August 16, 2023

Albo cannot be both a reasoned diplomat and a subservient ally

Australias leader Anthony Albanese is responsible for much more than window dressing at the ALP National Conference. As our elected leader he is required to speak for the nation about how Australia will meet its international obligations to peace and security in our region. In order to re-assert an Australian independent middle power foreign policy advocated by Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong, Albanese must tell the global community that he has not made a secret pact to follow the United States into war with China.

July 6, 2023

De-risking Australia: separating our vital interests from Americas

Does it really matter that Australias defence policy has no moorings, and is created unaware of past pain, lessons and policy responses? By agents with unknown interests. And that American influence has been ushered into this void, most recently by Minister Marles?

April 26, 2023

We are being seduced into war again by the US, this time over Taiwan

The US must be told that we will not be involved in any way in a war with China over Taiwan.

September 2, 2022

Modernity and tradition in China: The 'tribute system', and the absurdity of sinophobia

In many ways, the impact of modernity in China is balanced by traditional patterns. In foreign relations, the modern notion of sovereignty is central, but the traditional thinking behind what historians call the tribute system still explains some of what China does and its attitude to the world and its neighbourhood.

March 1, 2021

Pariah state: 'Something really ugly' about Australia's foreign policy

In summing up the malign influence of the Murdoch media in the UK, Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger commented: Weve allowed something really ugly to happen in this country The same has to be said about the ugliness of Australian foreign policy, with the Murdoch media bearing some responsibility for uncritical support of nefarious practices.

February 20, 2021

The Church and social justice after Trump

Church social teaching is strongly opposed to neoliberalism, so how did this opposition become so muted, with prominent Catholic voices and resources captured by neoliberal ideology and money?

January 3, 2021

WeChats Potential for Social Activism and Civic Action in the Chinese Diaspora (GJIA Dec 10, 2020)

WeChat is predominantly used by Mandarin speakers both within and outside China. Although this social media platform is owned by a Chinese company and is subject to Chinas censorship and scrutiny, it nevertheless has the potential to enable social activism and civic action in the Chinese diaspora across the globe.

December 2, 2020

A blueprint for action on integrity

Since the Liberal-National Part Government came to power Australias ranking in Transparency Internationals (TI) global corruption surveys has fallen.

July 2, 2024

Muzzling the dogs of war: the time to stop the madness is now

It may be time to think the unthinkable: all the signs are pointing to the West preparing to launch a proper war in Europe. Once started it could bring, for the first time in living memory, millions of Western civilians into uniform and see the cities of the West attacked. Preposterous? Jumping the Shark? Listen to what the leaders in the West are saying. The time to stop the madness is now, not once the elites drive us into the abyss and civilians are stripped of all rights to oppose.

August 20, 2022

Abe Shinzo The ambiguous legacy of an assassinated Japanese Prime Minister

When former Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo was shot and killed in front of an election rally in Nara on 8 July, two days before an Upper House election, shock waves spread quickly around the world.

August 16, 2022

Northern Australia is becoming a US military colony

Julia Gillard delivered a gushing speech to the American Congress in March 2011. Then eight months later she agreed to US Marines in Darwin.

June 20, 2022

The UN Human Rights report on Israel and Australias welcome statement

_The UN special Human Rights investigation into Palestine/Israel which found Israel to be primarily responsible for ongoing unrest and violence received a strong rebuke from the US, which in turn sought support from its allies to sign its statement. Australia declined to do so, issuing its own statement.

May 2, 2022

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?

April 13, 2022

NATO - Western colonial shadow looms over Asia again

_Making Australia an instrument of US/NATO in pursuit of objectives so consciously eschewed by our near neighbours will ultimately undermine both the security and prosperity of Australia.

April 6, 2022

Admiral Prune: Defending Australia Part 2 of 4:Are we delivering the ADF we need?

There will probably be more grand announcements in the lead up to the Morrison Governments attempt to frame a khaki election. What we are doing, as opposed to talking about doing, is not reassuring.

April 5, 2022

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.

September 14, 2021

History repeats as Morrison provokes China hostility

The official visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2014 was the high point in Sino-Australian relations. It has been all downhill ever since.

February 10, 2021

Deaths in aged care on Morrison's watch

Some 685 aged care residents died from Covid-19, making Australia one of the worst countries in the world for aged care deaths as a proportion of all Covid deaths.

November 30, 2020

Can macroeconomic policy ensure the inflation target?

If Australian wages do not increase sufficiently in line with economic capacity, it risks a shortfall in aggregate demand that will make the achievement of an inflation target very difficult, or even impossible.

September 1, 2024

'Recused' NACC boss Brereton at Robodebt meeting

Minutes released under FOI show Paul Brereton present throughout the majority of a NACC senior assessment panel meeting on Robodebt, only leaving the room towards the end as a decision was made.

May 4, 2024

No Palestinian is safe under Israel's occupation

I am extremely alarmed by information that Dr. Adnan Albursh, a well-known surgeon at Al Shifa Hospital, has died while detained by Israeli forces in the Ofer military prison.

September 20, 2023

In the grim dark face of military madness

Increasingly I keep finding myself singing, even humming or whistling the old Graham Nash song, Military Madness, sometimes hardly aware that I am doing so.

August 11, 2023

The relentless march of militarism: When will it stop?

We are under constant bombardment. Hardly a day goes by without some news of a military nature. If it is not about sending more equipment to prolong the war in Ukraine, it is about Australian minerals being domesticated to serve Americas military interests.

August 6, 2023

Are we failing to see the wood for the trees on climate risks?

Extreme climate impacts are exploding in this years Northern Hemisphere summer. We urgently need to understand how climate disruption will affect Australians: their safety and well-being in the face of ever-more-extreme climate events, the viability of public and private infrastructure, communications and logistical systems, challenges to food security, and much more.

August 11, 2022

Defence reviews; what are they good for?

It is essential that the new Defence review not degenerate into the usual ritualistic orthodoxy. In these perilous times it cannot be allowed to become a narrow, jargon-laden, orthodox military consideration but must situate Australias strategy and military posture in the context of the important foreign policy issues.

June 21, 2022

Tripartite bargain on Immigration Policy

Given current skill shortages and how gummed up the visa processing system has become, the new Government will need a focussed strategy on what needs to be fixed first.

May 4, 2021

Democracy with Hong Kong characteristics

Hong Kong will hold elections to a newly enlarged Legislative Council in December. This is the first election held since Beijing enacted national security legislation for the territory in June 2020. It is doubtful that Hong Kongs pro-democracy pan-dems, who dominated the former legislature, will win even a handful of seats. If they do, they will form a token opposition but Beijing is not wholly to blame for this. pro-democracy activists must also shoulder the blame.

December 22, 2020

The deceit of deterrence; a bankrupt strategic justification for defence expenditure

Although references to deterrence are regularly trotted out to justify defence acquisition decisions and alliance policy, the place of the idea of deterrence in Australias strategic policy is opaque and poorly understood. That the effectiveness of a deterrence strategy is highly dependent on contingent circumstances is regularly left unaddressed by advocates of ever greater defence spending.

December 20, 2020

Scott Morrison said NSW was the gold standard in infection control but begging is not working in encouraging mask wearing

Recent infections in NSW demonstrate how fragile is our control of community acquired Covid infections. As it will be many months before Australians are immunised and immune to Covid-19 we must focus on stronger containment strategies now. Its time to mandate mask wearing and not just ask people to wear masks.

November 30, 2020

A bridge too far for Cormann?

For the OECD, improved world health is as important an outcome as an improved world economy. Managing that, or contributing to that debate, is not, as with climate change action, Cormanns long suit.

November 5, 2020

One Good Thing: Trump first president since Carter not to drag America into foreign wars

The seeds of civil war may be growing but one good thing to come out of Donald Trumps four years in power is that he has not sent America into war overseas, joining the Democrats Jimmy Carter as the only other president since 1950 to show such restraint.Brian Tooheyreports.

October 12, 2020

Residential aged care funding rules are unfair and inefficient

The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety has highlighted the tragic weakness of residential aged care throughout Australia. Hundreds of older Australians have died prematurely during the COVID pandemic. For their sake, and ours, this tragedy must prove to be the wake-up call that prompts a major shakeup of the industry.

October 11, 2020

Lobby Land. The retiree lobby, the poor dears

Lobbyists can be pretty shameless from hyperbole about the unintended consequences of some legislative or policy change they dont like to arguments which would shame a beginner debater.

September 27, 2024

Julian Assange gets a positive hearing at last

Appearing in public for the first time since he returned in June to Australia from Britain’s Belmarsh Prison, Julian Assange will give his first official testimony since 2019 on 1 October.

June 9, 2024

Environment: When will politicians take climate change seriously?

Both the WHO and UN may be starting to take seriously the effects of climate change on health. A global plan to save 1,000 freshwater fish from extinction. Covid reverses life expectancy at birth.

April 30, 2024

War parties, the peace candidate, and the US election

The Democrats and the Republicans are outdoing each other to prove who can get us to World War III fastest. Joe Biden and the Congressional Democrats are making a convincing bid to be the leading warmongers. The Congressional Democrats just voted unanimously in a vote of 210 – 0 to extend the Ukraine War with another $61 Billion to kill more Russians and Ukrainians, and by a lopsided majority of 173-37 for another $14 Billion to extend Israel’s mass slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza. Donald Trump weighed in before the vote that Ukraine’s survival and strength is “ important to us”, and that Europe should pay more. Republican Speaker Mike Johnson did his part for warmongering by calling Russia, China, and Iran the updated axis of evil. The slur was just in time for Secretary of State Blinken to fly to China to threaten more US sanctions if China trades with Russia in ways the US disapproves.

September 10, 2023

Biden: Chinese among bad folks who do bad things

At a political fundraiser in Utah on 10 August, U.S. President Joe Biden described Chinas economy as a ticking time bomb, adding that _That’s not good because when bad folks have problems, they do bad things. Its not only an unusually undiplomatic comment, but an unfair one that borders on the ridiculous. _

September 1, 2023

The US economic war on China

Chinas economy is slowing down. Current forecasts put Chinas GDP growth in 2023 at less than 5%, below the forecasts made last year and far below the high growth rates that China enjoyed until the late 2010s. The Western press is filled with Chinas supposed misdeeds: a financial crisis in the real-estate market, a general overhang of debt, and other ills. Yet much of the slowdown is the result of US measures that aim to slow Chinas growth. Such US policies violate World Trade Organisation rules and are a danger to global prosperity. They should be stopped.

August 8, 2022

Is Bob Carr wearing rose coloured glasses? Neither Albanese nor Marles is behaving the way he says

_It would be very comforting if Anthony Albanese and Richard Marles were adopting the ‘status quo’ stance regarding China’s aspirations in respect of Taiwan. Sadly, the evidence says the opposite, according some other recent P&I posts.

July 26, 2022

The Gaetjens valedictory

I do not know the former Secretary of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Phil Gaetjens personally, but others who do and whose judgment I respect have long told me of his competence as both an economist and a manager.

July 12, 2022

Geraldine Doogue - Catholic Churchs council moved by the spirit of progress

Death-and-resurrection moments might be the most accurate way to describe the scale of what unfolded at a rare high-level Catholic meeting of almost 300 representatives last week in Sydney.

July 5, 2022

Hong Kong is weathering the storm very well despite the usual critics.

Nine months ago, and 15 months on from the implementation of the new national security law in Hong Kong P&I published a piece I put together summarising developments over those 15 months. Nine months later as Hong Kong celebrates the 25th anniversary of the handover in 1997 and two years on from the implementation of the NSL it seems appropriate to once again provide an update.

June 25, 2022

If growing US-China rivalry leads to the worst war ever, what should Australia do?

Should Australia join the United States in a war against China to prevent China taking the USs place as the dominant power in East Asia? Until a few years ago the question would have seemed merely hypothetical, but not anymore.

June 24, 2022

Bring Home the Suffering Australian Children and their Mothers in Syrian Camps

_The Albanese government has had bequeathed to it several unresolved human rights scandals which together have severely shrunk the moral character of Australia and Australians. Notable among them has been the plight of Australian overseas citizens who have fallen from grace.

June 12, 2022

Dogfight over the Paracels: Is this how to avoid a Third World War?

The dogfight may belong to the days of the Red Baron, but close aerial manoeuvresare still dangerous and can quickly escalate. Let us hope that is not going to happen between China and Australia.

May 4, 2022

To the next minister for climate change & energy: The execution plan for climate mobilisation

Climate decisions taken here and globally within the next three years, the term of the new government, will determine the future of humanity. Climate is not a single issue. It is going to change every aspect of our society, so we cannot allow a continuation of the lies and deception around climate policy which the two-party system perpetuates.

April 25, 2022

What will happen in the Senate election?

The outcome of the Senate election is not as important as the outcome of the House of Reps election, but it does matter.

September 27, 2021

Ken Henry: The interests of the most disadvantaged are not being served by our tax system

Those who care about distributive justice cannot ignore the extraordinary intergenerational inequity inherent in our present tax system.

September 2, 2021

The terrible effects and disastrous consequences of war. But we keep doing it.

The chaotic end to the war in Afghanistan coincides with a debate in the Senate on a bill which would curtail the unrestrained power of the executive to take the country to war.

Pearls and Irritations

John Menadue's Public Policy Journal