Australia’s multicultural success cannot be taken for granted
John Menadue

Australia’s multicultural success cannot be taken for granted

Australia’s multicultural project has delivered enormous social and economic benefits, but recent governments have allowed it to drift, weakening social cohesion and leadership when it needs renewed attention most.

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Robodebt report is still not the end of the road
Andrew Podger

Robodebt report is still not the end of the road

The National Anti-Corruption Commission’s Robodebt report provides transparency and some accountability, but key findings and the lack of public detail on APS code breaches leave troubling questions unresolved.

Ending native forest logging subsidies need not cost jobs
Bruce Chapman,  David Lindenmayer

Ending native forest logging subsidies need not cost jobs

Claims that environmental reforms will destroy jobs in native forest logging are overstated. Labour market dynamics and the growth of plantation forestry point to a manageable transition.

Australia, Iran and the politics of evasion
Paddy Gourley

Gourley on Government

Australia, Iran and the politics of evasion

Political evasions and half-truths are shaping Australia’s response to the US-Israel attack on Iran, undermining honest debate about legality and policy.

Escaping the tough-on-crime media trap
Jane Anderson

Escaping the tough-on-crime media trap

Decades of tough-on-crime rhetoric have narrowed political debate, but safer communities may depend on shifting the conversation toward prevention, accountability and repair.

How to lose an election: The 2025 Liberal Party election review
Marian Sawer

How to lose an election: The 2025 Liberal Party election review

The leaked review shows how chaotic campaign management and policy announcements ignoring key demographics cost the Coalition the election.

Angus Taylor’s immigration rhetoric faces policy reality
Abul Rizvi

Angus Taylor’s immigration rhetoric faces policy reality

Calls to reduce immigration by “raising standards” sound tough, but current visa settings are already far tighter than in 2022 and further cuts would come with economic costs.

The Liberal review explains the defeat – but not the path back
David Solomon

The Liberal review explains the defeat – but not the path back

The leaked review of the Liberal Party’s 2025 election defeat details campaign failures and organisational problems. What it avoids is the harder question: what policies or direction might rebuild support.

Why I risked prison to add a 'Losing Sound' to poker machines
Neil Walshe

Why I risked prison to add a 'Losing Sound' to poker machines

Poker machines are designed to celebrate wins but stay silent on losses. A new project aims to disrupt that psychological design by introducing a simple losing sound – and to push for legislative reform.

War on Iran signals urgent need for Australia to end risky imported oil dependency
AM Jonson,  Matt Pollard

War on Iran signals urgent need for Australia to end risky imported oil dependency

The widening conflict in the Gulf has exposed Australia’s extreme reliance on imported oil. With minimal fuel reserves and a $12 billion annual diesel subsidy to mining, energy security has become a national security emergency.

Migration scare campaign ignores Coalition’s own targets
Michael Keating

Migration scare campaign ignores Coalition’s own targets

The Coalition is trying to turn migration into a political flashpoint. But the long-term net overseas migration target under Labor is identical to the one projected under the Morrison government.

Thirty years on, the Howard legacy still defines our limits
Stewart Sweeney

Thirty years on, the Howard legacy still defines our limits

John Howard marks 30 years since the Coalition’s 1996 victory with a familiar story of stability and economic management. But the deeper legacy is the set of political and economic defaults both major parties now treat as common sense.

Punishment politics and the suppression of restorative justice
Jane Anderson

Punishment politics and the suppression of restorative justice

Decades of 'tough on crime' policy have expanded prisons while narrowing reform. Restorative justice has been repeatedly constrained not for lack of evidence, but because it redistributes authority away from the state.



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