Expelling the ambassador

Australia’s expulsion of Iran’s ambassador underlines the point that democracies must be able to act on intelligence-driven probabilities to defend sovereignty while still upholding the highest burden of proof in the courts.

The Liberals ‘women problem’

The Liberals achieved most of the “firsts” for women in Australian politics enjoyed more support from women than from men for most of the 20th century, so what has changed now?

The deep roots of democracy

The ancient Greeks invented democracy – and warned us how it could go horribly wrong.

Dead centre

Centrism is not the sensible policy option when the evidence demands more radical action on issues like climate change.

Welcome to the worm farm

Labor’s much hyped productivity round table will see business, unions and other vested interests trot out their self-serving agendas, and perhaps highlight the divisions between the Prime Minister’s caution and his treasurer’s reforming zeal.

Australia needs budget controls

Stronger budget rules with numerical targets are required to keep government spending in check and the Treasurer’s roundtable this week would be a good place to start.

A minister for children?

A federal minister for children would ensure the rights and wellbeing of children are no longer an afterthought and would send a clear message that Australia is serious about protecting and investing in its youngest citizens.

Behind closed doors

Transparency is vital to our democratic system of government but recent data reveal government openness and accountability in Australia is on the decline, regardless of the party in power.

Chinese democracy

Chinese diaspora voters in Australia and the United States are an increasingly important voting demographic and have tended to lean left in recent elections.

Shaking up capital gains

A new McKell Institute paper, co-authored by Professor Richard Holden and McKell CEO Edward Cavanough, is calling for a major shake up of capital gains tax via a ‘circuit breaker’ proposal to the stalled national housing debate.

Welcome to Parliament

Anthony Albanese hasn’t been in any rush to convene the new parliament, which Governor-General Sam Mostyn will open on Tuesday, but much of the attention in its first few days will focus on the opposition.

Towards “kinder” public services

Australian public institutions have received a strong cue from the prime minister that kindness should also be a core business value when serving clients, especially those in need.