Australia’s Commonwealth games disgrace
In world sport, the Commonwealth games are a bit of a sideshow. In swimming and athletics, at least, they are…
Prime Ministers queer the pitch with politics
It may not have been the best play but it wasn't Bodyline
Ben Roberts-Smith and the murky debate over accountability in war
Today in Sydney, Australia’s most decorated soldier, former Special Air Services corporal Ben Roberts-Smith VC, was found by a civil…
Trudeau’s ‘coronation gift’ is just lip service to the monarchy
Cynically dressed up as a coronation-related gift to the Canadian nation, just days after the coronation, the country’s leader Justin Trudeau has…
Vaping: the public health pooh-bahs have won, for now
In his draconian crackdown on vaping, announced on Tuesday, Labor Health Minister Mark Butler characterised his new policy as addressing…
RIP Barry Humphries
It was not just Barry Humphries who died on Saturday. It was that towering skewerer of pomposity and humbug, and gate-crasher of Royal boxes,…
Dear Peter … now that you’ve found your Voice
Peter Dutton and I were good friends once, and worked together closely in the Howard and Rudd years. Sorry to…
Could Donald Trump tank Aukus?
There are few surprises in the Aukus nuclear-powered submarine programmed announced by Rishi Sunak, his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese, and…
Is Australia up to the Aukus challenge?
One hundred miles or so south of Sydney, lies tranquil Jervis Bay. On its shores, largely reclaimed by the bush,…
Do Fifa really want Saudi Arabia to sponsor the women’s world cup?
In July and August, Australia and New Zealand are hosts of the 2023 Fifa Women’s world cup. It could not…
Oh dear! Vic Libs disenfranchise their own members
The Victorian division of the Liberal Party has done it again. Instead of going into the April 1, Aston by-election…
Vaping: public health’s unhealthy obsession
The Australian public health industry is overpopulated with intellectual egotists – activists, academics, and bureaucrats who insist they know best…
Why is Australia’s bank snubbing King Charles?
Traditionally, the reigning monarch has appeared on the lowest denomination of Australia’s banknotes. It is a practice that harks back…
Who killed Australia Day?
Australia Day was once a big deal Down Under, but in recent years the annual celebration has been somewhat muted.…
Daniel Andrews: double standards that undermine innocence?
Let me start by making something clear. I am no unqualified admirer of the late Cardinal George Pell. On the…
You don’t decide your pronouns – we do
How often do you get emails from someone who signs off with their pronouns? How often are you confronted in…
Liberal review heads in the Right direction
After considerable media teasing, the-anticipated report into the Liberal Party’s electoral failure last May has finally been released. Conducted by…
Ruddy hell – Kevin’s our Man in Washington
In the dead of the silly season, when thoughts are turned to last-minute presents and dreading the obnoxious uncle turning…
Australians all let us rejoice, for Gough is, thankfully, long gone
Today is the 50th anniversary of the election of the Whitlam government. The hagiography is coming in a torrent: Whitlam…
The Victorian Liberals are totally…
Didn’t I tell you three months ago? If the Liberal party around Australia is buggered, in Victoria, it is totally…
Vic Libs: don’t be the Greens’ useful idiots
In April 1917, Russia was in uproar. Although the Tsar had been overthrown by a liberal revolution, chaos reigned, the…
Thorpe: Boyfriend – bad. Rabble-rousing – okay!
Today, diminutive Greens leader Adam Bandt finally acted against firebrand Victorian senator, Lidia Thorpe. Bandt punted Thorpe from the Senate…
Has Scott Morrison become Australia’s Richard Nixon?
In May 1940, Winston Churchill was not only appointed Prime Minister but Minister for Defence. In doing so, Churchill ensured…
The Liberals are totally rooted
I’ve been a member of the Liberal party for over forty years. In that time, it’s known great highs, and…
Novak Djokovic versus the Rule of Law
Earlier this week, our magazine weekly columnist, Ramesh Thakur, made an impassioned defence of tennis champion and unvaccinated Serb, Novak…