In-depth analysis of the day’s news, plus stories and gossip from Australian politics.
What keeps President Xi awake at night?
Australia has earned the international community’s respect — and got China’s attention — with our highly visible resistance to Beijing’s…
Budget week is looming - as are electric shocks over power prices and reliability
Last month energy minister Angus Taylor cited analysis by the Australian Energy Market Operator showing falls in wholesale electricity to…
Locusts this lunchtime? The CSIRO recommends them
Australia’s peak science body says we should eat insects to save the planet. “Follow the science,” they say. Like hell.…
Is a royal commission the best way to tackle veterans’ suicides?
The announcement by the Morrison Government to appoint a royal commission into the suicides of Australian war veterans will come…
Xinjiang: the road to terror
Xinjiang is where Communism sits naked, spread over the deserts and mountains, exposing its vicious desire to exploit people in…
Sex, gender and the politics of domestic violence
Dividing society into groups of angels and demons is an unhelpful game that is played in our nation around issues…
Is this how Daleks dress for Mardi Gras?
Is this how Daleks dress for Mardi Gras or Extinction Rebellion acting like idiots again in their latest newsletter? It’s…
Good government needs a good opposition
Here’s a quick point more than a few people overlook. What a government can and cannot do politically depends in…
How David Attenborough and the catastrophist crew have humanity wrong
“‘Humans are intruders’ and the natural world is better off without us, says Sir David Attenborough,” runs the Independent’s headline. It’s a…
A cause worth dying for – versus euthanasia
The government’s attitude to death is paradoxical. While imposing restrictive rules on the population last year to prevent us from…
A “fairer and healthier world” needs a better public health agency than the WHO
As Covid-19 continues to wreak havoc in the world, killing hundreds of thousands in India while triggering fears about another lockdown in Perth,…
Higher prices, lower competitiveness as Daniel Andrews goes it alone on emissions
Victoria has announced its intent to go much further than the federal government in requiring the substitution of renewable energy for the much cheaper and more secure energy…
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. The Budget is tomorrow week, and Josh Frydenberg has spent much of…
The Sydney Writers’ Festival: so woke you want to call for blood tests
The guest list for the Sydney Writers’ Festival reads like a roll call for the Spanish Inquisition. Sure, there are…
Scott Morrison’s finest hour?
Last Thursday night at the United Israel Appeal dinner in Sydney, Scott Morrison gave the most important speech of any Australian Prime Minister…
Counterfeit drugs and fake COVID vaccines endanger us all
Attitudes to Covid vaccines range from those who won’t countenance them under any circumstances to those so eager to be vaccinated they are willing to bypass official channels and purchase a vaccine on the black…
We can protect ourselves from sharks and still protect our seas
The Margaret River Pro — a surfing equivalent of the Australia Open — gets underway today in the magnificent waters…
What Kevin Rudd gets wrong about church and state
Scott Morrison has been recently pilloried for outlining how his Christian faith positively influences his role as Australia’s Prime Minister.…
Spectator Australia TV: Are we heading towards war with China?
A big show this week, featuring Senator James Paterson, John Ruddick, Professor Ian Plimer, the Institute of Public Affairs’ Bella…
Our Aussie contenders for the 2022 Oscars in full
It’s Academy Award time and the votes are in for best female black actor in a male Latino role. Meanwhile…
Vaccine passports create a two-tier society
Let us be blunt and upfront. The idea of implementing vaccine passports in Australia would surely be anathema to most Australians. A…
What ever happened to good old fashioned innuendo?
Where did innuendo go? That is the question that has been bugging me recently. I listen to a lot of…
If you want peace, prepare for war
This past weekend, Australian Defence Minister Peter Dutton suggested that a conflict with China over Taiwan could not be discounted. However,…
China’s wolf warriors now sound like Q&A panellists – and that’s a real worry
China’s wolf warriors have spent the week snarling away at Australia, but one attack has really stood out. It came…
The ATO is a threat to the rule of law
You’d think that the Australian Taxation Office shouldn’t present a threat to the rule of law in Australia. You’d think that that sort…