Media
Duty isn’t enough to boost tax revenue
In the past few weeks, colourful signboards have been erected around Yangon reminding people of their obligation to pay tax. An anthropomorphised cartoon map of Myanmar – eyes wide – proudly gives a...
Intelligence agencies face major review in new security era
The Turnbull government is set to embark on a major independent review of the nation’s intelligence agencies as Australia faces an unprecedented array of security challenges ranging from...
Who drafts the foreign policy white paper?
Australia’s first foreign policy white paper in 13 years is on its way, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said last month, adding meat to an election promise to deliver a “contemporary and comprehensive...
Asia's child migrants
Leaving one’s birthplace to move to a new region or country has been one of the central features of human civilisation. An estimated 214 million people worldwide are international migrants and 740...
How can we fix Australia’s Indonesia anxiety?
Indonesia is the neighbour that makes Australians feel uneasy but also want to get on with. Australians have long been ambivalent towards Indonesia. They want a good relationship with Indonesia and...
An overdue re-examination of Australia's place in the world
Across the span of human history and the seismic shifts of eons of global politics, a year may seem inconsequential. But, awaiting the passing of eras, administrations or generations to judge our...
The Nauru files provide the evidence. Malcolm Turnbull can never plead ignorance
The Nauru files paint a searing picture of the collapse of basic humanity in the detention centre. History is unlikely to be kind to those who endorsed it. The publication by the Guardian of a...
Populist leaders undermine democracy in these 4 ways. Would a President Trump?
A number of scholars have argued that Donald Trump is a populist. What, if anything, does this label tell us about what we might expect from a Trump presidency? Would we see the erosion of judicial...
Duterte a law unto himself
As a populist, Duterte’s erosion of the rule of law is no surprise. Since Rodrigo Duterte became president of the Philippines on 30 June, the country’s already compromised rule of law has taken a...
Populist leaders undermine democracy in these 4 ways. Would a President Trump?
A number of scholars have argued that Donald Trump is a populist. What, if anything, does this label tell us about what we might expect from a Trump presidency? Would we see the erosion of judicial...
