Law & Politics
How democracies survive
To paraphrase Winston Churchill, democracy is the worst form of government — except for every other one we’ve tried. While …
The case for going nuclear
Throughout the 20th century, reliable and low-cost coal-fired electricity, plentiful oil for transport, and natural gas for heating and chemical …
The King’s coronation: Pomp and Australia’s divided circumstance
On Saturday night, as the new King of England was being crowned, I found myself caught in the crux of …
Our duty to laugh in the face of tyrants
Autocracies are very serious places. They have to be. Their power is founded on an absurdity – the assertion that …
In the face of extremism, liberals must snap out of their complacency
Several years ago I found a copy of Mein Kampf in a second-hand bookstore in country Victoria. Better my bookshelf than a …
Our parliament needs to become a more inclusive and welcoming place for all
This is a lightly edited transcript of a speech given to the Tasmanian Legislative Council 28 March 2023. It is …
What can be done to help Australia’s biodiversity
The regent honeyeater is a small bird, mostly black, with speckles of soft yellow dotted down its body. Its chirp …
Taking a critical look at cancel culture
The recent decision of the major law firm MinterEllison to sever ties with the Adelaide Festival because it invited two Palestinian writers …
Religious schools can build a community of faith without discriminating
In 2018, Australians were shocked to learn that religious schools still had the right to discriminate against LGBTQ students and …
The spread of QAnon beyond the United States
The name crops up all over the place, but many people have no real understanding of what QAnon is, or …
The imperfect union of two presidents
Joe Biden’s relationship with Barack Obama, as explored by Gabriel Debenedetti in The Long Alliance: The Imperfect Union of Joe …
In recognising all faiths and beliefs, we can show fairness and equity
This is a lightly edited transcript of a speech given to the Fraser Coast Regional Council on 25 February 2023. …