Australia’s cost-of-living crisis has a housing problem
Cost-of-living pressures dominate political debate, but the sharpest strain is not falling incomes. It is housing costs, particularly for first-home buyers, fuelled by stagnant productivity and chronic undersupply where people want to live.
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9 December 2025
Pearls and irritations is growing and changing – and needs your support
We need your financial support to raise an additional $58,500 to meet our $250,000 fundraising target by Monday 16 December.
9 December 2025
Patronage over principle: why Katie Gallagher’s ‘flexibility’ betrays good government
Labor once promised to end cronyism in public appointments. The government’s rejection of enforceable rules instead entrenches discretionary power, weakens accountability and undermines confidence in good governance.
9 December 2025
Writing as resistance in a year that refused to slow down
After a dizzying year of global upheaval, this reflection looks back on writing as resistance – against war, media failure, imperial power and silence – and why truth-telling still matters heading into 2026.
9 December 2025
Australia’s social media age ban is days away. Here is what it really means
Public debate about Australia’s social media age ban has focused on parents and children. But the burden sits with platforms, and the deeper risks lie in what replaces young people’s online communities.
9 December 2025
‘This will be my dream project’: How we got Frank Gehry to design the UTS ‘paper bag’
“I’m up for it” was the response of arguably the most famous architect in the world to our hesitant inquiry. “This will be my dream project,” he said.
9 December 2025
Make NDIS billions go further for people with psychosocial disability
Reform of the NDIS is focused on slowing growth, but neglecting one of the biggest pressure points. Without proper psychosocial supports outside the scheme, unmet need will keep driving costs and harm alike.
9 December 2025
Gaza and the unravelling of the post-war world
The war on Gaza exposed deep cracks in international law, Western power, and the institutions meant to enforce them. From global protests to shifting alliances, a different world order is now taking shape.
9 December 2025
The problem of biblical “Israel” in 2025
Words that once spoke of ancient hope now land in a world shaped by war and grief. What does it mean to sing “Israel” in Advent in 2025?
9 December 2025
The pecking order: how class blindness governs Australian schools
Australia prides itself on fairness and opportunity, yet an unspoken pecking order shapes who advances and who is blamed for falling behind. In schools and public institutions, structural inequality is dressed up as personal failure, with shame doing much of the work.
8 December 2025
Marles’ Defence overhaul raises an awkward question: why AUKUS at all?
Australia’s new Defence Delivery Agency may finally expose an uncomfortable truth – that Australia already has formidable deterrent capabilities through the Royal Australian Air Force and emerging drone systems, making the AUKUS submarine commitment both risky and unnecessary.
8 December 2025
Message from the Editor
Sometimes we run a piece that is much longer than our usual 1000 word upper limit because it is worth it.
8 December 2025
The 2026 budget is Labor’s real reform test
The 2026 federal budget offers a rare opportunity to begin rebalancing tax, lifting productivity and tackling long-term pressures on living standards.
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