July 2, 2020

Sydney as a global city down the drain?

The concept of turning Sydney into a Global City was hatched during the Olympic Games in 2000. The Liberals revived it in 2011 when they swept to power. Property developers loved it. But is the concept still viable?

June 18, 2020

Our strategic partnerships with China, India, Japan and the US

The signature of a strategic agreement between Australia and India is being hailed as a success. Certainly our construction of positive relations with India has lagged, although efforts to do better began in the 1980s. But whats it all about? What are the strategic policies (or impulses) of Indo-Pacific powers.

November 19, 2017

Catholic Church 2020 Plenary Council: bishops must tap into the grassroots without delay

The Catholic Church in Australia is in the midst of a massive and existential crisis, the greatest in its history. The Catholic bishops have responded by proposing a Plenary Council in 2020. They say it will no longer be business as usual and have promised to consult the whole Church. But no changes to business as usual and no consultation plans have been announced, and no guarantees given that every bishop will buy in. The consultation must begin without delay and start at the grassroots.

September 20, 2020

Neoclassical economics I: farcical global warming analyses

Analyses of the economic effects of global warming by prominent economists are based on patently invalid arguments, profound ignorance of the global response to solar energy and basic misrepresentation of scientific sources. Their conclusion that the effects are minor is egregiously in error and use of their analyses to advise governments has placed the world in peril.

July 14, 2020

Australia's courts and senators are not of an accountability mind

What would happen if an Australian senate committee, dominated by Labor and the Greens and an independent, decided by majority to demand the tax return of a coalition minister, perhaps in pursuit of allegations of abuse of power for some personal gain?

July 5, 2020

Where politics trumps public health

We are six months into the Covid-19 (C19) pandemic. A year ago, we would have expected the United States to play a major leadership role in countering any pandemic. Instead, is has suffered at least 2,700,000 infections, resulting in 128,000 deaths .

July 1, 2020

The Prime Minister's reform agenda for skills

Although it is good that the Prime Minister has recognised the importance of skills, missing from his reform agenda are two of the most important issues: the nature of skills and how they are taught, and the use of skills in the workplace.

June 24, 2020

Hacking humanities is a disaster

The decision last week to more than double the cost of humanities degrees, as announced by Dan Tehan, the Minister for Education, is a sign of the times and, as such, is appalling.

July 26, 2020

Watching Fox News in the US may kill you

Recent US studies demonstrate that watching Murdochs US Fox News increases the likelihood of you believing whats not true about COVID-19 and if acting on it possibly dying.

March 13, 2019

ERIC HODGENS. Pell Conviction a Wake-up Call.

Culture wars are simply factional standoffs given a zippy title. The Church has had them forever. George Pell is a warrior of the right. His conviction is a setback for the right - but only a setback. The war still goes on.

August 12, 2020

Rodrigo Dutertes war on many fronts (East Asia Forum 9 August, 2020)

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte delivered his penultimate State of the Nation Address as the onslaught of COVID-19 pandemic continues. Instead of providing a concrete plan to address the rise and spread of the virus, he used the opportunity to attack his political enemies and reiterate his declaration of awar on many fronts.

June 21, 2020

The US and China: can peer competitors cooperate?

Extensive talks in Hawaii on 18 June between US Secretary of State Pompeo and Chinese Politburo member responsible for international affairs, Yang Jiechi, could have been a significant step in the two powers difficult relationship, but security has been tight and what they achieved is not yet clear.

September 30, 2020

Loosen lending rules Oyez!

Treasurer Josh Frydenburg is very foolish. Like Treasurers Joe Hockey and Scott Morrison before him. And dangerous. Not content with the idea to further cut taxes (while worshiping the dual deities of Reagan and Thatcher), Frydenburg fronts a new scheme to loosen bank lending rules to speed up economic recovery.

July 22, 2020

Scott Morrisons 21st century book burning

Prime Minister Morrisons Coalition Government has committed $270 billion to militarisation, while universities, public broadcasters and the arts face devastation. The implications for Australian society are grim.

April 26, 2020

GLENN WITHERS. Virgin Australia: Voluntary Administration and Beyond

Australia is a big country. Airlines help keep our population together. But the Covid-19 crisis has decimated traffic and exposed some basic financial problems in our aviation industry.

April 5, 2020

LAURIE PATTON. Let's add fixing the NBN to our post Coronavirus planning

People are being required to work from home. Students are doing lessons online. Telehealth consultations are now being bulk-billed. All this will change the way we use the Internet forever.

March 11, 2019

BOB CARR. NSW state election: time for Gladys Berejiklian to show she cares for environment

If Gladys Berejiklian wants something as much as a day without stadiums, it is one without a mass fish kill.

September 17, 2020

What can the ALP possibly do? Part 2

I do not think it is impossible for the ALP or whoever to mount sound policies that show that there is an alternative way to the path we are on, but the movement as a whole needs to articulate them and repeat them, relentlessly.

May 26, 2020

MARK J VALENCIA. To Reduce Tensions in the South China Sea, the Ball is in Americas Court

The solution to the South China Sea imbroglio lies with the US, not China.

June 17, 2020

2020 Honours list a sick joke

_There are some moments in a countrys history when the bullshit becomes too much to bear. This years Queens Birthday (2020) Honours List is one such moment, where the entire apparatus of government and its lack of shame tip us over the edge.

July 12, 2020

Bishops and branch stacking: the second oldest profession

Branch stacking scandals are not new to Australian politics of whatever colour. Nor is the phenomenon new to the Catholic Church. In fact, the caper originated within Jesus inner circle and it hasnt let up since.

April 8, 2020

JOHN AUSTEN. Another year of record waste on roads

In the past few years Pearls etc carried posts on how road spending vastly exceeded road related revenue even though road use had not much increased a perversion of public policy helping the infrastructure lobby at the expense of Australia. Statistics for the latest year suggest this continues unabated.

November 14, 2020

Sunday environmental round up, 15 November 2020

Sustainable human development eludes almost all nations. Action to prevent virus spill-overs to humans looks like a good investment. Economic growth and emissions cuts can co-exist (IMF says). Environmental suggestions for Bidens first 100 days. Legged-legless-legged skinks.

June 30, 2020

Taking university funding from bad to worse

A new rule of politics seems to be that no matter how badly the pollies have stuffed up some area of government responsibility, they can always make it worse. This was the opening salvo to Ross Gittinss recent opinion piece on the sudden changes to university funding.

April 6, 2025

Australia’s embrace of independent political candidates shows there’s no such thing as a safe seat

At the last federal election, Australia elected the largest lower house crossbench in its post-war federal history.

April 30, 2020

CHARLES SAMPFORD. Investigate both the origins of, and ALL responses to, COVID-19

The Australian government has no business hitching its star to Donald Trump or to poke the Chinese bear by promoting a one-sided investigation.

July 8, 2020

How the Powerhouse Museum was saved

In an extraordinary about-turn, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced that she will retain the Powerhouse Museum at Ultimo and build a new museum at Parramatta.

April 26, 2020

MACK WILLIAMS. International implications of landslide Korean elections

The spectacular success of President Moons party in the recent parliamentary elections has some important international implications as well as those for the South Korean domestic political scene.

July 28, 2020

How 5G is different explained without jargon

5G has hit the headlines through the banning of Huaweis 5G network technology in several countries. But what is 5G? And how is it different from what we have already?

July 21, 2020

Clive Palmer complicates life for WA Labor

T_he legal and political manoeuvres of Clive Palmer are complications for Western Australia’s Labor Government in the final months of its first term in office._

August 18, 2019

GRACE BLAKELY. Why the rise of Boris Johnson is the last laugh of a decaying elite (New Statesman America 14-8-19)

Right-wing populism is a symptom of a crumbling capitalist order that no longer promises a better future for most people.

June 10, 2020

Universities as businesses: a cultural disaster

Australian universities are in crisis. Under pressure to corporatise, they have become over-dependent on income from overseas students. The pandemic has exposed the fatal flaws in this model, sparking fresh debate. The outcome is critical to the culture of society as a whole.

March 3, 2019

What's next in India and Pakistan flareup ( Interview on NPR)

NPR’s Steve Inskeep speaks with Ramesh Thakur of the Centre for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament at the Australian National University about the latest conflict between India and Pakistan.

June 17, 2020

The US does not need a wannabe Lincoln or Churchill, it needs a Leo Amery

Trump likes to see himself as a wartime president like Churchill or Lincoln. The Brits flattered the first proposity by giving him dinner in Churchills birthplace, Blenheim Palace.

May 26, 2020

JACK WATERFORD. Trump: the man who made America little again

Donald Trump, who campaigned on making America great again has presided over indeed caused an enormous fall in American prestige, moral authority and effective power in the world. It may still have, by far, the most military power, and enormous economic resources, but the practical management of the Covid-19 crisis invites only derision.

July 30, 2020

Reflections on sixty years as a priest .

The more reflective component of the Church is crying out for imaginative leadership on the ministry crisis and institutional re-organisation. But episcopal conferences seem paralysed.

August 23, 2020

The looming financial and social storm - Part 2

Global debt, financial and social problems are about to get worse thanks to the usual suspects governments corporate welfare policies and corporate welfare rorts and dramatically increase inequality.

July 22, 2020

Kosciusko, myths, alternative facts and facts

The Kosciuszko area is inundated with myths, views and alternative facts about land management sponsored for political advantage and by vested interests and never for the benefit of the iconic Kosciuszko National Park.

June 18, 2020

Faulty reasoning in BBC purge. Dealing with art and prejudice.

How will the BBC, other media organisations and theatre companies deal with plays that are clearly prejudicial, injurious and intolerant towards a particular group of people in the future?

October 18, 2018

JOHN MENADUE. Have we got to a tipping point in our cruelty to refugees?

Recent developments suggest we might be prepared at last to act with humanity and decency_. Prime Minister Scott Morrison seems to be interested in taking up with New Zealand its long-standing offer to take 150 refugees from Manus and Nauru._

September 14, 2020

Zero-case status is the best Covid-19 option for Australia and that means stronger controls over international arrivals (Part 1 of 2)

Australia is the victim of its own success the jurisdictions that have succeeded will not give up their gains. Thus, Victoria and New South Wales - and Queensland - have to achieve zero-case status too, otherwise we will have a fractured nation and lives that are too far away from normal.

August 27, 2020

Royal family in shambles: It's time to seriously talk about becoming a republic

When Harry and Meghan’s (unofficial) biography Finding Freedom is released, we knew it would cause a bit of a storm. Disunity, along with the Prince Andrew scandal, could potentially destabilise thefabric of the British monarch but why is there still no serious calls for Australia to become a republic?

August 14, 2020

Cancel culture, Nick Cave and the Harper's Letter: a moan from the Ivory Tower or call to the liberal battlements?

Nick Cave has revived the issues raised in the Letter on Justice and Open Debate published on 7 July 2020 and signed by 150 noted authors, academics, and public intellectuals. Issues that cut straight to a key fault line in liberalism.

July 14, 2020

The MH17 tragedy continues to unfold where geopolitics outranks truth

The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow lively debate within that spectrum.

April 16, 2019

ANTHONY PUN. A response from the Chinese Community Council of Australia (CCCA)

The Chinese Australian community warmly thanks Prof Bob Carr for speaking out for the Chinese Australians and giving a detailed analysis of China panic over a period of more than 2 years. Prof Carrs suggestion of a community response based on the Jewish model is a great suggestion and plans can be made to initiate the implementation. However, the successful implementation would depend on the unity of the 1.2 million Chinese Australian diaspora.

August 2, 2020

Manufacturing Could Lead Australias Post-COVID Recovery

_There is a myth that we are heading toward a post-industrial economy, in which manufacturing doesnt matter anymore. In reality, we use more manufactured goods every year and they are vital to all other jobs, too (including in resources and services).

January 14, 2020

CAVAN HOGUE. More blessed to give than to receive? Repost from 18.12 2017

_Provoking China to score cheap political points domestically does not advance Australian interests. While most Australians would prefer the US domestic political model to the Chinese, we are not going to change the Chinese system and so must learn to live with it. Complaints about Chinese attempts to influence Australian attitudes are naive.

November 23, 2019

PETER SAINSBURY. Sunday environmental round up, 24 November 2019

A very strong international flavour this week. Land degradation problems and encouragement to shift to renewables in India; Bangladesh planning to massively increase its coal-fired power generation; California fighting back against Trump and car makers on fuel efficiency standards; Germany legislating to achieve its Paris agreement targets; and large increases in nitrous oxide emissions globally. Closer to home, encouragement to give the young people your support this coming Friday.

June 7, 2020

FRANK BRENNAN SJ. 'I can't breathe.'

Martin Luther King said in the final analysis, a riot is the language of the unheard.

Pearls and Irritations

John Menadue's Public Policy Journal