March 9, 2025

Environment: Albanese sacrifices the marine environment for Tasmanian votes

Prime minister showers salmon farmers with treats despite the environmental destruction and massive salmon deaths. Nations have opportunities during 2025 to improve ocean health. Exponential increases in global battery storage capacity. People alive today have produced most of the world’s greenhouse gases.

January 25, 2025

Trump ‘angling for deal’ with Xi – Asian Media Report

In Asian media this week: President links China to Panama Canal face-off. Plus: Weaknesses in America’s Asian pact latticework; Government, industry behind Tokyo’s RAN frigates bid; Thai support for Myanmar scams points to corruption; Beijing pushes soft power through video games; 57 arrested over Dalit schoolgirl abuse.

March 6, 2024

Is ASIO’s paranoia hypocritical?

Some of my best friends are Chinese. This is entirely unsurprising given my frequent visits to the PRC, the Chinese students I have supervised and the colleagues I have collaborated with over the years. I used to think such relationships were unambiguously a good thing and the possible basis for a better understanding between our two countries.

February 22, 2024

Mobilising opposition to AUKUS - The Marrickville Declaration

Community opposition to the AUKUS project finds expression in a Sydney suburb.

December 12, 2023

Kill them all

This is a direct quote from a banner that was paraded in Tel Aviv in 2016 in support of the Israeli soldier, Elor Azaria who shot, at point blank range, a Palestinian teenager, Abdel Fattah al-Sharif two years earlier. No matter how many Palestinians the Israeli Occupation Forces kill, the cry will always be ‘Kill them all’.

November 22, 2023

We are called to act on climate change, ‘the greatest moral threat facing humanity’

Never have I been more aware of the existential threat that climate change poses for people I know and love, writes Sister Patty Fawkner.

November 16, 2023

David McBride's defence argues duty to nation supersedes military law

Whistleblower David McBride’s lawyers argued on Day One of his trial that a soldier’s duty is not just to follow his superior’s orders, but to serve the entire nation. Joe Lauria reports.

November 6, 2023

Have Australian troops secretly deployed to an illegal war?

Australians have been assured by the Albanese government of greater transparency and accountability on defence. So soon after the 2022-23 parliamentary inquiry into how the country goes to war, that has already fallen over.

October 30, 2023

Mimetic engulfment: The US has captured the Australian strategic mind

It is now the case that Australia’s alliance with the United States is best described as the Great Harmonisation. On all principal matters of strategic interest – especially in all fundamental aspects of China as the “pacing threat” - the overwhelming impression is that, though Washington and Canberra are spatially separated, they nevertheless speak and act not only in parallel, but simultaneously, systematically and congruently so that a single, seamless narrative emanates.

November 6, 2022

What about the Taiwanese?

What you think of the story in the Indo-Pacific, connecting the US, Australia, China and Taiwan, depends on how you start telling it. Try the top line of both international human rights covenants: on civil and political rights, and economic, social and cultural rights, respectively. “All peoples have the right of self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development”.

October 27, 2022

Frankel: Australia’s housing affordability and homelessness crisis

National Housing and Homelessness Agreement ‘ineffective’; Governments must address structural factors leading to housing unaffordability; and First Nations people face discrimination in the private rental market. Read on for the latest monthly digest of articles, research reports, policy announcements and other material about housing stress/affordability and homelessness.

October 20, 2022

Bringing Australian children here from Syrian refugee camps is just the start

Our government is doing the right thing. But bringing Australian children in Syria to Australia without an individualised long-term plan of support for each child will achieve little. The complexity of the task to help these children must not be underestimated. It will be a long process and a long-term investment, but it will be worth it.

January 19, 2024

Unraveling the myths of the Ukraine conflict

In my first piece for Pearls and Irritations, I cautioned about Australia’s involvement in Ukraine and alluded to the strikingly similar circumstances of the conflict to the war in Vietnam.

January 14, 2024

Spot the cultural warrior

January 6, 2024

Israeli officials fear possible genocide charges at ICJ

“In general, it’s hard to prove an intention of genocide because no public statements to that effect are made during the fighting,” said one expert. “But these irresponsible statements about erasing Gaza will require Israel to explain why they don’t reflect such an intention.”

December 28, 2022

The short lifespan of technological civilisations and the future of Homo sapiens

In his book ‘ Collapse’ (2011) Jared Diamond portrays the fate of societies which Choose to Fail or Succeed. On a larger scale the Fermi’s paradox suggests that advanced technological civilisations may constitute ephemeral entities in the galaxy, destined to collapse over short periods.

December 14, 2022

Undue influence of the arms industry in Australia

Today I’ll give you a snapshot of the intersection between the arms industry and the Australian government – the power and influence on one hand, and the secrecy and lack of accountability on the other.

November 4, 2022

The $530 billion junk infrastructure scandal - What the PM can do - Part 2 of 2

Sydney and Melbourne’s ‘big infrastructure build’ will soon prove Australia’s ‘big bust’. Our Prime Minister cannot aid and abet this madness.

March 18, 2025

EU welcomes its first dictatorship

Democracy has just been overthrown in an EU nation for the first time ever – with the tacit backing of the European Union itself. Buckle up: if the pre-emptive coup in Romania is allowed to stand, this means that the EU has torn up its own rule book and welcomed a dictatorship into the community.

November 26, 2023

Who are the Five Eyes loyal to?

American intelligence personnel are predominant at Pine Gap and throughout the Five Eyes network. This ensures that American views prevail about threats to world security, which become threats to Australia’s security. The mind-set of our intelligence community is constantly reinforced by ‘independent’ second-tier policy assessment outfits such as ASPI in Australia, CSIS (Centre for Strategic and International studies) and CNAS (the Centre for a New American Security) in the United States. All have solid military-industrial backing.

January 3, 2023

A tale of two genocides: Xinjiang and Khalistan

In how we respond to allegations of genocide, there are double standards and hypocrisy in Washington, London, Ottawa and Canberra.

October 24, 2022

The lucky country?

Australia is the spoilt offspring of an ultra-rich empire who gained wealth through exploitative, brutal means.

October 18, 2022

Paramedics missing in health care debate

In a country with well-publicised shortages in the health workforce, it’s perplexing and perverse that policymakers don’t use paramedics better. It’s an anomalous situation that the Strengthening Medicare Taskforce can help to overcome.

October 9, 2022

Renewable energy is not enough - we must reduce consumption too

Alan Pears explains why we must stop ignoring energy efficiency gains instead of just focusing on switching to renewables. Is Australia’s focus on “clean energy” part of our economic and climate problems?

October 6, 2022

Non-believers, the timid and party rorters have got at corruption bill

Citizens who want an effective agency to weed out corruption and maladministration from Australian public life would do well to get involved in the National Anti-Corruption Commission debate. It is never going to be any better than the first model that goes through the parliament over the next few months. If history in state and territory jurisdictions is any guide, only whittling down of any powers granted now is in prospect.

October 8, 2023

Climate disaster: Pope Francis repudiates developed world’s economics and culture

‘It is no longer possible to doubt the human origin of climate change’ (Pope Francis).

March 4, 2023

Superannuation tax changes and budget repair

The very modest superannuation changes have been well received by most people, but the worry is the unwillingness of the Government to acknowledge, let alone tackle, the much bigger fiscal challenges that lie ahead.

January 20, 2023

Killing Times: Indonesia grapples with legacy of government-organised mass murder

When is a purge a genocide? When a young Australian researcher finds solid evidence that’s long eluded international scholars, proving the minds of millions have been poisoned with lies.

December 21, 2022

Season’s fearings in Indonesia this Christmas

Will it be safe for Christians this Saturday night in Indonesia? The signs of the festive season used to be plastic mistletoe and corflute Santas in shopping malls. Now in East Java’s second biggest city it’s armoured cars outside churches.

December 1, 2022

Zionist violence against Palestinians is the antithesis of Judaism

The wish by Israeli leaders for Palestinians to be eliminated from their ancient homelands is the very antithesis of Isaiah’s original Zionist vision.

November 12, 2022

A migration system for Australia’s future

A three-member panel to review Australia’s migration system – former PM&C Secretary Martin Parkinson, academic Joanna Howe and businessman John Azarias - has been set the task of producing “a holistic strategy that articulates the purpose, structure and objectives of Australia’s migration system to ensure it meets the national interest in the coming decades”.

March 24, 2022

Dud minister blames dud teachers

Federal ministers often reveal their inability to deal with complexities in their portfolios, none moreso than Coalition education ministers. Acting minister Stuart Robert has just demonstrated how things can easily unravel.

February 25, 2022

Raymond Tint Way and Paul A. Komesaroff. Australia and the international community must respond to the brutality of Myanmar's Junta

Over the last year the world has watched in horror as the Myanmar army, after its attempted coup on February 1st 2021, has carried out brutal massacres, torture, rape and arbitrary arrest of the democratically elected government and civilian population

March 6, 2025

An election looms, but there's no sign of the political boldness needed to fix our healthcare system

The inequity and inefficiencies in our current health programs and the resulting need for change, have been obvious for decades. Finding the necessary political boldness to change this situation has eluded us to date. I acknowledge that there have been a number of governments and ministers who wanted to improve the healthcare of Australians and the cost efficiency of the same.

December 28, 2023

Australians need to collaborate to build a new Constitution

Under Australia’s Constitution, the people of Australia have no way of binding the parliaments and governments they elect to be loyal to them. This is because once parliaments and governments are elected the members must take an oath that obliges them to give their loyalty solely to a foreign monarch who has no reciprocal obligation to Australians or their interests. Based on the recent outcome of the prosecution of David McBride, it would appear that this oath actually binds those we elect to ignore or even act against the public interest if the King or his Executive so orders.

November 4, 2023

Humanity on trial in Gaza onslaught – Asian Media Report

In Asian media this week: Support for war erodes trust in Global North. Plus: Australians proxy-Americans in Asia; Xi-Biden summit might reassure region; ‘Don’t you feel shame’ at voting No? Chinese military ‘relentless’ on Taiwan; Memories of time US, China fought together.

October 5, 2023

American anxiety

Bad-tempered coverage of China continues to flourish across the entire US media. It ranges from fire-breathing to pearl-clutching. Most commentators look daggers at Beijing in a dozen different over-cooked ways – and especially at the Communist Party of China – while reminding readers and viewers of America’s continuing paramount superpower status.

March 8, 2023

Will Albanese and Wong repudiate this war hysteria?

In the name of all the good and honourable politicians who have gone before them in crafting a relationship with our giant and, yes, challenging neighbour and partner, I ask Anthony Albanese and Penny Wong to call out this rubbish, repudiate it, and forcefully assert that it is wrong.

January 5, 2023

Why Japan is not an acceptable military ally

There is some terrible double-foolishness afoot, that is certain to be widely noticed beyond the Western bubble. Australia is stepping forward with gusto to secure its position as a best-military-buddy not only with America, the most warlike nation in history, according to Jimmy Carter, but also with Japan, one of the 20th century’s most infamous warmongers, presently rearming with alarming relish. You are, as they say, known by the company you keep.

March 31, 2025

Delete the Earth

Day by day, species by species, landscape by landscape, the world in which humanity arose is being deleted. Eventually, what remains will be unfit for the survival of either humans or large animals._

February 11, 2025

Trump’s Gaza grab shows America is no better than China

Australia’s former top diplomat says Donald Trump may achieve what 75 years of post-war anti-Americanism could not: concede the case for moral equivalence.

January 5, 2025

Atmakusumah, doyen of press freedom in Indonesia, passes away

On June 21 1994 Indonesia’s information ministry withdrew the press permits of the weekly magazine Tempo, the weekly political tabloid Detik, and Editor, a new news weekly. Their critical reporting upset President Soeharto, particularly Tempo revealing conflict between cabinet ministers in the government purchasing naval vessels from the former East Germany.

October 1, 2023

The AFL had the power to turn the tide

My mates and I, growing up in our happy, homogenous and very white suburbia in the 1960s and 70s, would probably not have met an indigenous Australian but for playing footy. Without our great game, we might, at least as kids and teenagers, have remained stuck in the fearful ignorance that was pretty common at the time.

February 11, 2023

Wong surrenders to Canberra hawks, rejects war powers reform

Australia’s Foreign Minister, who advocates international law and better relations with Asian countries, has surrendered to the hawks in Canberra.

December 12, 2022

Dr Paul Collins and population ethics

A new discussion paper on population ethics written by Catholic historian Paul Collins on behalf of Sustainable Population Australia is as radical as it is worthy.

January 29, 2022

Wanted: a role for MPs in waging war and seeking peace

There must be a number of current parliamentarians concerned about the direction of foreign and defence policy, but why are they so silent?

March 1, 2025

To make Medicare healthy again, our leaders must treat these worrying symptoms

I don’t know if you noticed, but the federal election campaign began on Sunday. The date of the election has yet to be announced – it may be mid-April or mid-May – but hostilities have begun. And they began with an issue that’s been big in election campaigns for 50 years: Medicare.

December 10, 2024

Be alert and alarmed: Campus silencing on Palestine

In a number of countries, universities are now to the forefront of punishing and silencing those who challenge dominant constructions of the conflict in Gaza.

November 19, 2024

They spit in our faces

The fossil fuel corporations and their enablers treat us with complete contempt. This is not very polite to say, I know, but they spit in our faces and laugh.

Pearls and Irritations

John Menadue's Public Policy Journal