Working with PM Fraser - the changeover - Part 1
John Menadue stayed on as the most senior public servant in the land, after the trauma of the Dismissal. In this 5-part series he details what life was like working with PM Fraser. Given his closeness to Whitlam, some of his conclusions are surprising.
Recent articles in Politics
19 November 2025
Coalition politicians who can't accept the threat of climate change should resign
Politicians who cannot accept climate change is humanity's greatest threat should have no place in the Australian parliament.
19 November 2025
Book review: Turbulence - Australian foreign policy in the Trump era
For anyone concerned about where Australia’s foreign policy including AUKUS, is taking us, Clinton Fernandes' book is essential reading.
19 November 2025
Breaking free of media group-think is a scary, lonely journey. I know. I was forced to do it
The western media's failure to report the reality of Gaza didn’t start on 7 October 2023. It’s always been like this. Here’s why journalists won’t tell you the truth about Palestine.
19 November 2025
Migration myths
Migrants aren’t to blame for expensive houses or stress on infrastructure: in fact they’re making more contribution to our shared assets than Australians.
19 November 2025
It’s as if their lives do not matter
Many Rohingya have gone missing at sea, but this latest boat tragedy highlights ASEAN’s indifference.
19 November 2025
Pope Leo and transparency in child sexual abuse cases
If the Catholic Church wishes to change a culture of secrecy, leadership has to come from the top.
19 November 2025
Stop pretending punishment works
When Premier Jacinta Allan is photographed proudly advancing Victoria’s Treaty process, she is rightly praised.
19 November 2025
Daniel Ghezelbash: The Refugee Convention is under threat, but it is not the problem
We are at a crossroads for refugee protection. Around the world, displacement has reached record highs, with more than 122 million people forced from their homes, including over 31 million refugees.
19 November 2025
US Democrats cave once more
The perils of unprincipled, performative so-called “resistance.”
18 November 2025
Gaza winter catastrophe repeating in tents that resist neither wind nor rain
The seasons change, but for those fighting for survival through wet winters and baking summers in Gaza's tents, the suffering remains.
18 November 2025
Emergency powers and tariffs: The US Supreme Court’s test of the President’s authority
The Supreme Court is set to decide on the limits of executive power – and that decision will have practical implications for Australia.
18 November 2025
Richo’s grave should be extra deep
Graham Richardson was a very successful operator of the Labor Party from the late 1970s who was distinctly short on redeeming virtues.