There are some things in our ‘shrinking nation’ that are not shrinking. There are the obvious ones that have dominated the news – petrol prices, rents, the indexation of HECS/HELP debt, the cost of living in general, and, appallingly, domestic violence. And there are the ones that have been creeping up ever since COVID – Continue reading »
Government
This was not always my view. Like most people I examined where I could minimize my tax – where there were offsets to be gained through education, membership of professional bodies, charity donations, equipment, including computer hardwater/software/paper etc. I also had shares and a rental property so used negative gearing and imputation credits. It all Continue reading »
Australian university students are setting up encampments in universities across Australia. They are not only calling for an end to the war on Gaza and freedom for Palestinians, they are calling for key changes needed in Australian universities’ relationships with Israel, including divestments in weapons research and development and sales and the cessation of links Continue reading »
In 2025 Australians are due to vote in another federal election, this time to elect their nation’s 48th parliament. In past elections Australians have been required to cast their votes in favour of whatever candidates might stand for office. But those candidates have always set their own agendas and their electoral tactics have relied on Continue reading »
Mike Pezzullo’s mea culpa should convince no-one that he understands the seriousness of his breaches of the Code of Conduct or the responsibilities that go with being a departmental secretary. He still seems not to appreciate the fundamental Westminster principle of the separation of politics from administration. He blurs the two in his claim that Continue reading »
You can’t solve a problem without talking about it, honestly. Take the impact of climate disruption on security. “Too hot to handle: The scorching reality of Australia’s climate–security failure” is a report published this week by the Australian Security Leaders Group (ASLCG) . This article is an extract from the report. One line of evidence Continue reading »
India, regarded as a friendly nation by Australia, operated what is being called a “nest of spies” in this country, the ABC reports, adding that the group was kicked out in 2020 after the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation discovered what they were up to. The ABC report came on the same day that the Washington Continue reading »
AUKUS and associated propaganda might make men feel safe but will do nothing for women. A recent Australian Institute of Criminology report showed an increase in the numbers of women being killed by partners, current or former. See: AIC Reports Statistical Report 46 Hanah Miles and Samantha Bricknell Homicide in Australia 2022-23. The researchers interpreted Continue reading »
I remember watching a timid singer walk on stage and when he opened his mouth to introduce himself, out came a French accent. The audience mewed and cooed in awe. The next contestant tenuously stepped onto the stage and started to speak. Her accent was Chinese. The audience’s reaction was completely different. Racism manifests in Continue reading »
The ‘National Defence Strategy’ is not a strategy. It is an ideology. An ideology that firmly ties Australia’s future to that of the United States. A horrifying thought. Australia apparently faces the ‘most complex and challenging strategic environment since the Second World War’. From the perspective of the underpinnings of Australian defence policy for many Continue reading »