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 …

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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 …

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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 …

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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 …

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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 …

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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 …

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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 …

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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 …

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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 …

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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 …

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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 …

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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. …

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