Politics
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Europe’s identity crisis
As European leaders continue to import a version of U.S. militarism, rearmament will cost the Continent its postwar social contract. Continue reading »
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The ‘human shields’ lie has been conclusively, irrefutably debunked
One aspect of the recent revelations about the IDF’s Lavender AI system that’s not getting enough consideration is the fact that it is completely devastating to the narrative that Israel has been killing so many civilians because Hamas uses “human shields”. Continue reading »
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For Albanese, one Australian life matters more than 32,000 dead Palestinians
How Albanese doesn’t swallow his tongue as he vociferously demands “full accountability” from Israel for the killing of Zomi Frankcom yet remains silent on 32,000 other killings is anybody’s guess. He waved his metaphorical fist at Netanyahu and told of Australia’s “outrage” at Zomi’s death. But Albanese left out the bit about many Australians’ outrage Continue reading »
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Housing affordability and equality: part 2
Yesterday, Part 1 of this article discussed the decline in housing affordability and the consequent increase in wealth inequality. Today, Part 2 will discuss possible policies to restore housing affordability in the interests of a more equal and cohesive society. Continue reading »
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Vivat Samantha: My hopes for the new Governor General
Samantha Mostyn will become the next Governor General in July, taking over from outgoing former General David Hurley. I am greatly cheered by this news, not simply because she is only the second woman to hold this office but because I believe she has the capacity to heal this nation at a time of its Continue reading »
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The disintegration of party politics in contemporary Australia
The world today is disastrously misgoverned by a paranoid generation of ageing political leaders. There’s not a statesman among them, let alone a stateswoman. Meanwhile, the once dominant mainstream political parties are retreating into their bunkers, fearful of the exposure of corruption that has remained hidden in their ranks, terrified of malevolent media moguls, and Continue reading »
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Commonwealth-State health reform: It’s time for a conversation about national priorities
The prospects for significant health reform looked good at the end of 2023. A mid-term review of the main Commonwealth-state agreement – the National Health Reform Agreement (NHRA) – had recommended that the focus of a new agreement, due mid-2025, should be broader than public hospital funding. States seemed to be on board and the Continue reading »
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Did Dutton and Tehan disagree on immigration levels?
In a recent interview on Perth radio, Opposition Spokesman on Immigration, Dan Tehan, asserted: “I’ve been saying now for well over 18 months, it’s [meaning immigration] too high”. Continue reading »
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Unaligned – or undecided? Prabowo, China and US
This week Prabowo Subianto has been in Beijing at the invitation of President Xi Jinping. It’s the Indonesian president-elect’s first major overseas trip after winning the 14 February election. No come-soon card yet from Washington, so China’s getting in first. Should we be worried? Duncan Graham reports: Continue reading »
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Western hawks continue to see North Korea as a target for attack
With Japan’s former prime minister, Shinzo Abe, assassinated, Japan’s current prime minister, Fumio Kishida, has been saying he wants direct talks with North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un -a reversal of Abe’s position. Continue reading »
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The banality of evil redux
Hannah Arendt’s BANALITY OF EVIL report on the Eichmann trial failed to adequately address a key question. How could the German people not have known and how could they have let the holocaust happen? Continue reading »
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A graveyard of patients and staff
On Monday 1 April I am sending this letter which I had prepared late in the evening of the 31st, and which is now only testimony to Israel’s determination to destroy every civil structure and every possibility of life in Gaza. Tonight they totally destroyed the Shifa hospital so that it is unrecognisable. The hospital Continue reading »
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Our highest national security priority
The purchase of nuclear submarines via AUKUS is turning into an open–ended nightmare in terms of cost that will deliver nothing positive for Australia’s security. Meanwhile, the need for action both on disarmament and on nuclear risk reduction has never been more pressing. Even at the height of the Cold War, the metaphorical hands of Continue reading »
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Housing affordability and equality: part 1
The first part of this article explores how home ownership has become almost impossible for most aspiring first-home buyers and how that is creating a much more unequal distribution of wealth. A second part tomorrow will discuss the policy options to restore home ownership and thus a more equal and cohesive society. Continue reading »
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Is China heading for some kind of ‘currency crisis’?
In the short term, no. But over the medium- to longer-term, the possibility of a Chinese ‘currency crisis’ – by which I mean an abrupt fall in the value of the renminbi against other currencies, prompted by large capital outflows, and possibly entailing large falls in the values of other Chinese assets – cannot be Continue reading »
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Albanese government wedged on aged care
With a Medicare-style levy and changes to the treatment of family home both ruled out, the only choice left is more user-pays. But it will not be enough. Continue reading »
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Police chief hits out – with compassion
ACT Chief Police Officer Neil Gaughan has expressed alarm at the severe constraints on front-line policing in Canberra while showing great sympathy for principles of drug decriminalisation and raising the age of criminal responsibility. Continue reading »
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Appointment of Samantha Mostyn as Governor-General
I congratulate Samantha Mostyn on her appointment as Governor-General. Such an appointment is a great honour. Continue reading »
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India blocks ABC reports on Sikh separatism from YouTube
India has ordered YouTube to take down two ABC reports on Sikh separatism and not allow them to be viewed within the country, a demand with which Google, the owner of YouTube, has complied. Continue reading »
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ICJ order requires Israel to suspend its military operations in the Gaza Strip
The catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza is unremitting and in fact rapidly deteriorating. Given that the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip is now on the brink of famine, South Africa has requested the Court to indicate further provisional measures and/or to modify the measures indicated on 26 January 2024. Starvation, and the resulting loss Continue reading »
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Al-Shifa Medical Complex witnesses one of the largest massacres in Palestinian history
The Israeli army carried out a massive, shockingly horrific military operation in Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City over the course of the past two weeks, indiscriminately targeting and attacking Palestinians regardless of their civilian status, professional standing, gender, age, or health condition. Continue reading »
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Who pays the piper…universities dance to the AUKUS tune
When AUKUS was announced, the ANU was quick off the mark to cash in. Continue reading »
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Weaponising antisemitism impedes justice and peace
Weaponising a real fear in the West of being called or being seen as “antisemitic”, while simultaneously exploiting long-entrenched anti-Arab prejudice, the Israeli government has successfully exempted itself from legitimate interrogation, reproach and effective sanctions for its unchecked expansionist ambitions and inhumane, racist actions against Palestinians. Continue reading »
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Portents of a nuclear war on a burning planet
The 24 hours media news cycle clouds the minds of people, perpetrators and hapless victims alike, to the future dimension, whether that of future generations or of the natural world itself. Continue reading »
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Sledgehammer immigration removal legislation
The government’s new legislation represents a sledgehammer approach to twin immigration removal problems – non-cooperation by people who don’t want to be removed from Australia on the one hand and non-cooperation by their country of citizenship on the other. These problems are quite tricky, but they are not new. Alternative approaches are needed. Continue reading »
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Strategic response to Australia’s housing problems long overdue
In just four years since the advent of COVID-19, Australia’s house prices have climbed by a dizzying 50%. Defying orthodox expectations that property inflation would be quelled by rising interest rates, that upward trend has continued even since the RBA’s monetary tightening phase began in mid-2022, with prices up by 12% in that period alone. Continue reading »
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Booming shares, but slowing economy – April market and economic review
Callum Thomas, editor of Top-Down charts sums it up well – “Sentiment is increasingly consensus bullish. Bears have all but gone extinct. Large and small investors alike are basically all-in. Tech stock valuations have surpassed the 2021 peak. Downside volatility has collapsed. Overall, the evidence is all consistent with what you typically see during a Continue reading »
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While war rages in Gaza, the West Bank has undergone a metamorphosis
Israel has seized the opportunity to intensify the occupation, with mass arrests of Palestinians, hundreds killed, a host of new illegal settler outposts and roads. Continue reading »
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Worrying development as Australia absent from Boao Forum, eschews regional engagement
Just a week ago, Wang Yi was in Australia and it appeared to be something of a reset. Australian media were happy(ish), barley is back, wine sales looked set to be back (and was formally confirmed that the tariffs would be dropped only a few days later). Only lobsters left on the list, there are Continue reading »
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What’s next for China-Australia relations?
CGTN Radio host Liu Kun interviews Ambassador Tony Kevin, Ambassador Geoff Raby and Dr. Zhao Hai on Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s recent trip to Australia and broader China-Australia relations. Continue reading »