Other Politics

Imagine Australia without religion – a modern, pluralistic, slightly drunk society united by a belief in science and human nature, whose people based their lives on the wisdom of Plato, Darwin and Penny Wong. Australia is already (thank you god) one of the least religious nations on earth, with over 30% of its population having no religious affiliation (a number that grows each time the question is asked). So actually, life wouldn’t look very different. And then one day the…

Read More

‘How good is Australia. And how good are Australians.’ When Scott Morrison took the stage to celebrate his 2019 election win, he centred his speech around the people of Australia, the ‘quiet Australians’ as he called them, and his intention to govern for those people. Two years on, it’s a very different picture. Morrison has presided over one of the most corrupt governments in Australian history. Senior colleagues have been accused of sexual impropriety. Government debt has gone through the…

Read More

Rape at Parliament house, sex in prayer rooms, male prostitutes, staffers masturbating on desks – what the hell is going on? This government, led by the most religious Prime Minister we’ve ever had, looks like a Viagra-fuelled party scene from Animal House right now. If this was the management of a fish and chip shop you wouldn’t let your daughter pick up the dinner. Corrupt and feckless governments often reach a moment of critical mass when the sheer volume of…

Read More

The adding of Alan Jones to Sky News’ evening roster puts yet another piece into position, as Australia’s political and media recalibration continues at a pace undaunted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Jones, who was finally prised from his seat at 2GB in May, will join Peta Credlin, Chris Kenny and Andrew Bolt in what is fast becoming as stellar a conservative line-up as Sky’s spiritual sibling, Fox News in America. The alignment of these bombastic right-wing voices on Australia’s leading…

Read More

As this summer’s devastating fires have finally brought climate change to the centre of Australian public discourse, universities have found themselves at the forefront of the response. Australian universities already employ climate change professors and researchers, and offer bachelors, masters and PhD courses studying a wide variety of climate change impacts. From a research perspective, climate change has been in the mainstream for some time, but when the government ignores the evidence science becomes political, and universities have found themselves…

Read More