Waleed Aly submits that the reason Australia has performed so well on COVID-19 is that we have a remarkable level of obedience to government authority, at least compared to other western nations. Independent-minded larrikins we are not. This may also (he suggests) be...
By Denver Kanowski The CSIRO has recently released studies and a book on the impact of cats in Australia. One study connects cats, human health issues and livestock production; another examines the effects of pet cats on wildlife. A range of other CSIRO cat-related...
By John Carr The recent revelations of alleged war crimes by Australian SAS troops in Afghanistan are shocking and seriously embarrassing to us all. A major fear is that only the most junior soldiers and patrol commanders will have to bear the blame – those ranging...
By Greg Spearritt It’s said of some people that they can’t see the forest for the trees. I get that it’s a metaphor, but taking it literally for a moment, the problem here is expressed exactly the wrong way around. Most people can see the (literal) forest; few see the...
By Greg Spearritt Religious groups have long recognised the need to ‘keep the bastards honest’. Individual bastards, that is. The Catholics, for example, have the sacrament of Confession which aims for full disclosure of one’s sins. If you were in Queensland in the...
