March 1, 2024

Government thrashes our democracy, removes RBA safeguards

The Albanese government is about to free the Reserve Bank of Australia from a rarely used constraint allowing a Treasurer to override a decision of the central bank, such as a policy to push interest-rates so high they cause a severe recession.

February 15, 2024

Historic vote in Australian parliament on Julian Assange

Wednesday, February 14, turned out to be an unanticipated Happy Valentines Day for Julian Assange supporters. The Australian House of Representatives passed a motion introduced by Tasmanian Independent, Andrew Wilkie on behalf of the Parliamentary Friends of Julian Assange, urging the US and the UK to bring their prosecution of Julian Assange to a close, and allow him to return to his family and home in Australia.

January 8, 2024

Ending Genocide: a mechanism for change

These last three months have made it apparent that there has to be a major change to what we know of as Israel/Palestine. But it has been coming for some time perhaps since the enactment of Israels Basic Law of 2018 which conferred a right of self-determination exclusively on the Jewish people thereby asserting supremacy at the expense of the Palestinian people, they making up some 50% of the inhabitants of the land controlled by Israel. The offensiveness of the concept is beyond belief. It has led, directly, to an apartheid state.

January 4, 2024

Hypocrisy as Australian Foreign Policy: oppose Russia, ignore Israel

In the International Court of Justice in The Hague, South Africa has filed suit against Israel for committing genocide in Gaza in violation of the 1948 Genocide Convention. Charges of genocide by South Africa include documentation of Israels killing of thousands of women and children, destruction of homes, denial to a population of water, food, power and medical supplies, the expulsion and displacement of citizens of Gaza.

November 10, 2023

Remembrance Day through the lens of Gaza and Ukraine

This Remembrance Day, the great juggernaut of war is crushing thousands. In Gaza and the Ukraine. In that context, we may reflect today on Australias role in the Great War.

January 11, 2023

Australia's 'optimal pathway' on AUKUS

Just in time, the fundamental faults of AUKUS are being exposed in Canberra and Washington.

March 3, 2022

How the Netherlands is confronting past war crimes in Indonesia

The Dutch are squaring up to the wrongs of their nations colonial past, pushed by the conscience of young Hollanders shamed by revelations of villainy by their forebears.

February 25, 2022

Ian McAuleys weekly roundup

Ian McAuleys weekly roundup of links to articles, podcasts and other media on current political and economic issues in public policy.

Some other perspectives on Ukraine and Russia. A theologians view on the prime ministers responsibilities. How Australians react to lying in public office. More about those demonstrators. What the AGL takeover could mean for our energy and industrial future if coal interests dont block it. Stranded assets under construction. The slowdown in wage growth. And more.

February 22, 2024

As a new world war rages, an anxious China walks softly

A new world war is underway. For those living in developed countries, where gruesome battles remain mere headlines, it may not feel like the earth is burning, but in 2022 a total of 180 military conflicts (defined as resulting in 25 battle-deaths or more in that year) occurred worldwide. The final statistics for 2023 compiled by the Peace Research Institute Oslo, will undoubtedly be much higher and more spine-chilling.

January 7, 2024

US struggling with Operation Prosperity Guardian in Red Sea

Few countries are offering ships and reportedly a significant number want their support to remain secret! The token Australian response has turned out to be not out of keeping with that of many similar countries.

March 20, 2022

Dental care must be on the election agenda - it's time

As the federal election looms so too does a crisis in affordable access to dental care. The pandemic has served to further widen the socio-economic dental divide and there are consequences for healthcare costs, productivity and social inclusion.

This perennial issue will only be resolved if policy makers and politicians acknowledge that oral health is afundamental contributorto the physiological, psychological and social attributes that are essential to the quality of life and to improved health outcomes.

Todays Aussie smile is an instant indicator of socioeconomic status, employability and self-esteem. Its also a predictor of physical health.

Teeth are important for eating and nutrition. Infected gums and missing teeth make eating difficult and lead tomalnutrition. Malnutrition, in turn, can lead to tooth loss. But teeth arealso neededto speak properly, to smile and convey a range of facial expressions.

Poor dental health means discomfort and pain and an erosion of confidence and self-esteem. It can cause or exacerbate a range ofserious health problemsincluding cardiovascular disease, endocarditis, and pneumonia.

Dental visits are not just for the treatment of dental caries, gum disease and broken teeth but are an essential preventive health measure. Going for a dental check-up should be part of every Australians health routine, like getting a flu shot or a cancer screening. In fact, a trip to the dentist is an important mechanism forscreening for oral cancer.

But for many Australians a trip to the dentist is increasingly unaffordable. Over half of dental care is fundeddirectly from patients pockets, with much of the remainder coming from private health insurance.

In2019 2020, Australians paid $5.5 billion in out-of-pocket dental costs and the average per capita expenditure on dental services was $424. Government expenditure was around $1.5 billion; the Federal Government funding is limited to a means tested program to subsidise childrens dental care and the States and Territories have increasingly limited public programs that haveimpossibly long waiting lists.

Data from theAustralian Bureau of Statisticsshow that in 2018-19 more than two million Australians (17.6 percent) delayed or skipped dental care entirely due to cost. This is far higher than the proportion of people who could not afford GP (3.4 percent) or specialist care (7.7 percent). Dental care forgone is higher in more disadvantaged population groups and in rural areas. Unable to access care when needed, many Australians with acute dental problems end up inGP surgeries or hospital emergency departments.

Theres a long list of reports on the consequences and costs of poor dental care. Most recently these include the Productivity CommissionsGovernment Services Report 2022, the reportfrom the Royal Commission on Aged Care Quality and Safety, andFilling the Gap reportfrom the Grattan Institute.

Thecoronavirus pandemic has had a major impact on the ability (and willingness) of people to access dental services and on dental training and research.Dentists now are reporting more emergencies and poorer health outcomes for their patients.

There are two key reasons why governments of any political persuasion have been unwilling to tackle the need for better dental care: firstly, the cultural divide that has consistently failed to see dental care as an essential part of medical care; and secondly - critically - the huge up-front costs of providing a Denticare system comparable to Medicare. The Grattan Institute calculates a Denticare scheme would cost an extra$5.6 billion a year.

While these costs are substantial, there is a consistent failure to recognise the economic benefits that a federal government investment in a universal dental care program would deliver in terms of reduced healthcare costs and increased productivity.

In the face of unwillingness to implement a universal dental care program, there is also reluctance on the part of proponents to consider a more targeted approach (for example a preventive program for children, oral hygiene programs for people in aged care, Medicare coverage of dental care for pregnant and post-partum women and for people with certain chronic medical conditions like cancer diabetes and HIV/AIDs) or a more limited approach such as the provision of designated essential services under a means-tested program.

That reluctance is likely rooted in concerns about rationing - or at least the appearance of rationing - and the hard work that is involved in developing such circumscribed approaches. But if the giant step to a universal Denticare program is a step too far, then smaller steps to begin to fill the gap make a good start on improving the unsustainable status quo.

Polling shows thathousehold costs and healthcarewill be key issues for voters in the upcoming federal election. There is also a push to address thesocio-economic gapsthat the pandemic has so harshly highlighted. Its time to put affordable dental care for all Australians on the list of election commitments.

See also: In 1974, the Whitlam Government decided to exclude dental care from Medicare for two reasons.

January 9, 2022

Election 2022: perhaps Australia will see the light this time

Australia’s vote for Scott Morrison’s government in 2019 was a triumph of naive hope over bitter experience. History must not repeat itself.

October 15, 2021

From our readers: Preserving Australia's future by electing more independents

In our first letters to the editor column: electing independents to Parliament, the decimation of Australian universities, calling time on Infrastructure Australia, and reflecting on the Catholic Church.

December 27, 2024

Protests disrupt Australia 'aiding and abetting' genocide at US Pine Gap intelligence base

There’s no question that they did it: on 27 November last year, in the middle of Hatt Road, two people, Carmen Robinson and Alexandra (Tommy) Walker, locked themselves onto a barrel filled with concrete, blocking traffic on the way into the Pine Gap military base.

November 15, 2024

America is a war machine, feeding an Israeli government killing machine

True or False: No one is above the law.

January 23, 2024

Were being sold a false choice on war

Australia has just taken another step, as part of the AUKUS agreement with the US and the UK, that is leading us towards an event that should be unthinkable involvement in a major war against China.

January 16, 2024

Child amputees and Israel's unchilding reaches new depravity

As the International Court of Justice received submissions from South Africa and Israel on the 11th and 12th of January on the claims by South Africa of an intention to commit genocide by Israel in Gaza, some 20 Gazan children would have lost a limb, forever maimed and severely disabled.

October 21, 2023

Death of Bill Hayden - A statement from Paul Keating

A modernising Treasurer, the author and founder of Medicare, the re-shaper and builder of the post-War Labor Party, Foreign Minister and finally, in high office, Governor General.

March 26, 2023

Stop preparing to participate in a US war against China

Dear Labor MPs, I write to convey my deep disappointment in the Labor Government, of which you are part, specifically in relation to the AuKUS submarine deal but more generally in relation to military strategy and foreign policy.

February 23, 2023

Anti-China rhetoric is off the charts: what explains the mass hysteria in the West?

A key feature of following the news and reporting from mainstream Western media today is the relentless China bashing. It is off the charts, tiring, and often regurgitated trivia or fabricated stories with no evidence to support callous statements about the country, demonstrating a deep lack of understanding. But it continues to be churned out with no end in sight.

November 20, 2022

China and AUKUS: growing tensions ahead

Given Beijings grave concerns and strong actions against AUKUS thus far, one can expect significant tensions between China and the AUKUS countries ahead.

November 7, 2022

War with China looms: Questions that need answers

We now have a clearer picture of how deeply entangled with US strategic priorities and war preparations Australia has become. We also know that China is viewed as the principal adversary, and that US military planners and their Australian counterparts are busily planning for a major military confrontation with China, most likely over Taiwan.

November 6, 2024

Who should be the next emperor of the violent global imperium?

As US voters go to the polls on November 5th, they need to remind themselves that when the US elects its next domestic president, it is also selecting the emperor of a violent, global imperium. Choices made over sundry domestic issues have far reaching effects, far beyond local pocketbook or civil rights issues. They determine who lives and dies across the planet, and how much pain, harm and suffering the rest of the world will have to bear.

February 2, 2024

The US toppling of Imran Khan

A principal instrument of U.S. foreign policy is covert regime change, meaning a secret action by the U.S. government to bring down the government of another country. There are strong reasons to believe that U.S. actions led to the removal from power of Pakistans Prime Minister Imran Khan in April 2022, followed by his arrest on trumped-up charges of corruption and espionage, and sentencing this week to 10 years imprisonment on the espionage charge. The political objective is to block Pakistans most popular politician from returning to power in the elections on February 8.

January 17, 2024

A crisis of humanity, a living hell, a blood bath, a situation of utter deepening and unmatched horror

The transcript of the detailed and moving closing arguments for the South African case against Israel to the International Court of Justice by London-based human rights barrister Blinne N Ghrlaigh KC, in the Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v. Israel) on 11 January, 2024.

November 22, 2023

COP-out: Why the petrostate-hosted climate talkfest will fail

After a succession of record-breaking months of record heat including 1.8C in September, global warming for 2023 as a whole will likely tip 1.5C, with 2024 even hotter as the effect of the building El Nino is felt more fully. Already hundreds of thousands have died and millions displaced, primarily in countries least responsible for climate change. The annual economic cost globally is in the hundreds of billions.

November 19, 2023

When is genocide ever balanced?

Balance between supporters of Israel and of the Palestinians is what most police and State governments in Australia say they seek. So does the ABC. But whats happening in Gaza isnt balanced: it is asymmetric warfare.

January 31, 2023

The US is preparing Australia to fight its war against China

The United States is not preparing to go to war against China. The United States is preparing Australia to go to war against China.

October 4, 2022

A decade in the making, an inquiry into how Australia goes to war

After years of public efforts to get politicians to concentrate on changing how Australia goes to war, the Albanese government has now responded by taking the first step.

October 14, 2021

What crackdown? Life in the Hong Kong 'gulag', 15 months on. A disappointment for Mike Pompeo.

The predictions by many Western pundits of tyranny and repression under Hong Kong’s 2020 security laws have failed to materialise.

November 24, 2024

Environment: The future of humanity hangs in the balance

‘We are on the brink of an irreversible climate disaster’, scientists conclude. Donkeys: feral pests or nature’s saviours? Climate change threatens global food security and farmers’ incomes.

November 3, 2024

The alpha and omega of tyranny

The U.S. and Israel are the alpha and omega of tyranny and destabilisation throughout much of the Middle East – arguably, the world. Who will stop them?

October 7, 2024

The context for October 7 is wilfully and deliberately ignored

October 7 did not occur in a vacuum. It was the result of decades long Israeli occupation, never ending violence and oppression of Palestinians. The pressure cooker exploded!

November 18, 2023

McBride Trial: Defeat It looks like Im going to jail

Judge rules that he will instruct the jury that there is no aspect of duty that allows the accused to act in the public interest contrary to a lawful military order, reports Joe Lauria.

November 2, 2023

An open letter to ABC Managing Director David Anderson

ABC reporters and program presenters always refer to Hamass non-recognition of the right of Israel to exist, but they never mention the fact that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus Likud party does not recognise in its charter the right of Palestine to exist, why? An open letter from Ali Kazak, Former Palestinian ambassador.

November 1, 2023

Australia does not have to choose between China and the United States

The biggest challenge Australia is facing now probably is not how to maintain a balance between China and the United States, or to choose a side between the two, but instead how to serve the interests of its own people. The choice facing Australia is between standing on the side of division and confrontation, or alternatively on the side of cooperation and prosperity.

September 30, 2023

Environment: If green growth is the answer, humanity needs a new question

Green growth withers in the heat of evidence. Humanitys demands are creating a global land squeeze. Another year of murder for environmental defenders.

February 7, 2023

Australia's future in Asia: bridge or spear?

The perceptive Singaporian diplomat Kishore Mahbubani remarked recently that: Australias strategic dilemma in the twenty-first century is simple: it can choose to be a bridge between East and West in the Asian Centuryor the tip of the spear projecting Western power into Asia. He clearly believed that it was a matter of deliberate choice, a clear case of deciding on one course or the other.

October 27, 2022

Will the NACC expose corruption in major defence contracts?

If Australia is serious about detecting and exposing corruption in arms deals and other defence contracts, the National Anti-Corruption Commission bill needs to be significantly strengthened.

March 28, 2022

Australia-China relations:will face trump trade?

Chinas refusal to deal with Australia at Ministerial level is likely to frustrate its effort to join an important Pacific trade agreement.

February 10, 2022

Historical understanding will go a long way towards resolving Ukraine crisis

The US would not accept Russian influence on its borders 60 years ago. The West needs to give Russia the same security as it expects for itself.

November 15, 2021

Labor could lose the election and it just might deserve to

You might think Labor is poised to win the next election, but it’s doing everything it can to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

March 29, 2024

Fatal shame: Can Australia seize the anchor of history?

Australia, with its brief white history, once had an opportunity to be positively exemplary among nations, conscious and remedying of its colonial and penal acts and origins. It had fewer mistakes to wipe, and more physical riches to value and to share. Yet in a very short time that opportunity and those resources have been squandered and abused. Adrift, en masse, alone, the opportunity to effect change recedes. Can we seize the anchor of history in time?

January 28, 2024

China: learning from Canute

Regularly, Western media claims that Chinas run is near an end and that collapse is just around the corner. So constant has this become, it is like a broken gramophone record. Recently predictions of this collapse have been couched around the indebtedness of some major players in the Chinese property market. The inevitable collapse, however, never comes.

January 11, 2024

Blinken: There are too many innocent people being killed in Gaza

January 5, 2024

Australias changed climate: The Bureaus yearly reminder

Is climate change a myth? To use a little old-fashioned English slang, not on your nelly.

October 13, 2023

Voice to Parliament: An Australian test of character

Will Australia today say Yes and agree to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice? Or will we reject the request made to us by representatives of First Nations communities in the Uluru Statement from the Heart?

January 18, 2023

At war, the US dollar is on the brink of collapse

The US is at war, and the dollar is at risk of imminent collapse. Australias lobbying of the United States as a good ally should focus on these issues above all else.

December 6, 2022

Remembering Bruce Grant: An advocate of Australian self-reliant defence capability

Bruce Grant, who died in August at the great age of 97, made an extraordinary contribution, as a writer and thinker, to Australias understanding of itself as a nation, and our place in the world. His richly well-lived life with its multiple incarnations as journalist, author, university lecturer, diplomat and ministerial adviser was commemorated at a memorial event in Melbourne this month, at which I offered this tribute.

Pearls and Irritations

John Menadue's Public Policy Journal