In his recent National Press Club conversation with Laura Tingle, Paul Keating observed that Australia is still finding its way in Asia. If Australia is going to find its way in its region of consequence, peacefully and prosperously, it is imperative that Asian studies curricula in schools and universities should…

It’s beginning to dawn on the Coalition that they’re perilously close to losing government. Labor MPs are also terrified by the thought of failing to win government. It is going to be nothing short of total catastrophe for whichever side falls at the ballot box. Both sides have enormous amounts…

It’s time for Australia to begin planning a new foreign policy future that anticipates the decline of the USA as a great power. This will require developing an innovative multilateral and multi-tiered diplomacy aligning Australia with like-minded states with similar interests, and initiating a sound working relationship with China. After…

First posted on Pearls & Irritations, 20/09/2021: https://johnmenadue.com/history-is-repeating-itself-billy-hughes-on-japan-and-now-scott-morrison-on-china/ In international politics, history has an unfortunate habit of repeating itself when political leaders are ignorant of its lessons. In today’s Australia, our political leaders are obviously uneducated about important lessons that the history of Australia’s foreign and defence policies could teach…

One of the greatest public policy innovations in Australia’s political history has been the large-scale immigration programs commenced in 1947 under the Chifley government. The Menzies government grudgingly inherited the policy on the understanding that all immigrants would be assimilated into the community as “New Australians.” …

First posted on Pearls and Irritations, 29/07/2012: https://johnmenadue.com/allan-patience-is-the-australian-federation-in-danger-of-balkanisation/ The Morrison government’s dishonesty about obtaining sufficient anti-COVID vaccines and its reluctance to provide the nation with dedicated quarantine facilities threaten the cohesion of the Australian federal system. …

One of John Howard’s more petty acts was to belime the idea of multiculturalism. Subsequent political leaders have been less cynical about the term. Malcolm Turnbull even boasted that Australia is the most successful multicultural society in the world. …

The Morrison government has declared war on Australia’s public universities. They are accused of being hotbeds of post-modern rabble rousing and an unbearable burden on taxpayers. Government ministers and employers complain that graduates are not “work-ready”. …

Of course, Scott Morrison’s personal religion is entirely his own business. However, given recent public statements about his beliefs, by himself and in the media, it is legitimate to ask about pentecostalism in Australia and its relationship, if any, to politics and politicians. Two odd bedfellows in contemporary politics are…