July 11, 2024

A serious reform package that should attract wide support

The proposals set out in the discussion paper released last week are intended to offer a coherent and comprehensive package to improve the efficiency, effectiveness and capacity of the APS and its integrity. The burning platform of Robodebt and other recent public administration failures provide this once-in-a-generation opportunity for genuine and lasting reform, one that must not be missed.

August 3, 2023

New research on when AMOC may go amok

There has been much research and speculation about whether the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC, or more popularly the Gulf Stream) may collapse and what the consequences might be. Now there is new 2023 research which firms up predictions as to when it might happen. The bad news it might be earlier than previously estimated.

August 1, 2023

Government on the slow coal train as world faces collapse

The Governments draft Strategy on Health and Climate Change is vital to cope with the expected increase in deaths and illness from accelerating climate change. It fails in many respects and should be rewritten to reflect the views of medical experts.

June 11, 2023

In Australia, reality bites back

Australia is fast approaching a reckoning with its past, its present and the state of the nations soul. And if the last month is any indication to go by, we will be found wanting.

November 12, 2020

The Flipside of Zero Net Emissions

More attention needs to be given to negative emissions and more research is needed.

March 31, 2020

JACK WATERFORD.- The not-so-dirty secret the COVID-19 panel wants to hide Part 2

Poor messaging and own-goals killing flu strategy

August 23, 2024

Democrats release insanely hawkish Middle East policy platform

“When you’re siding with John Bolton on whether to bomb Iran, you’re as insanely hawkish as it gets.”

June 5, 2024

The Israeli (Terrorist) Prime Minister

How important is language? It’s a truism to point out that my “terrorist” is your “freedom fighter” or vice versa but sometimes the choice of words sometimes becomes so ridiculous that warnings should be issued. Beware the squishy grammar of a politician excreting nonsense. Be quite alarmed when the power of lobbyists and Party donors brings about an attempted rephrasing of reality.

August 22, 2023

Why I support Pearls and Irritations

Pearls and Irritations is a beacon of thoughtful, thought provoking, thoroughly researched and expertly presented, articles about issues so often ignored by the mainstream media.

June 29, 2023

Ostensibly Voice campaigns are binary support for yes or no

But underneath the overall campaign are a multitude of subsets of campaign groups and tactics.

May 11, 2023

Housing in Budget 2023: small but positive steps

A housing policy bonanza it most certainly was not, but related announcements in Budget 2023 included some modestly positive steps that supplement the Albanese Governments existing array of housing initiatives. These included pledged new spending to ease cost of living pressures for hard-pressed renters, and to fund dwelling energy efficiency upgrades in social housing. On the tax side, there was a potentially significant move to encourage institutional investment in purpose-built rental housing.

February 23, 2021

Carbon tariffs and taxes should not be an item for the WTO

Carbon border tariffs would tie the World Trade Organisation in knots and detract from its core purposes. Such a tax would also discriminate against the poorest in the world. Without broad consensus they would be illegal.

June 29, 2024

Mike Pezzullo: Colossus of ever-failing policy and political embarrassment

Mike Pezzullo once bestrode the federal public service like a colossus, or so some fancied. He may have thought so too. Sundry journos we’re in the habit of describing him as the most powerful public servant in the land; he never was.

May 25, 2024

Anti-China tariffs are ‘blatant protectionism’ – Asian Media Report

In Asian media this week: TikTok stage of Sino-US rivalry ‘dangerous’. Plus: Human trafficking the curse of cyber-crime; Election body tells Modi to stop dividing society; Junta’s conscription campaign flagging; Xi, Putin give West the big finger; Thailand’s dugongs casualties of climate change.

May 21, 2024

The crisis in New Caledonia

The claim by Paris officials that ‘foreign interference’ is behind the civil turmoil in New Caledonia not only attempts to deflect responsibility from France for the crisis but is also an insult to the Kanak peoples’ long struggle for independence.

September 27, 2023

What the forthcoming migration strategy wont address

The Government has foreshadowed that it will soon release its new migration strategy. Most of what has been leaked to date is sensible fine tuning of employer sponsored visas which will have little impact on net migration levels. But I fear the migration strategy will be largely silent on the big issue of net migration levels and how these are to be managed.

September 21, 2023

Assange: Is the modern day US empire capable of mercy?

I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice ~ Abraham Lincoln

August 9, 2023

Ukraine and the Minsk Accords

The Ukrainian war could be headed for a dangerous stalement, and at least some of the blame lies with Moscow and its supporters.

June 8, 2023

The cowardly conduct of the media, government and AFP

When former NSW Labor MP Shaoquett Moselmane was vilified, his home raided and false claims made by a journalist who wanted to promote himself, no apology was given, no restoration made. Instead, the victim became the guilty party, punished for something he did not do. Sounds familiar?

April 28, 2023

Penny Wong has inherited huge challenges as Foreign Minister

Penny Wong has inherited huge challenges in her role as Foreign Minister. She is surrounded by alpha males controlling the defence and security debate, convinced that only deadly military weapons can secure a safe future for Australia. She heads a department historically seen as weak and irrelevant by too many men in power. They dismiss diplomacy and negotiation as a soft option preferring military dependence on old allies like the United Kingdom and United States.

April 19, 2023

War preparations extend to legislative amendments

War preparations began with the U.S. Force Posture Agreement providing a gateway for U.S. military build-up in the Northern Territory and giving them unimpeded access to our seaports and air bases. War preparations have continued with huge expenditures on military acquisitions topped with $368 billion on nuclear -powered submarines. Now there are legislative amendments on the way to make it easier for the U.S. to support and launch hostile actions from Australian territory.

August 16, 2022

The failings of Westminster: Scott Morrisons Shadow Government

Why the sharp intake of breath, the tingling shock?

August 19, 2021

Unsought, unnecessary and unexplained red tape aimed at silencing charities

The Morrison Government is committed to reducing red tape. Charities have more work than ever to do during this time of pandemic. The Senate is being asked to disallow a new regulation which would impact unduly on all charities, making them liable to deregistration should any of their members or volunteers commit a simple offence. Gary Johns the ACNC Commissioner has not sought the regulation; Michael Sukkar, the Assistant Treasurer cannot explain the need for it; and Senator__Concetta Fierravanti-Wells cannot understand its scope.

December 28, 2020

Will he really run in 2024?

Will he run in 2024? Will, he set up a new Trump TV channel? Will he continue to dominate the Republican Party and Tweet it into loyal submission?

November 28, 2020

Morrison has misread China

The Prime Minister thinks he can set the terms with Beijing. But hard choices and compromises are required to manage our region’s ruthless great power.

July 25, 2024

Beyond the stockade - is Australia ready for US isolationism?

A Republican administration under Donald Trump would bring a fundamental change to America’s engagement with the world, necessitating a radical reassessment and reformulation of Australia’s foreign, trade, and defence policies. Falling back on the faithful ally tactic would not suffice to buffer the prosperity and security of Australians.

June 10, 2024

Time to change the law

One of my closest friends was recently diagnosed with early stages of dementia. She is 80 years old and believed that the problems she experienced with her memory, were due to normal age-related forgetfulness. She has a science background, and after receiving her diagnosis she started to research the topic in great detail. She read several academic articles on dementia, including the book ‘A Completed Life’ by Dr Rodney Syme which was published posthumously in 2023. The book presents his views on the predicament of people with dementia and his powerful suggestion for further legislative change. The book’s title reflects his life, in which and where all that was possible had been achieved and so was, in a sense, complete.

May 18, 2024

The immigration debate: smoke, mirrors and a dash of xenophobia

This past Budget week had the most intense focus on immigration levels that I can remember (and I’ve been watching immigration policy in Budget week for over 35 years). It confirms that immigration levels will be a dominant issue at the next Election.

September 8, 2023

Biden forging Cold War security bloc Asian Media Report

In Asian media this week: Hanoi, but not Jakarta, a deliberate choice. Plus: ASEAN must ease great power tensions; G20 starts with Xis snub of the West; global inflation to last for years; BRICS the real challenge to US-led order; Indonesia supports bloc but will not join; Manila taking defence seriously.

July 22, 2022

The inexcusable "Immigration Refugee Determination" assessment system requires a deep clean

The stories of invisible refugees who had entered Australia by plane on valid visas seeking protection from their persecutors and encountered even more unspeakably harsh oppression in this country cast a blot on our culture.

July 10, 2022

Ukrainian citizen views on the war in their country

A recent survey of Ukrainians, supervised by a leading US institution, has confirmed very strong public support for President Zelensky and the Ukrainian military combined with strong hopes of victory in the current deadly struggle. But the survey also indicates that, although Ukrainians hold Russia fundamentally answerable for the ongoing war, they also attribute significant responsibility to the Ukrainian government (and also to the US and NATO) for the continuing conflict.

May 1, 2022

Fixing Immigration: five things an incoming Labor government could do

Labor, if elected, has a big job ahead of it in fixing the immigration shambles that the Coalition has created in nearly 9 years of office.

August 10, 2021

If true-blue Pentecostalists were in charge what would they do about climate change?

If true-blue Pentecostals were in charge, they would take no action to mitigate climate change. Not only that, they would also actively intervene to stop those who try.

February 3, 2021

Morrison's not a miracle worker; he just got lucky with an inept Opposition Leader

Since the Coalition came to power in 2013 Australia has fallen down the Transparency International corruption index from seventh to its current 11. With endless material to attack the Coalition over corruption issues, why is the Albanese-led Opposition apparently incapable of doing so?

October 2, 2024

Will the iron ore bonanza be repeated with “green” steel?

Iron ore has underpinned Australia’s prosperity. Gas and coal exports are bound to fall as market countries cut their carbon emissions. Can we build our future on “green” steel?

September 26, 2024

Where is Albanese's grand plan?

Anthony Albanese is feeling the pressure. He reminds me vividly of my biographical subject Kevin Rudd (Penguin 2008) after he lost the vote at the 2009 Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen. Instead of pressing his case at home with a double dissolution election, he went to water. Thereafter, his decision-making became so erratic that his caucus rebelled, and Julia Gillard took his place as prime minister.

September 15, 2024

Environment: Optimistic predictions for the energy transition

Renewable energy and its applications are pushing fossil fuels out of business – but will it be fast enough? Climate scientists are encouraged to be more vocal to stave off a ghastly future.

July 17, 2024

Israeli hasbara wants to silence Mary Kostakidis

Regarding recent social media posts by journalist, former SBS newsreader Mary Kostakidis, the CEO of the Zionist Federation of Australia (ZFA) has lodged a complaint with the Australia Human Rights Commission. Under section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, Mr. Alon Cassuto, a dual Australian Israeli citizen, claims that by sharing a speech by Hassan Nasrullah, the leader of Lebanese based Hezbollah, Mary has been ‘sharing extreme propaganda and hateful material.’

July 13, 2024

Cartoon Commentary

September 29, 2023

Mike Pezzullo: Despot in waiting......

One Mike Pezzullo a coup does not make. But a few such characters pose a serious question to the health and ticker of democracy. If Canberras most powerful bureaucrat can entertain thoughts about swimming deeply in a political process he should be viewing from the sidelines, then we are no longer dealing with appointees who know their limits.

August 18, 2023

Pearls and Irritations: A unique source of independent comment and analysis

Pearls and Irritations is a unique source of independent comment and analysis. Readers know that they will learn more and have a better and different understanding of important policy issues than is available from the mass media.

July 7, 2023

More fallout from Fukushima

The International Atomic Energy Agency has just concluded that the proposed release over the next 30 years of over 1.3 million metric tonnes of cooling water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear reactors into the Pacific is safe. Many international experts and officials, and the fishing communities from surrounding countries disagree.

September 30, 2022

Opportunistic interests: The US-Pacific Island declaration

If ever there was a blatant statement of realpolitik masquerading as friendliness, the latest US-Pacific Island declaration must count as one of them. The Biden administration has been busy of late, wooing Pacific Island states in an effort to discourage increasingly sharp tilt towards China. It has been spurred on, in no small way, by Beijings failure in May to forge a trade and security pact with Pacific Island countries.

September 24, 2022

I do not think, I know: Scott Morrisons submarine deception

When it was revealed that former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison had not only shown contempt for his own government in secretly appointing himself, via the Governor-Generals approval, to five portfolios, the depths of deception seemed to be boundless. His tenure had already been marked by a spectacular, habitual tendency to conceal matters. What else would come out?

August 11, 2022

Relentless violence against Palestinians in Gaza..

Forty-three Palestinians, including children, were killed in the Gaza Strip last weekend. If the situation was reversed and forty-three Israelis killed by rocket fire from Gaza, there would be far greater outrage.

September 11, 2021

NSWs reopening plan is risky, and signals an end to a national approach

By abandoning the national plan, NSW’s gamble to go it alone on easing restrictions for fully vaccinated people further fractures federalism… NSW initially locked down too little and too late.

July 26, 2021

Australia Should Back Covid-19 Waiver of Intellectual Property Rules

Prime Minister Scott Morrisons governmenttoldSenate Estimates in June that Australia is not opposed to negotiation of the TRIPS waiver, but has not yet made a decision to support it.

June 29, 2021

Australian Government silent on CSL, Red Cross contaminated blood scandal; UK government accepts 'moral responsibility'

The Government still refuses to apologise and offer financial support to the up to 20,000 victims of the contaminated blood scandal as recommended 17 years ago by a Senate Committee. Labor has acknowledged the historic injustice but says it cant do anything. Is it because CSL, the darling of Australias business community, lies at the heart of the scandal?

June 21, 2021

Old Canberra a model of cheap land and government housing

Canberra was once in a position to show how ordinary working Australians could get into the housing market at a fair price. That fair price, in todays terms, was about a third of current prices.

Pearls and Irritations

John Menadue's Public Policy Journal