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In May last year, the discovery of mass graves on the Thai-Malaysia border and stranding at sea of around 8,000 people fleeing Myanmar and Bangladesh cast the spotlight on the grave reality of forced migration in our...
After much deliberation and delay the Turnbull Government released its Defence White Paper on 25 February 2016. Initial reactions to the White Paper from security experts and the media focused on spending promises, new kit, increased arms...
This piece was originally published by the ABC on 7 February 2016. It’s easy to be sceptical of political negotiations about Syria, especially when talks have already been suspended. But with patience and a herculean...
“The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.” Twenty years ago Kevin Spacey uttered this famous line about his alter ego, Keyser Söz, in The Usual Suspects. Keyser Söz...
Encouragingly, in recent days, the Turnbull Government (and ALP opposition) has put innovation at the forefront of policy thinking, after a period of hibernation. Collaboration has become a buzzword again, following a plethora of...
This critical question about our schools is the title of a new report commissioned by the Mitchell Institute. It is a thorough, timely and outstanding contribution to our understanding of disadvantage in schooling. The...
What could be a more reasonable basis for public policy than striking a “balance” between protecting the economy and the environment? Our government must do something about climate change (we don’t want to look...
The good ship of democracy is entering into uncharted waters. A 2015 poll confirmed less than half of young Australians aged 18-29 think democracy is preferable to any other kind of government. Earlier data...
A recently-aired ABC Four Corners program aptly titled “Wasted” exposed three areas of unnecessary, ineffective and outright dangerous health interventions, in knee, spinal and heart surgery. The show’s host, Norman Swan, presumably extrapolating from...
Principal for a day: a policy wonk’s day out at Kensington Community High School If you’re like me and probably many other followers of Australian politics and policy-making, putting together the words ‘policy’ and...