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Pearls and Irritations

John Menadue's Public Policy Journal
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November 5, 2025

The press and the Dismissal – Part I

On the morning of 15 October 1975, most major newspapers advocated in their editorials that the Labor Government should go.

November 7, 2025

When in doubt, blame China (every News Corp headline needs a villain)

If you only skimmed the headlines from News Corp, you’d be forgiven for thinking China was launching a krill-powered naval strike from Antarctica, staging an electric vehicle blitzkrieg across the outback and forcing Hyundai into some humiliating act of surrender.

December 14, 2025

How charitable are Australians? Three charts show how much we give

New data shows fewer Australians are claiming tax-deductible donations and our global ranking for generosity is slipping. Changing giving habits, the rise of online fundraisers and an ageing donor base all help explain what the statistics miss.

October 30, 2025

Why the annexation of the West Bank matters to all of us

Between 1 January and 30 September 2025, Israeli authorities carried out 1288 demolitions of Palestinian-owned structures in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

November 27, 2025

Gaza’s economy has collapsed beyond recognition

Gaza’s economy, society and basic infrastructure have been almost entirely wiped out. With 90 per cent of people displaced, food systems destroyed and schools and hospitals in ruins, reconstruction is becoming harder by the day.

November 26, 2025

Western Australia is rich, but it's not the economic powerhouse it claims to be

Western Australian politicians claim the state is the “powerhouse” of the national economy and deserves an outsized share of GST revenue. The ABS State Accounts for 2024–25 tell a different story, revealing a decade of weak growth, falling per capita output and a system that rewards WA despite clear under-performance.

December 1, 2025

‘Genocide is not over,’ Amnesty leader says as Israel keeps bombing Gaza

“So far, there is no indication that Israel is taking serious measures to reverse the deadly impact of its crimes and no evidence that its intent has changed.”

November 18, 2025

Sudan cannot be an invisible tragedy

The end of violence must be a first step in the Sudan Civil War. And Australia has a key role to play.

October 20, 2025

Albanese meets Trump: A fly to a wanton schoolboy

Paul Begley looks at how the Australian prime minister might “manage” his scheduled meeting with Donald Trump this week.

January 11, 2026

Best of 2025 - Journos as heroes and villains - 'The Hack' reviewed - Part 1

In films and on the small screen, journalists are portrayed as heroes or villains. In The Hack they are both. Does this reflect the diminished, benighted standing journalists hold in society today or is it a step forward in showing the complexities of the work?

January 10, 2026

Best of 2025 - Ben Saul on Palestinian recognition and the Trump plan

At the National Press Club this week, Ben Saul argued that Australia is more than a “modest middle power” and must step up on Palestine.

November 22, 2025

Never underestimate a shearer's cook

What comes next for Liberal leader Sussan Ley after the party walked away from committing to net zero?_

October 13, 2025

Ignorance is complicity: Australia must end its arms trade with those committing crimes

Rayana Ajam is one of six talented young Australians who will travel to the UN General Assembly in New York next week as part of the Global Voices project.

October 10, 2025

Our American obsession

I have spent seven years of my life in the United States and much of my writing has been influenced by the US.

October 29, 2025

How UN betrayal of West Papua led to genocide, step by step

The United Nations has recently come under attack from the Trump Administration and, much as it goes against the grain, it’s difficult to argue with real-estate-developer-cum-ambassador-representative for UN Management and Reform [sic], Jeff Bartos:

October 27, 2025

The future of Palestine: What Australia must do

Responding to continuing slaughter in Gaza is a test of Australian politicians and the government’s courage.

November 16, 2025

From populism to progress: The Netherlands’ historic election

The Netherlands has been at the centre of a political shake-up in recent weeks, with the vote count only just finalised.

December 7, 2025

History, memory, and pain: Fifty years after the Indonesian invasion of East Timor

On 7 December 2025, fifty years since Indonesian troops invaded East Timor, survivors and their descendants continue to live with the legacy of occupation, violence and loss – and to insist that remembrance, truth and justice still matter.

November 25, 2025

Axed AG tells how Labor really changes the Constitution

Despite Labor’s longstanding appetite for constitutional reform, former Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus now points to a different path: bold, nation-shaping change without the need for a referendum.

November 10, 2025

‘Hawkish’ interpretations rise as US-China discourse gets lost in translation

In an echo of the Cold War, mistranslations are testing already strained nerves in Washington and Beijing.

November 15, 2025

Trick or treaty? Don't know, can't say

The Indonesian print media covering the one-day visit of President Prabowo Subianto to Australia this month has dazzled its readers with some splendid insights into a serious issue.

November 9, 2025

Rewriting Soeharto's story

Indonesian conservatives are rewriting the 32-year history of the late second president Soeharto, a former army general, champion of corruption and destroyer of democracy.

December 17, 2025

The long consequences of forgetting

As climate breakdown, war and institutional failure converge, the comforts of forgetting no longer shield us from the consequences of our own history.

October 22, 2025

The Pope, the media and the 'normalisation' of Trump

As world media and leaders normalise US President Donald Trump’s erratic behaviour, Pope Leo XIV must resist and keep his distance.

January 12, 2026

Best of 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"._

November 21, 2025

Assessing the Liberal Party's policy-making capacity

Good policy should be evidence-based. But this is not the case with the Liberals energy policy and seems unlikely with their migration policy.

November 30, 2025

Led Zeppelin, my band that never ‘made it’, and the lost art of failure

Our culture treats success as virtue and failure as personal flaw. Older traditions – from Greek tragedy to Christian thought – saw failure as meaningful. Recovering that wisdom may be essential to living with dignity in an age of burnout.

November 12, 2025

The debate about net zero ignores the evidence

Those in the Coalition who are opposed to targeting net zero carbon emissions, argue that it will cost too much. But that claim is false and not supported by the evidence. How can they get away with it?

October 11, 2025

Almost no Australians study Chinese any more. That’s a problem

Fewer than five Australians per year are graduating from honours programs in Chinese studies with language, raising fears the nation is losing the expertise needed to navigate its most complex foreign relationship.

January 14, 2026

Best of 2025 - Open letter to David Marr on his interview with Chris Hedges

Well-known journalist Chris Hedges, whose talk scheduled to be delivered at the National Press Club was suddenly cancelled, was confronted by the ABC’s Late Night Live host David Marr in an unexpectedly ferocious interview. One reader took exception to this.

November 29, 2025

Gaza’s true death toll could be 126,000 or even higher

New research suggests Gaza’s death toll may be far higher than widely reported, with devastating implications for life expectancy, poverty and accountability.

October 28, 2025

It's no longer possible to be a Palestinian in the West Bank

In the West Bank, no one has heard about the ceasefire in Gaza: not the army, not the settlers, not the Civil Administration and, of course, not the three million Palestinians who live under their tyranny. They do not feel the end of the war in the slightest.

October 8, 2025

Trump’s Gaza peace plan: Today, tomorrow and the day after

Back in January last year, my  Toda Policy Brief 182 was published with the title “Israel and Gaza: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow”.

December 19, 2025

MYEFO leaves the hard work on inflation, debt and budget repair undone

The latest MYEFO shows only marginal improvement in the budget outlook, while deficits persist and fiscal settings continue to complicate the Reserve Bank’s task.

October 18, 2025

One more betrayal of the Palestinians

The history of the Palestinians is a history of betrayal. In the wake of World War I, Britain and France redrew the map of the Middle East to suit their own ends.

December 2, 2025

We’re not about to go full Trump no matter what the culture warriors say

Strains on social cohesion cannot be dismissed as the embrace of multiculturalism has made the task of defining what holds the community together more challenging.

October 26, 2025

Living with schizophrenia

The title of this book is emblematic. It gets to the heart of the problem of schizophrenia, indeed within the authors’ preface.

January 5, 2026

Best of 2025 - Chasing a chimera: The political dream of AUKUS that consumes reality

For the sake of taxpayers, let’s hope that the Audit Office is inspecting the AUKUS books closely.

November 3, 2025

‘No restrictions’ and a secret ‘wink’: Inside Israel’s deal with Google, Amazon

To secure the lucrative Project Nimbus contract, the tech giants agreed to disregard their own terms of service and sidestep legal orders by tipping Israel off if a foreign court demands its data, a joint investigation reveals.

November 1, 2025

Understanding Australia-China research mobility

Australia’s research partnership with China is a significant component of its scientific output, particularly in engineering, technology and applied sciences.

November 6, 2025

New York, 1975: New York, 2025

Zoran Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist Muslim, has won his bid to become Mayor of New York. David Rosen looks at how the city he will run has changed in 50 years.

October 31, 2025

The leader most capable of governing a future Palestinian state is languishing in an Israeli jail

As the future of Gaza hangs in the balance, the Palestinian Authority needs renewal if it’s to eventually govern the Strip and play a key role in making the two-state solution a reality.

October 9, 2025

Journos as heroes and villains - 'The Hack' reviewed - Part 1

In films and on the small screen, journalists are portrayed as heroes or villains. In The Hack they are both. Does this reflect the diminished, benighted standing journalists hold in society today or is it a step forward in showing the complexities of the work?

November 28, 2025

Trump is melting down: Is this the beginning of the end?

Mental health professionals are warning that Donald Trump’s behaviour poses serious risks to democratic governance and international security – yet the media largely looks away.

October 16, 2025

Reuniting families: reforming Australia’s approach

Saffron Williams is one of six talented young Australians who will travel to the UN General Assembly in New York next week as part of the Global Voices project.

December 10, 2025

Too many states, too little nation: time to fix the federation

Australia’s federal system was designed for the nineteenth century. Today it produces duplication, dysfunction and state parochialism that frustrate national governance and reform.

October 25, 2025

Misinformation was rife during the 2025 election. New research shows many people were unable to identify it

Misinformation has become a routine part of daily life, shaping public discourse and distorting perceptions. A  new report reveals that in the two weeks prior to the 2025 federal election, almost two-thirds (60%) of adults reported coming across election misinformation. Only 19% didn’t come across it and 21% were unsure.

October 17, 2025

Climate change causing oceans to decline at alarming rate

Climate change and human activity are causing the health of the world’s oceans to decline at an alarming rate, the UN has warned.

December 3, 2025

Coalition’s Australian values test is the ultimate dog whistle

Sussan Ley’s so-called “values test” exposes the Coalition’s desperation to court the far-Right under the guise of patriotism.

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