Politics
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EVA COX. Treating people as customers rather than citizens.
Will the current expensive policy shifts rebuild voters’ trust of those they elect? Continue reading »
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NOEL TURNBULL. Australians aren’t like that are they?
As consumers fight over toilet rolls and marauding bus-loads of city dwellers pillage local country stores of products, the PM says we will get through it all because we are Australians. This is probably a good time to ask the question – what are Australians really like? Continue reading »
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CHRIS GERAGHTY. The Pell Decision.
Finally the George Pell dilemma has been put to rest by the illustrious High Court of Australia. Or has it? Continue reading »
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BOB DEBUS. It’s no excuse to trash the planet.
As nearly everybody now understands, the changes that have occurred in public policy in the last few weeks are without precedent, at least since the Second World War. They tell us in the most straightforward possible way that only government finance and organisation can support the people in a national emergency. Continue reading »
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MARK BUCKLEY. Meet John Roskam the real PM
I confess that I feel like a complete fool. I had heard bits and pieces about the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) for years, but I had always associated them with tired old culture warriors, like Gerard Henderson, maybe Bob Santamaria. Continue reading »
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LAURIE PATTON. A virtual solution to 21st Century government
As most of us are holed-up in our homes working or studying online as a response to the Coronavirus a bunch of politicians are ignoring medical advice and gathering together in Canberra. Perhaps it’s time for a virtual parliament? Continue reading »
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TESS HOGUE. Covid 19- Give Hong Kong a pat on the back with gloved hands
The response of Hong Kong to Convid-19 is a prurient tale and its moral is that if the West learn from their story, then together future governments and citizens will be able to avert further national pandemic disasters. Continue reading »
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ALEX MITCHELL: The Ruby Princess scandal and Liberal Party links
The Ruby Princess scandal is not going away anytime soon. Premier Gladys Berejiklian and her key ministers may have perfectly plausible explanations for their role in the spread of the killer virus, COVID-19, from the luxury liner after it berthed in Sydney Harbour. Does anyone believe them? Continue reading »
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PATRICK COCKBURN.- Trump’s Chernobyl Moment: the US May Lose Its Status as World Superpower and Not Recover( Counterpunch 31.3.2020)
The US may be reaching its “Chernobyl moment” as it fails to lead in combating the coronavirus epidemic. Continue reading »
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JOHN MENADUE.- Vale Bob Sorby
Bob Sorby died last week. In tribute I repost an article that Bob wrote for Pearls and Irritation on 7 November 2017 concerning Rex Connor’s plans for Australia. Continue reading »
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MARGARET REYNOLDS. Australian Councils Need a Stimulus Too
Australian councils, as the front line in so many areas of public policy, need to be properly funded in order to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Continue reading »
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MELISSA PARKE.- Criticism not same as racism (The Herald Sun 26.03.2020)
“Let’s reserve the term ‘anti-Semitic’ for those who truly deserve it” Continue reading »
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CAVAN HOGUE. What will a post-COVID-19 world mean for Australia?
There is much speculation about what the post-COVID-19 world will look like but we do not have answers and can only ask questions at this stage. Continue reading »
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TONY SMITH. Viral vulnerability is universal – the economic impact is not.
While I sit at home in splendid isolation contemplating viral vulnerability, I am alarmed by the way some members of the Australian community are being disadvantaged by government responses to the pandemic. I was ashamed to see the lines outside Centrelink offices. Perhaps we are all in this together, but some seem to be deeper Continue reading »
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JOHN TAN. Covid-19: Which news sources should you trust?
Crises bring out a natural hunger for good information. How does one choose news sources? Continue reading »
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EVAN JONES. The state and the economy
Right-wing governments are splashing the cash – what gives? Neoliberalism is temporarily being abandoned, but will it continue after this crisis is over? Continue reading »
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DUNCAN GRAHAM.- Not a model land
Curious about life as a sheep? Visit Incredible Indonesia, as the tourist promos once hollered. Continue reading »
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GRAEME HOUGHTON. Role of the private hospital sector in the Covid-19 pandemic
The Commonwealth has announced that it is partnering with the private hospital sector to provide additional resources for dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic. Continue reading »
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MUNGO MACCALLUM. JobKeeper, perhaps not too little and not too late
Two hearty cheers for ScoMo and his $130 billion JobKeeper package. Continue reading »
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ANDREW PODGER. COVID-19 crisis shows a strong public service is vital
The convid-19 epidemic has shown how much Australia relies on an effective public service, free from politics. This, however, is in spite of the over-politicisation and under-resourcing of the service over recent years. Continue reading »
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MARIANA MAZZUCATO.- Capitalism’s Triple Crisis (Project Syndicate 30.3.2020)
This time, rescue measures absolutely must come with conditions attached. Now that the state is back to playing a leading role, it must be cast as the hero rather than as a naive patsy. That means delivering immediate solutions, but designing them in such a way as to serve the public interest over the long Continue reading »
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JACK WATERFORD. The young not the old are the key to beating COVID-19
Coronavirus not only effects the elderly and cooperation on the part of the young is the key to beating COVID-19. Perhaps we need Grim Reaper ads to highlight the risk to their own. Continue reading »
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ERIC HODGENS. Easter in a Time of Virus.
Easter is one of the biggest holidays of the year throughout much of the world. It was originally a Holy Day. But its significance is changing – accelerated by COVID-19. Continue reading »
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ALISON BROINOWSKI. The crisis is political too.
In his almost daily televised updates, Scott Morrison’s successive rescue packages turn conservative orthodoxy on its head, and without resorting to Trumpian monologues. Yet his response to the international questions shows no new thinking. Continue reading »
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MUNGO MACCALLUM.-Patriotism is Paramount
The pandemic is not an excuse to close down the parliament, it is a vital reason to keep it going. Continue reading »
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LAURIE PATTON. Let’s add fixing the NBN to our post Coronavirus planning
People are being required to work from home. Students are doing lessons online. Telehealth consultations are now being bulk-billed. All this will change the way we use the Internet forever. Continue reading »
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LESLEY RUSSELL. The Hidden Death Toll from the Coronavirus Pandemic
As deaths from the coronavirus pandemic climb relentlessly, it is already becoming clear that the official toll is an under-estimate and that significant numbers of deaths caused directly and indirectly by the virus are not being recorded as such. Continue reading »
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SUE WAREHAM. Healthcare Not Warfare
Australia should support the UN Secretary General’s call for a global ceasefire. There are steps that our nation could take in the very short term and beyond to prioritise healthcare over warfare. We are spending vast sums on equipping ourselves for the next war while our frontline health workers struggle to find enough face masks Continue reading »
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TERRY FEWTRELL Pandemics and Quarantine – familiar and familial
It’s a family heirloom, but never has it had such significance. In a room in our house, that is a delight on a winter’s day as it fills with the rays of the waning sun, there is a piano. Continue reading »
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PETER SAINSBURY. Sunday environmental round up, 5 April 2020
Coronavirus is yet another serious disruption to daily life in Africa, while the Brazilian President prefers clearing the Amazon to managing the epidemic. Two reports from WWF highlight the contributions that nature-based solutions can make to solving global problems but not everyone agrees. Coal no longer ‘cheap’. Continue reading »
