January 14, 2020

MIKE SCRAFTON. NATO, the Middle East and the policy vacuum

The Iran crisis has inspired three public utterances of relevance to Australia’s foreign and strategic policy; from, in chronological order, NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg, President Trump, and our own inestimable Prime Minister. Collectively, they reveal the real depths of the crisis and a disturbing lack of strategic vision.

January 11, 2019

ROSS GITTINS. Don't assume more expressways and trains will fix traffic jams. (SMH 1.12.2018)

_When Marion Terrill, of the Grattan Institute, set out to find out how much commuting times had worsened in Sydney and Melbourne, she discovered something you’ll find very hard to believe. But it would come as no surprise to transport economists around the world.

July 16, 2018

JOHN HANNON. Where and who are the prophetic voices today? (a homily)

The old adage is that familiarity breeds contempt; alternatively, absence makes the heart grow fonder! But the the truest of all relating to today’s Gospel is that a prophet is not accepted in his own country, perhaps less so because he seen as just familiar and ordinary. Moreover, human nature seems to be naturally prone as resistant to change or challenge. Just this last week, it was reported that Frank Brennan SJ, the well-known Jesuit, was prevented from speaking at a Catholic conference in Hobart, apparently because he had expressed certain views about the separation of Church and State, specifically in relation to gay marriage.

September 4, 2020

Political parties are a fact of life, that's what makes them damaging to democracy

We have a tendency to assume the way things are is the way they’ve always been. Nothing could be further from the truth. It’s time to re-examine the political party.

February 20, 2016

Jonathan Page. The Inspiration of Vietnam

Postcard from Hanoi:

I have been an oncologist for some 35 years, treating adults with advanced cancer. Despite a far greater understanding of the disease, with the discovery of quite remarkable “targeted” therapies, most patients still die of this disease. Many are not suitable for these treatments, many don’t respond or respond poorly and briefly, and of course many simply present very late in the course of the cancer.

As an oncologist I am thus confronted by uncertainty, sadness, despair and grief on a regular basis, as are all the members of the oncology team, but at times leavened by the joy of success, the gratitude of families and the deep insights into the human “soul”.

June 3, 2020

MARK BUCKLEY. Scomo wrote us a letter of apology

_I dreamed that Scott Morrison woke up one day, very recently, and was filled with regret. He was so overcome with regret that he wrote a letter of apology to the people of Australia. The gist of his imaginary letter went something like this:

September 23, 2020

What is 'middle income' in Australia?

‘When I use a word,’ Humpty Dumpty said, in a rather scornful tone, ‘it means just what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less.’ Middle income, a term beloved of politicians, is like that. At a time when we’re hearing demands that the further reductions in tax rates on personal incomes legislated in 2019 should be brought forward to stimulate spending it is useful to consider some data.

April 25, 2018

DAVID JAMES. The big, bad business of America's war industry.

The spread of militarism does not just involve creating the specific apparatus of war.

As the Western allies flirt with starting World War III in Syria, it is worth examining some of the financial and business dynamics behind the United States’ ‘military industrial complex.’

May 20, 2020

GWILYM CROUCHER and WILLIAM LOCKE. A post-coronavirus pandemic world for Australian higher education: Part 1

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

May 8, 2019

JOHN DUGARD. Why aren't Europeans calling Israel an apartheid state? (Al Jazeera, 18.04.19)

Israel’s apartheid is not that different from the one South Africa used to have, both in terms of policy and brutality.

April 16, 2018

PETER RODGERS. Israel and Gaza: another bout of what?

Given Gaza’s appalling living conditions, the outburst of violence on the Israeli-Gaza border should come as no surprise. The question is whether its signals a shift in Palestinian tactics, aimed at using Israel’s disproportionate violence to revive jaded regional and international interest in the Palestinian cause.

May 18, 2020

KEN HARVEY. Formal response from the TGA

Dr Ken Harvey has provided the following formal response from the TGA as an update to his article (Pearls and Irritations, 7 May, https://publish.pearlsandirritations.com/ken-harvey-tga-fails-to-act-on-palmers-hydroxychloroquine-advertisements/)

May 29, 2020

JEFF KILDEA. How many Australians died of Spanish Flu? Take your pick

The advent of Covid-19 following on so closely from the centenary of Spanish influenza has led to a renewed interest in that last great pandemic. Yet, more than 100 years after the event, there is still a wide discrepancy in the estimates of how many it killed.

September 30, 2020

Islam in Australia survey results (Australasian Muslim Times Sep 19, 2020)

The results of the Islam in Australia survey are in and they counter many of the stereotypes and misinformation concerning Islam and Muslims in Australia.

March 27, 2019

JOO-CHEON THAM. We’ve let wage exploitation become the default experience of migrant workers (The Conversation, 21.03.18)

Australia’s Fairwork Commission has so far this year examined more than a dozen cases of wage theft. Those cases involve hundreds of workers and millions of dollars in underpayments.

And it’s just the tip of the iceberg.

July 2, 2018

GREG BAILEY. Class Warfare As a Rhetorical Device.

Now that Bill Shorten and the Labor Party have begun to propose some sensible restrictions on the irresponsible tax reductions proposed by the LNP government the old adage of “class warfare” is being invoked again in the mainstream media and by hard right politicians. But how useful is this as a rhetorical device and will it have any resonance for anybody other than those who use it?

January 12, 2018

PETER MARTIN. How billionaires get uber-rich at our expense- A REPOST from June 1 2017

“The rich are different from you and me” the saying goes. “They have more money". But that’s not the only way they are different. In the updated Financial Review Rich List released on Friday, 45 of the richest 50 Australians are men. And they are highly likely to have made their money in real estate or finance; something government-controlled.

June 22, 2020

ANDREW JAKUBOWICZ. Is Australia a racist nation? Reflections on the last 25 years of denial - Part 1 of Racism Series

_The last time Australia was labelled a racist nation by a regional power was in the wake of the election of John Howard and the emergence of Pauline Hanson in 1996 and 1997.

February 3, 2018

JOHN MENADUE. It’s time for a Human Rights Act for Australia -A repost

In Pearls and Irritations recently, Elizabeth Evatt ( Why not protect all our rights and freedoms?) called for a Human Rights Act to protect all our rights and freedoms and not just freedom of religion.

The issue of freedom of religion is being examined by Phillip Ruddock and his ‘expert panel’. This issue is also being examined by a Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade.

January 26, 2020

HUGH MACKAY. What kind of society do we want to become?

Australia Day is widely regarded as a chance to celebrate what it means to be Australian. Perhaps, this year, we might turn the national day into a time of sombre reflection, and ask: are we the kind of society we want to be?

June 23, 2018

JAMES FERNYHOUGH. Telstra’s bombshell announcement is ‘huge’ news for consumers.

Telstra’s bombshell announcement that it will split in two is “huge” news for consumers, resulting in cheaper, faster internet. But experts say it comes 15 years and $40 billion too late.

July 23, 2020

The EU Must Stop Punching Below its Weight

In one of the most critical moments in history, the world finds itself leaderless.

July 12, 2018

FINTAN O'TOOLE. The long Irish 19th century is finally over (Irish Times)

We are, finally, reaching the end of Ireland’s long 19th century. I don’t mean that Ireland didn’t have a 20th century or that many momentous things did not occur within it. The visible landscape changed dramatically and so did social mores. But the rock underlying modern Irish society – the social geology, as it were – was formed in the 19th century. And it is now gradually slipping away. In at least four major respects, 19th-century Ireland is dying.

March 20, 2019

NICK DEANE. Thoughts on the Schools Strike for the climate.

Concerns about climate change and the environment cannot be separated from concerns about militarism and war. All military activity is polluting. Climate change increases the likelihood of war. Environmentally damaging activities are, ultimately, protected by armed force. Preparation for war runs in parallel with climate change.

May 8, 2020

ALEX MITCHELL. Constance dream turns to nightmare

At the start of this week, NSW Cabinet Minister Andrew Constance was Liberal Party front-runner to take the Federal seat of Eden Monaro. Now his long-held career ambitions to shift from Sydney to Canberra are in ruins. What went wrong?

December 24, 2020

Is it time to put our PM and his Treasurer into quarantine?

At some stage many of us reach the point when we conclude that our leaders are not just useless and meddling, but downright dangerous. The Coalition’s monumental bungling of the quarantining of infected Covid-19 arrivals is a continuation of their previous years of ineptness. They have endangered our lives, our economy, our health and well-being and – astonishingly - our country’s federation.

December 12, 2017

ANDREW FARRAN. An alternative perspective for a realistic defence policy for Australia

In defence terms how do we operate in a region where China will by 2030 have a GDP 25 times greater than ours and whose current military expenditure is already 25 times greater, when the US will be concentrating increasingly on issues of its own elsewhere?

February 13, 2019

KIM WINGEREI Political Bastardy and Silly Politics

The franking credits scare campaign by the LNP is working. Once again, sensible tax reforms is sacrificed on the altar of short-term politics and the absence of a holistic approach. Once again politics gets in the way of policy making. Once again, fear and obfuscation are winning.

February 18, 2019

ANDREW FARRAN. Brexit: Game Plan upended?

As the deadline of 29th March approaches what could be the UK Prime Minister’s game plan to get her deal across the line and avoid the chaos and disruption that a crashing out Brexit would entail? She would want to avoid a ‘golden duck’ – and make a comeback from her unprecedented defeat in the Commons on 15th January. A successful exit would be a political triumph even if it would not please all her supporters. Failure however would represent one of the worst ever diplomatic disasters for a British Prime Minister.

February 12, 2019

The casual talk of war

The casual talk of war heard today is of great concern. War is treated as if it’s a board game and the only pieces are military forces. The experiences of the twentieth-century, and to a lesser extent those of this century, have demonstrated the widespread destruction and death, social dislocation and economic collapse, political disruption and often revolution, or geopolitical realignment, that accompany major wars. War is an unreliable tool of statecraft and unpredictable pursuit.

July 11, 2018

KATHARINE MURPHY. 'We've turned a corner': farmers shift on climate change and want a say on energy.

National Farmers’ Federation head Fiona Simson says people on the land can’t ignore what is right before their eyes.

April 9, 2020

ALEX MITCHELL: The Ruby Princess scandal and Liberal Party links

The Ruby Princess scandal is not going away anytime soon. Premier Gladys Berejiklian and her key ministers may have perfectly plausible explanations for their role in the spread of the killer virus, COVID-19, from the luxury liner after it berthed in Sydney Harbour. Does anyone believe them?

June 24, 2020

Who will the Government listen to this time?

Because the Morrison Government listened to its health advisers Australia got through the coronavirus crisis with relative speed. Economic recovery will also depend on who the Government listens to.

February 3, 2018

MACK WILLIAMS. China : “All the way with USA” ?

The Turnbull Government was clearly caught flat-footed by the significant change in the Trump’s security strategy announced by Defense Secretary Mattis. Defence Minister Payne’s initial comment and background briefings had to be corrected quickly. All of which underlines the urgent need for detailed review of NDS18’s implications for Australian strategic policy.

December 10, 2019

Israel's Aussie Mensch

The Zionist Federation of Australia bestowed in November its 2019 Jerusalem Prize for “exceptional in strengthening Australia-Israel relations” or as Prof. Stuart Rees puts it, ‘for sucking up to Israelis,’ on an exemplary recipient, the prime minister of Australia, Scott Morrison.

March 16, 2018

RICHARD BUTLER. The US/DPRK Summit: War or Peace?

The planned Trump/Kim Summit has a clear choice between a negotiated solution, or war. There is a choice, whatever both sides may say. War is not unavoidable and if it were to occur it would be devastating.

July 18, 2018

ROBYN MOLONEY. Learning languages early is key to making Australia more multilingual (The Conversation 3/7/2018)

Simon Birmingham recently announced the government will invest an additional A$11.8 million in a successful preschool language learning program.

Some 300 languages are spoken in Australia. In the Greater Sydney area alone, nearly 40% of households speak a language other than English and many children of these households attend weekend community language learning.

But, in New South Wales for example, less than 10% of secondary students make it through to a final end of secondary school examination (Higher School Certificate) in an additional language. A report of Chinese learning shows of all the learners who start Chinese study 96% have dropped out by senior secondary level.

The additional funding for pre-secondary school language education is a step in the right direction to making Australia a more bilingual country. Starting early is the key to making sure students continue with their language education.

April 19, 2018

SAMUEL LIEVEN. Why Syria's patriarchs back Assad

Three patriarchs — two of them Orthodox and the other Catholic — have co-signed a statement strongly condemning the Western air strikes against Syrian government positions while reasserting their support for the Assad regime and its Russian and Iranian allies.

January 28, 2020

RICHARD BUTLER AND RICHARD WHITINGTON. "Manufactured Consent" in truth-deprived and electronic times.Part 2 of 4

This is the second in a series by Richard Whitington and Richard Butler about the contemporary validity of Noam Chomsky’s thesis on “manufactured consent”: the coalition of convenience between business, the military, the intelligence community and a complicit partner - “big” media.

February 28, 2019

Thinking aloud: Imagine if the reservations mania extended to the selection of Team India (The Times of India).

In 1990 British politician Norman Tebbit proclaimed his cricket loyalty test: In a match between England and their country of origin, whom did immigrants support? Alas, like most Indians in Australia and England, I would comprehensively fail the Tebbit test.

February 7, 2021

Bye bye Premier Gladys – it’s time to go

Premier Gladys Berejiklian needs to call time on her premiership by next month in the hope that her political legacy is in reasonable nick despite her personal reputation being in tatters. As to where it all began? Read on.

December 20, 2018

GEOFF RABY. Xi Jinping's Year of Living Dangerously.

2018 may well go down as a defining year for President Xi Jinping’s leadership – one that marks the beginning of the end for the “President for Life”. President Xi began the year in full command of the country, seemingly ascendant on the world stage with his signature Belt and Road Initiative and, in the face of President Trump’s unilateralism, incredulously a newly found champion of the multilateral trading system and defender of the WTO and other features of the fast-receding liberal multilateral order. But by year’s end, Xi is under pressure.

September 1, 2020

PM strikes the right balance in managing China ties

Allowing the federal government to terminate deals with foreign powers is better than going down the Trump road of bans and aggressive decoupling from China.

December 6, 2019

JAKE JOHNSON. 'The Science Is Screaming': UN Report Warns Only Rapid and Transformational Action Can Stave Off Global Climate Disaster (Common Dreams 26-11-19)

“Failure to heed these warnings and take drastic action to reverse emissions means we will continue to witness deadly and catastrophic heatwaves, storms, and pollution.”

September 1, 2020

Your ABC is turning into their ABC

The combined savagery of the Murdoch media, the jejune fogies in the Young Liberals, their fogy elders on the extreme right, as well as their urgers in reactionary organisations like the Institute of Public Affairs, is culminating in an unhappy deterioration in the ABC’s programming and in the quality of its presenters.

September 13, 2020

When Canberra ponders Beijing, Beijing may wonder the same

When some elements within Canberra express their dislike for Beijing subtly and hazard a guess at Beijing’s next step, Beijing may see Canberra’s ‘China Policy’ as being bizarre.

February 20, 2019

MIKE SCRAFTON. Some possible implications for Australia’s strategic policy in Trump’s emergency

President Trump’s declaration of a national emergency over illegal immigration on the southern border of the US is destined to bring on a short term constitutional and political crisis in the US. The security of the US/Mexican border is not of direct interest to Australia but the longer term outcome of contest between the Executive and the Congress is something that bears close attention.

July 2, 2018

DENNIS ARGALL. Many steps on Korea between the principals.

While the US and DPRK are at very early stages in working forward from the Trump-Kim meeting in Singapore on 12 June 2018, a wide range of practical steps have taken place between the ROK and DPRK and China and Russia are involved too.

While upheavals in American political perspectives are possible, there is orderliness in security discussions and arrangements between the US and ROK.

In the ROK these activities mesh with sustained progress in reform.

January 1, 2019

CLAIR WILLS. Prodigal Fathers (The New York Review of Books).

More than twenty years ago, writing about Roy Foster’s Modern Ireland, Colm Tóibín recalled what it was like to study history in Ireland in the 1970s—to be on the cusp of the revisionist wave, questioning all the old narratives. “Imagine if Irish history were pure fiction,” he wrote, “how free and happy we could be! It seemed at that time a most subversive idea, a new way of killing your father, starting from scratch, creating a new self.” The burden of having relatives has been a constant theme of Tóibín’s stories, essays, and reviews: “A Priest in the Family,” “How to Be a Wife,” “The Brother Problem,” “The Importance of Aunts,” “Mothers and Sons,” and, for equality’s sake, both “New Ways to Kill Your Mother” and “New Ways to Kill Your Father.” And these are just some of the titles. The desire to start from scratch, to worm (or to smash, but mostly to worm) your way out from under the yoke of dull, unavailable, or tyrannical parents figures in most of his fiction.

Pearls and Irritations

John Menadue's Public Policy Journal