November 30, 2017

MIKE WALLER. The Royal Commission we really need - into Australia's public administration.

As Terry Moran has recently pointed out, our system of public administration is in serious trouble. The last fundamental look at Australian federal public administration was some forty years ago - the Coombs Royal Commission. We urgently need a successor to Coombs forensic and thoughtful approach, but this time addressing the necessary reforms of all levels of government.

October 29, 2019

PAUL MILLS. Australia: Aligned and Independent

Last week as American vehicles withdrew troops from Northern Syria they were pelted with potatoes and rocks by outraged and betrayed Kurds.

June 4, 2019

JONATHON MANTHORPE. Trumps shambolic Japan visit and Americas decline (Asia Times)

The age of the United States dominating in Asia is drawing to a close, and the president is leading the way

November 28, 2017

ROSS BURNS. Syria: the Task Ahead

The next attempt to hold UN-sponsored talks in Geneva with the main parties to the Syrian conflict is due to begin this week. With the defeat of ISIS on the ground, what hope is there that a clearer picture will emerge on whether the conflict might be reaching its final stages?

September 1, 2020

How market forces are failing us in opting out to private and for-profit child care

_It is extraordinary that about 70% of our long day care services are now run by for-profit operators when we know that the for-profit sector generally delivers lower quality education care.

March 18, 2019

BOB CARR. Disaffected electorate knows the real score (The Australian, March 18 2019)

Why in a sports-mad nation, with football as an overarching religion divided into different denominations, has the promise of two new stadiums been such a vote loser?

November 8, 2018

JOHN MENADUE. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute has become a go to organisation for anti Chinese commentary A repost

The important agents of influence in Australia are organisations linked ‘hip to hip’ to the US and its military/industrial complex. One of these is the Australian Strategic Policy Institute which is an enthusiastic supporter of almost all things American including its hostility to China. It pretends it is an independent think tank. It pretends it has China expertise.

May 2, 2019

STEPHANIE LORENZO. Uncovering the Gender Inequality in my Church.

If the power structures of the Catholic Church remain unquestioned and unchallenged by the unknowing conformity of the masses, maybe we are complicit in its scandals.

July 22, 2020

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.

May 9, 2018

The Afghan War Isnt Being Won, Says New Pentagon Audit

A new summary of the countrys troubles by a special inspector general doesnt paint an optimistic picture.

February 25, 2016

Laurie Patton. Pirates of Perchance: How site-blocking could force up Internet fees but do little else

Last week both Village Roadshow and Foxtel finally launched court actions under the eight months old Copyright Amendment (Online Infringement)Act designed to deal with Internet piracy.

The first thing that needs pointing out is that downloading video and audio content over the Internet is a not a crime as such. It is, however, in breach of the intellectual property rights of the producers and distributors.

The so-called site-blocking law was passed by Parliament in the middle of last year, following a concerted lobbying campaign on behalf of the content rights holders who claimed it was a problem requiring urgent action. So it is curious, to say the least, that it took nearly nine months for anyone to make a move. Youd have thought that if unlawful downloads are such a problem and are costing the rights holders serious money theyd have had their lawyers burning the proverbial midnight oil when the Bill was introduced into Parliament so that they were ready to proceed immediately it came into force.

June 12, 2019

BEVAN RAMSDEN. The Anti-Terrorism Act and other Acts strip us of many civil liberties we thought we had.

The recent intimidatory police raids on the ABC and a journalists home for making public, matters of community concern, is a wake-up call that press freedoms can no longer be taken for granted. But looking wider, personal freedoms we thought we enjoyed are also fast disappearing thanks to the anti-terrorism act and other laws passed last year.

January 8, 2020

CHAS SAVAGE.-Global warming and action in good faith.

Meaningful action to prevent global warming requires joint action through time. In this sense, we require a focus on outcomesthe goal of limiting warming to two degrees Celsiusand what must be done to realise this. Justice, of course, requires a sharing of the burden, because only a sharing of the burden will prompt and sustain action.

December 11, 2016

MUNGO MacCALLUM. Saving democracy.

Protests are all very well, but only if they are seen to be ineffective. … It is yet another indication that serious dissent cannot and will not be tolerated.

August 6, 2020

Exposing the Hidden Hand

Clive Hamiltons new book Hidden Hand: “Exposing How the Chinese Communist Party is Reshaping the World” is a diatribe. We do not need this hysteria when we are trying to maintain a modicum of practical relations with the Peoples Republic of China.

October 15, 2019

MARYANNE SLATTERY. The only thing as certain as drought in Australia is the stupid call to build new dams (The Guardian, 15 October 2019)

In Australia, the only thing as certain as drought is the subsequent calls by politicians to build new dams.

Right on cue, the prime minister announced a $1bn commitment for new dams on Sunday.

July 6, 2020

Our lapdogs yap from a safe distance

The western world will probably see the absorption of Hong Kong, or Taiwan, as something that affects its national interests, in a way that the fate of Tibetans and Uighars does not.

September 24, 2020

Australian media in the Asian Century

The struggles and contradictions in media understanding of China.

May 10, 2020

MUNGO MACCALLUM. Eden-Monaro: For whom the bellwether chimes ring

A three cornered contest, they warned us messy and unpredictable. But what did they know? The fiasco of the Eden-Monaro by-election already has at least seven corners, and counting.

December 23, 2019

NURADZIMMAH DAIM.- Dr Mahathir Poses Questions on Muslim World Issues (Malaysian New Straits Times 19.12.2019)

As the Kuala Lumpur Summit kicks off today, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad raises issues in the Muslim world, calling delegates to ponder on the root causes as they seek for solutions. Muslim nations are in a state of crisis.

November 11, 2019

GREGORY CLARK- APEC on the chopping block ( Asia Times November 5, 2019)

_For old-time Asia watchers, there was a delicious irony in the way Chile has decided it does not want to be the site of this years planned APEC annual meeting.

May 23, 2019

ANDREW FARRAN. Brexit - the final breaking point awaits?

After a brief break the Gods got stirring again and it is only a matter of time before the British political system to all intents and purposes can be said to have gone irretrievably mad. Or can that yet be turned around?

April 11, 2019

DON EDGAR. Right-wing populism and family values

It is disturbing to find dogged anti-abortionist, anti-gay proselitisers such as MP Kevin Andrews and Endeavour Forums Babette Francis still representing Australias views at European far-right conferences.

November 25, 2018

MUNGO MACCALLUM. Government doesn't get GetUp!

The quest for a right wing opponent to GetUp! has been going on for almost as long as the quest for a right wing Phillip Adams at the ABC and with about as much success.

July 13, 2018

RAE WALKER. Is the Banking Royal Commission Australias Canary?

Falling levels of trust in Australian institutions is frequently raised in the media and other public discussions as a serious concern. Reports from the Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry is providing an astonishing insight into the experiences of citizen and business customers of these institutions and the corporate values and management that facilitates the untrustworthiness commentators are concerned about.

September 20, 2020

Home based and community health care

Home based care and community health teams require a diversity of funding models. Post COVID ,it is most unlikely that community health care will return to its pre-COVID state.**

September 21, 2020

Morrison's choice: blimps and gas-fired power

If Scott Morrison ever went back to his old job of promoting tourism and needed to ramp up the travel industry, he would put his money on blimps. So gas is obviously the go. A sensible middle course, obviously the best option, even if it is the wrong one.

July 14, 2020

The Palace knew for months before November 11 that John Kerr was considering dismissing Gough Whitlam (A repost from 11.11.2015)

_Based on an examination of John Kerrs treasure trove of previously unpublished papers, Professor Jenny Hocking has provided overwhelming evidence that before the dismissal John Kerr had extensive conversations and correspondence with the Queen, Prince Charles and Sir Martin Charteris, the Queens private secretary. To support his actions John Kerr clearly wanted these papers release_d to show that he had the Queen’s backing

August 11, 2020

John Menadue talks with Friendlyjordies

Jordan chats with Pearls and Irritations publisher and editor John Menadue about his time working for Rupert Murdoch and Gough Whitlam. The topics of China and the Palace Papers also gets a run.

December 30, 2018

ABUL RIZVI. What were the drivers of Net Overseas Migration in 2017-18?

Net Overseas Migration (NOM) in 2017-18 fell to 236,733, down from 262,490 in 2016-17. The decline is not as large as might have been expected given cuts to the migration and humanitarian programs and policy changes to employer sponsored temporary and permanent migration. Visitors changing status after arrival now represent a record 24 per cent of NOM a crucial indicator the visa system is in a bad way.

November 26, 2018

DON EDGAR. Looking for the cuckoo in the mental health nest.

As a researcher, I have always been suspicious of statistics touted as incontrovertible truths; and of propagandists for a cause who claim to be the holders of effective remedies for complex social problems. The current truths being touted (and winning huge increases in government funding) are that one in every five Australians has a mental disorder, that mental health problems are on the increase, costing the economy billions of dollars, and that a few chosen mental health experts have the solutions, if only their services were better funded.

October 24, 2018

ANDREW FARRAN. Brexit: The bus can be avoided after all!

It had been expected that Prime Minister Theresa May would be thrown under a bus, figuratively speaking, this week, next week, or sometime soon. If this has not happened it would be that no potential usurper has a plan that could secure passage through Parliament. Meanwhile, it is said, she is staring down her political opponents as might Boudicca in similar circumstances!

October 11, 2018

WILLIAM PESEK. Great Depression ahead? IMF sounds dire warning.

Massive government debts and eroded fiscal buffers since 2008 suggest global dominos await a single market crash.

May 29, 2018

ALLAN N. HALL. The problems of dual citizenship.

With roughly half the Australian population either born overseas or having parents or grandparents born overseas, it is little wonder that dual citizenship has increasingly emerged as a problem for some Australian citizens seeking election to the Federal Parliament. This is especially so for second generation Australians who were born in Australia, but who may be entitled to citizenship of a foreign country by descent.

December 20, 2017

ERIC HODGENS. Christmas Prompts Reflection on Power.

The powerless Jesus of the Christmas Gospel stories offers a tutorial on power in the Church today.

September 3, 2020

US: Grand Theft Election

Trump is working on stealing the result of the election in November. His main contention of political substance that it is a law and order election is shadowed by the actions he is taking to prevent an unhindered, fair vote, from taking place.

December 3, 2019

NOEL TURNBULL. The wrong way to make political - or any - decisions

The Morrison Governments decision-making is about to get worse if thats possible as Cabinet submissions are apparently to be replaced by PowerPoint presentations.

Presumably the full Cabinet submissions will be available and a few Ministers may read them but the reality is that the use of PowerPoint (PP) will discourage the rest from even attempting to read the executive summary.

January 23, 2019

KIM WINGEREI. Democracy in Decline - Part 1

The Economists Intelligence Unit (EIU) recently published their annual Democracy Index, a comprehensive report on the state of democracy around the world. It warns that democracy is in decline after three decades of growth, and of the emergence of populist strongmen. Even in Australia we cannot afford to hide behind our proud democratic record - we cannot just show up at the polls, we need to engage.

January 30, 2019

Arrested Diplomacy (Project Syndicate).

The Japanese and Canadian governments have failed to manage effectively the reputational, economic, and geopolitical implications of the legal cases against Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn and Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou. And, in a globalized world, the risks posed by such cases are likely to grow.

August 23, 2020

Securitisation: How to magnify problems rather than solve them

When governments have little idea of what constitutes a wicked problem, and even less idea of how to deal with it, their default position is to securitise a problem - turning it into a problem to be solved by law enforcement, military and para-military methods.

April 22, 2019

NOEL TURNBULL. Myths, myths and more myths

As Anzac Day approaches are you getting ready to remember afresh how Anzac defines Australian culture and history and why we fought; how the French will never forget Australia and its role in WWI; and, how our Vietnam veterans were spat upon, reviled and denied welcome home marches?

December 15, 2019

ANDREW GLIKSON. A climate of betrayal

During times of universal deceit telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act (George Orwell)

October 23, 2019

JOHN CARLIN. The Bolivarian Dream

John Carlin was invited to a conference in Venezuela. However, when he arrived at immigration in Caracas, his visa was refused because of a critical article he wrote about the country in 2007. He was put on a flight back to Spain, but found that Iberia airways had no record of his flight either to or from Venezuela. Perhaps it was just a dream. If only Trump, Boris Johnson and Cristina Kirchner were.

March 13, 2019

Indias General Election: A Preview

This article previews Indias forthcoming general election on three dimensions. First, I describe Indias election machinery and logistics, something that Australia could learn a lot from if it were not for the embedded subconscious racism that rejects the very possibility of an advanced white democracy learning from a poor Asian developing country. Second, I outline the issues that are likely to dominate the campaign over the next two months. And finally, I look at the state of play at the moment with regard to the prospects of the two competing coalitions.

November 18, 2019

COLIN MENDELSOHN. Vaping, babies and bathwater. Why Australias vaping ban is poor policy.

Australia is the only western democracy to ban the sale and use of nicotine for vaping. Australian policy is out of step with the scientific evidence and denies smokers who cant quit a safer and potentially lifesaving alternative. There are better policy options available.

November 28, 2019

ROSEMARY O'GRADY. The Pell Appeal Judgements: One Perspective.

In the majority judgement disallowing Cardinal George Pell’s appeal against criminal convictions, Chief Justice Ferguson and Appeal Court President Maxwell set-out the task that had faced the three appellate judges.

November 12, 2019

BOB DOUGLAS. Responding to Greta's Challenge

_How dare you pretend that this can be solved with just ‘business as usual’ and some technical solutions? You are failing us. But the young people are starting to understand your betrayal. The eyes of all future generations are upon you. And if you choose to fail us, I say: We will never forgive you.We will not let you get away with this. These were the words of sixteen-year old Swedish schoolgirl, Greta Thunberg as she addressed the United Nations climate conference on 25th September this year.

May 13, 2020

MIKE SCRAFTON. A blinkered view: China in the Antarctic

The recent report Eyes wide open: Managing the Australia-China Antarctic relationship by Anthony Bergin and Tony Cross falls into the category of if Chinas doing it, its malevolent.

December 3, 2017

MICHAEL KEATING. Tax cuts - what can we expect? Part 1 of 2.

The evidence suggests that Malcolm Turnbull just doesnt have the fiscal room to responsibly offer income tax cuts, which means it was very irresponsible to raise expectations in this way. Part 1 in this series of two articles examines the relationship between taxes and economic growth, and the demands upon the revenue to repair the Budget. In the following Part 2, the scope for expenditure cuts and the future of tax reform is discussed. The conclusion is that Australia will need to increase the share of tax revenue relative to GDP.

Pearls and Irritations

John Menadue's Public Policy Journal