Joel Kotkin, a sensible urbanist (rare, I know), has been sounding an alarm about the hollowing out of our economy and our society for a while now. His news book, The …
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As the current pandemic crisis continues to unfold across the globe, more and more important people are heard making pronouncements that our world and our lives will not be the …
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A word of clarification: I don’t believe that Coronavirus is some sort of One World Government plot to take over the planet by stealth and institute a permanent dictatorship. Nor …
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Today, the state of Queensland went to the polls to vote in local government elections and two state by-elections. It has been a rather unprecedented exercise of democracy at a …
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“Never let a good crisis go to waste”. This short and catchy dictum was articulated by Rahm Emanuel, former Clinton White House chief of staff and mayor of Chicago, at …
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What has the virus wrought? In some ways it is a perfect weapon: it doesn’t kill that many people in a greater scheme of things but it terrorises whole societies …
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7:40am – My news day starts with reading that last night at 10pm, a double truck carrying among other things toilet paper from a warehouse to the stores has somehow caught …
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This afternoon, on the way back from the gym, I popped into my local Coles to get some fruit and veg. Having picked up everything I wanted, curiosity took me …
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Around the world, the shop shelves are emptying fast. In Australia: Australian supermarkets are being completely stripped of essential items from people seemingly stockpiling products as fears surrounding the coronavirus outbreak …
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Note: While this story is about Australia, the same issues apply to charitable sectors in all Western countries. An important thing to remember about large parts of the government bureaucracy and …
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Where the bloody hell are you? Not in Australia apparently. While no official figures are available yet, anecdotal evidence from international tour operators suggests significant cancellations (according to one report, …
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A fascinating update, courtesy of Pew Research Center, on attitudes towards the United States around the world, best summarised in this table: It’s personally interesting to note that Poland is the …
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Victoria is officially the safest state in Australia if you’re looking to escape the firebugs: Victoria Police say the fires engulfing the eastern part of Victoria are not being treated as …
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Myself, as well as other people with families and friends overseas, are getting concerned and panicky messages to check if we’re safe in light of the catastrophic megafires that have …
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There are many ways to raise money for the victims of natural disasters, from charity concerts to social media donation drives, but some enterprising young women in Australia and the …
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The piece I have put together the other day about the 200 or so people who have been arrested – and most charged – with setting a significant amount of …
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According to my calculations and estimates, the number of individuals around Australia whose arson has contributed to the current bushfire crisis has now passed 200. This figure is not presented …
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The former Labor Environment Minister, and a wistful reminder of the time when Labor had serious politicians, Graham Richardson, asks a very good question: Just how did Australia fall from a …
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Scott Morrison has cut short his Hawaiian holiday to inhale some Sydney air, which is pretty much the only thing the PM will be able to do back home over …
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An interesting exchange between a Labor MP Joel Fitzgibbon (the working class) and a writer and journalist Jane Caro (the wokeing class) about the forest fires and climate change: Put …
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