July 28, 2021

Rights, law breakers, Scott Morrison, Sky News and the Covid lockdown

_George Christensen and Craig Kelly, amongst others, have been spruiking false information about the pandemic, about vaccinations and about the lockdown, giving comfort to those who have proved more than a little capacity for anarchic behaviour. Given these exponents of controversy in service of self-promotion sit on government benches, one might have expected censure from the Prime Minister. There has been none.

July 1, 2021

National Cabinet is not to blame, unless you ask the State Governments

There has been a subtle but nevertheless significant shift in the operation of the National Cabinet. It reflects the growing evidence that Prime Minister Scott Morrison recognises he is no longer in control of Australias response to the Covid pandemic and that many people are questioning his increasingly inept performance.

June 29, 2021

Fascism is alive in Australia

George Orwell wrote that almost any English person would accept bullying as a synonym for fascism. Political theorists refer to fascism as characterised by secrecy in government, by goals for national regeneration plus promotion of masculinity and derision of democracy.

January 6, 2021

Searching for silver linings in relations with China

In a year that has been harrowing in so many ways, these last few weeks have been particularly unpleasant for many of us involved in the increasingly ugly and fractious China debates. Well before Senator Abetzs alarming inquisition into the loyalties of three Chinese-Australians, I had been reflecting on my own part in these debates, and on the role of the Australian Centre on China in the World (CIW) and the China Story Project as well. This is my attempt to articulate some of those reflections in writing.

May 3, 2024

China studies in crisis: Time for change

At a time when China is becoming increasingly more important to the Australian economy as well as to our stability and security in the Asia-Pacific, the overall decline in Australia’s China knowledge capability runs counter to our national sovereign interests.

May 1, 2024

America bombs while China builds

It is sometimes said that America bombs while China builds. What’s the evidence, and where are the statistics?

May 18, 2023

Passing of Tony Pun a great loss for all Australians

Prominent Chinese community leader, Dr Anthony Tony Pun died last night in Sydney, aged 77. In 1989 he came to public prominence when he lobbied then prime minister Bob Hawke to allow Chinese students to remain in Australia, in the wake of the crackdown on Chinese student protests that led to the Tiananmen Square incident.

May 13, 2023

Environment: Emissions, climate change and disasters got markedly worse in 2022

Greenhouse gas emissions continued to increase in 2022, as did the effects on Earths climate and the consequences for humans. Pet trading within Australia needs to be more strictly monitored and regulated.

May 11, 2023

AUKUS, Assange, and the seething pathologies of the American Security State

We are permitting ourselves no character of our own under the architecture of the Alliance. It means weve accepted the status of a kind of client state, or American territory. I wont say the 51st state. It means weve got even less independence than a US governor would have, former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr says in conversation with ABC LNL host Phillip Adams.

May 6, 2022

The Coalition is guaranteeing essential services and lower tax. We cant have both

In the midst of Labors campaign about thecost of living, the Coalition has zeroed in on one of those costs taxes and guaranteed to stop them rising.

April 17, 2022

Citizen Murdoch and Albanese

_First came the puff piece in The Australian Womens Weekly and then the softball profile on Sixty Minutes. One could sense Citizen Murdoch and his editors would be observing that Albanese was beginning to look a winner, and Morrison more clueless by the day.

September 29, 2021

The French have much to be furious about

The Australian submarine contract was integral to France sustaining its defence sovereignty beyond Europe. Now the French feel betrayed by the contract’s cancellation and how badly it was mishandled by the Australians.

September 27, 2021

Lest we forget: Lessons for AUKUS from the Anglo-German naval race

In the shadow of AUKUS, there are many echoes of debates from the era of the Anglo-German naval race, 1900 to 1914. Are there any lessons for us?

September 23, 2021

Dealing with community despair in the time of Covid

As the public health measures work to suppress the pandemic, community relations and connections are at risk. A sense of community, togetherness and mutual support is needed, now and in the long-term.

August 22, 2021

The fall of Kabul: false friends for over sixty four years

On hearing of the fall of Kabul a few days ago on 15 August, I recalled how shocked I had been by the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. As an Australian soldier who served in the Vietnam War between September 1972 and March 1973, I was an adviser to the old Army of the Republic of Vietnam and commanded the Australian Embassy Guard in Saigon. Since 1975, Ive also spent a lot of time thinking and writing about the nature and outcome of the Vietnam War. So it is that, as the fall of Kabul has come to pass, I find myself more saddened than shocked by that event.

August 12, 2021

ASPI's proposal to further militarise and securitise the University. Part 2

_The Australian Strategic Policy Institutes recent proposal to enrol the science, technology, engineering and mathematics areas of the research universities as part of a national security establishment along the lines overseen by the US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency is a regrettable initiative.

August 5, 2021

Sanctioning Israel: Courage to Present a Petition to Parliament

A petition to be presented to Federal politicians on August 9 seeks the imposition of sanctions on Israel. It asks for condemnation of apartheid as a crime against humanity, demands an end to the cruel 15 year siege of Gaza and the 54 year military occupation of Palestinian lands.

July 26, 2021

A Reprise of Relations With China

Fifty years ago, Australia had a far-reaching vision of relations with China and Asia. Exactly fifty years ago, in July 1971, Opposition Leader Gough Whitlam first went to Beijing, followed closely by Henry Kissinger. Today, when defence and security put the US first, we seem to be sliding into a new Cold War.

July 19, 2021

Israel, Apartheid, and why Albo is seriously wrong and seriously right

_The zoom conducted by Mr Albanese, the leader of the Federal Opposition, with the Executive Council of Australian Jewry has received wide publicity and greatly angered the Palestinian diaspora in Australia. This is sad and ironic, given Mr Albanese has a long history of supporting Palestinian rights and helped found the federal parliamentary friends of Palestine.

December 8, 2020

Protecting borrowers when interest costs are hidden

The Coalition Government is determined to weaken the protections for borrowers. Not only does it plan to remove responsible lending obligations from most loans, the Senate Economics Committee also rejected changes to Small Amount Credit Contracts (SACCS - commonly referred to as payday loans) legislation. The three non-Coalition members argued to approve the changes.

November 1, 2020

Pompeo came to Indonesia, he saw, he scurried

Does anyone in Washington know anything about Indonesia? Clearly not, or White House staff would have urged State Secretary Mike Pompeo to enjoy fall in Washington. So there must be another reason for a 32,000 km round trip other than to escape Trumps tirades.

October 8, 2020

"Disgraceful" Tudge puts him self above the law

Late last month, the Federal Courts found that Minister,Alan Tudgeengaged in criminal conduct by keeping an asylum-seeker in detention and depriving of his liberty for five days in defiance of an order by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal that the man be released.

September 28, 2024

China needs boldness from its economic policymakers

China is in the middle of its third major deflationary episode in the past three decades. The country’s global footprint is now so large that uncertainty over the timing of its exit from the current episode is one of the most important questions in the global economy today. Prior episodes offer some useful guidance on the best way forward.

September 12, 2024

The United Nations and states, individually and collectively, are responsible for Palestine and Israel

The United Nations General Assembly commences its 79th session this week. The session continues until the end of the year. Among other things, at this session the GA will respond to the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice on the Legal Consequences arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, delivered on 20 July 2024.

August 13, 2024

Starving the funding: how to cope with the Israeli war machine

Israel’s remorseless campaign in Gaza continues, with the ever-increasing risk of its spread to the north and the east. One of the reasons for such incessancy is the assurance Israel has in its support, one shored up by the strength of its lobbies in various Western states. What then, can we do?

July 28, 2024

Environment: hole in the ozone layer: the patient is improving but still needs intensive care

The hole in the Antarctic’s ozone layer is recovering but very slowly. How to eat seafood sustainably, restoring our disappearing mangroves and cemeteries for the living.

July 23, 2024

In Australia, pro-Palestinian voices face a frenzy of Zionist McCarthyism

Zionism is a political ideology, not a religious or ethnic identity. The egregious, false equivalence between it and Judaism is the only way Israel and the West can justify genocide.

July 5, 2024

There are no valid ethical arguments in support of attacks on health facilities in Gaza

The conflict in Gaza has generated vigorous discussion about the assumed ethical prohibition against attacks on health facilities in times of war and the circumstances in which this prohibition might be validly circumvented.

July 4, 2024

For Labor, Payman breaching caucus rules is worse than Israel committing genocide

Instead of concern about continuing slaughter in Gaza and the West Bank, the major controversy surrounding Senator Payman’s support for a Palestinian state and for Palestinians’ lives has focused on her non-compliance with rules and discipline in the Labor caucus. That seems astounding.

June 7, 2024

Growing pro-Gaza movement is exposing the hypocrisy of US leadership

Gaza sympathisers are uniting in the US and across the Global South as Washington’s unwavering support of Israel’s ruthless war against the Palestinians galvanises many people around the world.

May 21, 2024

Dangerous ‘outside agitators’ have infiltrated Western universities

Students have established solidarity encampments at 11 universities in Australia since April 23rd when the first camp was established at the University of Sydney. Many of these students have for the last 7 months been watching a continuous stream of war crimes and their aftermaths on Tiktok and Instagram, uploaded by Gazans enduring horrific conditions.

August 15, 2023

Its time for Australia to sign the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

As Labor heads into the 2023 National Conference in Brisbane I trust there will be movement on two issues close to the heart of every Australian who cares about global justice and peace: the long overdue recognition of Palestine and Australia signing the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

June 10, 2023

Hong Kong: living on the fault line

A multipolar world is being forged by the Global South. Tectonic shifts are taking place between the collective West led by the United States and the Global South with China in this camp. Hong Kongs predicament is that it lies on a fault line of the geopolitical plates.

May 20, 2023

Environment: Developing a better relationship with Nature

Jurisdictions are increasingly introducing Rights of Nature provisions into their legal systems. International shipping needs to steer a better course to zero emissions. Rewilding Britain one stream at a time.

May 8, 2022

Government Integrity and an ICAC

There is a legislated process prescribing how government grants should be administered, but it clearly is not being followed and we need an integrity commission to enforce it.

September 23, 2021

AUKUS ruffles Australia-France-South-East Asia relations

In one of Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrisons first foreign policy speeches, he boldy asserted that regarding the struggle between the US and China for regional dominance, Australia doesnt have to choose.

September 14, 2021

Anti-Palestinianism is as damnable as anti-Semitism: a statement is long overdue

Before endorsing the International Holocaust Remembrance Association’s definition of anti-Semitism, politicians in Australia and other western countries should consider the implications for the rights of Palestinians.

September 14, 2021

To protect its interests, Australia should be a better neighbour rather than a US lapdog

Australia has lost considerable credit as an international citizen in recent years, in part because of meanness with aid, but also because of its retreat from multinational systems, including combined action on climate change.

August 31, 2021

Mullah Morrison and his Christian Taliban

The problem with Scott Morrison is not that he uses his office to implement Christian values. The problem is that he doesnt.

August 26, 2021

Best we don't ask why we go to war.

Australia seems to hold more inquiries into itself than almost any other country. We inquire into everything, from Indigenous deaths in custody, child sexual abuse, and same sex marriage to bank misdemeanours, casino operations, pandemic responses, and alleged war crimes. Theres one exception to our obsession with self-scrutiny: Australias wars.

August 24, 2021

Strategic stances at an uncertain time

The unimpressive end to the United States commitment to Afghanistan emphasises the questions facing Australia in regard to the future security of the Asia-Pacific. Different approaches are being put forward, including greater self-reliance, and greater involvement with the US.

August 23, 2021

Governing is hard, just get on with it

In the face of declining trust in our federal government we need a government which will get on with the hard business of governing.

August 22, 2021

Shock and Awful - The Collapse of the Empire

_We are witnessing the accelerating collapse of the United States’ imperial system. Yet despite the potentially awful consequences Australia remains wilfully blind.

October 28, 2020

Housing affordability and homelessness Monthly Digest Sept/Oct 2020

The following is the latest instalment of a monthly digest of interesting articles, research reports, policy announcements and other material relevant to housing stress/affordability and homelessness with hypertext links to the relevant source.

October 22, 2020

Getting Coherence into the Equity Debate - Part 3

In Parts 1 and 2, I used three desirable attributes (equity, efficiency and simplicity) of a coherent tax and transfer system to assess the 2020-21 personal income tax changes and the lack of a rate increase for JobSeeker recipients. In Part 3, I examine family assistance and child care.

September 21, 2024

The Jewish Chronicle has long served as a vehicle for Zionist propaganda

A British publication that takes pride in its status as the oldest Jewish newspaper in the world has lately faced enormous embarrassment after highlighting an “exclusive” investigative report that was dismissed as a fabrication by Israeli media as well as military and intelligence spokesmen.

September 5, 2024

The United States and its allies need to avoid caricaturing China in their foreign policies

Nicholas Ross Smith, from the University of Canterbury, argues that the temptation to essentialise China as simply being a Xi-led CCP monolith that will stop at nothing to re-integrate Taiwan and seek global domination overlooks the complexity of domestic politics in China. Basing policy on a simple caricature of China is a recipe for disaster.

July 27, 2024

Who is responsible for social cohesion in Australia?

What is social cohesion and who is responsible for achieving it?

June 12, 2023

War crimes? Don't forget Jeju

Admitting guilt for war crimes doesnt come easily to many nations, as Australia knows from our extended investigations of the activities of some ADF soldiers in Afghanistan more than a decade ago.

Pearls and Irritations

John Menadue's Public Policy Journal