1 October 2018
Vatican’t
The failure of the Vatican under Pope Francis to stand up for persecuted Catholics and Catholic beliefs is a grave threat to Catholicism and all Catholics, argues Fr James Grant. The communist assault on the Catholic Church was unrelenting for more than 70 years and has left the church to this day enormously weakened in many parts of the world.
1 October 2018
To Yield And Not To Strive
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull promised ‘a thoroughly Liberal Government’ … but instead it was a thorough disappointment, argues Simon Breheny. In the years and decades to come, it is hard to know precisely what Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will be known for. While supporters and detractors alike are able to point to legislation passed and policies implemented during the Turnbull
1 October 2018
Rewarded For Not Thinking
Melbourne schoolboy Maxim Bishev captures the repression of people and free thought under communism, highlighting the story of his great-grandparents’ time in the USSR. History should not be swept under the carpet when discussing politics, let alone when someone argues in support of Communism. Too often inconvenient facts are dismissed as unrepresentative of ‘real socialism’ when radical ideologies are propagated.
1 October 2018
Reap What You Sue
Public figures harm free speech when they resort to defamation law, argues libertarian lawyer Matthew S. Widmaier. Earlier this year, two lawsuits were filed against Canada’s Wilfrid Laurier University (WLU) for its ham-fisted handling of the Lindsay Shepherd academic freedom affair. The first was lodged by Shepherd herself, who alleges harassment, intentional infliction of distress, negligence, and constructive dismissal. The
25 September 2018
Defending Religious Liberty
It is time to change laws that are restricting religious liberty, an essential feature of freedom and liberal democracy, argues Morgan Begg. (this article first appeared in the August 2018 edition of the IPA Review) Australian courts have described religious liberty as ‘the paradigm freedom of conscience’ and the ‘essence of a free society’. Our courts say freedom of religion is
10 August 2018
Rediscovering Australian Liberalism
Liberalism in Australia has a proud, much older history than the Liberal Party, writes Zachary Gorman.* There is a common misconception that the liberal movement in Australia essentially began with the creation of the modern Liberal Party in 1944. This is far from the case. For much of the 19th century, Australian politics was defined by liberalism. The philosophy was
1 August 2018
Red Tape Corrodes Democracy
The more government regulates its people, the more it fails them, writes David Kemp. Understanding regulation – its sources and its consequences – lies at the very heart of the debate about the desirable role of government, for it is the basic tool of government. Governments exist to regulate the social world. Without regulation governments can neither tax nor spend.
1 August 2018
Nobody Wins in Global Trade War
Australia has much to lose in the looming global trade war, writes Matthew Lesh. Protectionist rhetoric by United States President Donald Trump threatens a new global trade war on a scale not seen since the 1930s. Trump’s push for aluminium and steel tariffs and retaliatory tariffs against China are the biggest threat to global prosperity since the US imposed the
18 July 2018
Lighting Up Australia’s Energy Future
This article was first published in the December 2017 IPA Review. Australia has some of the most plentiful energy resources in the world. The last two decades, however, have paradoxically seen high and rising energy prices. In just the past decade, Australian electricity prices have increased by 116 per cent. That’s compared with a 26 per cent economy-wide inflation and
