Community
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Donald Trump at the National Cathedral Washington
Addressing Donald Trump at the National Cathedral’s inauguration service, the Episcopal bishop of Washington, looking the incoming president in the eye, pleaded with him: “to have mercy on people who are scared and help those facing persecution”. Continue reading »
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Marching in solidarity with Palestinians
Over the past 15 months, we rallied every week in solidarity with Palestinians. We rallied to protest the genocide in Gaza and the ethnic cleansing of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. We rallied to call on our government to cut military ties with Israel, impose sanctions and hold Israel accountable for its crimes. We Continue reading »
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The Liberal party, Moira Deeming and political Christianity
In Australian politics at federal and state level, it is desirable and appropriate that politicians with a religious commitment are elected to office, while also at times keeping separate their professional roles from private convictions for the sake of constituents and members of the community who do not belong to that faith. Continue reading »
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From Kabumba to Uganda: A story of survival, advocacy, and hope
Mulumehoderwa Balangalizi, also known as Jean Peter, was born in 1999 in the village of Kabumba, located in the Kanyola zone of Walungu District in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). For much of his early life, Kabumba was home to his family’s farmland and a mountain rich with minerals—resources that eventually brought turmoil to Continue reading »
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Hope: A shared responsibility
In uncertain times, hope can feel fragile, but it remains essential. It’s up to the adults in the room to foster resilience and take practical steps to inspire and support future generations. Continue reading »
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New cardinals, an aging pope and the upcoming conclave
Again, the question arises: could Francis retire? If he were to do so, it would make papal resignations normal. Continue reading »
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Imperial Australia still lives
It is almost exactly two years since I wrote more in sorrow than in anger about Australia’s neocolonial treatment of its offshore territories, especially Norfolk, Christmas and Cocos Islands. At the time, Australia had achieved the dubious distinction of being the last colonial power in the Pacific and Indian Oceans which had steadfastly refused to Continue reading »
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No Christmas presents for public schools
There are no Christmas presents for public schools in new interim funding agreements between the Albanese Government and the major states. Continue reading »
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Why Australian politicians are flocking to ‘Little Red Book’ to engage with Chinese voters
Wen Li, a graduate student living in Brisbane, ran for the seat of Mansfield as a Greens candidate in the recent Queensland election. Li promoted his policies on Xiaohongshu, one of the most popular Chinese social media platforms. When he lost, he posted a message on the platform announcing his desire to run in the Continue reading »
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Synagogue attack: The unashamed trashing of the rule of law by news outlets
The attack last week on a Melbourne synagogue is undoubtedly a criminal offence. But according to the News Limited media outlets, many in the Jewish community and the broader pro Israel movement, and now the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, it was an act of terrorism. Continue reading »
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When the system fails
As someone who has spent most of my life working with people for whom the system is profoundly broken, I wrestle with the same question that many middle-class people do: Why do so many disenfranchised people support figures like Donald Trump, whose policies often seem designed to further entrench inequality? The answer, I’ve come to Continue reading »
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Health and Human Security: a sense of control over one’s life
It is time to think more broadly about security than the narrow military concept about which there is endless debate. Continue reading »
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AUKUS, the China threat and Chinese-Australian communities
The recent election of Donald Trump to the US presidency has cast further doubt on the feasibility of the AUKUS trilateral security partnership, particularly Australia’s acquisition of nuclear submarines under Pillar I. Yet the AUKUS trilateral security partnership has become a fait accompli without the Australian public having expressed much in the way of opposition, or even a Continue reading »
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How can we make retirement villages better for residents?
Recently, the matter of retirement villages has come to the fore in the media, led by investigative journalist Adele Ferguson on ABC 7.30 Report. Ferguson’s report and case studies raised the question of “what protections should be put in place to protect the residents from the avarice of owners and operators of retirement villages?” Continue reading »
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How well is Australia doing on wellbeing?
The Australian Government has established ‘Measuring What Matters’, Australia’s first national wellbeing framework. It follows similar frameworks in SA, Victoria and the ACT, and one under development in NSW. Will these frameworks help to improve psychological wellbeing in Australia? Continue reading »
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Dialogue for Australia’s three voices
There is no doubt that the war in Gaza has placed Australia’s multiculturalism and social cohesion under strain. Continue reading »
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Absence of care: AMC prison a drug “supermarket”; force applied with “regularity”, report staff
The ACT’s prison is run by a clique, with detainee bashings covered up, staff bullied into silence and the library better labelled “a supermarket” where any drug desired was freely available. Continue reading »
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The LGBTQI community is not your convenient plaything
The Labor Government’s handling of possible questions about sexuality and gender identity in the 2026 has been a debacle. It is also the latest in a series. Is this just part of Labor’s slide towards timidity, or is Labor also acting in bad faith towards the LGBTQI+ community? Continue reading »
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Poem: Intimations of mortality
Today it is hard to believe in the spiritual power of Nature, because our social behaviour is doing so much damage to it. Being obsessed with economic success and technological achievements, we live in a permanent state of stress and ambivalence, unable to make peace with Nature and with ourselves. Continue reading »
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Retirement villages: are they really a safe haven for retirees?
The looming question for me and my partner is “where might we live as we grow older and frailer?” For us, the ideal place is likely to be a retirement village. But at what cost? Continue reading »
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Albert Littler – Master Painter, trade union leader and activist
Albert Littler, a Master Painter, senior union official of the OPDU and CFMEU, and fierce advocate for the industrial rights of painters and decorators, died in September 2024, after years of suffering with asbestosis. Among Albert’s many claims to notoriety were headlines in the Herald Sun calling him an Art Bully and that he was Continue reading »
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A tribute to Susie Menadue
The phrase “Life is changed, not ended” is profound. Used by John Menadue in his tribute last week to his wife, Susie, it speaks volumes for their shared trust that we are more than “dust”, flesh and bones, however mysterious that “more” may be. And that it is, possibly, a glimpse of that “more” that Continue reading »
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Vale Percy Allan AM
Percy Allan AM, a regular contributor to Pearls & Irritations, and a supporter of its role as a leading public policy voice, died on Tuesday (Oct. 22) after a battle with lymphoma. Continue reading »
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Celebrating Race Mathews
In this era of totally leader-focused election campaigning, and presidential prime ministers, it is not surprising that political biographers tend to focus almost exclusively just on those who make it to the very top. But, while it might not be a truth universally acknowledged, the reality is that whether parties actually win office, and the Continue reading »
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John Olsen’s gift to the nation
My dear friend, the great Australian painter John Olsen was, at 77, the oldest artist to win the Archibald Prize. Continue reading »
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Gazing at the Gorgon in Gaza
The daily witness of horrors in Gaza has provoked moral dilemmas for us all. How do we face these monstrous events, and not turn our hearts to stone? An Australian historian showed us how in 1998. Continue reading »
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Vale Dr John Coulter
Dr John Coulter, who has died aged 93, had been suffering for months from VEXAS syndrome, an adult-onset autoinflammatory disease caused by a mutation of a gene in blood stem cells. It is perhaps ironic that he had himself worked on mutagens — the agents that cause mutations — at the Institute of Medical and Continue reading »
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Remembering Pete Steedman
Legendary student agitator, Oz-era editor, Hawke-era Parliamentarian, union official, music industry executive and all-purpose provocateur, Pete Steedman died aged 82 on 10 July 2024 after a long battle with cancer. This is one of a number of speeches given at a memorial celebration of his life at the Melbourne Trades Hall on 7 September 2024. Continue reading »
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An exploratory platform for thinkers and analysts
John Menadue’s website adds real value across all aspects of Australia’s governance and policy development. Continue reading »
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Australia needs to hear its tone of voice in our conversations more than ever
Pearls & Irritations needs support at a critical time and when Australia needs to hear its tone of voice in our conversations more than ever. Continue reading »