Flat White

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

Yassmin Abdel-Magied? Sack her

26 April 2017 4:59 pm

Twenty-six year-old Muslim youth advocate and ABC TV host Yassmin Abdel-Magied has landed herself in some seriously hot water after…

Malcolm Turnbull: governing for headlines and opinion polls

26 April 2017 2:17 pm

You would think that after imposing what they had promised not to impose, a new tax on superannuation, or the backpacker tax,…

Hijacking Anzac Day

26 April 2017 9:10 am

Yesterday, I had the privilege of attending the ANZAC Day dawn service at Martin place. As a first-generation immigrant, it…

Fighting McKenzie, the Anzac spirit and Australian values

25 April 2017 8:31 am

Australia has produced some amazing war heroes but none so remarkable, or popular, as Fighting McKenzie from World War I.…

April 25: the stocktaking day for the national consciousness

24 April 2017 1:31 pm

Anzac Day is stocktaking day for the national consciousness. It’s a special day; a time for Australians not only to…

Marine Le Pen is no saviour

24 April 2017 10:38 am

I used to be an avid fan of the TV-series House of Cards. Frank Underwood throwing Zoey Barnes under a…

Christianity, public life and the Thomas Moore option

23 April 2017 3:13 pm

I’ve always had a soft spot for Britain’s Liberal Democrats. Our tryst began in 2014, when ex-leader Nick Clegg sent…

Ecclesia and empire: a church historian and the Benedict Option

23 April 2017 10:50 am

In last week’s Spectator, Orthodox writer and conservative polemicist Rod Dreher invoked Scottish philosopher Alisdair MacIntyre to call on Christians…

Energy policy: Green and red

22 April 2017 11:40 am

Do you suffer from high power bills? Never fear, The Greens are here! Like knights in shining green armour they’re…

How China censors your movies

22 April 2017 9:00 am

Remember the outrage late last year about Matt Damon playing the lead role in “The Great Wall”? The movie’s trailer…

What are Australian values anyway?

21 April 2017 3:27 pm

On everyone’s favourite Buzzfeed lite, News.com.au, Malcolm Farr has a go at the Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull for his stumbling…

What’s so bad about 457 visas?

21 April 2017 12:04 pm

Malcolm Turnbull claims the Government’s abolition of the 457 visa in favour of more stringent entry requirements for skilled migrants…

Shiny bums, quit yer whinging and on yer bikes!

20 April 2017 9:49 am

Once upon a time a Poor Young Single Mother joined the Australian Public Service. She lived, with her child, in…

Democracy is not a la carte

19 April 2017 8:59 am

In Australia, the new ACTU boss Sally McManus believes that unions can and should break any law they feel is…

Ba’athism or Islamism?

18 April 2017 10:00 am

BOSTON, UNITED STATES — Thought experiment: what if NATO deposed Assad, installed a democracy in Syria… and the public voted…

The last time David Irving came to Oz…

17 April 2017 2:47 pm

For decades now a man called David Irving has been the subject of fierce contempt to honest scholars, decent citizens…

The Marine le Pen dilemma

17 April 2017 9:44 am

French Presidential candidate Marine le Pen represents the counter force to the liberal republican tradition that has solidified in France…

Easter: the twisted tale that brings hope

15 April 2017 10:40 am

A few years ago, a short-lived burst of hand-wringing (and not a little mirth) met the announcement that a survey…

North Shore, running sore

13 April 2017 7:00 pm

On the eve of the North Shore by-election Liberal Party candidate Felicity Wilson was confronted over a string of fibs…

Some things get censored at Sydney Uni…

13 April 2017 9:16 am

In 1964, a small student protest movement gained traction across the United States and galvanised the entire nation. At the…

Criminals, Easter and good old Australian values

13 April 2017 2:01 am

Believe it or not, Easter celebrates a man who died a criminal’s death and became the foundation for what are…

Sydney University trashes its brand – yet again

12 April 2017 4:12 pm

Meet Jay Tharappel, a tutor in human rights (!) at the Sydney University. Jay, as even a casual perusal of his…

Domestic violence: where are the realists?

12 April 2017 12:13 pm

Why are the majority of politicians accepting a spoonful of the gender-biased narrative in Australian parliament without questioning their medication?…

An empty chair, a missing Premier, a poignant metaphor

12 April 2017 10:00 am

The British actress, comedian, broadcaster, Liz Carr, known internationally for her work opposing assisted suicide as a disability campaigner as…

Millennials, explained

11 April 2017 2:30 pm

Apparently, Churchill didn’t say “If you’re not a liberal when you’re 25, you have no heart and if you’re not…