November 22, 2017

ALISON BROINOWSKI. If you want to know the truth

WikiLeaks continues to get up the nose of the media and security establishment. They will use a newly revealed proposal to make Assange Ambassador to Washington to make things worse for him.

November 26, 2017

BOB CARR. Foreign Policy White Paper: Faulty roadmap in a GPS world.

While the Australian governments Foreign Policy White Paper was at the printers, it was being overtaken by events.

October 17, 2018

MICHAEL PASCOE. Scott Morrisons Australia resembles the 51st American state (the New Daily, 17.10.18)

Were a sovereign nation, said Scott Morrison. And then proceeded to act as if we were not, as if Australia was not merely an American vassal, but a Donald Trump toy.

July 24, 2019

MICHAEL GRACEY. Closing that Aboriginal Health Gap

The persisting poor health of Aboriginal people over decades is an embarrassing stain on our national reputation and one that seems obstinately difficult to erase. How can this situation be effectively managed?

March 6, 2018

Michael Lambert: Trumps Steel and Aluminium Tariffs

President Trump has foreshadowed tariffs of 25% on all imported steel and 10% on all imported aluminium, reversing Americas historic commitment to free trade and proper governance in trade policy. It is also repeating an action taken by George W Bush in 2002 which completely failed and was reversed in 2003.

January 8, 2018

How America lost its faith in expertise, and why that matters. Good holiday reading

(In this article in Foreign Affairs Professor Tom Nichols points to great public ignorance in the US about the world and the role of the US. The result is disturbing.)

In 2014, following the Russian invasion of Crimea, The Washington Post published the results of a poll that asked Americans about whether the United States should intervene militarily in Ukraine. Only one in six could identify Ukraine on a map; the median response was off by about 1,800 miles. But this lack of knowledge did not stop people from expressing pointed views. In fact, the respondents favored intervention in direct proportion to their ignorance. Put another way, the people who thought Ukraine was located in Latin America or Australia were the most enthusiastic about using military force there.

September 3, 2019

MARK DIESENDORF and RICHARD BROINOWSKI - A Push for Nuclear Weapons?

A recent push for nuclear power in Australia has been promoted by the usual public advocates and amplified by the Murdoch press.

August 21, 2018

DAVID SPRATT & IAN DUNLOP. In the climate end-game, humanity has a big decision to make

Humanity has a big decision to make very soon about its future on warming planet, but the Federal Coalition is still in denial that human-induced climate change even exists, let alone that the climate end-game is upon us.

May 14, 2019

RICHARD BUTLER Iran: Another US War by Choice

The character and political needs of President Trump and the obsessions of John Bolton are coalescing towards US action directed at regime change in Iran. The reasons given for the current increase in US military deployments in the Persian Gulf demand careful, independent analysis, before Australia responds to any US request that it join it in its actions. It is not simply an Alliance issue.

May 11, 2018

GOOD READING AND LISTENING FOR THE WEEKEND ...

A sense of complacency, a lack of intellectual curiosity, a failure to think about the bigger picture, a pursuit of consensus lessening constructive criticism. These are some of the findings in the Australian Prudential Regulatory Agency report into the Commonwealth Bank. It concludes that CBAs continued financial success dulled the senses of the institution. Its management understood the financial risks, but not the non-financial risks, facing the company.

While were on the subject of finance the budget has attracted a wealth of commentary on Pearls and Irritations. John Falzon, Michael Keating, Giles Parkinson, Ranald MacDonald, Michael Pascoe, Ross Gittins, Ian McAuley and Mungo MacCallum have all contributed. Such is our obsession with fiscal figures that the 1000 pages of budget documentation are almost all about money. But what is money? On the ABCs Minefield there is a rich discussion about money what it is, what it isnt, how its socially useful, and the danger of believing that money has value in itself.

January 21, 2018

ARTHUR STOCKWIN. Explaining one-party dominance in Japanese politics.

In 1990 US scholar TJ Pempel edited a book titled Uncommon Democracies, which wrote about parliamentary democracies where a single party had been unusually dominant. These included Sweden, Italy, Israel, West Germany and Japan. Australia was also a candidate for entry to this group. Of the original members, Japan alone is left.

August 13, 2019

GIDEON RACHMAN. The Asian strategic order is dying. (Financial Times 6.8.2019)

_When somebody is reaching the end of their life, they often suffer from lots of apparently unrelated ailments fevers,_chest pains, unlucky falls. Something similar may happen when a strategic order is dying.

September 17, 2018

GREG BAILEY. Whereto for the LNP and the ALP. Part 2.

What about the ALP which, despite its protestation about its commitment to social justice and the social wage, has also effected neoliberal outcomes over the past three decades? Just witness its recent support to Australia becoming a member of a revised TPPT. And it has done this even in the face of objection from parts of its left wing and the remnants of the union movement. Yet the union movement itself has been corporatized with a number of high profile ex union leaders having moved into the corporate sector.

June 13, 2018

MICHAEL McKINLEY. A possible deep-seated flaw in the ADFs third inquiry into allegations of misconduct and war crimes.

The allegations against rogue elements within the Special Air Service Regiment are, sadly, almost predictable: other, similar units in the military traditions of both Britain and the United States have succumbed to such behaviour in similar circumstances as those faced in Afghanistan. Indeed, they constitute a virtual template for the decline in discipline which is alleged. Equally, there are templates for what to avoid when investigating them, and the ADF, at present, appears to be scoring only two out of three.

August 1, 2018

NEG in the air as Nationals go for coal, and Barnaby goes nuts

The timetable for a final decision on the controversial National Energy Guarantee has been thrown into the air amid a renewed push for coal generation by the National Party following the Coalitions super-Saturday by-election defeats last weekend.

September 18, 2018

WAYNE SWAN. Ten years after the crash, tax competition threatens global economies and democracies.

Ten years ago, the global financial system was rocked by the largest crisis since the Great Depression.

June 5, 2019

JOSEPH STIGLITZ. After Neoliberalism (Project Syndicate, 30 May 2019)

For the past 40 years, the United States and other advanced economies have been pursuing a free-market agenda of low taxes, deregulation, and cuts to social programs. There can no longer be any doubt that this approach has failed spectacularly; the only question is what will and should come next.

July 31, 2019

GEORGE BROWNING. We are the company we keep - A theology of eating

Prime Minister, Scott Morrison has announced he is to go to Washington to have dinner with President Trump. In the past such an invitation would be considered a great honour, especially as few other world leaders receive similar invitations. But these are not ordinary times. What does accepting this invitation mean for Scott Morrison and for Australia?

August 11, 2019

Cambodia a breakout from US encirclement

The encirclement of China with US and allies bases, has its roots in preventing the spread of Communism in SE Asia after WW2. At the height of the Cold War the host countries had no objections as it provided protection and income. With the emergence of China as an economic power, the bases are now used to contain China for challenging US hegemony. This time, the pundits say, US is not going to win.

April 17, 2018

ANDREW FARRAN. Stalemate and Lawlessness over Syria.

On ABC News Radio (Monday 16__th April) Paul Barrett, a former Deputy Secretary of DFAT and former Secretary of the Department of Defence was asked in an interview whether the military actions over the past weekend in Syria by the United States, the UK and France were legal in both international and domestic law.

He replied that they were not legal. When asked if Australian forces had participated would that have been illegal as well? He again replied that it would have been illegal. When asked further whether if he was still in his previous position as Head of the Department of Defence he would see it as his duty to advise the government of the illegality. He said it would be his duty to do so.

July 31, 2019

JOHN DWYER. Another hard to believe example of the weakness of our regulators in protecting consumers from healthcare fraud.

When I was much younger I often dipped into Ripleys Believe it or not for a laugh, amazement and even enlightenment. I had a look at their website recently as I prepared to tell you a story that would fit well into their library and found that Ripleys is alive and well, daily producing their remarkable vignettes; Frederic Baur, creator of Pringles chips had his ashes buried inside one of his cans, the common Swift can stay in the air for 10 months without landing, men only blink half as often as women, cats can be allergic to humans! Well, here is a serious story that is certainly hard to believe but, regrettably, is true.

August 29, 2018

GREG BAILEY. Who wins from Malcolm Turnbulls dismissal?

Who wins from last weeks disastrous week in politics and what can we expect it to give rise to if anything? Nothing occurs in a vacuum and now that the carnage has been temporarily suspended the commentariat is attempting to find continuities and discontinuities that might possess some explanatory value.

August 18, 2019

TREVOR WATSON. Hong Kong Chaos - Beijing weighs its options.

As Hong Kongs anti-administration protests grow stronger and increasingly violent, fears of a Tiananmen Square style response by Beijing also mount. Trevor Watson looks at the difficulty faced by China watchers as they attempt to predict the next move by one of the worlds unpredictable regimes.

December 4, 2017

LAURIE PATTON. Unpopulate or perish - revisiting the Whitlam decentralisation vision in a digital age.

On the 45th anniversary of the election of the Whitlam Government Laurie Patton reflects on a forward-thinking policy that deserves revisiting for a digitally-enabled world.

August 7, 2019

TONY SMITH. Here come the boats and the boots.

When the Australian Government allowed the USA to establish a permanent military base in the Darwin area, it began a process likely to result in expansion. Regardless of how local Hawks might try to depict the latest plans for investment the announcement shows how little they care for Australian autonomy, and indeed, border security.

May 29, 2019

JOHN MENADUE. What should Labor stand for? Some key issues. Part 2 of 3.

At the same time as addressing overarching Labor principles that could guide Labor policies and programs that I will return to in Part 3, there are five immediate issues which must be given priority.

April 22, 2018

MICHAEL PASCOE. The reality of our 'scary' China confrontation.

Fresh on the heels of the Chinese invasion of Vanuatu that wasnt, febrile minds have been seized by the headline-grabbing story of a Chinese navy confrontation with the Royal Australian Navy.The Prime Minister was quicklyready in Londonto assert Australias right to freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.Well, I suppose thats more fun for Mr Turnbull than talking about his role in the battle against the banking royal commission.But before the usual Sinophobe chorus orders all hands on deck and an issue of rum, it might be worth keeping the confrontation in perspective.

August 13, 2019

The US Killed INF, Russia Buried It, China Will Not Disinter It (Australian Outlook 8-8-19)

The end of the first disarmament agreement of the nuclear age will almost certainly be accompanied by American pressure on allies to host US intermediate range missiles.

September 17, 2018

DAVID STEPHENS. The Australian War Memorial admits receiving $1,271,473 over three years in donations from military and defence firms.

During Budget Estimates hearings, then Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon (NSW) asked Dr Brendan Nelson, Director of the Australian War Memorial, how much the Memorial had received in donations from military and defence firms. The answer covered the years 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18 year to date, which would have been almost the full year, as the answer was posted in Hansard on 25 July 2018.

February 21, 2018

Relax, there's no need to follow Trump on company tax - yet

We were mugs to believe what we were told in the election about property prices. The Prime Minister said if negative gearing went and capital gains were better taxed, prices would be smashed. His Treasurer said it would take a sledgehammer to prices.

March 18, 2015

Stephen Duckett. Frequent flyers in health and the way we remunerate doctors.

Time for policy rethink as frequent GP attenders account for 41% of costs.

The Commonwealth governments big idea for primary health care in the past year was to charge everyone who visits the GP a A$7 co-payment. The idea had many problems it could have led to a blowout in emergency department demand; it was inequitable; and itmay not have worked anyway. It has finally been abandoned.

The failed policy betrayed a simplistic belief that all patients are basically the same. The government thought all patients should make a co-payment and all would respond to it in the same way. Eventually, the government decided to exempt some people, but even then, patients were only divided into two categories.

September 18, 2019

CLINTON FERNANDES. Worried about agents of foreign influence? Just look at who owns Australias biggest companies (Conversation 12-9-19)

The attention being given to possible covert influence being exercised by China in Australia shouldnt distract us from recognising that very overt foreign influence now occurs through investment.

August 1, 2018

TIM WOODRUFF. My Health Record: Major Concerns Continue Despite Backdown By Health Minister.

The Federal Government has finally realised that there are major problems with its implementation of the My Health Record.

June 18, 2018

MUNGO MACALLUM. An apology to the victims of sexual abuse

Malcolm Turnbull has always regarded John Howard as some sort of political mentor. But Howard refused to apologise to the stolen generation

December 12, 2017

GEORGE BROWNING. Child sexual abuse, the Church and the Royal Commission.

The findings of the Commission have sent shock waves through the institutional Church and generated disgust in the wider community. Is there any good news, any reason to hope for something better?

October 2, 2017

HYLDA ROLFE. A Sydney icon is under threat - the creeping commercialisation.

In this blog on 20 September 2017 I (John Menadue) described how the new squatters in our National Parks are being given commercial access to our public commons. In NSW and elsewhere National Parks are being deliberately under funded, resulting in park deterioration which will then be used as the pretext for sale or commercialisation.

A former mayor of Woollahra and now Secretary of the Sydney Harbour Association, Hylda Rolfe, in a letter to the Minister for the Environment and Minister for Heritage, Gabrielle Upton, sets out the perils the South Head National Park faces and the unhelpful attitude of the NSW government.

March 6, 2018

PAUL BARRATT. Are all those consultancies really necessary?

The Joint Committee on Public Accounts and Audit is currently conducting an inquiry based on any items, matters or circumstances connected with Auditor-Generals Report No. 19 (2017-18). This report reveals enormous expenditure on consultancy contracts, and the matters being inquired into by JCPAA include the effects on APS capability and capacity; the extent to which consultancy contracts are being used to deliver core APS outcomes; the associated benefits and risks; and unforeseen and unintended consequences.

September 18, 2018

ANDREW PROBYN. What did Rupert Murdoch and Kerry Stokes have to do with the Liberal leadership spill? (ABC News, 18.09.18)

Malcom Turnbull’s demise as Australia’s 29th prime minister was unusual for many reasons, and truly unique for one: his was the first known prime ministership to be the subject of a billionaires’ tug of war between the nation’s most powerful media moguls.

October 4, 2017

SHAUN KING. The White Privilege of the "Lone Wolf" Shooter

White killers are invariably ’lone wolves’ and not terrorists.Muslim and African-Americans killers are treated differently

April 29, 2019

BOB CARR. Australia could be the big loser in a US-China trade deal, not that Donald Trump seems to care (South China Morning Post)

Australia sticking its neck out for the US on the issue of Chinese telecoms giant Huawei will not stop America from striking a trade deal with China that could result in Australian exports suffering

March 17, 2019

New Zealands Loss of Innocence (Project Syndicate, 17 March 2019)

Like the assassination of Olof Palme in Sweden in 1986, the 9/11 attacks in the US, and the murderous rampage of Anders Breivik in Norway in 2011, March 15 will mark the day New Zealand lost its innocence and entered the age of postmodern mass terror. Fortunately, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s response has so far been pitch perfect.

August 12, 2019

Indias Bad Bet in Kashmir (Project Syndicate 7-8-19)

The combination of surging Hindu nationalism in India, Kashmiri grievances against Indias government, Pakistan-backed jihadist groups waging hybrid warfare in Indian Kashmir, the new normal of Indias retaliatory military strikes on Pakistan, and growing nuclear stockpiles has turned Kashmir into a tinderbox. Indias decision to withdraw Kashmirs special status threatens to be the spark that ignites it.

July 21, 2019

Skulduggery by the Morrison & Andrews Governments Robs Victorian Public Schools of Billions

Skulduggery between the Morrison and Victorian Labor Government will defraud Victorian public schools of about $17 billion over ten years to 2028. The new funding agreement between the Commonwealth and Victorian Governments signed last month will mean that public schools will be under-funded indefinitely while private schools are fully funded or more by 2023 at the latest.

September 16, 2018

JOHN MENADUE. Failed leadership in church and state. Repost from 24 August 2018

Good leadership is about facing the group up to the hard issues. Without clearly defining why and how we need to change and creating some disequilibrium there will be no worthwhile change.

In the AFR on September 14 2018 Laura Tingle asked ‘What makes a good leader?’.That article makes a similar case to the one I outlined on 24 August 2018. See below.

July 10, 2019

SUE WAREHAM. Nuclear weapons must be rejected

Professor Hugh Whites recent suggestion that Australia might need to consider nuclear weapons is highly provocative and dangerous. He is helping to legitimise these instruments of terror, and gives credence to the deeply flawed notion of nuclear deterrence. Australia must instead support global efforts for nuclear weapons elimination, especially the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

April 11, 2017

IAN McAULEY. Can we please have a more intelligent debate about corporate taxes

The simple explanation behind the Commonwealths proposal to cut corporate taxes is in terms of a struggle between the interests of business and of the broader community, but it is also about the Coalitions determination, under pressure from vested interests, to wind back the economic reforms of the Hawke-Keating Government.

August 19, 2019

Our China Threat is based on a fundamental error (Australian Financial Review, 19 August 2019)

Andrew Hasties intervention on the China Threat helpfully highlights the extent to which Australias intelligence, security and defence establishment (ISDE) is running Australias China foreign policy. In stark language he has laid out many of the assumptions that underly the supposed Threat. Contrary to the Prime Ministers assertion, as Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, his is no mere private view.

September 17, 2018

NICOLE GIBSON. A Letter to Canberra from a young Australian.

Each Australian story Ive heard is etched on my heart, permanently shifting my views and perspectives on leadership. I pray that you also have the humility to silence the chatter in your own minds and be inspired by the people you represent.

March 7, 2018

The Arms Race Between Elite Sydney Private Schools is Fuelled by Govt Over-Funding.

New figures show that the arms race in ostentatious facilities between elite private schools in Sydney is being fuelled by more than $170 million a year in government over-funding. Over-funding frees up private income from hefty fees and donations to finance opulent buildings and facilities in competition with other elite schools. It denies much needed resources for disadvantaged schools facing severe shortages in teaching staff, educational materials and modern classroom buildings.

Pearls and Irritations

John Menadue's Public Policy Journal