Top 5
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I have not seen an Australia so bereft of trust in its politicians, so cynical of their motives and their promises as it is today
A strong, independent public broadcaster, with its governing board appointed at arms-length from executive government, and funded by and accountable to a healthily functioning parliament, is a gift to democracy. Continue reading »
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Wages and the cost of living
An increase in the wages of the lowest paid employees, so that they can keep pace with the cost of living, is unlikely to lead to higher unemployment. Instead, it may well help improve overall economic outcomes. Continue reading »
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Albanese and minimum wages. Should the government support a 5.1% increase ?
There has never been a better time to increase minimum wages than now. And there has never been a bigger need. Continue reading »
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Even if the Liberals win, Morrison won’t
Since television arrived (and probably a bit before) it has become commonplace to describe Australian federal elections as presidential. All the focus is on the party leader. We talk about the Morrison government, the Albanese opposition. And when people go to the polls they are urged to vote for one or other of the party Continue reading »
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What I would do if I were the Minister for Health and Ageing in the next government
A new minister in any portfolio has two tasks: fix the past and fix the future. Continue reading »
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What Ministers in a new Government should do – climate change, China-US relations and our region
Foreign policy must be one of the areas where any government can find itself most constrained by the circumstances it has to deal with—“events, dear boy, events”, as former British Prime Minister Harold McMillan once said. But given that, even in the most pressing state of affairs a government can choose where it directs its Continue reading »
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Questionable Deves in leafy Warringah
We have in Scott Morrison a Liberal Party leader who “sold” himself to the nation on the basis of “stopping the boats” and dehumanising, then indefinitely imprisoning, asylum seekers. Now this same “leader” is stirring transphobic bigotry, using the lowest means to try to again secure the nation’s highest office. Continue reading »
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Priorities for a new health minister
After almost a decade of health policy stagnation, what are the three most important issues for a new health minister to address? Continue reading »
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If I were the Minister responsible for Higher Education in the next government these would be my priorities
What should be the top priorities of any incoming Federal Government concerning tertiary education in Australia after decades of cost-cutting, restructuring and corporatisation? Continue reading »
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Fixing Immigration: five things an incoming Labor government could do
Labor, if elected, has a big job ahead of it in fixing the immigration shambles that the Coalition has created in nearly 9 years of office. Continue reading »
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Ethics and war: The Ukrainian tragedy
Among the headline grabbing events and the geopolitical speculations of the Ukrainian tragedy the ethical rights and wrongs of the conflict are largely ignored. For his criminal invasion, Putin rightly bears the greatest moral and legal opprobrium for the appalling death toll, atrocities, and widespread levelling of parts of eastern Ukraine. But once the war Continue reading »
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Australia is still in Fear of China
The former eminent Australian diplomat Sir James Plimsoll once described China as “a big fact”. It is big, and it is a fact, and we have to get used to it. Continue reading »
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How competent is Scott Morrison as a manager of government business?
Scott Morrison wants the election to be about competence, but an examination of his record suggests that he is not capable of delivering good government. Continue reading »
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How liars and bullies can win elections
I’ve met them; you’ve met them. You can find them in the corporate world, in academia, in the public service, in publishing, the media, the church … and, of course, in politics. The bullies who get away with it because of their capacity to turn on the charm when required. The barefaced liars who mask Continue reading »
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ANZAC’s contested legacy
The evidence suggests that the Federal government sees Anzac as an attractive tool to open a new front in the culture wars and one where the Labor party might well be wedged. Continue reading »
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The fantasy that haunts our cult of the fallen
According to the fantasy, there is a ‘moral obligation’ toward dead Anzacs – but not to democratise the decisions that would throw live Anzacs into war. Continue reading »
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Stagnating living standards under Morrison
Living standards have stagnated since the Coalition was elected to government, but in the Budget it is now forecasting an improved performance. How likely is this? Continue reading »
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Which party is the better economic manager? Neither!
The reality is that neither of the major parties can reasonably claim to be ‘better economic managers’ than the other. Continue reading »
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The repeated lie that Morrison stopped the boats. An updated repost from March 11, 2021
Our corporate media will not acknowledge that Tony Abbott and Scott Morrison did not stop the boats. Despite clear evidence, the Canberra Press Gallery fell for the spin. With a tame media and cooperation by the military, the big lie was repeated time and time again and became accepted as fact. This was all before Donald Trump Continue reading »
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Privatisation and the hollowing out of Medicare by the Morrison Government
The Coalition has for years been undermining Medicare. Bob Hawke was correct at the last election when he said that the Coalition was aiming to privatise Medicare. It was not a scare tactic as some unthinking journalists keep saying. The Coalition has been privatising by stealth for years our universal health care system. Continue reading »
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Why Morrison is dodging an Integrity Commission?
There is a very simple reason why Prime Minister Scott Morrison broke his pre-2019 election promise to introduce into parliament legislation to establish a Commonwealth integrity commission. Continue reading »
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Where are the peacemakers to end the war in Ukraine? ( A repost from 22 March 2022)
We used to have globally respected statesmen, including people like Nelson Mandela, Kofi Annan and Desmond Tutu. Many of them were members of a council of “The Elders” which has tried to provide calm and sensible advice from time to time. Clearly, we seem to lack such distinguished statesmen today. Continue reading »
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Our democracy is decaying from within. A repost from 16 September 2021
We need a summit of community leaders to help chart democratic renewal. Continue reading »
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A sociology of Q&A: what is addressed, what is missed?
Branded as the occasion when the public asks questions and a panel of experts give answers, ABC televisions’ Q&A misses an opportunity to inform let alone inspire their audience. Continue reading »
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How an influx of independents could change parliament for the better.( A repost from November 4, 2021)
Voters’ disillusionment is much deeper than the current crop of leaders. There is something wrong with the system itself. Continue reading »
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The Taiwan dilemma: A stark choice
American foreign policy seems to be moving inexorably towards recognition of Taiwan as a sovereign nation. This would greatly heighten the danger of armed conflict between the US and China and would make Taiwan not more but less secure. The incoming Australian Foreign Minister should consider policy options and their long-term consequences carefully, for our Continue reading »
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Russian and US parallel pathways to a nuclear conflict
Biden escaped rigorous critical scrutiny that is the normal lot of presidential campaigns with the help of major media and Big Tech platforms that despised Trump. The world is now discovering just how grave the real-world consequences can be when reality bites back. Continue reading »
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Herbert Wulf: Double standards
War criminals must be held accountable. But this rule of law is universal. And it is precisely those who emphasise the rules-based international order that should strictly adhere to these rules themselves. Continue reading »
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Hysteria, hyperbole, hubris and denial are driving foreign and defence policy
The US had its moves worked out three years ago. Australia, with the most pro-American government since Holt, has been malleable, fawning, uncritical and easily led. Continue reading »
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The new republic model
There were two major reasons the 1999 Republic Referendum, (I ran the Yes case for Malcolm Turnbull and the Australian Republican Movement (ARM)), disappointed those Australians who believe the head of state should by one of us. Continue reading »
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