Prince Andrew’s ‘one peppercorn’ lease exposes how little is known about royal finances
Robert Hazell

Prince Andrew’s ‘one peppercorn’ lease exposes how little is known about royal finances

In announcing that Prince Andrew would no longer use his title or honours, Buckingham Palace hoped to shift the spotlight away from his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, and the accusations of sexual abuse he has faced (and denied).

Notice which genocides you are and are not allowed to oppose
Caitlin Johnstone

Notice which genocides you are and are not allowed to oppose

Do you notice how nobody’s losing their jobs or getting deported for criticising the genocidal atrocities in Sudan?

Environment: Six strategies will simultaneously reduce emissions and help communities prepare
Peter Sainsbury

Environment: Six strategies will simultaneously reduce emissions and help communities prepare

Six broad strategies will tackle the root causes of climate change and help groups prepare for the consequences of global warming. Environmentally sustainable aircraft are slow to take off. Local governments can take a lead in promoting biodiversity.


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Taking from the young, giving to the old: How our tax system is letting us down
Robert Breunig

Taking from the young, giving to the old: How our tax system is letting us down

Australians are retiring with unprecedented levels of wealth. This wealth, which is primarily held in housing, investment properties and superannuation, allows retirees to draw incomes to support their retirement.

What Israel's genocide has laid bare
Coen Luettringhaus

What Israel's genocide has laid bare

Two years into an ongoing genocide — recognised as such by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, B’Tselem, Physicians for Human Rights, Doctors without Borders, the International Association of Genocide Scholars, the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention, the University Network for Human Rights and countless scholars of international humanitarian law, genocide and Holocaust studies — we are now to normalise the obscene, and move on.

Australian Palestinian farm in the occupied West Bank raided by Israeli settlers
Helen McCue

Australian Palestinian farm in the occupied West Bank raided by Israeli settlers

Australian citizen, Palestinian farmer and vigneron Sari Kassis, whose family company Domaine Kassis wines sells both locally and overseas, has reported that over the past two weeks there has been a rapid increase in destructive raids on his farm by the Israeli “Hilltop Youth”.

Of social cohesion, belonging and the Australian flag
Stella Yee

Of social cohesion, belonging and the Australian flag

Until recently, “social cohesion” was a term rarely uttered by Australian politicians. Then suddenly, it was everywhere – in press conferences, speeches and ministerial statements. But what does it actually mean?

'Forget subsidies': Solar-battery hybrids can deliver 'incredibly competitive' power for big industry
Sophie Vorrath

'Forget subsidies': Solar-battery hybrids can deliver 'incredibly competitive' power for big industry

The developer of what stands to be Australia’s biggest battery says the new breed of hybrid solar and storage projects, starting to dominate the national renewables pipeline, can power new and existing industrial energy needs at an “incredibly competitive” cost – and without government handouts.

Understanding Australia-China research mobility
Elena Collinson,  James Laurenceson,  Wanning Sun,  Marina Zhang,  Xunpeng Shi

Understanding Australia-China research mobility

Australia’s research partnership with China is a significant component of its scientific output, particularly in engineering, technology and applied sciences.

Trump's IMO veto exposes Australia's maritime blind spot
Bruce Hardy

Trump's IMO veto exposes Australia's maritime blind spot

Protecting Australia’s sovereignty was a central justification for Anthony Albanese's critical minerals deal with Donald Trump.

Yes – he's a dictator
Noel Turnbull

Yes – he's a dictator

The latest polling from the Public Religion Research Institute provides a stunning reflection on how Americans now regard Trump.

Latest on Palestine and Israel

Notice which genocides you are and are not allowed to oppose
Caitlin Johnstone

Notice which genocides you are and are not allowed to oppose

Do you notice how nobody’s losing their jobs or getting deported for criticising the genocidal atrocities in Sudan?

What Israel's genocide has laid bare
Coen Luettringhaus

What Israel's genocide has laid bare

Two years into an ongoing genocide — recognised as such by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, B’Tselem, Physicians for Human Rights, Doctors without Borders, the International Association of Genocide Scholars, the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention, the University Network for Human Rights and countless scholars of international humanitarian law, genocide and Holocaust studies — we are now to normalise the obscene, and move on.

Australian Palestinian farm in the occupied West Bank raided by Israeli settlers
Helen McCue

Australian Palestinian farm in the occupied West Bank raided by Israeli settlers

Australian citizen, Palestinian farmer and vigneron Sari Kassis, whose family company Domaine Kassis wines sells both locally and overseas, has reported that over the past two weeks there has been a rapid increase in destructive raids on his farm by the Israeli “Hilltop Youth”.

Gaza under siege: The continuation of Zionist demographic cleansing policies since the 19th century
Refaat Ibrahim

Gaza under siege: The continuation of Zionist demographic cleansing policies since the 19th century

Israeli propaganda tries to present the war on Gaza as a “defensive reaction.” Yet the historical record tells a very different story: systematic genocide, the destruction of civilian life and deliberate attempts to uproot entire populations. All of this is a direct continuation of Zionist colonial policies that began in the late 19th century.

The leader most capable of governing a future Palestinian state is languishing in an Israeli jail
Amin Saikal

The leader most capable of governing a future Palestinian state is languishing in an Israeli jail

As the future of Gaza hangs in the balance, the Palestinian Authority needs renewal if it’s to eventually govern the Strip and play a key role in making the two-state solution a reality.

The easy way or the hard way to the same result
Alison Broinowski

The easy way or the hard way to the same result

National leaders deceive most people most of the time. Israel’s long, atrocious, US-backed assault on the Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon is the latest example, as are their joint attacks on Syria, Yemen, and Iran.

Why the annexation of the West Bank matters to all of us
Meg Schwarz

Why the annexation of the West Bank matters to all of us

Between 1 January and 30 September 2025, Israeli authorities carried out 1288 demolitions of Palestinian-owned structures in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

The unvanquished will: Gaza’s triumph of spirit against the architecture of genocide
Ramzy Baroud

The unvanquished will: Gaza’s triumph of spirit against the architecture of genocide

For the last two years, my social media algorithm has been relentlessly dominated by Gaza, particularly by the voices of ordinary Gazans, displaying a blend of emotions that centres on two core principles: grief and defiance.


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

Understanding Australia-China research mobility
Elena Collinson,  James Laurenceson,  Wanning Sun,  Marina Zhang,  Xunpeng Shi

Understanding Australia-China research mobility

Australia’s research partnership with China is a significant component of its scientific output, particularly in engineering, technology and applied sciences.

The ABC and News Corp finally agree on something: China panic
Fred Zhang

Anti-China Media Watch

The ABC and News Corp finally agree on something: China panic

Last week, a friend asked if I was worried about Chinese “nuclear threats.

Taiwan as an integral part of China: A historical, legal and geopolitical analysis
James Wood

Taiwan as an integral part of China: A historical, legal and geopolitical analysis

The status of Taiwan remains one of the most contested topics in modern geopolitics and one of the most misrepresented.


John Menadue

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More from Pearls and Irritations


Latest letters to the editor

Housing for homes, not profit

Margaret Callinan — Hawthorn VIC 3122

Three thousand cheers for Stewart Sweeney. He says far more elegantly and knowledgeably what I've been saying for years: housing planning is non-existent. What we have is so-called developers spotting what they deem to be profitable sites — it doesn't matter what's there already — and they go for it. In Victoria, councils used to object but were overridden by VCAT and now even the right to protest has been abolished. Public housing is demolished and sites privatised (i.e. sold for a song) with the stipulation that a meagre 5% or 10 % of new apartments be affordable. With...
Up the creek

Alyssa Aleksanian — Hazelbrook

Albanese high-fives himself about his rare earths deal with Trump. However, I can’t find any clarifying details about the deal. A few days later, Trump signs an unexpected rare earths mineral deal with China who, unlike Australia, has the means to process the minerals into a saleable product and deal with the toxic waste that results from processing. Someone tell me: does this deal, with our so-called ally, leave us up yet another a faecal resource creek without a paddle?
In defence of David Marr

Barry Stevens — Tura Beach, NSW 2548

While I am an admirer of Chris Hedges and have read him at length, I have to disagree with Vivienne Porzsolt’s characterisation of his interview with David Marr (of whom I am also a fan). Marr seemed to me to bend over backwards to accommodate Hedges' viewpoint. Hedges, in my view, overstated his case and made it very difficult, frustrating I would say, for Marr , who acted very professionally at all times. To call the interview a “hatchet job”is simply wrong.
Marred interview

Geoff Bower — Gooseberry Hill, WA

I strongly support the review of David Marr's interview with Chris Hedges. It was a disgrace and I have cancelled my subscription to Late Night Live's podcasts. I do take issue with her apology for the pun she feels she has made by saying that the interview was marred by his tactics as an interviewer. I think we should embrace the word as an apt descriptor of the techniques used by an aggressive journalist who hectors his guest and seems incapable of any self-reflection when the guest defends himself against invalid criticisms. The LNL interview was Marred for...



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