Richard Hil
Recent articles by Richard Hil
1 April 2025
Time to split from sugar daddy
Last week, I listened to Stuart Rees and Sue Wareham, two regular contributors to P&I, discuss kindness and cruelty in public policy.
11 March 2025
Give us a break, Alfred
It feels funny. Here I am, supposedly writing a book about the climate catastrophe as my house, street, town, and region are being buffeted by a category 2 cyclone. Cyclone Alfred.
29 December 2024
No more puerile ‘debates’ about the Gaza genocide, please
I’ve had a hard day’s night watching an excruciating, made-for-Fox-TV showdown between political scientist Norman Finkelstein and the former deputy mayor of Jerusalem, Fleur Hassan-Nahoum.
12 December 2024
History repeats in the most chilling of ways
Earlier this month, the Sydney Morning Herald published a cartoon by the irrepressible Cathy Wilcox. I gazed at the image for a long time. My first thought was that she’ll pay a price for this, and so might the Herald. And, true to form, there was indeed a strong reaction in some quarters.
29 November 2024
A necessary reckoning of bloodletting in Gaza
The premeditated bloodletting in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon and many other largely forgotten parts of the world speaks hauntingly of the normalisation of death and destruction, largely for cruel, self-serving and illusory reasons.
18 November 2024
Are we locked in a dangerous illusion?
Two weeks ago, I was at a public event in Northern NSW listening to five speakers reflect on the state of the climate and what we might do about it – that, at least, was how it was pitched.
21 October 2024
It’s the silence that kills
“Do you agree that Israel has the right to defend itself?” This question, so often and repeatedly put by journalists, is irritatingly banal. Invariably, it’s pitched as a kind of provocation, as if to infer that the person being quizzed has never considered the matter, or worse, is a closet antisemitic.
13 October 2024
The slow strangulation of truth
Over the years I’ve learnt to chew and walk at the same time. It’s taken a while, but I think I’ve mastered it. Being able and willing to condemn the actions of Hamas, and criticising Iran while also condemning the callousness of Israel’s incursions into Gaza, the West Bank and now Lebanon is something I think most reasonable people can and should do.
7 August 2024
There’s no escaping the wrongs done to Indigenous people
Patricia Karvelas’s article reflecting on the Labor government’s ‘timid’, ‘pragmatic’, ‘realistic’ change of course in pursuit of bipartisanship on Indigenous affairs made for uber-depressing reading (ABC News, online, ‘Timidity reigns as Anthony Albanese backs away from Makarrata at Garma Festival’, 5th August). It confirmed that the institutional racism prosecuted by the No campaign, is alive and well. In the Trumpian era to say such things is to create victims who cry out: ‘how dare you call me a racist?!’
5 August 2024
Why I’m not in the mood for the Olympic hurrah
The latest Essential poll published in Tuesday’s online Guardian revealed that a whopping third of those polled would, if given the chance, vote for the Mango Mussolini (the Donald). This is concerning. But it’s worse than first appears. Along with the dispiriting response to the Voice - based largely on conspiracy theories, lies and dog-whistling racism – and the fact that disillusionment with the political class and democratic institutions is sky high, our nation seems to be at an inflection point.
13 June 2024
Hostages have been freed, who cares about the Palestinian unpeople?
It’s been a month since I relocated to a new town. It’s been traumatic. The emotions have run wild and the somatic reactions strong. At the epicentre of this emotional firestorm is a deep, wounding sense of dislocation, of severed connections with people and place.
3 June 2024
Why we must never stop exposing cant and hypocrisy
To witness repeated atrocities around the world is hard enough. To observe wilful slaughter, when it’s openly supported by nations claiming adherence to human rights and international law, is nauseating. The killing of dozens of Palestinians in a supposed safe zone in Rafah is just the latest bloody outrage on global view.
7 April 2024
Murder by any other name
Writing on the heels of Stuart Reess recent article in P&I, A Plea for Gaza: Remember humanity & forget the rest, and as a participant in last Wednesdays Gaza plea for humanity event at Parliament House, Canberra, Id like to commend Stuart for his leadership, courage and tireless efforts to bring peace with justice to the Palestinian people.
6 March 2024
Why are you so afraid to speak out??
The brilliant, compassionate peace scholar and activist Stuart Rees, a regular contributor to this publication, constantly searches for ways of jolting the consciences of journalists, the political class anyone in fact witnessing the horrors in Gaza.
21 February 2024
Terra solitarius the true cost of young peoples loneliness
Were sleepwalking toward social catastrophe. Perhaps were there already terra solitarius. Almost anywhere you care to look research findings, news reports, general social chatter all signs point in the same direction: a society free-falling into mass disconnection, loneliness and isolation. The word epidemic is often used to describe this situation. Its a phenomenon sweeping over many rich, western nations.
3 February 2024
Are we letting big tech outsource our humanity?
The biggest problem with Artificial Intelligence will be the way we use it, writes Dr Richard Hil.
10 December 2023
So why the secrecy?
Last month, Chris Bowen, the Climate Change Minister, delivered the second Annual Climate Change Statement to the federal parliament. The Ministers address was in part detailed especially when it came to the governments many policy achievements but less so when it came to the question of climate heating and national security.
27 November 2023
Facing climate catastrophe, secrecy is the last thing we need
Confronted by the horrors occurring in the Ukraine, Ethiopia, Sudan, Myanmar and now the Middle East, its hard to contemplate that an even more imposing global tragedy is already here climate breakdown.
17 October 2023
Another day in the colony
The deputy prime minister Richard Marles was asked by Insiders host David Speers if the voters of Australia were right to roundly reject the constitutional recognition of Indigenous peoples and the Voice to parliament. Of course they were right, said Marles, theyre always right. In a press conference and later during question time in parliament, Anthony Albanese said he respected the outcome of the referendum, pointing out that its wonderful that democracies like Australia can have such referendums without the disorder we see in other countries.
13 October 2023
Israels vengeance will not make for a better world
The depressing, crushing spectacle of extreme violence and mayhem unleashed across Israel and Palestine over recent days is a reminder of the depths to which humanity can sink.
9 September 2023
Were going nuts, why wouldnt we?
It is no measure of health to be well adjusted in a profoundly sick society - Jiddu Krishnamurti
22 August 2023
Time to grow up? Australia is becoming a militarised US outpost
I hesitate to stray into the florid world of military strategists, senior public servants, cabinet ministers and assorted think tanks, but what on earth is going on with Australias so-called defence policy? The Albo government seems hellbent on turning Australia into a militarised outpost of the US whose pivot to the Asia-Pacific region has led to the installation of all manner of hardware and personnel.
6 August 2023
No need to despair, theres always the NRL!
What are we to make of what were witnessing on our TV screens - the fires, the floods, the storms, the loss of life and habitat? It certainly appears deadly - and monumentally serious. July was the hottest month ever recorded.
27 July 2023
What really sucks about aging
Its like arriving at a bus station at five minutes to midnight, in the middle of a bustling city, dressed only in your undies. Thats my friends rather odd male-centric take on reaching seventy years of age. But lets go with it - for now.
8 July 2023
Discovering the village effect
It probably wasnt the best time to venture near to the Belarus border.
20 May 2023
Primed for the ultimate AI disconnection
Time to leave for planet Zog. Thats what came to mind recently I as pondered an article about young Japanese men and female holograms.
15 March 2023
Imperial power: The Iraq war, 20 years on
Iraqs trauma is regarded in some quarters as an ill-gotten remnant of the past: something to be air-brushed from history. But not so for those experiencing the ravages of imperial power. On the 20th anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq - March, 20, 2023 - the people of Iraq await a historical reckoning.
10 January 2023
Shoving democracy aside in Brazil and elsewhere
The destruction of the Brazilian congress by supporters of the former, and now self-exiled, President Jair Bolsonaro is yet another example of the power and real consequences of misinformation and deceit peddled on the internet.
13 December 2022
High stakes in the climate diaspora
Weeks and months after devastating floods hit many regional centres across NSW and Victoria, there emerged a fresh crop of mycelium-like symbols, otherwise known as for sale signs. Pitched on lawns in front of stud-exposed and newly renovated houses, or on empty blocks of land. These commercial hoardings have become the grim tell-tale signs of the climate diaspora.
28 October 2022
Guilt and dread as floods remind us of ecological crisis
The flood crisis engulfing much of Australia reminds us of the future we face in an era of climate change. Heres the thing; writing abstractly about something and experiencing it directly are two very different things. Or so Ive discovered.
1 October 2022
The drumbeat of history sounds for the Monarchy
Australia is at an inflection point. The illusion of Pax Britannia is just that. The time for a historical reckoning has arrived. The gruesome facts of colonial violence and the heroism of past and ongoing Indigenous resistance can no longer be denied.
7 August 2022
Theres no escaping a hothouse earth
A couple of months ago I set off with my partner to the northern hemisphere for a prolonged stint in Canada. Ill admit I was excited and relieved to be getting away from the rain-soaked Northern Rivers. The region had been robbed of sunlight for months on end and the trauma of the floods earlier in the year was deeply ingrained, even though I was among the lucky few whose house was spared.
13 May 2022
The not so great debate
Theres a scene in Fawlty Towers where Basil is so terrified of the anticipated reaction of his partner, Sybil, that he goes into a full-blown meltdown. Mr Fawlty, dont panic, Polly the waitress intones. What else is there to do? Basil screams back. I know how he feels.
24 March 2022
The new reality of climate chaos is upon us
The climate criminals are, of course, seeking to cover their tracks.
14 March 2022
Why I haven't given up on conspiracy theorists
None of this has come out of the blue. It has coincided with the rise of neoliberal capitalism which, among other things, has encouraged hyper individualism, greater competition, social disconnection, greed and selfishness.
21 January 2022
Can Australian universities come back from the dead?
Academic freedom has been slowly and steadily eroded, with academics turned into service providers and students into consumers.
4 November 2021
An exceptional nation, for routine deception
Emmanuel Macron's swipe at Scott Morrison shows our allies are fed up with Australian politicians' routine deception and obfuscation.
24 August 2021
Ageism very much alive in society
Of all the negative isms that fester in daily life, ageism is surely amongst the most prevalent, and unacknowledged. Sure, most people are aware that its unacceptable to patronise, put down and denigrate those who are deemed elderly, old or aged, but somehow these discriminatory practices tend to escape our notice.
12 August 2021
Political and media failure on climate in Australia
The technology roadmap sketched by Morrison and Taylor is a con. It is in fact a statement of support for the fossil fuel industry which is heavily subsidised by and a significant donor to the Liberal and National Parties.
28 July 2021
Our universities are in crisis.They are no longer fit for purpose?
The urgency of transforming university education, and indeed all forms of education, lies in the need to render them relevant to the deep global crises we now face. These crises are reshaping every society on Earth.
3 June 2021
Why the 'Teflon' University is coming unstuck
Its often referred to as the Teflon phenomenon the capacity to withstand any amount of criticism and proceed as if nothing has changed. Accusations, damning evidence and reports of wrongdoing simply dont stick. Countless US presidents have been coated with this substance, as have entire Australian administrations, including the current Morrison government.
4 March 2021
A tepid cry for change: Tanya Plibersek's book "Upturn" and Labor's prospects
In a world riven by crises, we need new ways of thinking, knowing, and relating. We also need courage. The challenge is huge. There will be no return to a pre-Covid-19 normal, which for many Australians meant poverty, hardship, and marginalization. This book had rich promise but is a missed opportunity. A comprehensive, coherent vision of a just society post pandemic society still needs to be written.
28 January 2021
A crisis in and of knowledge: an issue of trust
Many of us no longer know what to think or who to believe. This is compounded by the assault on expert opinion and doubts over mainstream media coverage. Meanwhile, the social disconnection wrought by neoliberalism enables nationalistic ideologies that foster a sense of victimhood.
22 November 2020
Conspiracy Theories The Big Con
There was a time, Ill admit, when I thought that so-called conspiracy theories were quixotic, mildly interesting, and largely benign. Not any more.