19 March 2021
Maladjusted
I once worked for Malcolm Turnbull’s government, now it is almost a mark of shame to even bring that fact up. After leaving the government in 2016 for the warm embrace of the IPA, a friend said to me, ‘Just wait, when Turnbull is no longer prime minister, and there will come a day hopefully soon, he will be ten
15 January 2021
Beware The Anti-Trump Tyrants
The year recently ended revealed that the authoritarian impulse is never very far from the surface. It may lay dormant for a time but it never goes away. Here in Australia, and indeed around the world, their response to COVID-19 revealed politicians and bureaucrats eager to grasp every opportunity to take control of other people’s lives. When presented with a
24 January 2020
A Tale Of Two Malcolms
When it comes to that ugly chapter in Australian political history that was Malcolm Turnbull, we always knew what we were getting. It was always – always – about Malcolm. For some, it was endearing. For most, it was exhausting. And ever since Turnbull was blasted out of the Lodge – with his outlandish streams of revisionist history – it’s
22 August 2018
You Think The Coalition Is Bad? Look At Labor’s Policies
Politics in a stable democracy should be boring, even relaxed and comfortable. Yet since the fall of the Howard government in 2007 Australian politics has been exciting– almost a blood sport. The population is certainly not relaxed nor comfortable. Malcolm Turnbull as Prime Minister appeared well on his way to changing all that. Re-election looked possible, even likely. The shenanigans in Canberra
22 August 2018
Peter Dutton Will Not Solve The Existential Crisis Of The Liberal Party
Tuesday’s Liberal leadership ballot settles nothing. Malcolm Turnbull’s victory margin of 48 votes to 35 practically guarantees another challenge to the Prime Minister, if not from Peter Dutton than from any number of contenders. Neither does yesterday’s vote settle the fundamental question the Liberal Party has been been grappling with since the retirement of John Howard and Peter Costello. For a decade the
23 February 2018
Malcolm Turnbull’s Sex Ban Signals All The Wrong Virtues
Before Malcolm Turnbull prohibited his ministers from having sexual relations with their staff, there’s a few dozen things he should have banned first. For example, he could have banned ministers wasting taxpayers’ money. That way we wouldn’t be spending $50 billion on submarines that won’t be operational for 30 years. Or he could have banned ministers breaking their election promises by introducing
5 January 2018
Red Tape Costs Billions, So Let’s Black-list It
The government should make 2018 the year to rid us of burdensome, silly regulations. As Coalition MPs enjoy the summer respite after a tumultuous year in politics, Malcolm Turnbull is gearing up to reset the national agenda with a focus on economic prosperity. To that end, the Prime Minister should put red tape reduction at the top of his list
8 May 2017
Turnbull And Trump Showed We Were Allies, Now To Work Together On China
Relief may be Malcolm Turnbull’s overwhelming emotion as he settles back for the long flight home from New York before a crucial budget. Returning to his home town and the inevitable protests for the first time since the inauguration, President Trump may have kept the PM waiting for a few hours. But it was worth it. Trump was welcoming, warm
22 March 2017
18c: Not Perfect, But A Pretty Good Start
The Turnbull government’s proposed changes to section 18c don’t go all the way, but they’re a pretty good start. Yesterday, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Attorney-General George Brandis announced that section 18c of the Racial Discrimination Act would be amended so that it is no longer unlawful to ‘offend’, ‘insult’ or ‘humiliate’ another person because of their race. In their
