In-depth analysis of the day’s news, plus stories and gossip from Australian politics.
Bureaucracy and Safetyism: the ugly sisters
One of the more annoying phrases that has slithered its way into public discussion is: ‘If it saves one life,…
Positano, Amalfi coast, Italy
The little motor boat with the red fish sign flying on what would have been a mast had it been…
Ocean of peace in a world of war
As a consequence of my Scottish Jewish heritage, I only read a newspaper if it is free. Since Covid, newspapers…
What’s happening in Korea?
I love the Republic of Korea. It is a country I can visit over and over without ever tiring of…
The Department of Inefficiency and Public Waste
How spending on Renewable energy is costing us a fortune
The precursor to Armageddon?
On Thursday, November 21, Russia, in an escalation of its war with Ukraine, fired a new kind of missile at…
The era of Truthophobia
Have you noticed how our language has shifted to ‘untruths’, ‘misinformation’, or the more nefarious accusation of ‘disinformation’? Apparently, misinformation…
Cash is under attack
We are being forced into a cashless society by two powerful forces – the banks (seeking more money) and the…
The limits to wind farming
150 years ago the Chief Surveyor in South Australia, George Goyder, drew a line across the map to warn prospective…
The ABC: a billion dollars of cringe
‘Their whole body is made of glass. How can people react in such a, frankly, demonic fashion? I really stand…
Is Australia copying Pakistan’s electricity grid?
In the quiet residential enclaves of Islamabad, my wife and I learned to live with an unreliable electricity network. Blackouts…
America scorns as Biden pardons his son, Hunter
The left-leaning press are calling President Joe Biden’s decision to pardon his son ‘heartfelt’, while others see it as a…
Australia Day pub apology
Someone didn’t get the memo that Woke is out and patriotism is in. The election of flag-embracing Donald Trump as…
Tasmanian premier demands answer on salmon farming by Christmas
Green or pink? This is the question plaguing Tasmania where the future of farmed salmon is swiftly becoming the election…
More ABC silliness in the silly season
It is officially the silly season during which people tend to wear funny red and green hats and have way…
Learning from the past
Beginning in 1914, the first world war closed our overseas markets and our significant imports were cut off. Disrupted shipping…
Nato membership for Ukraine: a path to peace or prolonged conflict?
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s recent comments suggesting that Nato protection for Ukrainian territories still under Kyiv’s control could end the ‘hot…
Dulce et Decorum est
It is sweet and fitting to die for one’s country. At least, that is the translation of the Latin epitaph…
The misinformation bill is dead, but equally oppressive laws coming
While the federal Misinformation and Disinformation Bill has been abandoned, planned new Victorian anti-hate speech laws will widen the net…
Will the misinformation zombie rise in ’25?
The stunning rebuke of the federal government’s proposed misinformation laws has seen freedom of speech live to fight another day.…
More university bureaucracy, more problems
The modern world has a bureaucracy problem. When confronted with an issue, the typical response from government is to create…
Dear Mr Dutton, we want something else (with love from Barcelona)
From Barcelona: It’s hard to escape Australian politics when I see examples of inaction all over the Iberian Peninsula. The…
Instead of democracy, we have autocracy
I am sad to tell you that last night we saw the decline of our democracy. The Senate passed 32…
Under 16 social media ban passes the Senate
As expected, without a public mandate or any sort of proper consultation, Australia has passed what is being described as…
Old Chisel, but no retro trip
My brother and I meet at Flinders Street Station and immediately notice we’re wearing identical clothing, as if it had…
Editor’s picks
Magazine
Trump punctures India’s hype
But risks significant harm to their strategic partnership as an Indo-Pacific counterweight to China
