Pearlcasts
As we review 2025, the temptation is to look for neat summaries and settled conclusions.
Go to Pearlcasts
30 January 2026
A declining empire – and how Australia should adapt
Trump’s volatility has exposed the fragility of the global order, but the deeper danger lies in Australia’s uncritical attachment to a declining US empire – and the refusal to rethink our place in a changing world.
30 January 2026
NATO is failing – and ANZUS is next
NATO is unravelling as shared interests and trust with the United States collapse. For Australia, this raises urgent questions about the future value of ANZUS and related security arrangements.
30 January 2026
Iran vows to ‘respond like never before’ as Trump ramps up war threats
Tehran’s admonition came after Trump said that a “massive armada” is heading to Iran – similar language he used before invading Venezuela and kidnapping its president.
30 January 2026
Why the Doomsday Clock still underestimates the risk of civilisational collapse
The Doomsday Clock has moved closer to midnight than ever before, but its latest warning still leaves out many of the forces pushing civilisation towards collapse.
30 January 2026
Record demand, record renewables – and the lights stayed on
Extreme heat pushed electricity demand in South Australia and Victoria to record levels. Wind and solar did the heavy lifting, easing pressure on the grid and curbing price spikes.
30 January 2026
Period pain is costing the Australian economy billions every year in lost productivity
Period pain and heavy menstrual bleeding are widespread, under-acknowledged, and quietly draining Australia’s economy. New research puts the cost at around $14 billion a year in lost productivity and shows why workplace policy reform is long overdue.
30 January 2026
Historic EU-India trade deal to slash auto tariffs, double bloc’s India exports by 2032
Brussels diversifies away from China and US risks, while the pact makes India a more attractive place for European firms to sell vehicles and fuel growth.
30 January 2026
Australia’s sugar shame: why we’re falling behind in the fight for our health
Australia once led the world in confronting tobacco harm. On sugar consumption – a major driver of obesity and chronic disease – more than 100 countries are now ahead of us, and health ministers face a critical test.
30 January 2026
Australia’s China student pipeline is facing a credibility problem
Australian universities remain popular with Chinese students, but online chat reveals growing scepticism about academic rigour, employability and value for money. These perceptions raise hard questions about the long-term sustainability of Australia’s education export model.
30 January 2026
US economic dominance: why we must break free
Foreign corporate ownership now dominates Australia’s key industries, draining wealth offshore and limiting democratic control over economic priorities. Reclaiming sovereignty requires a fundamental rethink of ownership and public power.
29 January 2026
What Labor’s review reveals about tactical voting and the Teals
New figures from Labor’s post-election review shed light on a long-suspected pattern – extensive tactical voting by Labor supporters in Teal and independent contests, with implications for future elections.
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Latest on Palestine and Israel
29 January 2026
A war without headlines
The annihilation of Gaza has rendered the violence in the West Bank seemingly secondary in the global imagination.
26 January 2026
From international law to loyalty and deals: Trump’s Board of Peace play
The Trump-led Board of Peace points to a shift away from international law and multilateral institutions toward a system built on loyalty, coercion and financial leverage.
24 January 2026
Cultural “cohesion” becomes censorship, and a festival falls apart
Adelaide Writer’s Week was derailed after the withdrawal of an invited speaker, triggering mass author withdrawals and a board resignation. The episode raises hard questions about free speech, institutional courage, and the politics of Israel and Gaza in Australia’s cultural life.
23 January 2026
Bad laws are the worst sort of tyranny – and this one ticks every box
A sweeping new bill to combat antisemitism, hate and extremism was rushed through federal parliament this week with minimal scrutiny and major rule-of-law flaws. Its vague definitions, retrospective reach and expanded executive powers risk undermining rights, due process and democratic accountability.
20 January 2026
The rules are breaking – and the world is watching
The abduction of Venezuela’s president signals a world where power is replacing law, and impunity is setting the pace.
18 January 2026
Best of 2025 - Gaza’s economy has collapsed beyond recognition
Gaza’s economy, society and basic infrastructure have been almost entirely wiped out. With 90 per cent of people displaced, food systems destroyed and schools and hospitals in ruins, reconstruction is becoming harder by the day.
16 January 2026
Banning slogans won’t build social cohesion
After Bondi, New South Wales politicians want to ban words and slogans. But rushed laws could punish political speech, not protect the public.
16 January 2026
Iran in the vortex: what's really happening
As protests unfold in Iran, Israeli and US figures openly talk of regime collapse. Foreign interference risks worsening violence and derailing change from within.
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
30 January 2026
Australia’s China student pipeline is facing a credibility problem
Australian universities remain popular with Chinese students, but online chat reveals growing scepticism about academic rigour, employability and value for money. These perceptions raise hard questions about the long-term sustainability of Australia’s education export model.
28 January 2026
China’s ambitions are narrower than Washington thinks
China’s foreign policy priorities are driven more by domestic stability and long-standing sovereignty claims than by ambitions to dominate the global order.
21 January 2026
The US is powerless to push China out of Latin America
Trump’s move on Venezuela signals a wider push to squeeze China out of Latin America. But Beijing’s trade, investment and infrastructure ties may prove hard to unwind.
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