The inflation myth propping up private school privilege
Jim McMorrow,  Lyndsay Connors

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.

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Independent media is essential – and we urgently need your help
John Menadue

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.

The Dismissal at 50: Albanese condemns the past but avoids real reform
Paddy Gourley

THE DISMISSAL AT 50

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.

Gaza’s economy has collapsed beyond recognition
Refaat Ibrahim

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.

Non-aligned and successful: Indonesia’s lesson for Australian foreign policy
Allan Patience

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.

How Trump tried to sell Ukraine a diplomatic debacle
Matthew Sussex

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.

After Gaza, the next target is Iran
Alison Broinowski

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.

Australia’s Christmas double standards on Palestine
Stuart Rees,  Margaret Reynolds

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.

Chip wars: how the Dutch government nearly crashed the global car industry
Eugene Doyle

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.

Nature doesn't have an offset account
Rhiannon Schembri

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.

Why the trauma community must break its silence on Gaza
Annabel McGoldrick

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.

Why Australia’s pro-globalisation consensus endures
Shiro Armstrong,  Liam Gammon

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.

Without peer in Australian media – Geoff Raby
Geoff Raby

Without peer in Australian media – Geoff Raby

Former Australian Ambassador to China and senior diplomat Geoff Raby commends Pearls and Irritations



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