In this episode, we report on one of the most baffling political decisions in recent memory: the awarding of Australia’s highest civilian honour, the Companion of the Order of Australia, to former Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
The award for Morrison has ignited criticism over his deeply flawed COVID-19 response, vaccine rollout failures, economic mismanagement, secrecy, Robodebt scandal, and his politically disastrous blame game with China. This award highlights the erosion of public trust in Australia’s honours system, and it’s a left-over of the partisan culture wars, and we reflect on other contentious recipients like Margaret Court, Bettina Arndt, and Ben Roberts-Smith. If a Prime Minister infamous for incompetence is being celebrated with the nation’s top award, what does that say about the credibility of our honours system?
We also look at the increasingly authoritarian chaos unfolding in the United States under Donald Trump’s second presidency. From the military clampdown on Los Angeles protests to the shooting of Australian journalist Lauren Tomasi by the US National Guard, this escalating repression reflects a country in crisis. We discuss the implications of these events and question why Australian media and political leaders remain reluctant to speak out against clear violations of press freedom and civil liberties. Is it time for Australia to reassess its loyalty to a dangerously unstable ally?
Back home, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced a new productivity and economic growth summit, aiming to address pressing issues around automation, artificial intelligence, tax reform, and workplace change. With Labor securing one of the most comprehensive election victories in Australian political history, the pressure is on to deliver real progressive reform – not reheated neoliberalism in red packaging. Can this summit mark a turning point, or will it fall into the usual trap of political tokenism?
In foreign policy, we examine Australia’s targeted sanctions against Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich for inciting violence against Palestinians. While it’s a welcome first step, the sanctions are mild and overdue. We discuss the international implications, growing support for Palestine, and why the Liberal Party’s opposition to these measures reinforces its complicity in supporting human rights abuses. And finally, we head to Tasmania, where the state’s political instability has reached a new low. With a $1 billion stadium proposal derailing Premier Jeremy Rockliff’s minority government and a snap state election called for July 19, we assess why Tasmanian politics has become a political joke. Will voters reject a government obsessed with AFL vanity projects over real public needs, or is this just another act in Tasmania’s ongoing democratic dysfunction?
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The post The ghost of Morrison, Fascism USA, and political football in Tasmania appeared first on New Politics.