Jarad has started baking cookies and bread to help provide for her family.
15 November 2025
Recovering moral imagination in a time of war
There is a moment in every conflict when language collapses. Words like justice, revenge, and security are repeated so often they lose their meaning.
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.
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22 November 2025
US wants Seoul’s subs to counter China – Asian Media Report
In Asian media this week: Washington sees global role for South Korean navy; the military cements government control in Pakistan; Palestine is an obstacle to Trump’s new Middle East plan; Japan prepares for drawn-out dispute with China; why South Korea is turning its back on coal power; and boot camps for beauty queens.
21 November 2025
Democracies good, China bad – and history not required
Japan and China both have legitimate security concerns. But an informed debate needs major media outlets to stop systematically erasing the historical context that shapes how the region understands current events.
20 November 2025
Australians are markedly more worried about the US, but still wary about China
Australians' concerns and mistrust of China are easing, while doubts about the US are increasing.
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Latest letters to the editor
The Fourth Estate or just propagandists?
Les Macdonald — Balmain NSW 2041
Get on with it!
Geoff Taylor — Borlu (Perth)
International condemnation... Really?
Margaret Callinan — Hawthorn VIC 3122
Machiavelli on steroids
Les Macdonald — Balmain NSW 2041