The inflation myth propping up private school privilege
Private schools regularly blame inflation for rising fees, yet funding arrangements mean they are largely compensated for cost increases. Their fee-setting power widens the resource gap while feeding back into inflation itself.
Recent articles in Politics
27 November 2025
Independent media is essential – and we urgently need your help
We urgently need your financial support. We have raised only $78,000 towards our goal of $250,000 by mid-December.
27 November 2025
The Dismissal at 50: Albanese condemns the past but avoids real reform
Anthony Albanese condemned the 1975 Dismissal as a partisan ambush. Yet he refuses to pursue the constitutional reforms needed to prevent another vice-regal intervention. Australia remains exposed, and neither government nor public sentiment seems ready for the changes required.
27 November 2025
Gaza’s economy has collapsed beyond recognition
Gaza’s economy, society and basic infrastructure have been almost entirely wiped out. With 90 per cent of people displaced, food systems destroyed and schools and hospitals in ruins, reconstruction is becoming harder by the day.
27 November 2025
Non-aligned and successful: Indonesia’s lesson for Australian foreign policy
Australia’s new security agreement with Indonesia comes at a critical moment. Jakarta’s non-aligned tradition offers lessons for a country still tied to a lopsided alliance with the US.
27 November 2025
How Trump tried to sell Ukraine a diplomatic debacle
Two rival peace proposals for Ukraine have emerged – one from the US, echoing long-standing Russian demands, and another from Europe. Kyiv has rejected the US plan as written, insisting its sovereignty cannot be bargained away.
27 November 2025
After Gaza, the next target is Iran
US–Israel manoeuvring over Gaza is already widening the conflict. As Sudan burns and propaganda intensifies, Iran may be the next target — with Australia again at risk of being drawn in.
27 November 2025
Australia’s Christmas double standards on Palestine
As Palestinians face another winter of displacement and bombardment, Australia celebrates Christmas while ignoring its own obligations under international law. If recognition of Palestine is to mean anything, the government must act – not look away.
27 November 2025
Chip wars: how the Dutch government nearly crashed the global car industry
When the Dutch government seized Chinese-owned chipmaker Nexperia, it triggered a global supply scare, revealing how deeply Europe is trapped between American coercion and China’s growing technological muscle, and how vulnerable its industry has become in the Chip War.
27 November 2025
Nature doesn't have an offset account
Australia’s climate and biodiversity laws rely heavily on offset markets that treat ecosystems as interchangeable. But nature is not fungible, and the growing evidence of unique, localised species shows why offset systems are structurally incapable of protecting what is irreplaceable.
26 November 2025
Why the trauma community must break its silence on Gaza
As Gaza reels from unimaginable physical and psychological harm, the global trauma healing community has remained largely silent. Breaking that silence is essential if therapeutic work is to remain honest, ethical and grounded in the reality clients bring into the room.
26 November 2025
Why Australia’s pro-globalisation consensus endures
Australia’s post-pandemic politics may look more divided, but fears of a rising populist backlash are overstated. Demographics, institutions and economic geography still anchor the nation’s long-standing consensus in favour of openness, migration and global integration.
26 November 2025
Without peer in Australian media – Geoff Raby
Former Australian Ambassador to China and senior diplomat Geoff Raby commends Pearls and Irritations