The use of immigration detention in Australia has expanded well beyond its original intended purpose. It has become a political tool, a convenient proxy for dealing with issues that should be dealt with in other parts of government and a vehicle for delivery of immense cruelty. There was a certain inevitability that the High Court Continue reading »
politics
Peak Palestinian advocacy organisations condemn allegations against visiting UN human rights expert. The Australian Friends of Palestine Association (AFOPA) and the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN) condemn the statement circulated by the Australia Israel and Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) in response to the National Press Club address by the visiting UN Rapporteur on the situation Continue reading »
If I had lived under a siege all my life in a tiny open air prison camp – if I had no hope for the future – I too might be tempted to violently resist a brutal, unrelenting and illegal occupation, which is my right under international law. In recent decades citizens of liberal democracies Continue reading »
At the end of October, three weeks after the brutal Hamas attack on Israeli civilians and soldiers that killed around 1200 people, US President Joe Biden said that he still firmly believed in the justness of the two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians. Two states for two peoples. “There’s no going back to the status Continue reading »
“Today I serve my country. And the question I have for you, Anthony Albanese is, ‘Who do you serve?’” – David McBride On Monday November 13, I joined the throng of media and David McBride supporters, crowding the courtyard outside the ACT Supreme Court. It was the start of The Afghan Files prosecution of military whistleblower Continue reading »
There is a truism that I often cite when discussing the various analytical approaches to assessing the wide variety of geopolitical problems facing the world today—you can’t solve a problem unless you first properly define it. The gist of the argument is quite simple—any solution which has nothing to do with the problem involved is, Continue reading »
In twelve months time Americans will go to the polls to elect the next President. Is the world prepared for the outcome? It is almost impossible to imagine a second election victory for such a manifestly unsuitable candidate for President of the United States as Donald trump. I still think, on the balance of probabilities Continue reading »
For the last three decades the Reserve Bank of Australia has focused on just one economic goal – a rate of inflation between 2 and 3 per cent. It is a goal they have pursued relentlessly since 1993, regardless of how effective or fair it is. Last Tuesday they increased the cash rate yet again. Continue reading »
Australian national and state governments are very good at holding inquiries and releasing reports aimed at tackling wicked problems. Top of today’s long list is Domestic and Family Violence (DFV), where all governments combined to produce another National Plan last year: “On 17 October 2022, the Australian, state and territory governments released the National Plan to End Violence Continue reading »
Last week we reposted an article about anti semitism by Bob Carr that was first posted by Pearls and Irritations on June 6, 2022. We highlighted that the article was a re-post. Some readers however did not notice that it was a re-post. The re-post was poorly timed. It was a mistake on my part. Continue reading »