January 23, 2023

Jacinda Ardern, the ultimate accolade, and Jim Molan

The least well-developed political sense is the feel for when it is time to move on.

July 31, 2021

Hong Kong Journalist Association plays to the Washington gallery.

When it comes to grandstanding, the Hong Kong Journalists Association wins hands down. In this, it can take great pride, and to outdo the prima donnas of bodies like the Hong Kong Bar Association is no mean feat.

March 18, 2025

The Manichean moment is over

If Donald Trump has done nothing else, he should have convinced Australian strategic thinkers that the long-standing mantra of China-bad/America-good is no longer appropriate.

January 24, 2025

Albanese squibs on APS independence: Can the crossbench force genuine reform?

While the Albanese Government has made some progress in rebuilding APS capability, it has dropped the ball on restoring the degree of independence it promised. Moreover, because so little of what it has done has been legislated, almost everything of consequence could be quickly undone by a future government. For genuine and lasting reform, we must therefore turn to the crossbench to insist on appropriate legislation by the next Parliament.

January 8, 2024

Professionalism and compassion in healthcare

We dont have to take off our compassion, or our ability to show it, when we drape a stethoscope around our neck. The need for doctors to be professional is not synonymous with being emotionless.

December 9, 2023

Christian nationalists versus the rest

Spiritual and cultural Christians - indeed such people of all faiths - need to consider allying together with those who identify as belonging to no religion. It is the fundamentalist authoritarians who would divide and constrain us all that need exposing as the small minority they truly are. We must make them as powerless as their numbers, goals and hypocrisies merit.

November 20, 2023

Gutless leaders without faith, hope or charity

People often say that we get the politicians we deserve, but I am not sure that even the Australians who voted no at the recent referendum deserve what passed for political leadership and quality representation that has been on recent display.

October 23, 2023

Australia joins allies in moral failure of historic significance

Blame for what has and will unfold in Gaza will be shared with Israel by those States, all acting with presumed impunity, which blindly support Israels violations of international humanitarian law.

October 20, 2023

The Voice: what the world heard

On Saturday, 14 October, Australians did themselves no favours. Again.

December 6, 2022

From marriage equality to the Voice

Discussion about the Voice often stresses the difficulty of passing Constitutional referenda, which require a majority of voters in a majority of states. The last successful change came in 1977 to ensure that a retiring Senator would be replaced by someone from the same party.

November 15, 2022

The Queens coup and the role of King Charles

_I wanted you to know that I appreciate what you do and admire enormously the way you have performed in your many and varied duties. Please dont lose heart. What you did last year was right and the courageous thing to do. (Prince Charles)

March 15, 2021

Feminism needs to oppose neoliberal economics to move forward

Women, particularly feminists, have spent the last four decades seeking equality with men, but have failed to change inequitable male-driven values. We started well in the 1970s and into the 1980s but as neoliberalism took over our progress stopped. We had gained laws for equality in some areas but without the necessary value and attitude changes, so outcomes were very limited.

February 8, 2025

A political ethos of justice and human commonality

On 24 December 2023, Benjamin Netanyahu declared, “This is a battle not only of Israel against these barbarians, it’s a battle of civilisation against barbarians.”

January 3, 2025

Do Australia's super tax concessions take from the poor and give to the rich?

In December, the Albanese government’s budget update had some surprises in it. One of the biggest involved big upward revisions to the size of Australia’s superannuation tax concessions. Let’s take a look at them.

October 19, 2024

"US influenced Sinophobia”: The incarceration of Australian citizen Daniel Duggan

The horrific incarceration of Australian Daniel Duggan, a political prisoner in his own country, will have lasted two years next week.

October 8, 2024

One year on, Israel’s aggression continues unabated and we urge our politicians to act

One year on, we renew our calls for a ceasefire, hostage deal and an end to Israel’s impunity and aggression.

February 16, 2024

Andrew Wilkie: Assange must be allowed to return to Australia

The majority of the Australian parliament, including the Australian government and the Prime Minister are of the view that regardless of what you think about Julian Assange, the fact is he’s been incarcerated in one way or another for twelve years or so. The matter has gone on long enough that the extradition should be dropped and he should be allowed to return to Australia. Says Andrew Wilkie in an interview with Dr John Jiggens.

October 5, 2023

The Voice: How to change the Constitution without asking

Should the Voice be carried, the addition of a mandated power to a piece of paper is no guarantee that a Commission will be set up, or funded. Dutton could ignore Yes. Only voices massed beyond the national gasworks would ensure that the Voice does not go the way of the 1967 amendment granting the Commonwealth the power to make laws for the first peoples.

September 4, 2021

Conservative media undermine successful pandemic policy in NZ

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused great pain not only for those suffering and dying from the infection.

February 20, 2025

The displacement of Gazans: Between possibility and impossibility

Recently, US President Donald Trump spoke about the displacement of Gaza’s residents to Egypt, Jordan, and a group of neighbouring countries, as well as turning Gaza into an area under US control. This proposal sparked a wave of criticism and condemnation at various levels.

December 2, 2024

Subs and secrets: Will Australia choose AUKUS or sovereignty?

Australians have become locked in to US military planning, entrenching our status as a US staging post. In this more dangerous world is a country’s sovereignty now a myth?

November 16, 2023

Hazards in the critical minerals strategy

Demand is exploding for materials used in clean technology and IT. Amid worries that China dominates supply of many of these, Australia is developing a $4 billion program to expand their mining and processing. In Washington, our PM and the President announced a joint Compact on critical minerals. There are hazards here, including possibly tying us too much into US plans to thwart the growth of China.

March 29, 2023

The Iraq war, the Murdoch war and media culpability: Twenty years on...

The media here thought the terrorism over past decades in Australia fell from the deep blue sky and had no relationship to the help John Howard gave to George Bush in the illegal and immoral invasion of Iraq. Twenty years after that invasion, the Australian media continue to fail us badly over its coverage of the Middle East wars, China, terrorism and the continuing human disaster and political and sectarian confusion.

February 5, 2023

Whats wrong with addiction

As I watched the Four Corners program, Vape Haze, in 2022, I was struck by the programs focus on addiction, a bad thing. A mother spoke of her devastation when her 16-year-old daughter told her she was vaping.

March 4, 2022

US hypocrisy and the role of Victoria Newland in the Maidan Coup.

_There is an abundance of outrage in the United States about Russias alleged meddlingin the 2016 presidential election.

March 21, 2025

Federal-state politics: Western Australia’s election – why we need proportional representation

Because what is bad for the Coalition is usually good for Australia, Labor’s thumping win in Western Australia must be seen as a good outcome, but it points to a problem in our system of representative democracy. Democracies shouldn’t produce winner-take-all outcomes.

March 6, 2024

Compliant, complicit, cringing: Caught in the neoliberal three Cs

Life in the era of end-stage Neoliberalism feels like a sci-fi script. While far right zealots gain ground with media clickbait frenzies promoting their disinformation and lies, the nice people live in fear of being non-compliant, so they do nothing, as the zombie-like aliens circle.

January 13, 2024

Defences reliance on ordained ministers of religion is out of touch

For many young military recruits, it is a shock to learn that a religious minister is their first port of call beyond the chain of command if they are having any issues at recruit school.

December 1, 2023

Only journalists who support the Gaza war can report objectively on it

Objectivity does not exist - it cannot exist The word is a hypocrisy which is sustained by the lie that the truth stays in the middle. No sir: sometimes truth stays on one side only. - Oriana Fallaci

November 19, 2023

Defending Country campaign exposes the truth about Australias longest war

For decades the Australian War Memorial Council denied the need for the full recognition of Australias first and longest wars the Frontier Wars despite the overwhelming evidence of actions which today would be regarded not only as crimes but also in many cases war crimes.

November 27, 2022

As time goes by: eighty years since the premiere of Casablanca

It was 1942. Across the Atlantic, vast, troubled swathes of Europe were occupied by the Wehrmacht. Millions of its civilians were displaced; millions more would pack up their belongings and flee as World War II continued to unfold.

October 3, 2022

Specialist nurse care: a no-brainer in Multiple Sclerosis

Specialist Nurses are the lynchpin in modern multiple sclerosis (MS) care but their numbers in Australia are deeply inadequate and declining. A new report confirms that Specialist MS Nurse care reduces symptom severity in this chronic neurological disease, optimises use of complex, effective (albeit expensive) therapies and reduces hospitalisation. Economic studies show substantial cost benefits.

January 12, 2025

The Greatest speaks of what's greater – Muhammad Ali's message to Harvard and us

In 1975, Muhammad Ali gave a talk at Harvard and a student called out ‘Give us a poem’. Ali paused and replied: “MeWe”.

November 11, 2024

ACCC executives accepted gift during QANTAS investigation

Revelations about Prime Minister Albanese’s free access to the exclusive lounges offered by QANTAS and Virgin Australia, has awoken the Australian public to the additional benefits politicians receive from these airlines. But the travel perks received by politicians is only part of the story. The greater risk to the integrity of Federal Government programmes arises from the acceptance of similar benefits offered by QANTAS or Virgin to highly paid public servants. Particularly senior executive staff who manage law enforcement and regulatory bodies.

October 26, 2024

Treasurer Chalmers should have attended the biodiversity COP16

The world’s biodiversity crisis gathers pace and any effective action depends on the reduction of economic growth. High-level leadership is needed to explain the fundamental conflict between economic growth and biodiversity conservation which threatens humanity possibly sooner than the ravages of climate change.

February 26, 2024

Is China repeating Australias mistake on Indigenous Affairs?

The South China Morning Post recently published an illuminating article on Chinas policy towards ethnic minorities, with a particular focus on Inner Mongolia that has strived hardest to assimilate its Mongols with the rest of the Chinese population to promote a single national identity. But does China’s policy reflect the assimilation policies towards First Nations that Australia adopted in the 1930s and has now come to regret?

January 25, 2023

Truth telling and lamentation before celebration

When one group of people takes the land of another by military force, invasion is the most accurate term. We would hardly speak of Germany settling France in 1940.

January 20, 2023

The Pell memorandum must be confronted

Weve all had far too much George Pell lately, but his so-called Memorandum on Pope Francis papacy is about much more than the present papacy and needs to be confronted.

December 3, 2022

Modular nuclear reactors: snake oil from the nuclear lobby propagandists

Nuclear lobby propaganda in favour of small modular reactors ignores Australias terrible nuclear history and plays fast and loose with the facts. Many forensic enquiries have already recommended against the introduction of nuclear power into Australia on the grounds of proliferation risk, cost, safety, and the environment.

August 21, 2021

Palestine with Freedom and Equality

I read with interest the letter from Amin Abbas because of the small behind-the-scenes part I have played in what led to this story. I have met Mr Amin and his fellow Olive Kids Director Nasser Mashni along with Ron Finkel, the Founding Director of Project Rozana, the Melbourne-originated and now internationally established Not-For-Profit with similar people-to-people ideals as Olive Kids. Its all about the kids. Or so I thought.

January 15, 2025

Is Australia’s anti-corruption watchdog corrupt?

It was mid-morning on a day in 2009. I was about to be put under for a medical procedure that required a general anaesthetic. From previous experience I recall that anaesthetists assigned to my medical procedures engaged me in light conversation.

February 12, 2024

Extraordinary! ...And he is not even pissed

January 17, 2024

The living and the dead: Gaza war cemetery

Gaza is surely now among the internets most recognisable words, for obvious reasons. It used to be far less familiar to Australians. Up to about 1948, if they knew it at all it was as the place where the Biblical blinded Samson pulled down the temple, or where the Light Horse fought in 1917 to carry the British empires war against the Ottomans from Sinai into Palestine. In 1943, Australians serving in the 9th Division fresh from their victory at El Alamein paraded there proudly, before returning to fight the Japanese.

March 30, 2023

Contesting the progressive case for no

Last month, the Djab Wurrung, Gunnai and Gunditjamara Senator Lidia Thorpe, cut ties with the Greens. In moving to the crossbench, she claimed it was her intention to represent the black sovereign movement in the Parliament a movement that had strong grassroots in Australia, full of staunch and committed warriors.

March 28, 2023

Albanese is just pretending to be tough on emissions

Labor talks the talk, but doesnt walk the walk. Last weeks final warning from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the Albanese governments refusal to be moved by it should be a gamechanger in our assessment of Labors willingness to do what must be done.

March 11, 2023

Long tail of COVID-19 impacts disadvantaged Australians education most

COVID-19 disproportionately impacts disadvantaged and vulnerable Australians. What does that mean for their engagement in post-secondary vocational education and training (VET)?

December 20, 2022

The corporatisation of General Practice

Proposals to reform how Medicare supports primary care need to take account of the changed ownership structure of general practice as well as changing health needs.

December 14, 2022

Fighting paranoid nostalgia, EU puts financial screws on Orbn

Around the west, authoritarian right wing parties are fighting the changes to the world that scare them. Protecting western liberalism is a challenge proponents of the democratic project are only just beginning to address.

March 1, 2025

Has the world gone mad?

Rational people should share a sense of amazement that virtually all European political “leaders” and Western professional commentators appear to view with shock and horror: the possibility that the United States and Russia, the two major nuclear powers with the capacity to destroy human life, might have correct and co-operative, rather than hostile, relations.

Pearls and Irritations

John Menadue's Public Policy Journal