The Labour Party in Opposition in New Zealand describes the new National Party government as the coalition of chaos. Others call it the three headed monster. It appears that at least one of the monster’s minor heads is doing more talking than its leader. The election produced a win for National under Prime Minister Christopher Continue reading »
Government
“The majority of the Australian parliament, including the Australian government and the Prime Minister are of the view that regardless of what you think about Julian Assange, the fact is he’s been incarcerated in one way or another for twelve years or so. The matter has gone on long enough that the extradition should be Continue reading »
Natural resources are owned by the people of Australia, but mining companies don’t like paying us for the resources they take out of the ground. And when they look like having to pay more, their response is swift and brutal. The way Lang Hancock told it, he discovered the vast iron ore deposits in the Continue reading »
How governments approach Indigenous governance is crucial to addressing the reform task set by the Productivity Commission’s recent report. The Productivity Commission’s recent review of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap challenges Australian governments to fundamentally reconfigure how they engage with First Nations organisations. Modernising how government organisations approach Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Continue reading »
Since the birth of Indonesian democracy 25 years ago, Indonesians have called their elections ‘pesta demokrasi’, a celebration of democracy. But voters don’t so much choose between parties and policies as between individuals… and those individuals have ever-shifting allegiances: dance partners. On 14 February 2024, as in previous elections, voters will choose between those dance-partners. Continue reading »
There’ll be a good indicator – if not a firm result – by the time most Australians go to bed tonight. Then we’ll know if the ferociously ambitious Prabowo Subianto – Indonesia’s political psychopath – will be running the nation next door and booting out democracy. The Economist Intelligence Unit has consistently tagged Indonesia as Continue reading »
On 14 February, Indonesia holds simultaneous elections for the presidency and national and regional legislatures. The runes suggest the current Defence Minister, Prabowo Subianto is on track to be the next President. He will not be boring. To win a presidential election, a presidential/vice-presidential ticket must gain more than 50% of the vote. If none Continue reading »
The Australian Parliament failed to recognise its responsibilities last week when Greens Leader Adam Bandt, responding to the International Court of Justice interim ruling to prevent genocide, initiated a vote for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Australians are indebted to human rights champions Adam Bandt, Elizabeth Watson Brown, Stephen Bates, Max Chandler-Mather, Helen Haines and Continue reading »
Last month, news bubbled that the Victorian State government had inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Israeli Defence Ministry in December 2022. “As Australia’s advanced manufacturing capital, we are always exploring economic and trade opportunities for our state – especially those that create local jobs,” a government spokesperson stated in January. In March Continue reading »
In most democratic western countries, certainly in the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand, politics manifests as a duopoly. Why is it that in spite of cultural, racial and social divisions the world over, personality takes precedence over policies? Decisions about which party to vote for is more often than not based on the perceived Continue reading »