January 5, 2026

Best of 2025 - Jeffrey Sachs: Ending the genocide now

A UN Security Council vote to grant Palestine permanent UN membership would end Israel’s zealous delusions of permanent control over Palestine, write Jeffrey Sachs and Sybil Fares. But the US stands in the way.

January 17, 2026

Heatwaves, bushfires, and the words that save lives

As heatwaves and bushfire risks intensify, emergency language has shifted too. The challenge is to warn clearly without losing trust.

November 22, 2025

Working with PM Fraser - burying White Australia - Part 4

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.

November 20, 2025

Nurturing the next generation of voices

One of the things that sets P&I apart is the seniority and deep experience of many of our authors. And that will not change, facts and historical understanding of issues are essential if we are to tackle the huge issues confronting us all. But the other essential element is fresh thinking and the kind of sparkling hope and action that young Australians bring to the table.

January 15, 2026

Regime change riots in Iran fail faster than expected

Iran cut Starlink traffic and blocked communications as unrest faded and pro-government marches filled the streets.

November 18, 2025

Emergency powers and tariffs: The US Supreme Court’s test of the President’s authority

The Supreme Court is set to decide on the limits of executive power – and that decision will have practical implications for Australia.

February 12, 2026

Message from the Editor-in-Chief

Pearls and Irritations is entering a new phase, with Editor-in-Chief John Menadue stepping back from day-to-day leadership and new appointments strengthening our future.

December 8, 2025

Message from the Editor

Sometimes we run a piece that is much longer than our usual 1000 word upper limit because it is worth it.

November 3, 2025

Bewildered in Trumpland

What happens when militaristic shouts of “USA USA”, are combined with a blatant display of Trumpian boasting in an ersatz Japanese imitation of a 19th century German neo-baroque castle plonked down in a quiet Tokyo suburb?

February 27, 2026

Shen Yun and Falun Gong – belief, propaganda and division

The evacuation of the Prime Minister over a threat linked to a Shen Yun tour has drawn attention to the Falun Gong movement and its political evolution.

February 17, 2026

‘It’s my government’: Robert Reich's short note to Kristi Noem

To a current US cabinet secretary from a former one.

January 22, 2026

Human rights: could Menzies help Albanese see the light?

Australia’s push for a federal Human Rights Act is stalled by political caution and media hostility. The path forward may depend on Coalition support – and reframing the reform as consistent with Liberal tradition.

December 4, 2025

The origin of Labor versus Green tensions

Claims that the environment movement almost cost Labor the 1990 election ignore the decisive role played by Democrat votes and preferences. A closer look shows the campaign helped deliver victory – and marked a turning point in Labor’s relationship with environmental politics.

October 13, 2025

Message from the editor

This month we are working hard on a new initiative, a P&I podcast series called Pearlcast. Pearlcast will kick off with a topic close to our hearts, the 50th anniversary of the dismissal of the Whitlam Government.

February 6, 2026

America’s bad emperor problem

History offers a warning about unchecked power. As Donald Trump reshapes US foreign policy, the risks of personal rule and predatory hegemony are becoming harder to ignore.

November 16, 2025

Australia’s reluctance to rest its fast bowlers could prove disastrous during the Ashes

Australia faces a huge challenge before the Ashes even begin.

November 7, 2025

OFFICIAL – Israel’s proposed death-penalty law is a war crime

Not satisfied it seems with the continued genocide of Palestinians, Israel is now looking to execute Palestinian prisoners by introducing a death penalty law.

November 1, 2025

Of social cohesion, belonging and the Australian flag

Until recently, “social cohesion” was a term rarely uttered by Australian politicians. Then suddenly, it was everywhere – in press conferences, speeches and ministerial statements. But what does it actually mean?

February 8, 2026

What Australia’s past might teach Israel about its future

President Herzog’s visit might be useful if he could be persuaded to ponder the lessons Australia might offer.

February 7, 2026

Message from the Editor

The debate over the visit of the Israeli President has occupied much space in P&I this week, and for good reason.

November 29, 2025

A long-overdue update to Australia’s broken environment laws

After years of delay, Australia will reform its broken environment laws. The deal brings real improvements, but key risks remain.

November 14, 2025

Indigenous political candidates face less voter bias than parties might think: new research

When political parties consider potential Indigenous candidates, they often worry about voter backlash.

February 25, 2026

Terrorism – a blow back from western violence in Muslim countries

Terrorism dominates political debate and media coverage in Australia despite causing relatively few deaths. The deeper causes – western military violence, state power, and selective moral language – are rarely examined.

January 9, 2026

Avoiding false conclusions

In the aftermath of the Bondi attack, explanations have been offered quickly and with strong moral force. Misidentifying the causes of violence, however, risks obscuring political responsibility and undermining efforts to reduce future harm.

February 23, 2026

Globalisation of occupation: when genocide becomes an international project

Thousands of foreign nationals are serving in Israel’s military with the legal tolerance of their home states, while peaceful protest against the war is criminalised. This double standard exposes a deep failure of international law and accountability.

October 30, 2025

The easy way or the hard way to the same result

National leaders deceive most people most of the time. Israel’s long, atrocious, US-backed assault on the Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon is the latest example, as are their joint attacks on Syria, Yemen, and Iran.

October 16, 2025

Australia’s ‘ISIS brides’ have returned. Governments can do better at handling this situation

In 2014, the Islamic State terrorist group declared a caliphate, a form of Islamic government headed by a caliph, considered to be a successor to the Prophet Muhammad.

January 23, 2026

“Take the sign out of the window” – Carney on power, coercion and middle states

Speaking at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Mark Carney argues the rules-based international order is in rupture, not transition – and that “middle powers” must stop performing compliance and start building shared resilience. His speech – reproduced here – calls for values-based realism, domestic strength and new coalitions to reduce coercion and preserve sovereignty.

February 5, 2026

Like a gambler who lost his fortune, Israel wants another war

Despite a declared ceasefire and the return of hostages, large-scale killing has continued in Gaza. The war has become self-perpetuating, leaving Israel morally, politically and strategically diminished.

December 16, 2025

Australia’s teachers – undervalued and overburdened

As ATAR scores dominate headlines, the work of teachers remains largely invisible. They are central to education and social cohesion, yet underpaid, overworked and routinely taken for granted.

December 10, 2025

Australia’s social media ban puts free speech on the chopping block

Australia’s social media ban for under-16s is being sold as a protection for children, but it raises serious questions about free speech, democratic participation and the perverse effects of prohibition.

November 21, 2025

My one hope – to meet my wife and daughters again

Hamed Al-Mansi is a physical education teacher and farmer from Gaza. He is now alone in Gaza and his dearest wish is to reunite with his family. He has allowed us to publish an extract of his diary.

January 26, 2026

Reflections of an Arab Australian on the new 'hate speech' laws

Australia’s new hate speech laws are landing in a climate of deep mistrust and unequal public empathy. When grief, protest and solidarity are treated as threats, social cohesion becomes a hollow promise, Sawsan Madina writes.

November 19, 2025

Coalition politicians who can't accept the threat of climate change should resign

Politicians who cannot accept climate change is humanity’s greatest threat should have no place in the Australian parliament.

November 8, 2025

AUKUS and nuclear propulsion proliferation in the Asia-Pacific

President Trump recently announced support for South Korea’s plans to build nuclear-powered submarines.

January 21, 2026

The man who puts his name on everything

Trump’s compulsion to mark territory is more than ego. It reflects a worldview where prestige matters more than truth, law, or restraint.

January 18, 2026

Best of 2025 - Why Medicare needs joint federal–state hospitals

Medicare’s founding promise is failing millions as jurisdictional division leaves patients stuck on waiting lists and priced out of specialist care. A shared federal–state hospital system is the missing reform.

November 5, 2025

In memoriam: The slow death of the Quad

Quietly, but surely, life is ebbing away from the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (the Quad).

December 1, 2025

Message from the Editor

I was lucky to speak with a room full of young people at the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering this week, at an ‘ask me anything’ session. So many of them were worried that the university system was not delivering, and that, for students, fear of debt was making them think twice about further education and distorting subject choices.

November 23, 2025

Working with PM Fraser - parting words - Part 5 - Malcolm Fraser

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

November 15, 2025

This Russian victory really is one for the little guy

The Castle remains good law in Australia. Almost three decades since the battling suburban solicitor Dennis Denuto introduced us all to the high legal concept of “the vibe of the thing”, the High Court has broadly endorsed the classic movie’s basic contention: a man’s home is his castle.

January 11, 2026

Best of 2025 - Between two wounds: Gaza confronts Trump's plan to end the war

On a cold morning in central Gaza City, Nevin Al-Barbari, 35, sat in what remained of her family home, watching her two-year-old daughter, Reem, explore the rooms she had only recently come to know.

December 5, 2025

Words or action? Dreyfus and human rights at home

Mark Dreyfus has been appointed Australia’s special envoy on human rights. Is the government prepared to match international advocacy with concrete action at home – by finally legislating a Human Rights Act?

October 23, 2025

Dental health – time for a small, cost-effective revolution

In the many years I’ve been writing about the dental divide, the only movement I’ve seen is in the increasingly bad numbers around poor oral health, waiting lists and costs to patients. It’s time to see dental caries as a preventable disease.

October 22, 2025

Chris Hedges' Edward Said memorial lecture: ‘Requiem for Gaza’

Journalist Chris Hedges delivers the 2025 Edward Said Memorial Lecture, “Requiem for Gaza” in Adelaide, Australia.

October 10, 2025

Australia’s next big bet lies East, not West

It is in Asia where Australia’s bread is buttered. And Canberra needs a strategy on the security impact that is a gathering tide from the economic impact of Trump’s tariffs on our interests there.

December 12, 2025

Why the Vatican’s latest word on women deacons has angered reformers

A newly released Vatican document on women deacons has sparked anger among Catholic reformers, revealing deep resistance to change, clericalism, and the marginalisation of women in church leadership.

January 28, 2026

How the new hate laws could chill protest in Australia

Australia’s new hate laws give ministers broad powers to ban groups – but uncertainty about what counts as a “hate crime” risks chilling legitimate political protest.

November 11, 2025

After Trump goes home

If anyone had any lingering doubts about the change in the world order, the sight of President Trump pumping his fist into the air at the doorway of Air Force One, before turning his back on Asia to fly home, they should be put to bed now.

Pearls and Irritations

John Menadue's Public Policy Journal