Water is a vital part of population policy
If ecological sustainability must be the basis for population policy, as argued by Jenny Goldie, then a vital ingredient for sustainability is water – the essence of life.
Recent articles in Policy
7 May 2025
Brave new world
As Australia’s newly elected government seeks to navigate the shoals of President Donald Trump’s new world after the election on 3 May, it will behove us to think beyond our tariff concerns and AUKUS and focus on Southeast Asia.
6 May 2025
Incoming immigration minister faces immense challenges
Whoever is appointed immigration minister in the second Albanese Government will face immense challenges from both a policy and political perspective.
6 May 2025
Trump is the symptom of a deeper American malaise
The US president’s disruptive policies reveal a superpower unsettled by its waning dominance.
5 May 2025
Ignoring the impact of racism undermines effective policymaking
We have heard about a variety of urgent issues during the federal election campaign in the past few weeks and months, from cost of living, immigration, crime and health to housing and energy policies, but one of the topics that have received no attention — indeed never appeared high on the political agenda — is how to address racism.
3 May 2025
A fistful of dollars: The dumbing down of Australian election campaigns
We are mugs. This seems to be the first assumption behind most Australian election campaigns.
30 April 2025
Whither national urban policy?
Urban policy in Australia, despite our historically high level of urbanisation, has made only on-off appearances at the federal level of government.
29 April 2025
If I were foreign minister...
I don’t want to be Australia’s foreign minister, and here’s why: I would not be good at promoting Australia’s current foreign policy to the world. That’s also why I stopped being a diplomat in 1996.
29 April 2025
Framing the future: Australia’s China policy in the lead-up to the 2025 election
In the lead-up to the Australia election, new research examines the ALP and Coalition messaging and policy on the People’s Republic of China.
29 April 2025
The Palestine election
Why has an election 6000 miles from the Dome of the Rock become about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?
28 April 2025
A minority Labor Government's policy agenda – Part 2
In this second part of this article, discussing the possible policy agenda for a minority Labor Government, the focus is on taxation and how to improve productivity – issues that are most difficult to agree on.
27 April 2025
If I were defence minister...
On becoming Australia’s new defence minister, I will advise cabinet at its first meeting that our nation is at a perilous, strategic crossroad.
27 April 2025
When I'm 65...
The Australian Bureau of Statistics defines anyone over 65 as old. You don’t qualify for the means tested old age pension for two more years, and when politicians talk of ageing, they focus on nursing homes and care, dementia and falls. Ageing policy is confused and confusing.
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A minority Labor Government's policy agenda – Part 1
26 April 2025
Housing affordability: Which party has better policies?
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Universal early learning and the three-day guarantee
