October 11, 2024

Kishore Mahbubani: China’s ‘wiser’ long-term strategy paves way to No. 1 world power

Veteran Singapore envoy on what the West gets wrong about China, ASEAN as a bellwether region and why the US should prepare for No. 2 status.

December 22, 2023

A Christmas wish: Humanity reclaims its dignity and grandeur

Despite the limitations of the recent COP28 climate meeting in Dubai, there was a positive aspect skipped over too quickly by its critics. At the closing plenary (time stamp 2:24:50), the Zambian representative described his delight at the climate love he experienced the extraordinary goodwill among most participants.

November 20, 2023

The right to violent resistance and a false Western morality

If I had lived under a siege all my life in a tiny open air prison camp - if I had no hope for the future - I too might be tempted to violently resist a brutal, unrelenting and illegal occupation, which is my right under international law.

November 11, 2023

Environment: Plants and fungi - abundant and ubiquitous but poorly described

Very few plants and fungi have been scientifically described many are destined for extinction before we knew they were extant. Australias top companies lack transparency and honesty about their climate politics. Australias emissions are decreasing but far too slowly.

March 4, 2023

Environment: does bad news about the environment create doom loops?

We are losing trees and insects at alarming rates and Australias land and sea temperatures continue to rise. But does too much bad news create Doom Loops?

February 21, 2023

Don't ask the government about the next war

This is war protest month, with more to follow. Will efforts against the Iraq war, that failed twenty years ago this week, succeed in heading off the next one?

January 10, 2023

Rules-based international order: What rules? Whose rules?

When interviewed on Great Game on Russias state-run Channel One (8 Dec. 2022), Russias Foreign Minister, Secretary Lavrov, was given ample opportunity to set out Russias views on its role in the Ukraine and on the differences his country has with its many adversaries.

December 6, 2022

East is east, West is west: China and the West are not 'competitors'

When the US and its like-minded allies express the desire to compete with China, what they seem to overlook, or wilfully ignore, is the fact that China is really only competing with itself.

October 23, 2022

Australia must overturn its listing of Hamas as a terrorist organisation

In or about October 2021 the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) under the previous government - listed Hamas as a terrorist organisation under the Criminal Code.

February 14, 2022

Morrison left empty-handed by botched attempt to appease bigots

The Prime Minister’s abject defeat spotlighted the decline of his moral authority and standing in his party.

January 25, 2022

On Australia Day we must proclaim an Indigenous Voice to Parliament

The Uluru Statement from the Heart invites us all to walk with Indigenous Australians towards a better future. Lets say yes.

March 28, 2025

Ivy League convulsions – will we be next?

The shock waves continue from Columbia University’s capitulation to Trump administration demands that undermine its independence. The world is watching and waves are already crashing on Australia’s shores._

March 12, 2025

How CIA propaganda infiltrated the pages of The Canberra Times in the Cold War

It was the mid-60s and The Canberra Times had a problem.

January 26, 2025

The lucky Aborigines

“I do hold the view that the luckiest thing that happened to this country was being colonised by the British,” he said. “Not that they were perfect by any means, but they were infinitely more successful and beneficent colonisers than other European countries.” - John Howard, October 26, 2023.

December 14, 2024

Independent journalist Richard Medhurst on the so-called 'Syrian Revolution'

Medhurst was born in Damascus, Syria. His father is English and mother is Syrian. Both his parents served in United Nations Peacekeeping and Observer missions and were among the UN Peacekeepers awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1988.

October 29, 2024

When the oceans run amok: “We ought not to ignore such clear indicators of an imminent collapse”

By disrupting the Earth’s main heat transport system, humans risk creating a new Ice Age in Europe – while the rest of the planet overheats to intolerable levels.

January 25, 2024

As Australia joins the US war on Yemen, Labor is a house divided

Not since the DLP split in 1955 has Labor been so divided on foreign and defence policy. And always for the same reason.

January 16, 2024

Australias brutal Rules-Based International Order is on full display in Gaza

Americas seamless support for Israels pitiless onslaught on Gaza has both astounded and angered the world. War crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide have accumulated as the destruction and death have continued. The hypocrisy of the West as a whole is publicly on display on a daily basis. The Western media has performed as poorly as governments and has lost the respect of the world. Once gone it may never be recovered. How can Australia, for instance, expect to be taken seriously when we go forth in our customary manner chiding other countries for their human rights record?

December 4, 2023

Breakthrough deal on Loss and Damage:What next for COP28?

The Global Stocktake, the report card on climate action for parties (countries), is shaping up to be the fight of COP28.

November 7, 2023

Israel does not have the right to defend itself

Over the last few weeks we have been bombarded with a number of assertions,advanced firstly as mere mantra, but then appearing as axioms, or self-evident truths.Israel has a right to defend itself; and Israel has a right to exist. I wish to question whether these two statements are as axiomatic as our Prime Minister and our Foreign Minister apparently assume.

October 28, 2023

Environment: Industrial activities produce a third of emissions

Industrial emissions, many hard-to-abate, are increasing. Norway leads the roll-out of EVs but China dominates the number purchased and the production of steel and EV batteries. 40% of amphibians are threatened with extinction.

October 2, 2022

Here comes the catastrophocene...

_The good news is that the Anthropocene is almost over. It will have been the shortest geological epoch in all of Earth history.

March 23, 2025

Universal early learning and the three-day guarantee

The passing of the Early Childhood Education and Care (Three-Day Guarantee) Bill 2025 marks a major shift in Australia’s early childhood education and care system. For the first time, tens of thousands of children who were previously excluded from early learning will have access to at least three days of subsidised care each week (72 hours per fortnight), regardless of their parents’ work or study status.

March 20, 2025

Much argy-bargy on the way to next week’s off-again, on-again budget

According to the business press, Anthony Albanese was desperately hoping for an early election so he could avoid next week’s budget and the drubbing he’ll get when Treasurer Jim Chalmers is forced to reveal projections of a decade of budget deficits.

December 27, 2024

2024: a year of racism and lying to ourselves

Anthony Albanese appears to be strikingly lacking in ambition. I am convinced that making some bold decisions, and explaining them, would strengthen his prime ministership significantly. Some influential Australians now call for moderation and “centrism”. This would be a grave mistake. What is the “centrist” position on killing children in war zones, child sexual abuse, domestic violence, corruption, torture, the death penalty, cruelty to refugees?

February 15, 2024

Dont just mow the grass burn down the entire forest

You know there is a shocking decimation taking place when news footage shows only two colours - grey and red. Images of the persecution and murder of Gazans are utterly heartbreaking. Israel is asking the world to allow it to commit genocide. The US, and the West, are saying Yes, go ahead.

October 30, 2023

A price paid in blood: Australia secretly deploys to another Middle East war

Will Australia involve itself in another war in the Middle East? One that promises to be far more destructive and damaging to Australia than our previous misadventures.

October 11, 2022

Due process in law a deceitful farce: ask Julian Assange

Due process in the administration of justice requires respect for a defendants right to a fair trial, acknowledges a role for public scrutiny of court practices and insists that judges should be recused if they have a conflict of interest which would amount to bias. In the prosecution of Australian citizen Julian Assange, such principles have been trashed.

November 29, 2021

Omicron emerged because rich countries neglected global public health

Omicron shows that without global vaccine equity, COVID-19 will continue to mutate and spread around the world.

September 4, 2021

Local residents fight for critical birdlife habitat on the Great Ocean Road

Ten to 20 million years ago, the Southern Ocean and its ferocious winds sculpted the iconic limestone cliffs and caves that frame the rugged beauty of Victorias Great Ocean Road.

August 21, 2021

Australia should take 20,000 Afghan refugees

The Centre for Policy Development (CPD) is calling on the Australian government to accept 20,000 Afghan refugees in addition to its normal humanitarian resettlement intake.

April 1, 2025

Building Australia’s future – For whom?

As the next federal election looms, the Albanese Government is preparing to campaign under a new slogan: “ Building Australia’s Future”. _

March 14, 2025

A poor start to the strategic examination of R&D

In 2024, in a context of declining R&D and productivity, the government appointed an independent expert panel to lead a “strategic examination” of Australia’s R&D system. In February the first discussion paper was released along with invitations to make submissions.

March 16, 2024

Thinking about peacebuilding in Australia on St Patrick's Day

You would think that the suffering we are now seeing, including on and after October 7, would also compel international leaders to negotiate a peaceful future. There is no future in hate.

March 11, 2024

Can Australia trust Glencore with the Great Artesian Basin?

If you watch a TV channel that airs commercial advertising (my preference is SBS) no doubt you would have seen the recent advertisement by Glencore. The ad advises the viewing public: The world needs natural resources to power our future. For 25 years Glencore has responsibly mined for metal and minerals that advance our everyday life that power our homes and businesses and are used to create almost everything around us from smart phones to electric cars to renewal energy for a low carbon future while becoming one of the worlds largest mining companies you probably never heard of. Glencore advancing everyday life.

February 18, 2024

Israel and the weaponisation of antisemitism

As someone who has written in the past on the topic of antisemitism in this Journal South Australia and antisemitism, July 12 2022, and Antisemitism and the IHRA definition, April 26 2023, I was moved to do so again following the piece published by the newly formed Jewish Council of Australia (the Council) on February 8, 2024: Jewish Council of Australia launches to provide expert voice on antisemitism and racism in Australia.

February 11, 2024

Deflect, distort, deny

In what world does a dominant state claim they have a right to defend themselves against those they have unethically, immorally and illegally imprisoned for decades, killed and persecuted without trial?

January 1, 2024

Israel is 'rotten to its core'

Israeli President Isaac Herzog, presumably the moral arbiter of his nation, was photographed signing a bomb as a gift for Gaza.

December 27, 2023

Gloves fall from the blood soaked hands

If the gloves are off from the blood-soaked hands of Israel and the United States, then the gloves should come off for the rest of the world to tell them what they think of their genocidal actions and brutality.

October 24, 2023

Albanese must deliver a grave message of warning to Biden

Prime Minister Albanese has an obligation to engage President Biden in a conversation on Gaza. Australia cannot and must not stay in lock step with Israel. If US support for Israel is written in concrete, no matter how Israel behaves, or what inhumanity it inflicts on an imprisoned people, it is Australias duty to deliver a message of dire warning to the US on what this will lead to.

February 11, 2023

Platitudes don't bring peace to occupied Palestine

The blood bath that was 2022 in occupied Palestine claimed the lives of more than 230 Palestinians. The Israeli Occupation Forces and the heavily armed illegal Jewish settlers in the West Bank have continued their feral killing spree into 2023 unabated.

January 27, 2023

Tanks for Ukraine won't bring peace negotiations and an end to the war closer

Supply of main battle tanks will commit the NATO allies and partners to the war in a way that makes their involvement irreversible and could be effectively the first major step toward a war with Russia.

October 4, 2022

The NACC Bill: Public hearings crucial to integrity

While the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) Bill is a major achievement, there are some blemishes. Public hearings are a crucial mechanism in promoting integrity and investigating and exposing corruption and should not be limited.

February 13, 2022

Will schools now get back to normal? We have to do better than that

It is critical that we dont just return to normal but take advantage of Covid disruption to address structural flaws in Australias education system.

March 3, 2025

Garnaut: The renewables boom within our reach

Donald Trump might be a speed hump on the road to net zero, but the business and climate case for renewables leaves Australia in the box seat to capitalise.

January 14, 2025

A clear and present danger to the peace of the world

Donald Trump is still to be sworn in for his second term, but is already confirming that he remains a menace to world peace, security and stability.

November 27, 2024

The politics of ignoring genocide

Jews in Germany, Bosnians in former Yugoslavia, Tutsis in Rwanda, and now Palestinians in Gaza. In a recent interview, Francesca Albanese posed a rhetorical question: What kind of monsters have we become to see the live-streamed genocide of Palestinians and not act?

November 26, 2024

In the death throes of Ukraine's lost war, we witness the birth of WWIII

In the space of a couple of days this week two completely unprecedented attacks occurred that have the potential to rewrite world history. The US and UK directly attacked Russia and, for the first time ever in war, an Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile was fired – by Russia. Naturally, most people in the West paid little attention.

November 18, 2024

Are we locked in a dangerous illusion?

_Two weeks ago, I was at a public event in Northern NSW listening to five speakers reflect on the state of the climate and what we might do about it – that, at least, was how it was pitched._

Pearls and Irritations

John Menadue's Public Policy Journal