September 1, 2022

Yes, were propagandists, say western journalists, as public confidence falls

_TRUST IN THE MAINSTREAM media has collapsed, a series of new studies show. Western journalists openly see their role as propagandists for their beliefs, in contrast with their readers, who seek balanced coverage.

July 25, 2022

It's the teals who are the most representative on integrity issues

_Although the activities of politicians from minor parties and independents should fall under integrity legislation, we should mostly be grateful that they contain more enthusiasts for a tough and expansive system than within the government.

January 7, 2021

Blending electoral democracy with political meritocracy: Michael Lyons

Democracies come in many shades of grey, from liberal to illiberal, authoritarian to managed, and more. A convergence of East and the West towards something akin to post-democracy might bring a much-improved world order, and a safer planet.

January 30, 2020

IAN DUNLOP. Have we a federal government fit for purpose or the greatest danger to our national security?

The current bushfires are unprecedented in terms of their extent, intensity, fire season length, economic and social impact. They are, without doubt, intensified by human-induced climate change.

August 17, 2024

China's open source revolution: innovation through collaboration

While Western nations often celebrate private ownership as a driver of innovation, China’s traditional focus has been on how intellectual property can best serve the collective needs of the nation, particularly in economic development and technological self-reliance. In recent decades, however, China’s approach has undergone a significant transformation. It has shifted from imitation and adaptation to strategically embracing open standards, open-source technologies, and collaborative development.

August 7, 2024

Remembering the US atomic bomb that demolished Hiroshima, killed 200,000

On 6 Aug, 1945, approximately 200,000 people in the hitherto untouched town of Hiroshima perished in the worlds first use of a nuclear weapon in anger. On 9th Aug, a somewhat smaller number in Nagasaki likewise perished. Only the authority of secretary of state Stimson, who had visited the city of Kyoto, famous for its ancient temples, prevented that city from being bombed, and from further use of nuclear weapons.

July 13, 2024

Failure of the International Courts: when will we hear their determinations?

Readers of P&I may recall my earlier papers on the International Criminal Court of Justice (ICJ), and the International Criminal Court (ICC), and their recent forays into the Middle East quagmire. Some may have thought that this is a positive development, perhaps humanity is enlisting international law which will finally bring some common sense to the issue. Some might now be querying whether this optimism was misplaced, and asking, “When am I going to hear something of the Courts’ determinations?”.

July 20, 2023

No country for old people

An unholy war is brewing. The young and the old are being pitted against each other. Neoliberalism comes in many guises. But this strategy is at odds with how a civilised capitalism should treat people in the autumn of their lives.

May 18, 2023

Defence angling to exempt itself from state laws that constrain its activities

Far more transparency is required about which important public policy objectives Defence wants to subvert to its needs.

April 28, 2023

Fulfilling human potential and saving the planet

Australia, and my Party too, must make a commitment to restoring the primacy of reason, rejecting a paranoid view of history and telling truth to power. Our blind adoption of irrational policies, supine and unquestioning acquiescence to anything the United States proposes must end. Our species, facing an existential threat to civilisation from climate change, is infinitely complex, infinitely precious, infinitely vulnerable, infinitely destructive, but also infinitely capable of the sublime and transcendent.

April 8, 2023

Environment: Energy transitions progress is AC. Needs to be DC

China leads the world in building both coal and renewable infrastructure. Ten leading drivers of climate action are ineffective at keeping warming below 2oC. More and more species exposed to extinction as temperatures rise.

September 18, 2022

Charles III, the billionaire and owner of the Oval cricket ground

Once the fixated adoration with the late Queen Elizabeth II starts cooling, the accountants of public welfare and decency will be stunned to realise the costs and wealth associated with the royal institution. Her successor, Charles III, is continuing in that vein, a jarring note of wealth and pomp even as prices rise and the hefty bills for citizens (should we say subjects?), bite.

September 28, 2021

The democratic crisis: Whatever happened to courage, principle, commitment, accountability?

Australian democracy is under serious threat, and neither of the major parties have any vision beyond the next election. Only an active citizenry can prevent us sliding towards authoritarian or populist democracy.

September 26, 2021

AUKUS: How to make friends and influence neighbours the Australian way

First, a couple of ministers pop in on their way elsewhere. They pronounce warm relationships. A swap of bromides, nice photos, some pressies of vaccines to save lives and military gear to end them. Then hey ho, its off to the big show.

September 26, 2021

Chinas challenges and its plan for common prosperity

Chinas economy was the first to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, being the only major economy to post positive growth in 2020, but it now faces a number of headwinds.

December 21, 2020

Farmworker exploitation a systemic issue

The continuing problem of underpayment of farmworkers is not simple. It will not go away. It certainly will not go away by adopting the National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) bubble tunnel of workers from New Zealand or other ships in the worker solution.

September 26, 2024

How to avoid being conned by lobby groups using you to pressure the government

The obvious question arising from big business’ onslaught against Anthony Albanese and his government is: do Australia’s voters know which sides their bread is buttered on? Sorry, boss, I think they usually do.

July 16, 2024

Private Korolev and Australia’s national security state

The security vetting process has gone off the rails in Australia.

July 22, 2023

Australias deepest yearning

Is our deepest yearning to be Us, together, on our islands of Australia? A reflection on the Voice referendum and life, after a conversation this week at a swimming pool.

June 23, 2023

Our planet is imploding: when will we act to save ourselves?

While much of humanity was glued to the unfolding drama over one tiny submarine, the Earth we all inhabit is slowly, steadily and implacably imploding around us.

May 20, 2023

Unity: Living together with a more Sympathetic Imagination

The spirit of the age seems to foster division more than it nurtures unity.

The G7 Summit is meeting in Hiroshima where thousands were killed at breakfast time on a summers morning, August 6, 1945. The G7 leaders meet as a hostile imagination fuels a terrifying arms race. How can we yet pull out of this spiral?

April 16, 2023

AUKUS and militarising Australias universities

_In a recent piece_by Guardian Australias higher education reporter, an academic, who preferred to remain anonymous fearing institutional retribution, likened the modern Australian university to a supermarket. Students were the customers filing through the self-checkout counters; the staff, increasingly rendered irrelevant, were readily disposable.

December 15, 2020

Partners in crime - disadvantage and our criminal justice system

Australias criminal justice systems compound disadvantage. Why should Australians be troubled by this, and what we can do about it. A summary of report by the Centre for Policy Development.

November 26, 2020

Journalists need medals for reporting on such dull politicians

The late, great comedian John Clarke always said that the best actors he had ever heard were sports commentators. The reason, he explained, was that they were able to convey the impression, with the utmost conviction, that the outcome of a football match was crucial, almost a matter of life or death. And then, suddenly, the game was over, and life resumed.

August 27, 2024

Father knows best? Not this time

How comfy the throne, how rapid the change; a humble Republican from a riverbank shack is plotting to be King of Indonesia surrounded by his regal family of political courtiers.

August 19, 2024

Australia, developing countries and the US clash over WTO electronic commerce rules

Despite ongoing debates about the need to regulate Big Tech companies Australia is sponsoring a deregulatory international agreement in the face of opposition from both the US and developing countries.

July 8, 2024

Nine months of slaughter: my analysis of Gaza and just war principles

Reflecting on some relevant aspects of just war thinking that I mentioned in my recent contribution to Pearls and Irritations on “Why Israel’s war violates just war principles” I decided it would be worth addressing some of those issues further and also broaching some important ones that I then did not discuss. I do so partly in response to comments I’ve since received from a number of people about my earlier presentation.

April 7, 2024

Murder by any other name

Writing on the heels of Stuart Reess recent article in P&I, A Plea for Gaza: Remember humanity & forget the rest, and as a participant in last Wednesdays Gaza plea for humanity event at Parliament House, Canberra, Id like to commend Stuart for his leadership, courage and tireless efforts to bring peace with justice to the Palestinian people.

September 3, 2023

Justice delayed is justice denied: The case for a Palestinian state

Peter Wertheim (July 24, 2023) suggests that the Government should resist the call by Former Foreign Minister Bob Carr to recognise a Palestinian state. However, Wertheims remarks reflect widespread misapprehensions about relevant history, facts on the ground and international law.

June 22, 2023

The courage to end the Alliance

While not yet the majority view, a consensus is growing that the US alliance is no longer in Australias national interest and that the AUKUS partnership should be abandoned. The argument for distancing Australian foreign policy from that of America is strong in theory, but its practical implementation would be inordinately difficult and risky. Thats not to deny that greater independence is preferable, just that the scope of the policy challenge cannot be ignored.

April 15, 2023

In thy God I don't trust

I dont indulge in religion, but in this instance and at this particular time of the year, I feel I must. Let us agree from the start that we are all accidents of birth. None of us had a choice as to our parents, in what country we were born or into what religion. This, I think, will save us a lot of argument about indoctrination, belief, piety and fanaticism.

July 15, 2022

Peter Hughes: Albanese is right to give New Zealanders a fairer go

The new directions that Prime Minister Albanese has foreshadowed to make life easier for New Zealanders in Australia in relation to citizenship, deportation and voting are the right way to go.

September 8, 2021

Fix the means test for a consumer-friendly retirement income system

Australia’s retirement income system needs reform to make it more secure and user friendly.

July 20, 2021

After a century of achievements, the CPC's next critical phase begins now

The Communist Party of China (CPC) commemorated its 100-year anniversary on July 1, 2021, a day that was met with celebratory Chinese introspection and no small amount of criticism from Chinas detractors. I had the privilege of being invited to speak at two international conferences to mark the celebration, one of which was attended by President Xi Jinping. This article summarizes the points I made in both talks.

May 31, 2021

Glaring omission in the budget. Funding for a Commonwealth Integrity Commission.

There is much in the 2021-22 federal budget that will deliver positive outcomes for many Australians. This warrants acknowledgement, even by those who find it difficult to concede the benefits particular policies will deliver to many in the Australian community. In several areas, the public interest has taken precedence over party-driven ideological preferences. This indicates a partial understanding by the government of the public office-public trust principle.

November 22, 2020

Brexit - denouement or disaster

As the process towards a post-Brexit agreement with the EU staggers towards its denouement (or otherwise) the gathering scene is looking increasingly bizarre. What has gone wrong to date is almost bound to go wrong again, as 31 December deadline approaches.

September 19, 2024

Trump's quick deal with Putin could reshape the global order

Did anyone pay attention? If he wins, Donald Trump says he will bring about the cessation of hostilities in Ukraine between his election and inauguration, a period of about eleven weeks. In so doing, Trump might just destabilise the West and reshape the global order.

September 7, 2024

Pope takes refugee concerns on the road

Pope Francis’ milestone tour from 2-13 September includes Papua New Guinea, the nation that has long hosted the largest number of refugees in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as Indonesia, the country from which those asylum seekers fled.

July 15, 2024

Australia’s Palestine problem

Labor’s insistence that Australia will only recognise a Palestinian state as part of a “peace process” leading to a two-state solution wilfully dodges one very basic question – how can you negotiate a two-state solution, or any solution for that matter, without the participation of two states?

August 2, 2023

China's "security through prosperity" undermines Western colonial hegemony

It was in 1982 in Calcutta, India, on my way to a conference in Bhubaneswar in Orissa state when I was confronted by the sight of homeless people sleeping on the pavement right in the heart of the city in the early nightfall. This morning (01/08/2023), I was confronted again by the sight of homelessness on BBC TV news. This time it was in the streets of London. It was not just a sporadic affair but rows of people shrouded in sheets (the only difference being that in Calcutta they were under cheesecloth while in London they had blankets and sleeping bags).

July 14, 2023

Thailand: Progressive leader may not become PM Asian Media Report

In Asian media this week: Juntas system thwarts Thai election victor. Plus: Modi ignores brutal war in Indian State; North Korea to treat South as a foreign country; Japan embraces NATO but China hits back; China’s unstated economic strategy muddling through; Indonesias EV plans for Australia.

June 20, 2023

The ALP Victorian state conference and AUKUS

An attempt by certain Labor affiliated left-wing unions to put a motion critical of AUKUS at the recent ALP Victorian State Conference was deferred by factional bosses even before it was put. That it was deferred tells us as much about the hierarchy ignoring the rank and file of the party as it does about the massive folly that is AUKUS.

July 7, 2022

Migrant Farm Worker Policy Where to now?

Policy and administration of migrant farm workers will be one of the new Governments biggest immigration challenges.

September 4, 2024

Some things we can never rebuild

On the night of 6 October 2023, I was sitting in my home in the Gaza City neighbourhood of Tel al-Hawa, engrossed in a book on Greek mythology.

August 5, 2024

Climate change - government and media failure

People trying to change Australia’s climate policies face a huge challenge. A fundamental problem is that in a democracy such as Australia’s, governments don’t make policy changes if they think this will damage them politically. The Albanese government will do everything it possibly can to tackle the climate crisis, except address the core problem, the burning of fossil fuels, the root cause of climate change!

July 27, 2024

China forges its own path at Third Plenum as West, thwarted by special interests, proves fundamentally incapable of reform

“In the Chinese context, there are a lot of talks about remembering your original mission. The original mission is to eliminate inequality” - Wang Dan, chief economist of Hang Seng Bank China.

May 23, 2024

Justice miscarried: The unanswered questions of the McBride verdict

The sentencing verdict of David McBride gives rise to question that, if unaddressed, will haunt the Australian Defence Force (ADF) forever.

May 16, 2024

Asian-Chinese Studies: a glance back at more hopeful days

The disgraceful current state of Asian studies in general and Chinese studies in particular suggests a glance back at the mid-1970s to the early 2000s, when the situation was, if not always greater in a numerical sense, at least much more productive, enthusiastic and forward-looking, and generally much more hopeful.

September 24, 2023

America cant stop Chinas rise

Theres little doubt that the American government has decided to slow Chinas economic rise, most notably in the fields of technological development. To be sure, the Biden administration denies that these are its goals. Janet Yellensaidon April 20, 2023, Chinas economic growth need not be incompatible with U.S. economic leadership. The United States remains the most dynamic and prosperous economy in the world. We have no reason to fear healthy economic competition with any country. And Jake Sullivansaidon April 27, 2023, Our export controls will remain narrowly focused on technology that could tilt the military balance. We are simply ensuring that U.S. and allied technology is not used against us.

Pearls and Irritations

John Menadue's Public Policy Journal