In-depth analysis of the day’s news, plus stories and gossip from Australian politics.
Winston Oakeshott
Today, the last effective centre-right government of the Anglosphere has fallen. The New Zealand National government led by Bill English…
Tax creeps
Last week, the Parliamentary Budget Office issued a report Changes in average personal income tax rates: distributional impacts’ which found…
Mango and the “delightful discovery” of childhood sexual abuse
You know you’re getting old when your kids have to tell you what the different emojis really mean. You see,…
More hot days — or “purpose-designed” temperature sensors at play?
I don’t believe in conspiracies of silence except when it comes to Harvey Weinstein and the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.…
Dangerous sex
It is safe to say, that nowadays, sexual gratification is fraught with danger. It’s probably always been that way for…
Don’t cry for Hillary, Australia
The ABC Four Corners is supposed to be a gutsy, fact-finding expose-type television program. Most of the time it is.…
“My family’s voting ‘Yes’!”
Last Saturday evening I had a curious encounter. I was busy running around LibertyFest making sure everything ran smoothly when…
18c, weaponised
Who can forget the Beaconsfield Mine Disaster of 2006? For two weeks, the entire nation was gripped with the rescue…
Let the poor pay more for electricity
An outfit called the Victorian Council of Social Service, one supposes, would be concerned with the less well-off. Apparently not.…
Victoria’s euthanasia bill is not safe
The Parliament of Victoria is about to vote on a bill to legalise assisted suicide and euthanasia. Health Minister Jill…
End the renewables rorts now for cheap power
The government’s abandonment of the expanded renewable energy target that the Finkel report recommended represents a careful compromise. The Prime…
Please welcome our new PM, Julie Bishop
At this point, even Malcolm Turnbull knows he’s not a competent leader. He’s updating his CV, dry-cleaning his ties and…
No ticket, no start
What is the point of a Liberal government? Tomorrow the New South Wales parliament will debate the Fair Trading Amendment…
Domestic violence industry tries to tap into terrorism for cash
In July, Fairfax wrote that 46 per cent of Australians who think we should be spending more on anti-terrorism measures…
What do taxpayers get from UNESCO?
Last week the United States withdrew from UNESCO, the UN’s Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, citing politicisation, after UNESCO designated…
The best (wo)man for the job…
It’s time to quit complaining about the supposedly terrible state of politics in Australia. If the perfect market is achieved…
The truly pathetic bias of Fairfax media
Clearly spurred on by Mark Powell’s excellent piece this morning on the decline of its Sydney sister, The Age has…
Drug decriminalisation: no pipe dream
In a time where government expenditure is a staggeringly high, the war on drugs needs to be tackled with more…
RIP, Mr Fairfax
I really miss the Sydney Morning Herald. And I’m pretty sure I’m not alone. I miss those halcyon days where…
Some die, others appear on The Drum
Working as a journalist has always had its hazards. Follow the story and you may find yourself in some uncomfortable…
“No” campaign dad shows why we need school choice
Last week, Buzzfeed reported that Steve Tourloukis, a Canadian father prominent in advertising by the Coalition for Marriage, “asked for…
When France puts you to shame with IR reform, you’re in trouble
Australia needs politicians like Emmanuel Macron – politicians who are willing to take on powerful vested interests for the sake…
What happened at Fatima 100 years ago?
On Friday, 12 October 1917 many had walked barefooted to the Cova da Iria in Fatima, in central Portugal, to…
Why Labor should stop pretending and ditch same-sex marriage
Labor voters are the most considerate, salt-of-the-earth people you’re ever likely to meet at a polling booth sausage sizzle. How…
Campaigning for cancer
If you were told that the Cancer Council along with the Australian Medical Association were campaigning for more cancer, you…
Editor’s picks
Magazine
Net zero bandwagon’s wheels are wobbling
As Bowen heads off to another pointless Cop gabfest
Trigger warning: common sense outbreak at UN!
United Nations calls out trans threat to women’s sports
