Pearlcasts
As we review 2025, the temptation is to look for neat summaries and settled conclusions.
Go to Pearlcasts
23 March 2026
The most liberal of Judges – Anthony Mason
Beyond his landmark judicial legacy, Anthony Mason’s later advocacy for a bill of rights and a republic remains a powerful challenge to Australia’s political conservatism.
23 March 2026
Albanese risks losing the voters who put him there
From foreign policy to domestic reform, Labor risks alienating key supporters and wasting a moment of political opportunity in a volatile landscape.
23 March 2026
The WTO is dead? Long live the WTO
Trade ministers gathering to reform the WTO risk starting from the wrong premise. The WTO’s dispute system is impaired, but its core functions remain active. Reform should build on what still works – not start from a false premise of collapse.
23 March 2026
The sinking of IRIS Dena: will hubris meet nemesis? Part 1
In a new three-part series, Ramesh Thakur examines the dimensions of the Iran war. In part one, he analyses the legal issues surrounding the sinking of the Iranian warship Dena.
23 March 2026
Randa Abdel-Fattah wins Jerusalem Peace Prize
Randa Abdel-Fattah has been awarded the 2026 Jerusalem Peace Prize, recognising her advocacy for Palestinian rights amid mounting political and institutional pressure.
23 March 2026
The Strategic Examination of R&D: can Australia’s innovation system reform itself?
A major new review sets out a coherent plan to reform Australia’s innovation system. But the real challenge is not design – it's whether the government can afford and deliver it.
23 March 2026
Australia’s dangerous blind spot in Southeast Asia
In this excerpt from his Quarterly Essay, Michael Wesley argues Australia has misread a changing world – clinging to old assumptions, over-relying on the US alliance, and overlooking the growing strategic importance of Southeast Asia.
23 March 2026
Climate denial has deep roots in Coalition politics
From Howard to Abbott, senior Coalition figures have repeatedly dismissed climate science – favouring belief over evidence and weakening public debate.
23 March 2026
The meltdown of the Trump presidency: his oath was a betrayal - part two
The presidential oath is a binding constitutional obligation – but Trump's actions raise fundamental questions about what happens when that obligation is ignored.
23 March 2026
Israel is caught in a permanent state of war
An interview with Israeli academic and activist Idan Landau, who says “as long as the US and Europe continue to insulate Israel from the moral consequences of its policies,” things are likely to go from bad to worse.
Read our series
Latest on Palestine and Israel
23 March 2026
Randa Abdel-Fattah wins Jerusalem Peace Prize
Randa Abdel-Fattah has been awarded the 2026 Jerusalem Peace Prize, recognising her advocacy for Palestinian rights amid mounting political and institutional pressure.
23 March 2026
Israel is caught in a permanent state of war
An interview with Israeli academic and activist Idan Landau, who says “as long as the US and Europe continue to insulate Israel from the moral consequences of its policies,” things are likely to go from bad to worse.
21 March 2026
Keeping your chin up – Message from the Editor
Around our dinner table we volunteer our ‘best bits’ for the day. My eldest daughter started it with her boys, and it has now become an evening ritual for us all. It forces you to articulate the good bits of the day, and to listen to what have been the good bits for others. So I thought I would start doing that with readers as well. Each week, as I filter through the hundreds of articles, podcasts, and Instagram posts that inform our coverage, I will pick a best bit. If you are reading this on social media I would...
21 March 2026
I am 25 – wars shaped my consciousness and memory
From childhood to adulthood, Refaat Ibrahim recounts a life marked by repeated war, displacement and loss – a personal testimony of a generation growing up under siege in Gaza.
21 March 2026
The anti-Zionism of Sir Isaac Isaacs
Sir Isaac Isaacs warned in the 1940s that Zionism risked deep and lasting conflict. Decades on, those arguments about justice and prudence remain sharply relevant.
20 March 2026
The weaponisation of antisemitism is making Jews less safe
Revulsion at Israel’s actions in Gaza is driving a global rise in antisemitism, while efforts to conflate criticism of Israel with hatred of Jews are deepening the danger.
19 March 2026
ABC’s National Forum fails its first test on antisemitism
The ABC’s new flagship forum failed to interrogate key claims and perspectives on antisemitism, leaving major gaps in a critical national debate.
18 March 2026
Mary Kostakidis case heads to court after mediation fails
A failed mediation means a high-profile discrimination complaint over social media posts about Israel will now be decided in court.
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 on China
17 March 2026
Sanctioned Rubio to take part in Trump’s China trip
The US secretary of state, previously sanctioned by Beijing, is expected to accompany Donald Trump on a visit to China as both sides prepare for high-level talks.
14 March 2026
China’s tech ambitions, Nepal’s political upheaval and the BTS comeback – Asian Media Report
Five-year-plan stresses AI, Xi-Trump summit still on track, K-pop sensation’s global comeback, landslide win in Nepal elections, security risks self-radicalise online, and Manila drops Nobel laureate charges.
11 March 2026
If China is Iran's 'most powerful ally,' then Australia must be China's
A media analysis asks why China hasn’t defended Iran. But the real puzzle is why anyone assumes Beijing has a military obligation to do so.
Support our independent media with your donation
Pearls and Irritations leads the way in raising and analysing vital issues often neglected in mainstream media. Your contribution supports our independence and quality commentary on matters importance to Australia and our region.
DonateMore from Pearls and Irritations
Latest letters to the editor
Australia's awful unnecessary US dependence
Vincent Patulny — Canberra
The US / Israeli war on Iran and Australians at war
Andrea Coney — Port Fairy
Non carbon alternative energy sources
Peter Helene — Big Hill NSW 2579 Australia
Gone is the illusion of sovereignty and democracy
Bob Pearce — Adelaide SA