Flat White

In-depth analysis of the day’s news, plus stories and gossip from Australian politics.

The Great Covid Debate

28 March 2024 3:00 am

Recently, dedicated vaccine supporter Jack the Insider took on NSW Libertarian MP John Ruddick, who has opposed Covid vaccines from…

Australian Universities Accord to take the hammer to TAFE

28 March 2024 2:30 am

Amid an acute nationwide worker shortage, only the political class in Canberra would propose something as counterproductive as the takeover…

Is corporate Australia ashamed of Easter?

28 March 2024 2:00 am

This week, Holy Week for Christians, I went to a Westfield shopping mall in Melbourne. Being the week before Easter,…

The art of ugliness

27 March 2024 3:30 am

All art is political, said Orwell. To say otherwise is a political statement. In a time of mass society and…

The era of informed consent is over

27 March 2024 3:00 am

In a significant blow to patient autonomy, informed consent has been quietly revoked just 77 years after it was codified…

Mass migration and state ‘Voices’ fuel distrust in democracy

27 March 2024 2:30 am

Opinion polls from around the world show an accelerating decline in trust in democracy. In a recent American poll, only…

Ad-free media? There is no ad-free media…

27 March 2024 2:00 am

Commercial media promotes goods, services, functions, and political messages for those prepared to pay for these services. The government-owned ABC…

Carbon Pawprints: North Korea has gone to the dogs, and so have environmentalists

27 March 2024 1:23 am

In 2020, the dictator of North Korea, Kim Jong-Un, ordered the confiscation of dogs owned by those living in the…

Health insurers experiment with nine-day fortnights

26 March 2024 10:21 am

It is reported that health insurer BUPA is ‘trialling’ a nine-day fortnight for its staff, meaning it is looking to…

E-scooters and e-bikes are on the rise. Will we ever walk again?

26 March 2024 2:30 am

In 2022, Utrecht (Holland) was ranked the world’s most bike-friendly city. Australia seems keen to compete, with the number of…

Fatal flaws exposed in the Net Zero transition. What is to be done?

26 March 2024 2:00 am

According to NSW’s Ausgrid, the most recent AEMO draft Integrated System Plan (ISP) for electricity supply will require $325 billion…

If the ABC reforms itself, would you watch it?

25 March 2024 10:09 pm

Kim ‘the Renaissance man’ Williams has promised to fix the national broadcaster

Kept in the dark: Chinese Foreign Minister visit was a wake-up call

25 March 2024 10:41 am

This week’s provocative visit from Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was a wake-up call for those who have spun us…

Treasurer’s antifragile Budget just another black swan

25 March 2024 10:30 am

The Treasurer is like a boss who enthusiastically makes everyone’s life a misery with every new fad. Only this time,…

The ABC once made jokes, now it is a joke

25 March 2024 10:26 am

I have fond memories of ABC’s Wednesday night programming around 2005-10 when the best comedies they had to offer used…

Canada is the country to watch for conservatives

25 March 2024 2:00 am

Pierre Poilievre is the gambler’s choice to become Canada’s next Prime Minister and he is becoming an international political superstar…

Alexandra Marshall Live S2E7 with Michael de Percy

25 March 2024 12:15 am

Speccie regular and senior lecturer of political science, Michael de Percy, joins the show to unpick the crazy political landscape.…

Tasmania’s hung Parliament exposes the failure of major parties

24 March 2024 1:17 pm

The Liberals have tentatively claimed ‘victory’ in Tasmania, but who knows if that will hold until Monday. If it does,…

From pioneers to puppets

24 March 2024 12:15 am

When the first Europeans arrived to settle in Australia, it mattered not whether they were administrators, convicts, army officers, or…

Princess Catherine fights cancer, as does our Crown

23 March 2024 4:19 pm

The announcement that Catherine, Princess of Wales, is undergoing chemotherapy treatment for cancer has left many across the world, especially…

The World Jewish Congress investigates Wikipedia

23 March 2024 3:00 am

It’s no news to Spectator Australia readers that Wikipedia has the potential to be usurped by biased editors and biased…

Fencing

23 March 2024 2:30 am

Persistent thumping and early morning glare woke Anton. As he opened his eyes, through a torn and flimsy curtain, he…

Bitcoin: not a fad, not a scam

23 March 2024 2:00 am

Throw open the door to bitcoin miners

Gasp! The Christians are voting in Tasmania

22 March 2024 4:32 pm

It’s election week in Tasmania, and former leader of the Australian Greens, Christine Milne, appears to be clutching her pearls…

The unions are at war with NAPLAN (and why it must be saved)

22 March 2024 10:20 am

Like clockwork, NAPLAN’s most vocal critics have again shown they miss the point of the national assessment. Around 1.3 million…