November 6, 2022

In 1966 Holt sent Australia to war in Vietnam. Will we repeat this mistake in 2022?

In 1966, Harold Holt proclaimed that he was “all the way with L.B.J, leading to Australia going to war with Vietnam. A war we lost. In 2022, do we really want to do this again?

October 12, 2022

The changing world order with declining western influence

_White Man’s Media misses it again. The recent meeting of the Shanghai Cooperative Organisation held 15-16 September 2022 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

October 3, 2022

Optus must be prosecuted for Privacy Act breach

Late September data privacy muscled its way onto the centre stage courtesy of Optus and some as yet unnamed hacker.

March 15, 2022

Putin, the Pope and the Patriarch

While the invasion of Ukraine is fundamentally strategic, religion, faith and history also play a major part.

February 1, 2022

Ukraine defeat would smash the West's global reputation.

Putin won’t go home without concessions from NATO, but that would involve a climbdown by the alliance that would damage the West’s reputation.

January 25, 2022

I oppose Israel boycott, but laws against it are classic overreach

Anti-BDS laws would make Israel the only nation protected under Australian statute from this kind of criticism and penalise innocent Australians.

March 27, 2025

The government is timid, uninspired and uninspiring. This budget fits it perfectly

If you’re having trouble working up much interest in the budget, don’t feel bad. It’s not you, it’s the government. So much fuss is made about the annual federal budget that we expect it to be full of major announcements. Well, not this one, and not from a government that never wants to rock the boat.

January 19, 2025

The ending of White Australia: Watch John Menadue in Immigration Nation - Part 3

Despite causing widespread criticism overseas, in the 1950s under the Menzies government, Australia’s whites-only immigration policy seemed as popular as ever. Indeed the rise of Communism in the region added extra justification to the need to prevent Asians entering the country. But that was to change.

October 31, 2024

The Australian Government must impose sanctions on Israel NOW

Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong has finally acknowledged that Israel is in gross breach of international law, and must not ignore the United Nations, as it continues its ruthless military attacks on the people of Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon.

October 4, 2023

Planned degrowth is needed to stop the collapse of civilisation

An opinion piece (Degrowth approach is disastrous, Canberra Times, 9 September, p.38) by authors from the Centre for Independent Studies (CIS) attacked the concept of degrowth to a steady-state economy (SSE) and defended the notion of continuing economic growth on a finite planet.

January 16, 2023

George Pell leaves a diminished church, to successors hardly better

George Pell was, by temperament and personality, about the worst possible choice to be made a bishop, then an archbishop, and ultimately a cardinal – one of the inner circle of the church entrusted with central church administration and the selection of new Popes.

December 1, 2022

Enough is enough for Albanese on Assange: our allies may respect us if we say this more

The Prime Ministers surprise revelation that he has raised the case against Julian Assange with US officials and urged that charges of espionage and conspiracy be dropped opens up many questions.

October 20, 2022

A mighty challenge: The national energy market and net zero greenhouse emissions

The Commonwealth should use its clear Constitutional capacity to seize sole control of the national energy market.

January 24, 2022

Smoke and mirrors: Afghans neglected in Australia's humanitarian program

Far from holding out a helping hand to Afghans left stranded by the withdrawal of foreign troops, Australia has been even less generous than normal.

December 1, 2021

Where Australian fools rushed in: the Afghan war was always unwinnable

America’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, where it had aimed to bolster international security, will create a new breeding ground for terrorism.

November 3, 2021

How an influx of independents could change parliament for the better

Voters disillusionment is much deeper than the current crop of leaders. There is something wrong with the system itself.

February 16, 2025

Environment: States and territories to reduce their emissions by 44% by 2030

States and territories on target to reduce their net emissions by 44% by 2030. Solar’s contribution to the world’s energy supply could hit 50% by 2035. How to curb the carbon-guzzling lives of the super-rich. Helping your local native birds through the hot days.

April 4, 2024

Housing affordability and equality: part 2

Yesterday, Part 1 of this article discussed the decline in housing affordability and the consequent increase in wealth inequality. Today, Part 2 will discuss possible policies to restore housing affordability in the interests of a more equal and cohesive society.

March 17, 2024

ASIOs version of Australian sovereignty

Obviously no Australian, much less an MP, should ever sell out his country to any foreign power. However, in recent times, some actions taken by certain MPs arguably amount to doing just that. Mike Burgess, chief of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) appointed by the previous Scott Morrison government, gave an example of this in his recent annual report on Australias security.

February 21, 2024

Israeli female soldiers celebrate the death of 12,300 children

As the Palestinian death toll from Israels attack on Gaza approaches 30,000, including the death of 12,300 children and 8,400 women, a group of Israeli female soldiers posed for a photo on a position on the Gaza Strip border in Southern Israel, February 19, 2024.

January 13, 2024

Palestinians in Gaza are being held hostage by Israel and Hamas

Shai Wenkert is the father of 22-year-old Omer Wenkert, who has colitis and is being held hostage by Hamas. Colitis is an accursed chronic disease which can be aggravated under stressful conditions and in the absence of medication and appropriate nutrition. It causes much suffering to people who have it.

December 16, 2023

Environment: Not much environmental cheer in the season of goodwill

Exmouth Gulf threatened with industrial development. Africa being forgotten as global economies develop. Australias emissions reductions likely to stall long before we get to net zero. Read on for the weekly environment update.

October 11, 2023

I am voting Yes, but many No voters support reconciliation

The referendum campaign could use more Why, and less Yes.

February 9, 2023

Hard power and Australias national security strategy

The previous two parts in this series addressed soft power and Australias alliances respectively. The focus of Part 3 is hard power and a discussion of self-reliance and Australias evolving military strategy.

March 3, 2022

The Australian hypocrisy - Russian occupation of Ukraine is correctly deplored but Israeli occupation of Palestine is just fine

Australia was swift and vocal in response to the Russian attack on Ukraine, endorsing boycotts of Russia, investigations of alleged Russian war crimes by the International Criminal Court and the right of Ukrainians to defend their land against the illegal Russian aggression and occupation.

February 8, 2022

Any hope of an Australia-China reset in the new Tiger Year?

A new year, a new Chinese ambassador, half a century since diplomatic relations were established in 1972. Is there any hope of a reset?

March 18, 2024

ASEAN Summit a timely background for this weeks talks with China

The recent ASEAN-Australia Summit in Melbourne was widely well received. Leaders of all member countries, except Myanmar, attended. Some—President Marcos of the Philippines and Prime Minister Anwar of Malaysia—also carried out quite extensive individual programs. Speeches and comments reflected general agreement, and there was an impressive list of follow-up practical actions, many of them with a substantial Australian financial contribution.

February 28, 2024

The prosecution of Australians complicit in Israels crimes in Gaza

There has been much talk about nations and corporations being complicit in the war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide being committed by Israel in the wake of Hamas horrific attacks on October 7. Much of this discussion, and in fact action, has been taken in the context of governments approving the export of arms and other military supplies to the Israeli military.

February 27, 2024

How the Australian government has betrayed the nation

The Australian people have been betrayed by their own Government, morally, legally, economically, financially, militarily and politically.

January 28, 2024

The last flurry: The US Congress and Australian Parliamentarians seek Assanges release

On February 20, Julian Assange, the daredevil publisher of WikiLeaks, will be going into battle, yet again, with the British justice system or what counts for it. The UK High Court will hear arguments from his team that his extradition to the United States from Britain to face 18 charges under the Espionage Act of 1917 would violate various precepts of justice. The proceedings hope to reverse the curt, impoverished decision by the remarkably misnamed Justice Jonathan Swift of the same court on June 6, 2023.

February 20, 2023

Whom can we trust? some reflections on social trends in China and Australia

China continues to lead the world in trust, according to the influential Edelman Trust Barometer. The 2023 latest survey repeats similar previous rankings and gives the lie to commentators who continually maintain that the Communist Party of China is losing its legitimacy in the eyes of its citizens.

October 14, 2022

Collaery demands Royal Commission on Timor Leste spy scandal

Just think of it. After years and years of assisting the Timorese resistance to have Witness K. come to my office and tell me something so marked with treachery, words still fail me. So immoral. So unethical. so counter to all of our national interests!

October 13, 2022

The Defence Strategic Review: Three dangerous assumptions underlying our defence planning

To navigate the rapidly changing international system, we must replace three dangerous assumptions underpinning Australias defence planning.

February 22, 2022

The media's role in the age of deceit

The complicity of the media in disseminating false information is a central part of the modern phenomenon. The lie factories cannot flourish without obedient messengers to carry their deceptions.

February 17, 2025

Caligula's horse and Washington

“Look back over the past, with its changing empires that rose and fell, and you can foresee the future, too.” Marcus Aurelius

October 24, 2024

Ukraine: Versailles or Brest-Litovsk?

As it reels from one battlefield defeat after another, Ukraine faces a fateful choice: sue for peace or fight to the bitter end.

October 22, 2024

The bell has tolled for Pezzullo's gong

It may be that in his post-Public Service life Mr Mike Pezzullo has been watching lots of classic films.

February 2, 2024

Labors rejigged Stage 3 tax cuts benefit 84% of taxpayers

After due consideration of the main criticisms, the Labor Governments rejigged Stage 3 tax cuts seem to be a good way of responding to the cost of living crisis without adding to the Budget deficit and inflation.

February 1, 2024

Research security, information restriction, and the universities

It was bound to happen in one form or another. The AUKUS arrangements were a guarantee of it. The it in question is the alleged discovery and lamentation that, possibly, Australia has one of the weakest research security frameworks in the developed world. Redress is demanded and of a draconian character; not to do so is to contemplate consequences too terrifying to contemplate.

March 30, 2023

The absurdities of AUKUS

On 14 March, when the AUKUS nuclear powered-submarine details were revealed, I spent most of the day in the Emergency Department of a hospital in Brisbane, with a family member needing urgent medical care.

March 3, 2023

What our media dont tell us: Has the D-Notice returned?

Many Australians have turned to non-mainstream sources of news. They are often more reliable, and cheaper. Without them, the Nordstream pipeline sabotage of September 2022 would still be unexplained.

January 3, 2023

Once defence ministers spending fiction and the big sell-out

Americas confected strategy to contain China for its own ends has to be separated from Australias self-reliant defence, with clarity. The Strategic Defence Review must staunch the bleeding.

December 17, 2022

A world divided

Not since the end of the Cold War has the world been so divided politically, ideologically and economically.

October 26, 2022

Principled conduct? Shaoquett Moselmane and the NSW ALP

On October 19, before a crowded public gallery and in a packed Upper House of the NSW parliament, Labor MP Shaoquett Moslemane gave his valedictory speech. He did so with dignity, with no bitterness and with gratitude to his many supporters. His standards in public life have been impressive. His treatment by powerful operatives has been disgraceful.

March 19, 2022

Environment: Emissions rising and no green recovery visible

Despite endorsing the IPCCs findings, and rising emissions, Morrison still supports coal development. New climate-social system model identifies central importance of responsive political institutions for controlling global warming.

January 28, 2022

Old people's home for many Indonesians is a useful life with people they know

Australias aged-care policies include keeping frail oldies apart from society. Indonesia does the opposite seemingly benefitting all.

November 1, 2021

It's time for good independents to come to the aid of the country

Its beginning to dawn on the Coalition that it’s perilously close to losing government. Labor MPs are also terrified by the thought of failing to win government.

November 15, 2024

Australia defies UN in defence trade with Israel

Australia is continuing to expand its relationships with Israel’s defence sector, defying the UN’s International Court of Justice.

March 29, 2024

Japans fighter-sales plan betrays pacifist tradition Asian Media Report

In Asian media this week: Tokyo ready to export lethal weapons par excellence. Plus: Failed Evergrande in massive accounting fraud; Thailand leads ASEAN on same-sex marriage; American naval dominance is waning; Big-brand carmakers planning EV utes; Not-so-Huggie low birth rate ends baby-nappy production.

Pearls and Irritations

John Menadue's Public Policy Journal