Flat White

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

Why isn’t Tony Abbott part of the bushfires royal commission – and other missing common sense

27 February 2020 5:06 pm

Common sense is certainly not common in Australia’s current political class. If we must have a bushfires royal commission, the…

What’s woke this week?

27 February 2020 1:40 pm

This week the dial on our woke-o-meter tried to keep up with the circular reasoning employed by professional offence takers…

The Greens mad monkey business

27 February 2020 10:00 am

We believe it’s important SpecOz readers are across events and fully informed. Most of you would have heard how a…

Settling the science

27 February 2020 5:00 am

So, if the news early last week was that Anthony Albanese refused to back future coal developments, it seems that…

Why and how China secretly supports climate hysteria

26 February 2020 5:40 pm

The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.  Sun Tzu, The Art of War.  Climate hysteria…

How is only teaching climate catastrophism in schools discussion and debate?

26 February 2020 2:16 pm

One of the central tenets of a worthwhile, rigorous and balanced education system is there is room for disagreement, discussion…

Revealed: the sickly state of the National Electricity Market

26 February 2020 5:00 am

This year’s annual report from the regulatory collective that is the Energy Security Board awards itself gongs for overseeing a…

Sick, sad and confused

25 February 2020 7:25 pm

I feel tormented this week. I want to drink. I want to suck dick.  I want to self-destruct. I’m fighting an…

ScoMo can’t kowtow to China over coronavirus

25 February 2020 5:31 pm

On Saturday, the Morrison Government announced that it was partially lifting its China travel ban to allow Chinese Year 11…

Forget dumbing down of schools. What about dumbing down of teachers?

25 February 2020 12:30 pm

As students returned to school over the past few weeks, a new crop of graduate teachers was well-equipped to talk…

Harvey Weinstein shows the system works

25 February 2020 10:00 am

It doesn’t matter what side of politics you’re on.  Neither does it matter which side of the culture wars you…

Memo Dr Bandt: coronavirus concern is not racism

25 February 2020 5:00 am

When Green’s leader Adam Bandt tweeted about last week’s shooting in Hanau, Germany, it became evident that he does understand what racism is. …

Built to last in the internet age

24 February 2020 6:53 pm

Peter Kirstein – a creator of the internet and the man who helped Queen Elizabeth hit ‘send’ on her first…

Counting the cost of coronavirus

24 February 2020 4:15 pm

It’s unprecedented for a public health crisis to disrupt the global economy, but China’s coronavirus epidemic is doing just that.…

We should be ashamed of domestic violence – and the cheapening of life and love

24 February 2020 12:56 pm

A horrific crime was committed in Brisbane last week when a man incinerated his wife and three children before stabbing…

The Wallan derailment shows why we should get serious about high speed rail

24 February 2020 11:01 am

Shortly before 8:00 pm last Thursday, the Sydney-Melbourne XPT train derailed near Wallan, 45 kilometres north of Melbourne. Eleven of…

The Hannah Clarke tragedy: even more reason for the family law inquiry to proceed

24 February 2020 5:00 am

Australia is still reeling, utterly horrified, after the unspeakable murder of Hannah Clarke and three young children at the evil…

Who punches a 65-year old over politics?

23 February 2020 5:58 pm

Hours after releasing a controversial policy, the CEO of the Returned and Services League in Western Australia was punched in…

EXCLUSIVE: Forget Newspeak, meet Lovespeak

23 February 2020 12:00 pm

If you were still in any doubt as to George Orwell’s powers of prediction, then just consider this. The ANZ bank…

What’s woke this week?

23 February 2020 7:52 am

Another week, more pearls from the world of woke where perception, rather than reality, is everything. That old Speccie favourite, Hanoi Jane, has been back in…

Hands on the scales of Aboriginal affairs

22 February 2020 9:00 am

Recently we saw the release of the latest Closing the Gap report for 2020. There were no real surprises, so…

Bloomberg: Donald Trump’s own Mini Mike?

21 February 2020 5:11 pm

The entry and the rapid rise of Mike Bloomberg in the Democratic primaries is something to behold. The Democrats at…

Coming soon: sub-zero carbon commitments?

21 February 2020 3:02 pm

At the risk of becoming a conservative Cassandra, the announcement by Labor Leader, Anthony Albanese, of a zero carbon emissions…

Time to take back our country after the High Court’s constitutional coup

21 February 2020 12:59 pm

Without any consultation whatsoever with the Australian people, much less their consent, the Constitution has been amended to block the…

The lowest public service wage increase on record? This calls for a celebration

21 February 2020 11:02 am

Yesterday, the Australian bemoaned weak public sector wage growth, suggesting public sector wages are in the ‘doldrums’ and public servants…