John Menadue
Publisher and Editor
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- Do we share the same values as the US?
- Trump has a problem with China – but what is Australia doing?
- My Kafkaesque Trial
- The federal government is hiding under the covers
- Aged care homes: the weakest COVID-19 link
- Saturday’s good reading and listening for the weekend
- Exposing the Hidden Hand
- The Reagan and Thatcher legacies: sorting truth from fantasy.
- The US hypocrisy on the South China Sea and Diego Garcia
- China must obey international rules in the South China Sea but the US ignores them in Diego Garcia (Repost 3 July 2020)
Author Archives: P&I Guest Writers
Hong Kong from the inside
Reporting by outsiders on Hong Kong tends to be over-simplistic and seen through Western eyes. We need to look at things through the eyes of Hong Kongers. The old Hong Kong is dead but the new one may emerge not … Continue reading
RICHARD CURTAIN. Key elements of a suppression strategy
What is a workable alternative to an elimination strategy?
Posted in Public Policy
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GARY MOORHEAD. Cheap renewable energy and the future of manufacturing.
Whether it’s economic recovery post COVID, enhancing our future defence capabilities or even helping deal with climate change, manufacturing has become the new black. But before we can see any lift in manufacturing performance, a truly wicked problem must be … Continue reading
Posted in Economy, Environment and climate
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IAN FRASER. Banks, master criminals of the Universe (Literary Review February 2020)
Banks, too big to fail and too big to gaol. A review of “Sabotage: The Business of Finance” by Anastasia Nesvetailova & Ronen Palan.
Posted in Economy
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VACY VLAZNA. Smashing the Chinese golden goose egg
In the fragile recovery from mega-bushfires, floods, drought and the pandemic, Australians are looking for competent, trustworthy and decent political leadership. If the Eden-Monaro by-election was a leadership testing ground, both major parties failed.
Posted in Politics
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NUALA KENNY. Disinfecting denial and secrecy.
“Nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known” (Matthew 10, 26-28) Courageous proclamation of the “good news” of God’s love for us is the heart of Jesus’ mission.
Posted in Religion and Faith
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BRUCE CAMERON: The Politicisation of Gallantry – will Teddy Sheean get his VC?
Public opinion (aka votes) means that a face-saving new enquiry is now to be held into potentially awarding a VC to Seaman Teddy Sheean for his extraordinary bravery during World War II.
Posted in Defence/Security
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ANDREW JAKUBOWICZ. Is Australia a racist nation? Reflections on the last 25 years of denial – Part 1 of Racism Series
The last time Australia was labelled a racist nation by a regional power was in the wake of the election of John Howard and the emergence of Pauline Hanson in 1996 and 1997.
Posted in Politics, Refugees, Immigration
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BEVAN RAMSDEN. Campaigning for an independent, self-reliant, and sustainable manufacturing sector
Australia has lost much of its manufacturing industry, including the ability to produce essential strategic materials, and has become far too dependent on imports which are subject to disruption from pandemics, wars and foreign political threats.
Posted in Economy
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BRUCE CAMERON. Australia’s First Defenders
Surely, the first defenders of Australia who tried to protect their family with spears when confronted by muskets and canon, deserve our admiration and respect.
Posted in Indigenous affairs
7 Comments
TERRY FEWTRELL. . Catholic bishops need to give up secrecy and learn to trust
Australia’s Catholic bishops seem to have learned little from the sexual abuse scandal and associated cover-ups, writes Terry Fewtrell. Pushed by a Royal Commission (RC) report to implement reforms, they recently reverted to standard operating procedures of delay and secrecy … Continue reading
Posted in Religion and Faith
3 Comments
ROBERT GATES. The Overmilitarization of American Foreign Policy (Foreign Affairs July/August 2020)
Donald Trump’s decision to go it alone in responding to the coronavirus pandemic is but the latest manifestation of the United States’ waning global leadership, writes Robert M Gates.
Posted in Defence/Security, World Affairs
3 Comments
ANTOINETTE MITCHELL. From Trump Tower to The Violent Trumps of America
It’s June 5, 1980, exactly thirty years ago, and the magnificent art deco Bonwit Teller building in Manhattan, is smashed to the ground.
Posted in Politics
3 Comments
PETER BROOKS, STEPHEN DUCKETT and BRIAN OLDENBURG. Telehealth and digital health navigators – a bright future.
Telehealth is not new in Australia but Covid -19 and the new Medicare item numbers have stimulated its rapid adoption across the country. It is clear patients like it. They do not need to expose themselves to potentially dangerous environments … Continue reading
MICHAEL FURTADO. Why Quentin Dempster, Malcolm Turnbull and John Warhurst are wrong about Catholic School Funding
We are at an historic moment of apocalyptic threat to the survival of the Australian Catholic Church, the Catholic Bishops say. Among the institutions facing their greatest threat are Australia’s Catholic Schools. Here’s what’s happening.
Posted in Education
24 Comments
HELENA COBBAN. Another American first: A self-collapsing empire!( Just World News 2.6.2020)
It is impossible to see how the United States can at any point in the next quarter century regain anything like the commanding position in the world system that it occupied from 1991 through late 2019. What we are experiencing … Continue reading
Posted in Politics, World Affairs
5 Comments
RAY MOYNIHAN. Many of the world’s most influential medical leaders too cosy with pharma.
A new study of powerful medical leaders in the US finds around three-quarters have financial relationships with drug companies – with some doctors accepting millions. The study could not have been done in Australia, where many doctor-drug company payments remain … Continue reading
Posted in Health, Politics
3 Comments
TIM BUCKLEY & PRAVEEN GUPTA. Energy is pivotal to India’s economic development and sustainability goals. Part 2 of 2.
In Part 1, Tim Buckley and Praveen Gupta discussed the influences on India’s economic growth, energy security and environmental sustainability. In Part 2 they explore the Indian government’s energy strategies and possible ways forward.
Posted in Asia, Environment and climate
1 Comment
PETER GOERS. With China, many Aussies are absolute hypocrites (Sunday Mail 31.5.20)
We once ludicrously feared Reds under beds. Now, they’ve made the beds we lie in, writes Peter Goers in his monthly column.
Posted in Politics, World Affairs
7 Comments
JOHN ASHTON. The UK with the world’s second worst response to COVID-19.
The UK response to COVID-19 has been marred by bad decisions in the face of an impending crisis, built on a decade of inadequate resources, planning and organisational preparedness to make the UK second only to the USA in terms … Continue reading
MARIANA MAZZUCATO and GIULIO QUAGGIOTTO. The big failure of small government(Social Europe 26.5.2020)
It is no coincidence that countries with mission-driven governments have fared better in the Covid-19 crisis than those beholden to the cult of efficiency.
Posted in Politics
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TIM BUCKLEY & PRAVEEN GUPTA. Energy is pivotal to India’s economic development and sustainability goals. Part 1 of 2.
In Part 1, Tim Buckley and Praveen Gupta explore the factors influencing India’s economic growth, energy and water security, natural resources, air pollution and environmental sustainability.
Posted in Asia, Environment and climate, Politics
2 Comments
HAL PAWSON. Why COVID Commission must back social housing stimulus
The Prime Minister’s COVID Commission is supposed to be advising government on how to ‘facilitate the fastest possible recovery of lives and livelihoods’ after the pandemic. Yet it’s main focus appears to be the promotion of a fossil-fuelled medium-term industrial … Continue reading
Posted in Housing
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CHRIS NYLAND. Perhaps Not a Good Time to Poke the Dragon?
A number of commentators have expressed surprise that Canberra would provoke China at a time when the Australian economy may be desperate to increase exports!
Posted in Asia, World Affairs
1 Comment
DENNIS RICHARDS. Trumpism redefines American exceptionalism
Americans shamelessly believe that their nation and their culture are superior and exceptional. Under Trump America’s reputation around the world is depleted. There is a real danger that his may become permanent should Trump be re-elected in November 2020.
Posted in World Affairs
7 Comments
ANNA YEATMAN. Our politicians, we realise, can actually govern.
Human survival and wellbeing must become the ethical basis of all government.
Posted in Politics
2 Comments
MICHAEL POWELL Morrison seeking unimpeded power
Conservatives always seek unimpeded power and Scott Morrison is no exception. Some cynics suggest this is a ‘right to rule’ mentality, but it is not. It is a duty. A ‘right to rule’ is arrogance; a ‘duty’ is more sinister … Continue reading
Posted in Politics
7 Comments
BRENDAN COATES & MATT GOWGILL. COVID-19 Employment Shock.
The sight of Centrelink queues snaking around the block past shuttered shopfronts in cities, suburbs, and towns across Australia leaves no doubt that COVID-19 is having a big impact on Australian unemployment. But just how big?
Posted in Economy
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ALLAN BEHM. Time to Rethink National Security
Following the summer bushfires, the COVID-19 pandemic has smashed even further the livelihoods and the lifestyles of many Australians. The hit to the national economy will be comparable to that of WW2.
Posted in Politics
2 Comments
TERRY SLEVIN. The Silver lining on the coronavirus cloud.
Among the extraordinary health devastation, and social and economic disruption of COVID19, comes some benefits. Will we be able to identify and capture them and will we be able to sustain them? Will public health become a higher priority for … Continue reading