In-depth analysis of the day’s news, plus stories and gossip from Australian politics.
The West is Red?
Just who really runs Western Australia? How long will it be until some Sam Dastyari-style scandal emerges in the state’s…
Dishonesty, thy name is Leftie
Now that two well-credentialed academics acceptable to the left have debunked Bruce Pascoe’s blindly acclaimed ‘history’ book Dark Emu as…
Jacinta Price: now for the real challenges
Jacinta Price has won the top spot on the Country Liberal Party’s Senate house ticket and, if usual electoral patterns…
Meet the Irukandji jellyfish: deadlier than coronavirus
The Irukandji jellyfish, Wikipedia tells us, are any of several similar, extremely venomous species of box jellyfish. with a very…
Don’t burn the budget. Bring back the firesticks
New South Wales Treasurer Dominic Perrottet has announced the latest fix for our bushfire problems. Unsurprisingly it involves big spending.…
Getting Ridd of junk science
As the High Court judges retire to consider the Science Case of the Year, Peter Ridd v James Cook University,…
Why don’t we hear about the $40,000 per household cost of decarbonisation?
The Irish Times reports that an IMF study of Ireland estimates that the nation will need to spend 20 billion euros a…
When can conservatives disobey the law?
The great English novelist Charles Dickens, based on his experiences, had a very dark view of lawyers and the legal…
It’s time to put power lines underground
In the Irish stronghold of south-west Victoria, St Patrick’s Day is a notable date on the celebration calendar. Danny Boy…
An abundance of dread as Daniel Andrews’ comeback looms
In just days, the architect of one of the worst chapters in the life of Victoria (outside of war and…
It’s time outrage at sexual exploitation extended to prostitution
A story has surfaced about a prostitute in Adelaide who alleged she was raped after a male client removed his condom…
Time for a sports revolution: let’s have Gender of Origin
The SpecOz has already registered disgust at New Zealand male-born Laurel – formerly Gavin – Hubbard’s selection in the Kiwi…
How moderate immoderation is rocking the South Australian Liberals
Something strange is happening to the Liberal Party in South Australia, long captured by the ascendant so-called “moderate” faction, led…
Why the Twits cannot be taken seriously
Did you see the recent Pew surveys in the United States about Twitter? Twitter users make up under a tenth…
Miss New Zealand
Male-born Laurel Hubbard’s admission to the women’s Olympic weightlifting competition as a representative of New Zealand is, of course, absurd. …
Mark Vaile and the new coal-black blacklist
This week has proved the National Party leadership is a poisoned chalice, even when someone hasn’t been leader for years.…
Three in five believe white Australians are ‘victims of discrimination to some extent’
It’s no surprise Inclusive Australia’s ‘Measuring Social Inclusion’ survey last year discovered three out of five respondents “believed that White Australians…
Is Perth the new Fallujah?
It’s a little complicated trying to stay on top of everything and all the premiers — or the coppers or…
Pugnacious polemic and Dark Emu
At the risk of seeming a little obsessed, and possibly boring readers, I wonder if I might be indulged in…
Do we overemphasise ‘smart’ ahead of ‘skilled’ or ‘practical’?
Living back in my hometown — being slightly starved of cultural content — I quickly bought tickets to Bri Lee’s…
John Anderson’s victory
The decision of the good pre-selectors of the National Party to resist the attempt by its remaining elder statesman, John…
Who really benefits from health care?
It’s not obvious who sets health care policy in Australia and it’s not obvious for whose benefit it even is.…
How we’re pushing the off button on China
Another Tuesday, another Essential Poll — one that has some fascinating insights on how we’ve cooled on China. Australians, it…
I joined the South Australian division of the Liberal Party…
Last week, I received a message from two friends on one day. They had tried to join the Liberal Party…
Crikey, it’s the Irwins
The biggest takeaway from Andrew Denton’s 2003 interview with Steve Irwin on Enough Rope was how much Steve idolised his father Bob.…
Editor’s picks
Magazine
