March 12, 2026

Off to war in West Asia we go (again)

Deploying an RAAF Wedgetail to West Asia risks making Australia a co-belligerent in the US-Israel war against Iran while exposing the country to serious strategic and economic consequences.

November 20, 2025

Working with PM Fraser - the business view - Part 2

John Menadue stayed on as the most senior public servant in the land, after the trauma of the Dismissal. In this 5-part series he details what life was like working with PM Fraser. Given his closeness to Whitlam, some of his conclusions are surprising.

February 27, 2026

Authority is not leadership – and Australia keeps confusing the two

Australia’s political culture mistakes authority, comfort and continuity for leadership. Without the courage to create disequilibrium and confront hard choices, real reform remains impossible.

January 10, 2026

Francesca Albanese and the lonely road of defiance

The UN special rapporteur investigating Gaza is sanctioned, blacklisted and treated as a criminal. The response reveals how power reacts when accountability is applied to the powerful.

March 5, 2026

We have been here before – and we never learn

From Afghanistan to Iraq and Libya, repeated military interventions have weakened rather than strengthened US power. With new strikes on Iran launched without congressional authorisation, the pattern of executive overreach and strategic miscalculation deepens.

October 7, 2025

Secret cargo: Inside Australia's covert F-35 parts pipeline to Israel

At least 68 shipments of F-35 fighter jet parts have been flown on commercial passenger planes to Israel from Australia as recently as last month, leaked documents reveal.

October 6, 2025

7 October 2023: What really happened? Part 1

At dawn, on 7 October 2023, Hamas fighters blast over 100 holes in the walls and fences that separate the Gaza Strip from Israel.

February 5, 2026

Davos and the myth of a global conversation

The World Economic Forum claims to represent global cooperation, but its structure, silences and hierarchies tell a different story about who sets the agenda – and who is expected to listen.

January 27, 2026

Trump fills the great Albo silence

Australia’s leaders are trying to avoid becoming a target in a harsher, more coercive world. But silence and caution can’t substitute for strategy – or for honest leadership that levels with the public.

January 16, 2026

Banning slogans won’t build social cohesion

After Bondi, New South Wales politicians want to ban words and slogans. But rushed laws could punish political speech, not protect the public.

October 15, 2025

Ceasefire sparks fresh calls for global media access to Gaza

Press groups are also demanding justice for the more than 200 journalists slaughtered in Palestinian territory over the past two years.

February 10, 2026

Antisemitism laws, double standards and Australia’s unfinished reckoning

Proposals to legislate new antisemitism definitions raise hard questions about identity, equality before the law, and why Australia continues to avoid confronting its most entrenched forms of racism.

January 12, 2026

Grief, proximity and the failure of moral judgement

After Bondi, intense grief and fear shaped public response. But emotional proximity can distort moral judgement, narrowing debate and crowding out the analysis needed to prevent future violence.

November 11, 2025

The Second Dismissal

In an extract from The Double Dismissal, Emeritus Professor Jenny Hocking, distinguished fellow of the Whitlam Institute within Western Sydney University, and Dr Matt Harvey, senior lecturer at Victoria University of Technology, describe the chaos that led to two dismissals on 11 November.

January 6, 2026

Bondi, Christchurch and what a Royal Commission can – and can’t – do

After four ideologically driven attacks in six years, Australia is again asking how to respond. The Christchurch Royal Commission offers a nearby example of how inquiry, grief and prevention can be approached.

October 12, 2025

Is this the moment that will define cricket's future?

On 8 October, what may turn out to be a huge moment for the game of cricket hit the news: Australian Test captain Pat Cummins and all-format Australian player Travis Head were reported to have been offered nearly $10 million each a few months ago to join cricket’s international T20 circuit.

January 26, 2026

Trump, Greenland and Australia’s alliance reality check

Trump’s behaviour towards Greenland is a warning sign for alliances, values and Western credibility. Australia may need to weigh ANZUS more hard-headedly and build greater strategic autonomy.

December 20, 2025

Bondi demands answers – and a Royal Commission

Revelations about overseas training, intelligence failures and police responses raise urgent questions that cannot be left to internal reviews.

December 16, 2025

Blame, grief and responsibility after Bondi

In the aftermath of a devastating attack on Sydney’s Jewish community, political leaders must resist the urge to weaponise grief or assign blame.

December 5, 2025

Fear versus facts: why migrants strengthen Australia

Australia’s multicultural society is not a modern experiment or a social crisis. It is the product of shared effort, grounded in First Nations custodianship and strengthened by generations of migrants who have helped build the nation’s economy, culture and community life.

November 24, 2025

Juvenile crime is a very complex issue

When governments resort to ‘adult crime, adult time’ sentencing, they are shifting the blame onto children for the failure of adults to come to grips with the necessary policies and programs to tackle youth crime.

November 8, 2025

Murdoch, the Dismissal and my job in Japan

Rupert Murdoch played a critical role in the Dismissal. He knew how to bring pressure on Kerr and provided strong support for Malcolm Fraser.

February 13, 2026

Grace Tame, free speech and the return of political punishment

Calls to strip Grace Tame of her Australian of the Year award over her protest speech highlight a troubling slide towards political punishment and selective free speech.

October 22, 2025

On Israel, Zionism and being Jewish

No political conflict contains as many journalistic minefields as that between Israel and Palestine.

November 7, 2025

The Prince and the Dismissal

Anthony Albanese recently told us with bated breath from Balmoral Castle that Charles “is someone who is very interested in Australia”. “Interested “would be an understatement.

November 5, 2025

The second Dismissal – the loans affair and meetings with Kerr

The second part in a series of first-hand accounts of the Dismissal, from the man who was there: John Menadue.

January 20, 2026

Greenland is why Rudd’s DC replacement must be a diplomat

Trump’s Washington runs on proximity, power and unpredictability. Australia’s next ambassador must be chosen for clarity, skill and seriousness.

February 26, 2026

Foreign fighters for Israel – beyond the reach of Australian law?

While the government vows to block the return of Australian women and children from Syria, hundreds of Australians who have served with the Israeli Defence Force face little scrutiny on their return – despite serious allegations of war crimes in Gaza.

February 12, 2026

Is Hanson planning to copy Trump on mass deportation?

One Nation’s promise to deport 75,000 undocumented migrants echoes Donald Trump’s approach, but the logistics, costs and risks of such a policy are far greater than the rhetoric suggests.

January 7, 2026

Rethinking the call for a royal commission after Bondi

After initially calling for a federal royal commission into the Bondi attack, Greg Barns and Kym Davey explain why they have changed their minds – and why existing legal processes may offer greater accountability without inflaming division.

December 15, 2025

A beginners guide to Australian aged care policy in 2025

Stereotypes about wealthy baby boomers are skewing aged care policy. New fees, the shift to Support at Home, and pressures on community services risk leaving many older Australians without affordable, safe support. The consequences will be felt across families, hospitals and future generations.

October 26, 2025

New Australian national intelligence chief faces a people challenge

At a time in our history when the US tells us that Australia is valued mainly for the sacrifice we are expected to make in joining its strategy against China, our Prime Minister is undermined by intelligence that is incapable of dealing with the bifurcated risk now emerging starkly.

March 3, 2026

If Iran resists, the global economy will pay

Western governments, including Australia and New Zealand, have backed US and Israeli strikes on Iran. But the decision risks economic catastrophe, regional escalation and the further erosion of international law.

December 12, 2025

What didn't happen in 2025

As leaders promised change at home and abroad, 2025 was shaped less by decisive action than by stalled reforms, broken assurances and opportunities left untouched.

October 31, 2025

Gaza under siege: The continuation of Zionist demographic cleansing policies since the 19th century

Israeli propaganda tries to present the war on Gaza as a “defensive reaction.” Yet the historical record tells a very different story: systematic genocide, the destruction of civilian life and deliberate attempts to uproot entire populations. All of this is a direct continuation of Zionist colonial policies that began in the late 19th century.

October 14, 2025

Israel’s response to the International Court of Justice

The ceasefire plan in Gaza has dominated our news in recent days and weeks. One aspect of the plan is the obligation of Israel in the first phase to release a number — a large number — of Palestinian prisoners.

March 13, 2026

Treatment of Iranian asylum seekers reeks of contradictions

Australia quickly offered protection to Iranian women footballers who drew global attention. At the same time, new migration laws aim to prevent other Iranian visa holders from even reaching Australia.

February 21, 2026

Bring these Australian children home, PM. They did not make their own beds

Dozens of Australian women and children remain trapped in dangerous detention camps in north-east Syria, despite Australia’s legal obligations, available security powers, and repeated international requests for repatriation.

February 15, 2026

Dragged from prayer – how Muslim belonging became conditional in Australia

The police pulling Muslim men from prayer during protests against Isaac Herzog’s visit exposes how fragile Muslim belonging has become in Australia. Shaymaa Elkadi argues this was not a failure of judgment, but a political choice.

January 29, 2026

What Labor’s review reveals about tactical voting and the Teals

New figures from Labor’s post-election review shed light on a long-suspected pattern – extensive tactical voting by Labor supporters in Teal and independent contests, with implications for future elections.

December 14, 2025

Would Donald Trump pass an Australian Values test?

As the Coalition considers adding an Australian Values test to the Character Test, Abul Rizvi asks a simple question: what happens when you apply it to someone whose behaviour is extensively documented – like Donald Trump?

November 4, 2025

Ambush and deceit

The first in a series of first-hand accounts of the Dismissal, from the man who was there: John Menadue.

January 13, 2026

There must be an accounting when the music stops

After Bondi, public anxiety, political pressure and rising criticism of Israel have collided. As definitions of antisemitism are contested, government judgement, media influence and social cohesion are under strain.

January 5, 2026

Best of 2025 - Furious Modi rejects Trump’s phone calls – Asian Media Report

In Asian media this week: India turns its attention to Japan and China. Plus: Trump wants US to own land used for bases in Korea; Despair turning young refugees to armed insurrection; Beijing pushing AI as next growth-engine; Manila ramps up its anti-China stance; The wounds that time cannot heal.

January 5, 2025

Best of 2025 - Furious Modi rejects Trump’s phone calls – Asian Media Report

March 1, 2026

The Russia–Ukraine war: Australia’s unanswered questions. Part 1

As the Russia–Ukraine war enters its fifth year, hard questions are overdue. In Part 1 of a two-part series, Michael McKinley examines the strategic history behind the conflict and Australia’s uncritical alignment with a US-led approach that offered Ukraine little prospect of victory.

February 23, 2026

Could old rivalries spur Albanese to act on human rights?

Kevin Rudd had the groundwork, the evidence and the political moment for a Human Rights Act – and still walked away. Anthony Albanese now has the same opportunity, and no obvious excuse not to take it.

October 28, 2025

The three core myths driving Israel’s war on Palestine

Israeli journalist Gideon Levy, one of the most outspoken moral critics within Israel itself, once summarised what he called the “three core values of Israeli society”: the belief that Jews are the chosen people; that they are the world’s ultimate victims; and that Palestinians are not equal human beings.

October 8, 2025

7 October not a day to abuse protesters

When it comes to the domestic political fallout from the Gaza conflict, there are no more reliable and uncritical friends of Israel than Victoria’s Premier Jacinta Allan and her New South Wales counterpart Chris Minns.

Pearls and Irritations

John Menadue's Public Policy Journal