The ethics of the Omicron travel ban
The Omicron variant had not even been named when the government’s reflexes sprung into almost involuntary reaction last month, and…
Why discord delights
Finding fault takes finesse. Oh, anybody can complain. We are a nation of complainers, carping at everything from breakfast vittles to late-night…
Covid-free and painfully satirical
In 1951, British futurist Arthur C Clarke wrote a short story envisaging a journey into space which evolved into the…
The Liberal party never learns
‘Never make the same mistake twice.’ It is a mantra that applies to everyday life, but even more so to…
Vaccine passports may prove a pointless distraction from Omicron
Sajid Javid ditched vaccine passports when he became Health Secretary but he now has to bring them in again, albeit…
Julian Assange and the deep flaw in our extradition laws
You could almost hear the rejoicing in Whitehall on Friday morning when the High Court cleared the way for Julian…
Boris’s successor should be Rishi Sunak, not Liz Truss
Is the ball about to come loose at the back of the scrum? Though an imminent defenestration of Boris Johnson…
Is Vladimir Putin really willing to invade Ukraine?
Is Putin preparing to invade Ukraine? It certainly looks that way, with western intelligence agencies estimating this week that around…
The world is finally standing up for Aung San Suu Kyi
It may be an impossible task to restore Aung San Suu Kyi’s reputation, but Burma’s generals have made a sterling…
Make History Great Again!
Why don’t today’s children know more about history? In an age when information has never been easier to access, it’s…
No, the media doesn’t treat Biden worse than Trump
A Washington Post opinion writer believes that President Biden is receiving worse treatment from the media than Trump did. It…
Are companies sack-happy over vaccination status?
The Australian HR Institute is not an organisation we hear much from, and it certainly isn’t offering any competition to…
Dear Dom (versions A and B)
At some point during this week, an unvaccinated person will stroll into a newsagent in New South Wales to buy…
Literary notes
The new self-effing help books In a bookshop at Adelaide airport last Christmas I saw a well-dressed woman, seemingly in…
Jane Campion
A new film by Jane Campion is always going to be a magnetsing prospect and the idea of it suddenly…
Aussie Life
The slur issued by Greens Senator Lidia Thorpe in the Chamber last week towards Hollie Hughes reaffirmed one thing, that…
Aussie Language
Nick Cater has coined what I think is a brilliant new expression the ‘laptop class’. This is his vivid and…
Covid notes
The worldwide spread of Omicron Indulge me for a moment and imagine the following scenario. A new Covid-19 variant originates…
