2025 in Review: immigration policy turns back toward dog whistles and drift
2025 marked a turning point in Australian immigration policy, as long-term planning was abandoned and discriminatory rhetoric returned to the political mainstream.
Recent articles in Politics
10 December 2025
Australia’s social media ban puts free speech on the chopping block
Australia’s social media ban for under-16s is being sold as a protection for children, but it raises serious questions about free speech, democratic participation and the perverse effects of prohibition.
10 December 2025
Jobs for mates, by design: the government rejects its own integrity review
The government’s response to the Briggs review abandons legislated reform and leaves ministers wide discretion over appointments across the commonwealth.
10 December 2025
Too many states, too little nation: time to fix the federation
Australia’s federal system was designed for the nineteenth century. Today it produces duplication, dysfunction and state parochialism that frustrate national governance and reform.
10 December 2025
Governments are hiding data and threatening democracy
From being custodians of public knowledge, governments are turning to architects of manufactured ignorance. Amid disappearing evidence, citizens are struggling to hold power to account.
10 December 2025
Nationalists play to the crowd in Japan–China relations
A warning from Japan’s prime minister about Taiwan has triggered a sharp exchange with Beijing, revealing how nationalism is reshaping diplomacy.
10 December 2025
Ellen Hansen: At 75, UNHCR is needed more than ever – but its funding is being cut
As global displacement reaches record highs, UNHCR marks its 75th anniversary facing deep funding cuts that threaten its ability to protect refugees and save lives worldwide.
10 December 2025
Victoria government unfussed by Grand Prix debt
Victoria’s Grand Prix continues to post record losses, quietly adding to state debt while public services are cut and financial scrutiny is avoided.
10 December 2025
Israel and police polarise Sydney Mardi Gras
Sydney’s Mardi Gras is facing a defining struggle over its purpose and identity. As corporate sponsors and political interests push for a safer, apolitical parade, grassroots activists are fighting to keep the event rooted in protest, solidarity and free expression.
10 December 2025
Trump’s Ukraine peace deal would leave the country vulnerable to future Russian attacks
A US-backed peace proposal negotiated with Moscow but excluding Ukraine risks entrenching Russian gains and leaving Kyiv dangerously exposed.
9 December 2025
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.
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 15 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.
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