Politics
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The ending of White Australia: Watch John Menadue in Immigration Nation – Part 3
Despite causing widespread criticism overseas, in the 1950s under the Menzies government, Australia’s whites-only immigration policy seemed as popular as ever. Indeed the rise of Communism in the region added extra justification to the need to prevent Asians entering the country. But that was to change. Continue reading »
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“Journalism is not a crime”: Gaza reporter slams international press as journalist death toll rises
As negotiators from Israel and Hamas continue discussions in Qatar about a possible Gaza ceasefire, we speak with Palestinian journalist Abubaker Abed, who spoke at a press conference of Gaza media workers last week urging the international press to speak up for their Palestinian colleagues. The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate says nearly 200 journalists have been Continue reading »
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A garden of civilisations
Humanity stands at a crossroads, its future bound not to conquest but to synthesis. The world before us is not one of irreconcilable opposites locked in perpetual conflict but an intricate ecosystem of human Adaptive Systems, each defined by its strengths and vulnerabilities. Continue reading »
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Outmoded concepts of disadvantage must be rethought
It’s time to rid ourselves of the concepts of disadvantage and equity and immerse ourselves in the practices of learning and knowledge like never before. Continue reading »
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End, end the Gaza genocide
Worshippers of Death, They will remain such, In the annals of human history. Never forgiven, Never forgotten, For the genocide, They perpetrated! … Continue reading »
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‘Damning’ new poll shows price Kamala Harris paid for backing Israeli genocide in Gaza
“Israel is a liability,” said one Palestinian-American rights advocate. Continue reading »
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The ceasefire charade
Israel, going back decades, has played a duplicitous game. It signs a deal with the Palestinians that is to be implemented in phases. The first phase gives Israel what it wants — in this case the release of the Israeli hostages in Gaza — but Israel habitually fails to implement subsequent phases that would lead to a just and Continue reading »
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President Trump and Australia’s National Security
Australia needs to try and persuade the Trump Administration that no country can expect to dominate our region and the benefits of cooperation. But if, as is likely, Trump refuses to accept a multipolar region then Australia must be prepared to act on its own and seek its security within Asia. Continue reading »
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Gaza ceasefire, the missing pieces
Palestinians and Israelis are breathing sighs of relief that after fifteen months of killing, famine, torture and destruction across Gaza, the Israeli Netanyahu government and representatives of Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire. Continue reading »
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All at (sixes and) sevens and eights: Taiwan policy
The fate of the world may well rest on Taiwan but our policy is at sixes and sevens, or rather, according to recent statements in the Australian press, at sevens and eights. Continue reading »
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Our case against AUKUS is more relevant than ever
Next Monday, Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 47th President of the United States. Continue reading »
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The fragility of South Korean democracy
South Korea is in a dangerous political mess. President Yoon Suk-yeol has been arrested, but his dismissal and imprisonment are far from certain. His toxic ambition to eliminate ‘despicable pro-North Korean and anti-state forces’ has numerous supporters. As have his hostility towards China and his plans to develop nuclear weapons. Continue reading »
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Is it a cost-of-living election or a nuclear power election? Peter Dutton can’t have it both ways
The 2025 federal election is still some months away, but the unofficial campaign is off and racing, with the prime minister and the leader of the federal opposition both traversing the country this week to court votes on the issue of the day – cost of living. Continue reading »
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Canada and Australia’s federal elections
Not for the first time the political landscapes in Australia and Canada are worthy of comparison. This year both nations are holding elections and the opposition parties, the Conservatives in Canada and the Liberals in Australia, are led by right wing populists. Continue reading »
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Comparing the Chinese fight against corruption to the West’s
Government corruption is, or should be, a scourge in any government. We’re faced with it on a daily basis, we know it exists and we know something needs to be done. What is done and how it is done, determines the validity of our government’s commitment; if they are not stamping it out or at Continue reading »
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“Barbarians and their accomplices”- Israel and Western media
The year just past, and we had all better face this, will be remembered as the year the Zionist regime in Israel dragged the Western post-democracies into a state of barbarism we, the inheritors of “the Judeo–Christian tradition,” were supposed to have left behind many centuries ago. I offer this assertion after lengthy reflection. In Continue reading »
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The day after the ceasefire: Boycotts, sanctions and divestments must intensify
After 15 months of the most horrific live-streamed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, Israel has been forced into an interim ceasefire. How long it will last is anyone’s guess but Israel’s contempt for any restraining agreements doesn’t offer much hope. Continue reading »
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URGENT: Following ceasefire, Israel’s ban on UNWRA must be stopped
The long-overdue ceasefire in Gaza may be the beginning of a new chapter, and hopefully one that heralds freedom for the people of Palestine. It certainly will provide relief and respite, but we all know that the work of true peace building is only starting and the old work towards justice and liberation continues on Continue reading »
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Joe Biden’s legacy? The Palestinian genocide
American presidents are big on talking about what they believe to be their legacy, even if there is no substance to the claims they make. With Joe Biden, it is crystal clear what he can claim as his legacy: the genocide that has resulted in close to 70,000 Palestinian lives being snuffed out. Continue reading »
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With friends like these…
Despite the decades both major parties have spent ingratiating themselves with the leaders of the United States, Australia is unlikely to receive any favours from the Trump administration. Continue reading »
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Western media believe 24 Californians matter more than 46,000 Palestinians
Last week, news headlines heralded the disaster of 24 lives lost in Californian wildfires. Yet the same media outlets petered out the news of thousands more being killed by deliberate man-made bombing, starvation and destruction of homes and hospitals by Israel in Gaza. Continue reading »
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Another victim of the United States’ obsessive anti-China strategy
The law and politics can be callous. And it certainly has been in the case of 56-year-old Dan Duggan, a former US Marines pilot, now an Australian citizen. Five days before Christmas the federal Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus announced Mr Duggan would be extradited to the United States to face charges relating to allegations, vehemently denied Continue reading »
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An Australian endangered species – Owner builders
High house prices are usually reckoned to be a product of supply, demand and the self- interests of the finance industry. This piece sets out a case for a fourth factor – post de-regulation regulatory stupidity. I have illustrated issues with examples from Gippsland in Victoria, but I suspect that the problems are nationwide. Continue reading »
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How the West destroyed Syria – Interview with Former UK Ambassador to Syria
Peter Ford served in the UK Foreign Ministry for many years including being UK Ambassador to Bahrain (1999-2003) and then Syria (2003-2006). Following that, he was representative to the Arab world for the Commissioner General of United Nations Relief and Works Agency. He was interviewed by Rick Sterling on Jan 6, 2025 Continue reading »
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Thoughts on the ceasefire deal
Israel and Hamas have reportedly agreed to a ceasefire and hostage deal, which is scheduled to take effect January 19. The deal as written is apparently virtually identical to the one Hamas agreed to last May, which Netanyahu then sabotaged with the complicity of the Biden administration. Continue reading »
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The US is upset China wants to be self-reliant in producing chips
Having denied Chinese firms access to advanced foreign semiconductors, Washington is launching probe into ‘subsidised’ domestic production. Continue reading »
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Entering the ‘Pyrocene’: Devastation in California is the harbinger of the apocalypse
Wildfires in California replicate the massive fire storms in the boreal forest in Canada and Siberia, the lungs of the earth. Our addiction to fossil fuel has ignited an age of fire. Continue reading »
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The fall of Israeli impunity: The world is starting to hold Tel Aviv accountable for the Gaza genocide
A dramatic escape was cited by Israeli media as the reason that Yuval Vagdani, a soldier in the Israeli army, managed to escape justice in Brazil. Continue reading »
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AUKUS confirms that we are mendicant clients of the US
A recalcitrant US government could turn-off Australia’s ability to defend itself within days. Continue reading »
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Seven truths on why Taiwan always will be China’s
Some Australian media recently provided a platform for false Taiwanese views about the one-China policy. Here are the reasons they are wrong. Continue reading »
