In-depth analysis of the day’s news, plus stories and gossip from Australian politics.
“Citizen jury” rules against High Court
The MP citizenship debacle that was swept the ranks of political parties in federal parliament throughout much of 2017 and…
Bennelong win doesn’t cure dying Liberal culture
While voters went to the polls in the Bennelong by-election, in Melbourne I attended the memorial service of a local…
Billabong Boy waltzes into Melbourne Clown Hall
A young blond professional environmental activist who has never had a real job is set to become the City of…
Bennelong to Turnbull: change or go
Unlike New England, which was very much Barnaby Joyce’s victory, the Liberal win in Bennelong may be credited to the…
Making Victoria’s euthanasia laws: consultative and thorough
I refer to Making Victoria’s euthanasia laws: a process to be shunned, by my friend and colleague, the Hon Robert Clark…
A nation guided by the moral fashion of the day
The whole same-sex marriage debate involved a lot of talk about right and wrong. Whether someone voted “yes” or “no”…
Just another night in Melbourne
Youths. Just another night in Melbourne: Hundreds of youths have allegedly bashed and robbed tourists amid a series of wild brawls on…
Mea culpa: Abuse angst grips churches
All hell has broken loose on Australian churches now the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has…
Conservatism is more than Milo’s mockery
Unlike the parent Speccie in the UK, the Australian rendition has decided to take on the mantle of Milo Yiannopoulos.…
The Indigenous Procurement Policy makes ticking boxes easy
The federal government’s Indigenous Procurement Policy (IPP) is regularly touted as ‘supercharging’ the Indigenous business sector. But the flawed way…
China girl
Before I begin, I should give something of a personal ‘disclosure’. I am currently the associate minister of a Christian…
Dasher is only the iceberg’s tip
A Labor parliamentarian who, it is revealed, has links to a foreign power that attempts to retrieve information on Australia’s…
AGL: impoverishing the nation to boost its bottom line
The supporters of renewable energy continue to claim – as they have for the past 30 years – that wind/solar…
Want to fight human trafficking? Ditch plain packaging
December 1, 2017, marked the five-year anniversary of mandated plain packaging of tobacco products in Australia. Despite being touted as…
Another triumph from The Age
Have a look at the lead story in today’s Age — then have a look at the ad at the…
Presenting… The 2017 Nanny Awards
The Nannies, as we call the annual Centre for Independent Studies awards, go to the government’s most absurd attempts to…
Who’s afraid of the fabulous Milo?
It’s been a week since Milo Yiannopoulos graced the shores of Australia with his perpetually fabulous presence, leaving a trail…
Forget safe spaces, here’s a new solution for the offended
We hear a lot about the need for safe spaces these days. In this article I discuss another type of…
By-bye Senator Dastardly – and hello Senator Sexy?
Senator –- Sino-tor? –- Sam Dastyari today pulled the plug on his career and resigned to spend more time with his family…
A Bennelong bombshell will leave Turnbull terminal
The Bennelong by-election is likely to lead to a change of leadership in the Liberal Party which if wisely done,…
Post-truth ethics
“Post-truth” is in the news: The Oxford Dictionaries’ Word of the Year 2016 was post-truth – an adjective defined as ‘relating to or…
Capitalism and conservatism aren’t compatible. It’s time to choose
“The Protective system in these days is conservative, while the Free Trade system works destructively. It breaks up old nationalities…
Bill Shorten finds religion(s)
An indication of Labor’s concern that in the same-sex marriage vote, the ‘No’s’ were concentrated in mainly migrant-populated suburbs, was…
What’s going to change in Australia with same-sex marriage?
In the space of just a few decades, homosexuality has gone from being a criminal offence to a psychological disorder,…
The Clementine Ford mystery solved
Did some new truth in advertising law come into force on December 1? Has the Press Council issued a new…