A calculated plot, an ambush, a coup
Five decades on from the dismissal of the Whitlam government, Australia is seeing a notable shift in the narrative that now recognises it as a calculated coup, and an assault on the conventions of government.
Recent articles in Politics
22 November 2025
Working with PM Fraser - burying White Australia - Part 4
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.
22 November 2025
US wants Seoul’s subs to counter China – Asian Media Report
In Asian media this week: Washington sees global role for South Korean navy; the military cements government control in Pakistan; Palestine is an obstacle to Trump’s new Middle East plan; Japan prepares for drawn-out dispute with China; why South Korea is turning its back on coal power; and boot camps for beauty queens.
22 November 2025
Never underestimate a shearer's cook
What comes next for Liberal leader Sussan Ley after the party walked away from committing to net zero?
22 November 2025
Trump’s latest Epstein gambit
The next time you hear that Trump has somehow reversed his earlier resistance to releasing the Epstein files, remember that he hasn’t. He could have ordered their disclosure long ago; he never needed a congressional resolution compelling it.
22 November 2025
Root canals and conspiracies
Social media misinformation is creating a public health problem of lost teeth, prolonged dental pain, unnecessary costs, and worsening inequalities in oral health.
22 November 2025
Two Trump peace plans
Trump’s proposed peace plan for Ukraine is sparking outrage across Europe. But how does this response compare with his earlier plan for Gaza?
22 November 2025
BBC and ABC targeted by conservative critics for the wrong reasons
Right-wing critics attack the ABC and BBC, but the real media bias is in ignoring Palestinian voices and defending power.
22 November 2025
The war on Sudan: the choice is ours
International mechanisms and the international community have failed Sudan and the Sudanese people. The tragedy unfolding today was predictable, but not unavoidable.
22 November 2025
Only a republic can reverse executive power creep
A democratic republic would end the structural uncertainties that allowed both the Whitlam dismissal and Scott Morrison's many ministries, as well as bringing the Australian people into a new constitutional relationship.
21 November 2025
Working with PM Fraser - a country divided - Part 3
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.
21 November 2025
My one hope – to meet my wife and daughters again
Hamed Al-Mansi is a physical education teacher and farmer from Gaza. He is now alone in Gaza and his dearest wish is to reunite with his family. He has allowed us to publish an extract of his diary.
21 November 2025
Democracies good, China bad – and history not required
Japan and China both have legitimate security concerns. But an informed debate needs major media outlets to stop systematically erasing the historical context that shapes how the region understands current events.
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Working with PM Fraser - the changeover - Part 1
