In-depth analysis of the day’s news, plus stories and gossip from Australian politics.
The government is out of its depth in the Facebook fight
The Australian government is completely out of line and out of its depth in intervening in the media industry as,…
The woke wars have made it clear: celebrities aren’t philosophers
The latest Hollywood cancellation has raised the usual hackles. But the problem is that a vacuum in virtuous authority is…
A reality check for Kevin Rudd
In the days of Kevin Rudd’s rise, The Australian’s late, great Bill Leak used to draw him as Tin-Tin. No…
The West secedes – from reality
Western Australians go to the polls in just over three weeks tomorrow, and despite the recent lockdown flap, Premier Mark…
Facebook gives our already battered creative industries another belting
In response to the proposed media bargaining laws, Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook have banned Australian publishers from sharing and viewing…
What’s woke this week?
Woke stories have come in from all parts of the globe this week including Pittsburgh, Auckland and England. Read on to…
Facebook follies: Labor can’t tell their arse from their Albo
Labour communications Michelle Rowland, this morning: Make no mistake, the impact of the decision by Facebook today, which has been…
Why shouldn’t Facebook block news?
Facebook warned us in September that they would block news. Today they have followed through on their word and you…
Immunity passports and the the Leviathan of public health despotism
In his recent book Virus e Leviatano, the veteran Italian journalist Aldo Maria Valli analyses how coronavirus has led to a form of health despotism replacing the rule of…
Ensuring a future for the humanities in Australia
Back in 1951, the great conservative institution-builder William F. Buckley Jr. wrote a book about Yale University. However, what he described occurring in New Haven would ultimately apply more…
Zucked! How to get your fresh SpecOz updates
Like the rest of the Australian media, our benevolent overlord Mark Zuckerberg has decided to exile us from his kingdom,…
Can Parliament House become a less ugly workplace?
Federal parliament this week has been rocked by revelations by a former adviser to the now Defence minister, Linda Reynolds,…
Victoria has no ‘hyper-infectious’ covid plague – and no accountable government
So the lockdown has been lifted and the Premier is letting us out. We can go outside without worrying about…
A warning on windpower from deep in the heart of Texas
Were the South Australian blackouts in 2016 precursors to those that have occurred in Texas during the past few days? …
Meet the new generation of MPs plotting new paths to prosperity
It seems with each passing year strong, principled, and individually held positions on issues economic, social, and political are being usurped by self-interest and…
Would you consider this is the most dangerous man in Australia?
The most recent Covid lockdown of Victorians resulting from hotel quarantine failures must lead many to believe that the incumbent Victorian government is a…
Student debt, the left’s next big campaign
There is barely anything original in Australian universities. And by original, I don’t mean research, but rather how the university…
Melbourne, the most lockdownable city in the world
Drongo alert: this piece may contain traces of satire. None of the quotes are accurate and, if they are, they’ve…
JobKeeper is no substitute for job creating policies
Good parents tell their children, “money does not grow on trees”. Unfortunately, some people did not get the memo and…
No one is conscripted to work in politics, but we must prevent casualties
Your correspondent, having toiled in discrete (and discreet) roles through 30 years in the national capital, federal public servant, Gallery…
The mad Sultan
Deeply read in religion, philosophy, and politics, the Sultan was also impatient and cruel. Does this remind you of anyone?…
Victoria – gold standards in gaslighting
Victoria, according to all the medical experts now running the show, exhibits the gold standard in hotel quarantine and contact…
Viral racism
These are apparently the new naming rules: Spanish Flu — ok UK Variant — ok South African Variant — ok…
Peta for premier
When Peta Credlin rocks up to a media conference to put the pressure on Dan Andrew’s sheer incompetancy, the #IStandWithDan…
Daniel Andrews, the Premier who massacred Valentine’s Day
Yesterday was Valentine’s Day. It was supposed to be a celebration of love. It should also have been the biggest…