July 5, 2020

How to avoid a September cliff edge (AFR 29.6.20)

Bond sales to the Reserve Bank would allow stimulus to continue without busting the budget or raising taxes.

April 15, 2020

HENRY REYNOLDS supports Pearls and Irritations.

As a daily reader of Pearls and Irritations and an occasional contributor, I am keenly aware of how important it is both to me personally and to the community at large.

December 23, 2018

MUNGO MacCALLUM. Morrison will not go quietly.

And so this is Christmas; And enough is enough. Another year over And who gives a stuff.

July 23, 2020

We can have our GST cake and eat it too! (part 2 of 2)

An “extreme GST” model of 15% tax on 100% of goods and services has been mooted for Australia. Can changing the marginal rates in the top tax brackets achieve the same net revenue result as any change to the GST?

April 26, 2020

BRUCE W. JENTLESON. Compete with China, but No New Cold War

The balance to be struck is to confront China as warranted, compete as necessary, and cooperate when possible

June 2, 2020

NOEL TURNBULL. There's no doubt Morrison is swimming against a tidal wave Part 3

The Morrison Government is adopting the newest form of doubting climate change by arguing that yes it does exist but that it can all be fixed by some unproven technological developments such as carbon capture or hydrogen both of which may end up looking a bit like nuclear fusion just around the corner for decades.

May 3, 2020

SUSAN RYAN supports Pearls and Irritations.

Anyone who wants to keep up with policy developments, both failures and successes, cannot rely on mainstream media.

October 10, 2018

SCOTT MORRISON. Speech at Chinese-Australian Community Event

This speech by Scott Morrison on 4 October 2018 does not seem to have been run anywhere in the mainstream media. It is the most constructive statement from the government in a long time. Interestingly, the speech was posted on the Australian Embassy website in Beijing six days ago! (John Menadue)

May 20, 2020

GWILYM CROUCHER and WILLIAM LOCKE. A post-coronavirus pandemic world for Australian higher education: Part 2

The pandemic is magnifying existing pressures for universities but is also providing new possibilities. How universities respond will determine their future

March 10, 2019

CAVAN HOGUE. What does Kim Jong Un really want?

There has been much speculation about what Kim wants and what happened at the summit. When dealing with characters like Trump and Bolton anything is possible but Kim is much more focussed and any consideration of current events should never lose sight of the fundamentals that underlie anything Kim does. He wants to stay in power but is not interested in promoting any ideology to any other country. His foreign policy is therefore essentially defensive. DPRK criminal activity abroad is essentially to make money or knock off people who might be a domestic threat. Threats to other countries are a dog baring its teeth to potential attackers. To attack the US would be suicide.

May 10, 2020

SUE WAREHAM. Prioritising Health

Global military spending continues to rise. Critical health goals could be achieved for a fraction of what we spend on wars. Focussing funding on health rather than military spending, globally and in Australia, would create more jobs, healthier communities, and budgetary savings.

July 22, 2020

We can have our GST cake. And eat it too! (part 1 of 2)

As the Australian government foreshadows imminent tax changes, some politicians, commentators and think-tanks are again proposing increasing and broadening the GST. However, the practicalities of compensating those who cant afford the price increases might rule out even minor change.

November 22, 2018

JOHN MENADUE. Saturday postings

We are changing our Saturday postings.

We will continue to post hyperlinks to good listening and reading that we feel will be of interest over the weekend.

We will also give timely notice of the contents of Geraldine DooguesSaturday Extra. Her program starts at 7.30 am, but our email has been going out on Saturday after noon.

We will now be posting the Saturday content at 7am each weekend.

April 15, 2020

Kim Jong un letter to Donald Trump

Joke of the day

April 5, 2020

TERRY FEWTRELL Pandemics and Quarantine - familiar and familial

Its a family heirloom, but never has it had such significance. In a room in our house, that is a delight on a winters day as it fills with the rays of the waning sun, there is a piano.

January 8, 2018

RICHARD TANTER. Pine Gap and a possible Korean nuclear war A REPOST from December 18,2017

The Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap is a huge and controversial US intelligence base near Alice Springs in central Australia. Again the debate is flaring over whether or not the costs of hosting the base most relevant being its challenge to Australian foreign policy autonomy, as well as being a possible or even likely nuclear target are outweighed by the benefits. Pine Gaps role in a possible Korean war raise these issues in new ways.

April 6, 2020

ERIC HODGENS. Easter in a Time of Virus.

Easter is one of the biggest holidays of the year throughout much of the world. It was originally a Holy Day. But its significance is changing accelerated by COVID-19.

September 5, 2020

For Hong Kongs sake, the judiciary must regain Beijings trust (SCMP Sep 3, 2020)

How did it come about that Beijing has developed such mistrust of the Hong Kong judiciary? The courts have put a slant on the Basic Law, by applying obscure norms and values from overseas which are totally unsuited to Hong Kongs circumstances.

August 15, 2020

The Coronavirus does discriminate

An advertising campaign in Victoria seeks to convince young people that the Coronavirus is a threat to young and old. But the most startling fact is that as of the time of writing no-one under 30 in Australia has died from the virus.

April 14, 2020

MICHAEL JAMES KELLY. An Old Mans Gripe

It is a paradox: in the midst of suffering and dying, there is an unfamiliar human warmth. I have encountered it at several levels.

July 15, 2019

HUGH WHITE. Australia needs to give up its South Pacific dream (AFR 13-14.7.2019)

What can Australia do to restore and preserve our sphere of influence in the South Pacific, and deny it to China?

January 21, 2019

NICK DEANE. Unravelling the fabric of the Australia/US alliance.

John Menadue has articulated the problems with the Australia/US alliance very clearly. Those who are concerned to change its nature need a weak point at which to challenge it. To unravel the fabric of the alliance, start by opposing the presence of US marines in Darwin!

July 19, 2020

Sinophobia in Australian media

The sinophobia in Australian media is rife. Publisher and broadcaster love stories about Chinese protesters rallying in Australia, China, Hong Kong, etc.

July 29, 2020

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.

December 29, 2017

ALAN PEARS. Turnbull has politicked himself into irrelevance on energy and climate in 2018

As we approach the end of the year, its useful to look back and forward. Now is an auspicious time, as two major energy-related reports have been released this week: the federal governments review of their climate change policies, and a discussion paper from the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) on future energy paths.

June 16, 2020

Thriving in a Mega-threatened World

T_he threats from climate change and pandemics to human well-being and even human survival, have recently become apparent to us all. There is growing recognition, that we must change our expectations and the way we live, in order to ensure that our progeny will both survive and thrive into the future

April 9, 2020

ALEXANDER C L HOLDEN and CARLOS R QUIONEZ. What should our health professional associations be in the 21st Ce ntury?

_Health professionals form professional associations to facilitate collective action and advocacy on relevant and pertinent issues. What should the guiding values and principles be behind these organisations and what should their role be in our society in the 21st Century?

May 31, 2018

JOHN STAPLETON: Surveillance in Australia; Part Three.

The democratic contract is broken. The freedom of Australians to go about their daily lives without being watched by their government has vanished with barely a whisper of protest.

July 3, 2019

NIALL McLAREN Times change. Fools never.

Times change, and people who refuse to change with them will be left behind.

May 31, 2020

JEFF KILDEA. The Irish Elections of 2020 - still no government

Almost four months after the Irish general election on 8 February 2020 Ireland is still without a government. Whats been happening and who is running the shop during the Covid-19 crisis?

November 21, 2018

Australia has normalised relations with a China-led future (Australian Financial Review, 21.11.18)

The Australia-China relationship is almost back to normal. The speed at which it has recovered has surprised. It has taken two statesman-like speeches by the former Prime Minister and his successor, and the appointment of a new Foreign Minister as previously suggested in this column. The anticipated imminent visit by PM Morrison to Beijing will complete the process.

April 23, 2020

SOOK JONG LEE. COVID-19 infects international organisations (East Asia Forum 21.4.20)

On 14 April 2020, US President Donald Trumpannounceda halt on US funding to the World Health Organization (WHO) as his administration reviews its handling of COVID-19.

April 6, 2020

ALISON BROINOWSKI. The crisis is political too.

In his almost daily televised updates, Scott Morrison’s successive rescue packages turn conservative orthodoxy on its head, and without resorting to Trumpian monologues. Yet his response to the international questions shows no new thinking.

April 7, 2020

JOHN TAN. Covid-19: Which news sources should you trust?

Crises bring out a natural hunger for good information. How does one choose news sources?

July 19, 2020

Adopting aspects of India's non-alignment while honouring our US defence alliance

The escalating tension between China and Australia threatens our economic health. Indias Non-Alignment Foreign Policy shows a way to get back from the brink without sacrificing our independence, while still meeting our obligations under the ANZUS Alliance.

June 11, 2020

Out with the British Crown-the Sax-Coburg-Gotha

White Australians struggling with approaches to justice for First Nations people might consider a Radical Republic, writes Geoff Ebbs.

October 10, 2018

JOHN AUSTEN. Pain before more pain and then no gain in Berejiklians growing Sydney transport mess

The NSW Government says there is an amazing light at the end of the tunnel with the closure of the Epping-Chatswood line that is part of the Metro project. The analogy is apt. An approaching light in a railway tunnel heralds big trouble.

April 9, 2020

JULIAN CRIBB. Is a Food Supply Crisis the next big hit?

As the world reels under coronavirus and the resulting economic meltdown, another crisis - far more serious - appears to be building: the potential collapse of global food supply chains.

August 6, 2020

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 for teachers.

July 28, 2020

'I am exercising my rights as a citizen(of Israel) and they are treating me like the enemy' (Plus61J Media 23th of July, 2020)

“I also want to build a better society, and that has to include caring, compassion, equality and peace with the Palestinians.”

April 8, 2020

GEOFF EBBS. Coronavirus lessons for climate policy.

The Covid-19 pandemic is a window into the future and our response is a template for future action. The Coronavirus can provide us with many lessons for climate policy.

May 12, 2020

NOEL TURNBULL. The devastating social costs of inequality

While the number of inequality indices and ratios is proliferating there has been less sustained attention to the social costs associated with it.

January 21, 2020

LAURIE PATTON. Its now or never for the NBN

Last week submissions closed for a parliamentary inquiry into the National Broadband Network. TelSoc, of which I recently became vice-president, lodged a submission prepared by a working group of highly qualified industry experts.

January 19, 2021

Australias Covid-19 quarantining an abrogation of federal responsibilities! There is no national plan

Perhaps the most contentious issue of our Covid year is who is in charge of quarantining? With continuing outbreaks of Covid-19 linked to incoming travellers, Australians have reacted with astonishment that quarantining issues were not foreseen and planned for years ago. How did we end up where we are and what should be done about it?

May 20, 2020

QUENTIN DEMPSTER. BuzzFeed out: So much for diversity in Australias media

Two years after Australias competition watchdog green lighted the biggest consolidation of media ownership here in more than 40 years, the withdrawal of online start-up BuzzFeed has exposed its misjudgment.

March 7, 2019

Govt Concealing Catholic Schools' Use of Taxpayer Funds

Public accountability for the use of taxpayer funding is a fundamental tenet of democratic government. Yet, this principle has long been ignored by Catholic education authorities who refuse to reveal how they distribute government funding amongst their schools despite it being a legislative requirement. Their refusal has been connived at by successive governments that failed to make the Commonwealth Department of Education enforce the legislation. The latest example of this tacit agreement at work is the refusal of the Education Department to fully disclose how Catholic Education Commissions distribute their taxpayer funding.

June 3, 2020

GIDEON LEVY. 'Being Black in America Shouldn't Be a Death Sentence.' What About Being Palestinian? (HAARETZ 30.5.20)

Did you see the American police officers? Did you see how they choked George Floyd to death in Minneapolis?

April 7, 2020

EVAN JONES. The state and the economy

Right-wing governments are splashing the cash what gives? Neoliberalism is temporarily being abandoned, but will it continue after this crisis is over?

January 16, 2021

Sunday environmental round up, 17 January 2021

Some good and some bad news about climate change from 2020, with a focus on the rapidly warming Arctic. Different starting points and scopes for two plans to keep warming under 1.5oC but their strategies share many commonalities. Three-quarters of Australias threatened species are plants and their numbers are declining. Some heart-warming and some heart stopping wildlife photos.

Pearls and Irritations

John Menadue's Public Policy Journal