Politics
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SHIRO ARMSTRONG.- Is Australia trading too much with China (EAF 16.3.2020)
China accounts for close to a quarter of all of Australia’s international trade, and over a third of its exports, including both goods and services. Is Australia trading too much with China and too dependent on the Chinese economy, as a lot of the public commentary would have you believe? Continue reading »
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JACK WATERFORD.- The not-so-dirty secret the COVID-19 panel wants to hide Part 2
Poor messaging and own-goals killing flu strategy Continue reading »
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DUNCAN GRAHAM For sale: Bat viruses in Indonesia
Indonesia’s 8.9 per cent death rate for COVID-19 infections is the second highest in the world, just behind Italy nudging ten per cent. The apparent inaction of the Government is particularly concerning with Indonesian meat market practices being quite similar to in Wuhan where it all started. Continue reading »
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FRANK STILWELL.- Beyond the Global Coronavirus Crisis: Austerity of Recovery?
These are hard times. The twin crisis of public health and economic downturn has no simple solution. Continue reading »
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TONY SMITH.- Virtual parliament or elective dictatorship?
As the Morrison Government responds incrementally to the Corona Virus epidemic – apparently following expert medical advice – there has been much comment about decisions to close businesses such as hairdressing salons. Sadly, the decision to shut down parliament received comparatively little discussion. Continue reading »
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The not-so-dirty secret the Covid-19 panel wants to hide Part 1
Officials are not independent. They are more loyal to ministers than the public need for information Continue reading »
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HUGH MACKAY: How will widespread social isolation change us?
Social isolation is hardly a new problem for us: it has been high on the list of concerns for social scientists and health professionals for many years. But the COVID-19 pandemic is forcing us to confront the potential for loneliness on an unprecedented scale. Continue reading »
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MUNGO MACCALLUM.- Confusion beyond parody.
Barbers are considered essential, but the MPs are considered redundant in a way they have never been, not during wars, depressions and previous pandemics. Continue reading »
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KIM OATES.-COVID-19. Good news and bad news for children
There is good news for most children and bad news for some in this pandemic. Unlike most epidemics, where those at both ends of the age spectrum are more likely to succumb, the good news is that we are seeing a smaller proportion of deaths and infections in children. Continue reading »
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CHARLES LIVINGSTONE.- Crown and other casinos finally shut, but initial exemption suggests special status
Getting in early to stop the spread of the virus would have been good for the community, and from Crown’s perspective good for the company’s floundering reputation, as it faces multiple official inquiries. It would also have demonstrated that even ‘special’ companies have to play by the rules. Continue reading »
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Stopping the boats but not cruise ships.
Imagine stopping the boats the centrepiece of your entire political platform for 10 years, and then failing to stop the one boat that actually fucking mattered. Continue reading »
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HENRY REYNOLDS.- When will we see a cost-benefit of our meddling in the Middle East?
By the end of this year Australia will have begun the process of removing our armed forces from the Iraq and Afghanistan or at least be considering what can fairly be termed a retreat after a series of engagements lasting almost twenty years. Continue reading »
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KERRY BREEN and KERRY GOULSTON.- Further update: An apolitical approach to the Covid-19 crisis – hopes are fading.
In the eleven days since we first tried to make sense of the Federal Government’s approach to the current health crisis, little has changed in its approach. Continue reading »
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MUNGO MACCALLUM.- Team Australia on the Corona virus
Scott Morrison’s National Cabinet is working pretty well so far. Continue reading »
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PATRICIA and DON EDGAR. Who is expendable? Ethics in an age of a pandemic
In 1651, the English philosopher Thomas Hobbes, writing about the social contract, warned that without a strong central government man reverts to his natural state of self-interest and life is ‘solitary, poore, nasty, brutish and short’. The West has rejected Hobbes’ philosophy and we have seen the erosion of strong central government across decades. And Continue reading »
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An End To Global Capitalism
The raiding of supermarket shelves shows the influence of capitalism at its worst: competition, selfishness, exploitation by the successful raiders at the expense of those who could not compete or decided not to. Continue reading »
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PETER SAINSBURY. Sunday environmental round up, 29 March 2020
If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. How will a coronavirus-led recession affect CO2 emissions? Will health improve from cleaner air with fewer vehicles on the road? How can governments use stimulus packages to protect the vulnerable and hasten the transition to a low carbon, environmentally sustainable, just world? And good news for Torres Strait Continue reading »
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SATURDAY’s GOOD READING AND LISTENING FOR THE WEEKEND
What people in other forums are saying about public policy Continue reading »
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ALEX MITCHELL: Mark Latham goes all nuclear – again!
Mark Latham, former Federal Labor leader who now sits in the State Legislative Council as head of Pauline Hanson’s One Nation in NSW, is running a one-man campaign to end the ban on uranium mining which came into force in 1986. Is he flogging a dead horse? Continue reading »
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DAVID SOLOMON. The Government could do better
There’s a simple way for Prime Minister Scott Morrison to assert some real leadership and focus the attention of the nation on how the corona virus pandemic should be confronted: he should sack the two Ministers who have demonstrated most publicly their incompetence in dealing with it. Continue reading »
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CHIARA BOCELLI-TYNDALL.- Coronavirus in Italy – a view from “exile”
On Sunday, February the 23rd my Australian husband and I was in Florence Italy, where we regularly enjoy an alternative residence, and lifestyle, to that of Basel Switzerland. We had tickets for a coveted opera performance of Donizetti’s Don Pasquale, that afternoon when we heard the news. Continue reading »
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BRUCE THOM.- Challenge and Response: The Current Crisis
Thinking now about our current global health/economic crisis, I see how we need creativity to get us over the proverbial hump and back to that desired state called normality. Continue reading »
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JOHN TAN. John Mearsheimer: Foreign policy hawk? Controversial as ever. Part 2 (of 2):
He has enraged the Israel lobby in Washington with his book about the lobby and US foreign policy. He is persona non grata in many circles, but he’s not taking a step back. Continue reading »
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JOCELYN PIXLEY. Short selling society
As countries world-wide shut down, short-sellers scurry around like thieves in the night. Why are they dangerous and what could be done? Continue reading »
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KERRY BREEN and KERRY GOULSTON.- Update: An apolitical response at last to the Covid 19 crisis.
Last week we explored why government responses to the Covid 19 crisis seemed to be tardy and we argued for an expert apolitical group to lead the response. Continue reading »
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ANDREW FARRAN.- A New Constitutional Health Power for the Commonwealth
Could the Caronavirus (Covin-19) outbreak be a tipping point swinging the balance of Constitutional power with respect to health in favour of the Commonwealth, as happened previously with defence, income tax and civil aviation? Continue reading »
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JEFF BORLAND.-. COVID -19 and the Australian labour market: The immediate impact
COVID-19 will bring decreases in employment and labour supply in Australia – at a scale and speed which are unprecedented. This article explains why COVID-19 is having these effects and describes who are the workers being most affected. Continue reading »
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JOHN MENADUE.- Podcast ABC ‘The Eleventh’, February/March 2020
This is an edited transcript of an interview I conducted with the ABC for a podcast series The Eleventh. Continue reading »
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DUNCAN GRAHAM.-The wealthiest one per cent (all men) own half Indonesia’s total wealth.
Ma’ruf Amin is a name few Australians would recognize. Before his election last year as Indonesia’s vice-president, the hard-right Islamic cleric showed minimal interest in his southern neighbour. Suddenly he wants Australian aid. Continue reading »
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PAUL MALONE.Who’s pushing foreign influence in Australia?
In seeking to target foreign interference in Australia, the Federal Government has two countries in its sights, but it’s not just the Russians and Chinese who play the interference game. Continue reading »
