John Menadue
Publisher and Editor
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Most viewed recently
- Trump has a problem with China – but what is Australia doing?
- The federal government is hiding under the covers
- John Menadue talks with Friendlyjordies
- America’s Unholy Crusade Against China (Project Syndicate August 5, 2020)
- The United States moving a step closer to the brink
- China must obey international rules in the South China Sea but the US ignores them in Diego Garcia (Repost 3 July 2020)
- ‘Poor moral leadership’ and our alleged war crimes
- Endemic secrecy in the Catholic Church
- Victoria’s gutted public service hasn’t handled the coronavirus well
- Do we share the same values as the US?
Category Archives: Public Policy
A pandemic letter from an Aussie in the USA (PURSUIT August 14, 2020)
How did one the world’s most inequitable health care systems cope with COVID-19? The short answer is that it provides the starkest of warnings
Posted in Health, Politics
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Why do LNP Governments hate the arts and universities?
LNP Governments’ vindictive attitudes to the arts are obvious from the widespread cutbacks they have imposed on the sector. Ditto universities which have been forced to rely on overseas students to make up funding shortfalls and are then attacked for … Continue reading
Posted in Arts and Media, Education
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Why is Australia’s public health data hidden?
Against the backdrop of Melbourne’s Stage 4 Restrictions, Victoria’s State of Disaster and diminishing personal freedom in other parts of Australia, we need to have a discussion about the lack of public health data in Australia.
Posted in Health
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What went wrong with Aged Care?
The definite turning point in the quality and the humanity of Australia’s care of the elderly was the Aged Care Bill 1997 (Cth), introduced as part of the Howard Government’s 1996 Budget measures. It was a huge failure.
Posted in Health, Politics, Top 5
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To mask or not to mask? Is that the question?
The debate about wearing masks during the COVID-19 pandemic has fluctuated, but there now seems to be consensus that it is safer for the public to wear masks to avoid or at least reduce community transmission.
Posted in Health, Politics
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The New Zealand SAS inquiry: the most serious findings against the NZSAS and NZDF in their history
Five years ago I was approached by a man who played a part in a New Zealand SAS raid in Afghanistan where civilians were killed and injured. He wanted an official inquiry. Two weeks ago that inquiry reported.
Posted in Defence/Security, Politics, Public Policy
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Engaging with China about public administration reform
As some politicians and commentators call for containment of China, it is time to put forward the case for engagement instead. It can only assist with our understanding of China’s huge challenges, and maybe help encourages continuing reform.
Posted in China, Public Policy
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COVID-19 lays bare the US’s deep problems, with some help from Trump
With the COVID-19 pandemic laying waste to the country, and President Trump’s chances of re-election fading, the United States is at last beginning to look more deeply into its problems.
Posted in Health, World Affairs
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University Failures and Canberra parsimony.
Cynical, short-sighted and gutless – everything a proper university should eschew. But perhaps the teachers have been taking lessons from their political masters. If so, both deserve a fail.
Posted in Education, Top 5
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Nurses, COVID-19 and the risks they run for us.
Nurses and other health care workers (HCWs) around the world are serving us well and at great risk to themselves. Many are exhausted but are carrying on. Still others are re-entering the workforce to assist in enabling surge capacity, so … Continue reading
Posted in Health
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Fast Tracking a National Care Service
We face the immediate future burdened with an out-of-hospital care workforce that is poorly paid, insufficiently skilled and understaffed to meet the caring needs of vulnerable people throughout the life span from infancy and childhood to old age.
Posted in Health, Politics
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Indian Australians: supporting Black Lives Matter will make us feel we belong
In The American Bazaar on 20-07-20 Revathi Siva Kumar asks: “Have the people from the land of Mahatma Gandhi done enough for the oppressed African Americans? How many of them stood in solidarity with the protesters against police brutality and … Continue reading
Posted in Human Rights, Indigenous affairs
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Saturday’s good reading and listening for the weekend
What people in other forums are saying about public policy
Posted in Economy, Public Policy
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Aged care homes: the weakest COVID-19 link
A pandemic throws a perfect mirror onto a society and shines a light on every crack. There is no better illustration of this than the light that COVID-19 is throwing on aged care homes in Australia and internationally.
Time for ALL to think about race in Australia
Do Black lives matter in Australia? Race is surely this nation’s primal wound. But the actions of those with most power to lead or inspire this nation are not reassuring.
Posted in Human Rights, Indigenous affairs
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The Bureaucratisation of Public Education in Australia
Public school systems in Australia have seen an enormous increase in bureaucracy since the turn of the century. So-called school reforms promised less bureaucratic control but have instead intensified bureaucracy at all levels – central and regional offices, schools and … Continue reading
Posted in Education
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The hindering of our efforts to control the spread of Covid-19
We face social fatigue and misconceptions about social distancing; irresponsible public behaviour; and a widespread lack of appreciation of the long-term clinical consequences of an encounter with this virus.
Posted in Health
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Why studying humanities is more important than ever to counter one-sided debates trend
In the age of science, technology and the obsession with faster living, studying humanities at university continue to decline. However, I believe it’s not the end for this “dying” discipline because critical thinking skills is needed more than ever to … Continue reading
The elephant in the room – age and inter-generational equity
It is high time for a new inter-generational deal including a shift of decision-making powers as well as policy benefits towards the younger generations.
Posted in Economy, Public Policy
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Caring for older Australians
Covid has blown the cover on much of what we need to maintain credibility as a humane nation. Care of older Australians is of priority concern.
The powerless suffer and the powerful carry on amid Covid-19
Covid-19 presents us with an opportunity. A more equal society, more resilient to the challenges ahead, or a society ruled by power imbalances, struggling to cope with both natural and man-made disasters.
Posted in Health
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The missing millions that were meant to close gaps
In 2008 the Rudd government launched the Close the Gap Strategy which, among other things, was meant to bring equity in health and wider wellbeing into the lives of Indigenous Australians.
Posted in Indigenous affairs, Politics
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The Power of Attorney and abuse of the elderly
Australia has a long way to go and COVID is lifting the scab revealing how neglect and absolute indifference have exposed these communities of older people to an end of life nightmare.
Posted in Health, Human Rights, Politics
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Australia can’t rely on overseas migration anymore Mr. Treasurer
The Government’s July Economic Statement forecasts net overseas migration in 2020-21 will be around 31,000 – the lowest since 1975-76 and a dramatic contrast to the fanciful levels of net overseas migration forecast in the 2019 Budget.
Posted in Politics, Refugees, Immigration
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Watching Fox News in the US may kill you
Recent US studies demonstrate that watching Murdoch’s US Fox News increases the likelihood of you believing what’s not true about COVID-19 and – if acting on it – possibly dying.
Wattle as Nation Brand – Enjoy the glow, love the symbolism
The recently announced Nation Brand, featuring an Aboriginal-inspired golden wattle blossom, is the latest recognition of our national floral emblem. The Nation Brand initiative is an opportunity for our emblem, with its ancient past, to lead us into a confident … Continue reading
Posted in Indigenous affairs, Politics
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Childcare subsidies. I was wrong – childcare should be subsidised
In a recent post I listed a range of points which had me convinced that childcare should not be subsidised by the community. Christopher Budd (CB) kindly took the time to counter each of my points in turn, and I … Continue reading
Posted in Education
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Saturday’s good reading and listening for the weekend
What people in other forums are saying about public policy
Posted in Economy, Politics, Public Policy
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Monthly digest on housing affordability and homelessness – June/July 2020
The following is the latest instalment of a monthly digest of interesting articles, research reports, policy announcements and other material relevant to housing stress/affordability and homelessness – with hypertext links to the relevant source.
Posted in Housing
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Covid Driving Down Onshore Asylum Applications
Closure of international borders has reduced the onshore asylum application rate but we still have almost 87,000 asylum seekers in Australia, the vast bulk of whom are from countries where asylum claims are not likely to be strong.
Posted in Politics, Refugees, Immigration
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