Pearlcast EP 1

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.

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Our politicians continue to fail us on immigration policy
Abul Rizvi

Our politicians continue to fail us on immigration policy

As One Nation rises by recycling anti-immigration rhetoric, both major parties are fumbling their response – missing the chance to offer a clear, credible and principled long-term plan.

Losing the democracy sausage vibe
Marian Sawer

Losing the democracy sausage vibe

The last federal election saw a sharp rise in harassment and aggression at polling places, according to submissions from around the country. From death threats to deception, the once-peaceful ritual of casting a vote is under threat – and Australia needs to act.

Will there be Liberals around to take power in 2034?
Jack Waterford

Will there be Liberals around to take power in 2034?

The Liberal Party’s rejection of net-zero and its lack of compelling leadership or clear policy vision has left it floundering with key voter groups. Without a coherent plan to make a difference, it risks a long spell in opposition.


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Axed AG tells how Labor really changes the Constitution
Andrew Fraser

Axed AG tells how Labor really changes the Constitution

Despite Labor’s longstanding appetite for constitutional reform, former Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus now points to a different path: bold, nation-shaping change without the need for a referendum.

Where will the aged care workforce come from?
Anna Howe

Where will the aged care workforce come from?

CEDA’s report on how to fix the aged care worker shortage claims migration is key – but a closer look at the data reveals a very different picture. Before we reach for new visa schemes, we need to focus on the workers already here: most are permanent residents or citizens, and many want more hours. The answers are hiding in plain sight.

The ceasefire that isn’t: 400 violations in 40 days
Refaat Ibrahim

The ceasefire that isn’t: 400 violations in 40 days

Israel has violated the ceasefire in Gaza hundreds of times since October, using vague or unverified justifications to carry out strike in a recurring pattern of escalation and impunity.

AI in journalism and democracy: can we rely on it?
Jake Goldenfein,  Fan Yang,  Daniel Angus

AI in journalism and democracy: can we rely on it?

GenAI tools are reshaping the information environment in ways most audiences never see. From the data that trains them to the labour that maintains them, their inner workings raise urgent questions for journalism and democratic accountability.

Massacres, memory and the Memorial: facing our most deadly war
Noel Turnbull

Massacres, memory and the Memorial: facing our most deadly war

The evidence is overwhelming – Australia’s Frontier Wars were real, deadly, and long, and a landmark new book lays it out in full. So when will the Australian War Memorial fully face the truth?

The wisdom of the elders, the greed of the rich
Julian Cribb

The wisdom of the elders, the greed of the rich

As the planet spirals toward environmental collapse, elders like Attenborough, Earle, Hansen and Suzuki have spent decades warning us – and offering hope. But the billionaires in bunkers aren't listening. They are too busy getting rich off our destruction.

Senate committee on disinformation should look into the Liberals' energy policy: It is full of it
Giles Parkinson

Senate committee on disinformation should look into the Liberals' energy policy: It is full of it

The Liberal Party’s new energy policy recycles discredited claims and fossil fuel talking points, undermining public trust and delaying the essential task of real action.

Juvenile crime is a very complex issue
Francis Sullivan

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.

Latest on Palestine and Israel

The ceasefire that isn’t: 400 violations in 40 days
Refaat Ibrahim

The ceasefire that isn’t: 400 violations in 40 days

Israel has violated the ceasefire in Gaza hundreds of times since October, using vague or unverified justifications to carry out strike in a recurring pattern of escalation and impunity.

The UN embraces colonialism: the Security Council and the US Gaza plan
Craig Mokhiber

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.

UN Members complicit in genocide
Chris Hedges,  Francesca Albanese

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.

UN approval of Gaza ‘Stabilisation Force’ slammed as ‘Denial of Palestinian self-determination’
Brett Wilkins

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.”

Gaza winter catastrophe repeating in tents that resist neither wind nor rain
Refaat Ibrahim

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.

Israeli settler attack on West Bank mosque draws international condemnation
Al Jazeera Staff

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.

Trump’s ploy at the UN is American imperialism masquerading as a peace process
Jeffrey D. Sachs,  Sybil Fares

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.

Gaza woman blinded in Israeli strike opens bakery to subsist and hope
Rory Sullivan

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.


John Menadue's book on Israel's war against Gaza

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 PDF

Latest on China

US wants Seoul’s subs to counter China – Asian Media Report
David Armstrong

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.

Democracies good, China bad – and history not required
Fred Zhang

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.

Australians are markedly more worried about the US, but still wary about China
Elena Collinson

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.


John Menadue

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.

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More from Pearls and Irritations


Latest letters to the editor

The secret business of Nauru offshore detention camps haunts us still

Pamela Curr — Brunswick

https://johnmenadue.com/post/2025/11/the-shadow-of-the-tampa/ The secret business of Nauru offshore detention camps haunts us still. Thank you Julie Macken for the reminder of where it all began when Tampa hove into view and political machinations began. The facts revealing that NZ bikies are now on the Australian Government payroll overseeing offshore detention caused barely a ripple with a public inured to harsh policies towards non- citizens. What is even worse is that Australia’s toxic treatment of refugees and others has spread and is being adopted and proposed by nations as diverse as UK and EU countries. Australia has led...
It's all about the kompromat

Hal Duell — Alice Springs

https://johnmenadue.com/post/2025/11/trumps-latest-epstein-gambit/ I agree with the assertion that the Epstein Files Transparency Act is a gambit. Firstly, it calls for only the unclassified files to be made public. Secondly, with an inquiry launched by the Department of Justice into some of the more well-known associates of Epstein, any documents relating to them will be held back. I think there is an elephant in this room. The issue is not who got on the Lolita Express to fly to that under-age island, as titillating as that may be, but rather who was Jeffery Epstein working for? Who amassed all...
The Pirates of Penzance and nuclear subs

Les Macdonald — Balmain NSW 2041

https://johnmenadue.com/post/2025/11/us-wants-seouls-subs-to-counter-china-asian-media-report/ It is hard to restrain a contemptuous laugh when continually confronted by the comic opera style of US modern Major Generals like Admiral Caudle. That one South Korean Nuclear sub could make any conceivable difference to the inability of the US to frustrate the growth of China is nonsensical. The same applies to the Australian nuclear submarines that may, if ever, get delivered in a decade or two's time. With the complete farce that is the current US and UK naval shipbuilding industries and the rapid expansion of the wholly defensive and vast Chinese fleet, the chances...
Everything and nothing

Les Macdonald — Balmain NSW 2041

https://johnmenadue.com/post/2025/11/two-trump-peace-plans/ It is stretching language to a point at which it becomes meaningless to suggest that these are peace plans. A more accurate description of them is Orange Donald Press Releases. Neither contains a realistic assessment of the situation in Ukraine and Gaza and neither takes into account the wishes of the Ukrainian and Palestinian peoples. They are theatrics from an Administration unable to deal with reality. It would seem that various parties to both conflicts may agree with the more benign and meaningless terms, (which incidentally comprises the vast bulk of both) but disagree violently on others....



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