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Pearls and Irritations

John Menadue's Public Policy Journal
Politics
Policy
Economy
Climate
Defence
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Asia
Palestine-Israel
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Letters
November 29, 2025

How the social media ban could harm African diaspora youth

New research shows Australia’s under-16 social media ban risks harming African diaspora young people by cutting off vital spaces for identity, belonging and connection.

November 12, 2025

‘Spooky fiddling’: Preparing the ground – Part 3

“There is profoundly increasing evidence that foreign espionage and intelligence activities are being practised in Australia on a wide scale… I believe the evidence is so grave and so alarming in its implications that it demands the fullest explanation. The deception over the CIA and the activities of foreign installations on our soil… are an onslaught on Australia’s sovereignty.” – Gough Whitlam, House of Representatives, 1977

November 22, 2025

US wants Seoul’s subs to counter China – Asian Media Report

In Asian media this week: Washington sees global role for South Korean navy; the military cements government control in Pakistan; Palestine is an obstacle to Trump’s new Middle East plan; Japan prepares for drawn-out dispute with China; why South Korea is turning its back on coal power; and boot camps for beauty queens.

October 6, 2025

Chris Hedges – Statement by the National Press Club ( 4 October 2025)

Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Chris Hedges’ forthcoming address to Australia’s National Press Club on Gaza has been cancelled, as revealed in an article published during the weekend. The National Press Club has responded in a media statement.

December 12, 2025

One fire, one-sided view: how the ABC's fire 'analysis' became narrative

Australia’s public broadcaster is trusted because it separates analysis from opinion. A recent ABC news analysis article blurs that line – with serious consequences for credibility.

October 31, 2025

The ABC and News Corp finally agree on something: China panic

Last week, a friend asked if I was worried about Chinese “nuclear threats".

December 6, 2025

Hong Kong high-rise renovations a murky, greedy industry – Asian Media Report

From Hong Kong’s deadly tower fire and surging renovation graft, to climate-fuelled floods across Asia, record weapons sales, a massive Korean data breach and collapsing Chinese tourism in Japan, this week’s Asian media coverage reveals the region’s mounting pressures and political tensions.

November 26, 2025

Without peer in Australian media – Geoff Raby

Former Australian Ambassador to China and senior diplomat Geoff Raby commends Pearls and Irritations

October 15, 2025

Who are 'Advance' and what are they doing to our politics?

Launched in 2018 as a conservative answer to GetUp!, the group Advance likes to style itself as the voice of the average person against “the elite"._

October 29, 2025

As the home ownership dream fades, Australians may be open to a frank conversation about house prices

One of the most basic axioms in Australian politics is that voters support rising house prices. John Howard expressed this axiom when he infamously remarked that no one had ever told him “I’m angry with you for letting the value of my house increase”.

October 19, 2025

Tipping, tipping, tipping... the dominoes fall

Dying reefs, shrinking icesheets, withering forests and collapsing currents are the latest symptoms of an Earth system enduring dangerous trauma, according to the Global Tipping Points Report 2025.

December 13, 2025

Federal Court dispatches Sofronoff empty-handed

The Federal Court has again shown itself to be a brutal arena for rebuilding reputations. In Justice Walter Sofronoff’s case, the court has backed the Integrity Commission’s conclusion of serious corrupt conduct.

December 8, 2025

The 2026 budget is Labor’s real reform test

The 2026 federal budget offers a rare opportunity to begin rebalancing tax, lifting productivity and tackling long-term pressures on living standards.

November 11, 2025

It’s Ley, or virtually certain Liberal self-immolation

People closer to the action than I are suggesting that the end is nigh for Sussan Ley. They may be right; momentum is often all in these matters.

October 11, 2025

Price rally fuels surge in Southeast Asia gold businesses – Asian Media Report

In Asian media this week: Beijing in 11-month gold-buying streak. Plus: Takaichi the most conservative leadership choice; US looks to delegate Taiwan defence; Prabowo holds massive military parade; South Korea’s Lee challenges US wartime control; China’s harsh times feed a spiritual economy.

November 23, 2025

No COP for Australia. No tears from me

Hosting a UN climate summit should be about global cooperation on combating climate change. Australia’s bid for COP31 reveals how far COP has drifted.

October 26, 2025

Realism and optimism on energy transition

On the subject of energy decarbonisation, there are moonfaced optimists who insistently claim that net-zero emissions can easily be achieved by 2050, and “realists” like Vaclav Smil and Mark Mills, who warn that a transition away from society’s dependence on hydrocarbons, in Mills’s words, “is not feasible in any meaningful time frame”.

December 7, 2025

Bill Gates knows the climate and poverty facts but misses the politics

Bill Gates downplays climate catastrophe, wolves are blamed – or credited – for ecosystem repair, and China’s energy surge defies Western narratives.

November 24, 2025

What science tells us about Earth’s changing climate

As leaders leave Brazil and the 2025 UN climate summit draws to a close, it’s worth reflecting on what science says about Earth’s climate – what’s changing, why it’s happening, and where we’re heading next.

November 2, 2025

Environment: Six strategies will simultaneously reduce emissions and help communities prepare

Six broad strategies will tackle the root causes of climate change and help groups prepare for the consequences of global warming. Environmentally sustainable aircraft are slow to take off. Local governments can take a lead in promoting biodiversity.

December 5, 2025

When foreign policy becomes domestic theatre

Australia’s response to Japan’s rhetoric has been framed as a test of loyalty, but the outrage is largely media-driven. Caution in foreign policy is not betrayal – it is a rational defence of national interest.

November 3, 2025

Message from the editor

When I began as editor in early 2025 I was struck by how much great reading P&I offered. Now we are branching out to bring you great listening as well, with a big new project, Pearlcast.

November 7, 2025

'We don't do that in this country': judge slams DPP

An appeal by ACT director of Public Prosecutions, Victoria Engel, SC, has been dismissed by a Full Bench of the ACT Court of Appeal after only three minutes of deliberation.

December 3, 2025

Expert independent evidence-based assessment

This month we are asking readers to support our work through a tax deductible donation via the Australian Cultural Fund. Regular author, Michael Keating writes about the value of Pearls and Irritations.

December 1, 2025

Corruption isn’t just a moral failure – it’s built into our political system

Corruption in politics is not an accident or an exception. It is a predictable outcome of a system that rewards loyalty, access and survival over accountability, transparency and the public interest.

October 24, 2025

China, US or us? Australia’s Upper Path in the global minerals race

The headlines are breathless: “ China versus the world,” proclaimed The Australian, quoting some very important people from the sheriff’s office urging allies to “decouple” from Beijing and unite against China’s “takeover of global rare earth supply chains”.

October 30, 2025

Commonwealth administrative reform remains up the creek

The results of a recent survey of community satisfaction and trust in Commonwealth public services are not to be sneezed at.

October 18, 2025

After decades of struggle, women in China are rewriting their future

The quiet revolution towards upholding women’s rights in China isn’t just about slogans, but involves the hard work of families, educators and policymakers.

October 16, 2025

A deserved defeat for Albanese on freedom of information

Thanks to Opposition leader Sussan Ley, the government’s disgraceful attempt to squeeze the life out of the Freedom of Information Act is as dead as a herring.

December 4, 2025

How the Albanese government kept “jobs for mates” alive

The Albanese government promised to end political patronage in statutory appointments, but has instead chosen a non-binding framework that preserves ministerial discretion and limits accountability.

November 16, 2025

Environment: Paris 2015 generated hope, but not enough climate action

Ten years on from the Paris Agreement, staying within the 1.5oC guardrail seems increasingly unlikely, even though there’s plenty of money to do it. Really, it’s legal to chop bits off the Great Barrier Reef and sell them? Microsoft is struggling to meet its promise to become carbon-free.

November 20, 2025

Five reasons Trump’s economy stinks and 10 things the Dems should do about It

The Trump economy is truly awful for most Americans. Democrats need to show America that they can be better trusted to bring prices down and real wages up.

November 25, 2025

Will there be Liberals around to take power in 2034?

The Liberal Party’s rejection of net-zero and its lack of compelling leadership or clear policy vision has left it floundering with key voter groups. Without a coherent plan to make a difference, it risks a long spell in opposition.

December 2, 2025

Why our government protects gambling apps but bans TikTok

Australia’s social media restrictions on children were sold as decisive action on harm. But the policy risks becoming symbolic, unenforceable, and ultimately counterproductive.

November 17, 2025

Israeli settler attack on West Bank mosque draws international condemnation

Calls for justice grow as Israeli settlers set Hajja Hamida Mosque ablaze in latest attack on Palestinians in West Bank.

October 20, 2025

As Gaza starts to rebuild, what lessons can be learned from Nagasaki in 1945?

At first, there might not seem to be any immediate similarities between a  devastated Nagasaki after the US  atomic bombing in 1945 and Gaza today, aside from massive destruction.

October 9, 2025

A time to redouble our efforts for Palestine

Daniel Levy, who knows a thing or two about peace negotiations, warns us that, “The plan is being used to push back against the momentum behind holding Israel accountable, the thing that could actually produce positive change.”

December 10, 2025

Jobs for mates, by design: the government rejects its own integrity review

The government’s response to the Briggs review abandons legislated reform and leaves ministers wide discretion over appointments across the commonwealth.

November 27, 2025

The Dismissal at 50: Albanese condemns the past but avoids real reform

Anthony Albanese condemned the 1975 Dismissal as a partisan ambush. Yet he refuses to pursue the constitutional reforms needed to prevent another vice-regal intervention. Australia remains exposed, and neither government nor public sentiment seems ready for the changes required.

October 21, 2025

Australia’s political parties are moving to their use-by date

Sooner or later Anthony Albanese or his successor will lead the Labor Government to defeat.

November 30, 2025

Environment: It’s official – we aren’t winning the climate fight

The latest UN climate summit avoided even naming fossil fuels, while mounting evidence shows climate damage accelerating – from melting glaciers to declining ocean life.

November 14, 2025

China’s new climate targets show progress but lack ambition

On 24 September 2025, Chinese  President Xi Jinping announced China’s updated targets for combatting climate change at the UN Climate Summit.

November 1, 2025

'Forget subsidies': Solar-battery hybrids can deliver 'incredibly competitive' power for big industry

The developer of what stands to be Australia’s biggest battery says the new breed of hybrid solar and storage projects, starting to dominate the national renewables pipeline, can power new and existing industrial energy needs at an “incredibly competitive” cost – and without government handouts.

October 10, 2025

A masterclass in agency: What Singapore can teach Australia about China

Singapore’s new Prime Minister Lawrence Wong sat down with the ABC on 2 October and offered something rare in Australia’s China debate: clarity, confidence, and a middle-power strategy that doesn’t involve shouting or submission.

October 8, 2025

Inequality and the future of democracy

Rising inequality and declining living standards have posed a threat to democracy in several democracies, but so far not in Australia. However, the increasing inequality of wealth, driven by housing becoming unaffordable without rich parents, is a threat.

December 5, 2025

How media coverage helps normalise the far right

Media coverage does more than report on the far right. Through language choices, sensationalism and false balance, journalism can help shift racist politics into the mainstream.

November 8, 2025

Revealed: Secret plans to introduce media censorship in Australia

Moves to restrict just what journalists can report on defence and intelligence matters are underway – and journalists need to get up to speed fast.

October 7, 2025

Rio Tinto flags early closure of Queensland’s biggest coal generator as LNP prepares new energy plan

The clock is now ticking for the ageing Gladstone coal-fired power station after its owners told the Australian Energy Market Operator that they’re bringing forward the closure date of the biggest power plant in Queensland by six years, to March 2029.

December 6, 2025

Israel’s NGO rules are shutting out humanitarian aid from Gaza

Rules introduced by Israel in 2025 are being used to block humanitarian organisations from operating in the occupied Palestinian territories, limiting aid delivery and silencing advocacy.

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