Political Comment

For all the chaos he’s causing in the Persian Gulf and the global economy, one consolation is that despite all his attempts to contravene the US Constitution, Donald Trump is limited by the 22nd Amendment to two fixed four-year terms in office.

As Australia acquiesces in the United States' latest disastrous, illegal war, the Greens last week introduced a bill which would require both houses of parliament to vote before our troops can be sent overseas to engage in conflict. After one hour's debate, this was squashed by the Labor and Liberal parties, despite polls showing 90 per cent of Australians support war powers reform.

As the Middle East tragedy unfolded, I asked several friends how this was impacting them emotionally. Each one was seriously affected, with a range of emotions from rage to despair, sadness, grief, and helplessness.

At the time of publication, the final numbers from South Australia's state election aren't yet finalised, which hasn't stopped various people from claiming they've made history, and making sweeping predictions for the political future of the nation.

Last Tuesday, AusPoll released their survey of Farrer voters showing voter intention: One Nation (28.7 per cent); Independent (23.3 per cent); Libs (19.1 per cent); ALP (9 per cent); Undecided (8.6 per cent); Nationals (5.2 per cent); Greens (3.9 per cent); Other (2.2 per cent).

In line with their dysfunctional Coalition partner, The Nationals have just lurched even further to the right, elevating Queensland senator Matt Canavan to party leader following the sudden departure of David Littleproud.

When there is a mooted new medication for a disease, there is a detailed process for approval which has developed over centuries. There are...

As the USA-Israel war machine kills and injures more people in Iran and beyond, driving the world towards recession, or more likely depression, Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago mate Pauline Hanson has been doing what she does best, fear-mongering and lying to the Australian public.

Desperate to distract attention from the Epstein files, and retain his faltering grip on domestic power, US 'Peace President' Donald Trump has attacked another sovereign country, and murdered its leader, along with numerous others, and Australia's prime minister is apparently fine with that.

It is hard to imagine that a shortage of the world’s most widely used herbicide, glyphosate aka Roundup, could be a national defence emergency, but here we are with Trump’s Executive Order (18 February, 2026): ‘Promoting the National Defence by Ensuring an Adequate Supply of Elemental Phosphorous and Glyphosate-Based Herbicides’.

The Senate Select Committee on Information Integrity on Climate Change and Energy saw some remarkable public exchanges last week, with the propagators of planet-threatening fossil fuel misinformation confronting scientists in Canberra.

The boys are back in charge. Sussan Ley was handed a poisoned chalice after the worst election defeat ever, and given the impossible task of rebuilding the Liberal party.

The unceremonious dumping of Sussan Ley as leader of the Liberal Party is about to lead to an interesting by-election in her old seat of Farrer. As Sussan leaves politics to enjoy her parliamentary pension, what happens in this traditionally stodgy seat is likely to provide some real-time pointers on where conservative Australia is heading.

From a legal perspective, it is much safer to defame the dead than the living because luckily they cannot sue from the grave.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog is due to arrive in Australia today, invited by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to meet bereaved members of Sydney's Jewish community, despite being the official representative of a genocidal state.

As the Liberal and National parties slide deeper into irrelevance, and further from power, leadership challenges continue to occupy the minds of members, rather than policy, or the needs of their constituents.

After all the recent race to the bottom politics from the 'professionals', the life of Rob Hirst stands as an inspiring example of meaningful activism from outside the official tent. Sadly, that life has now been cut short, three years since his diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.

We are witnessing the decline of the American empire in real time. Stupidity now sits on a gilded throne in Washington and obedience is being enforced with terrifying brutality upon its people and institutions with the rest of us in the firing line of the regime’s impulsive and criminal acts.

By popular request, the summer holidays of Australia's federal parliamentarians have been cut short, but many of His Majesty's (Rupert's) Loyal Opposition are already regretting what they wished for.

Many were happy to say goodbye to 2025, hoping this year would be less troublesome, but alas it started with an explosion, not a bang.