Articles from The Australian Independent Media Network

In the Shadows of the Strategic Defence Review: Are Threats from Fear Itself and the Possibility of Global Recession More Imminent?

By Denis Bright Is the perceived strategic danger from China comparable to the threat of fear itself and the possibilities of global recession arising from these fears? A global recession or serious economic slowdown would certainly change the orientation of container sea traffic by switching from long-standing and profitable business partnerships with China to the…

Is our alliance with a Trumpian America worth it?

Over eighty years ago Prime Minister John Curtin prepared a New Year’s Eve message for the Australian people. It was written three weeks into the war with Japan. It was published in the Melbourne Herald on 27 December, 1941: ‘Without any inhibitions of any kind, I make it quite clear that Australia looks to America,…

Labor: “Because They Don’t Give A Sh#t, Right?”

Ok, just to be clear here, I’m not writing about the lack of action on unemployment benefits. I’m saving any comments on that until after the Budget because, well, I can sort of guess how that’s going to play out. Either Labor will do nothing to raise the rate and be widely criticised for it,…

Weaponised Unreality

Australia’s Liberal politicians – and their media friends – need to be very careful. Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News has helped created such a crisis of trust in America that there is no way to contest the unreality in which its audience so stubbornly believes. Weaponised unreality is a term devised to capture the idea that…

Anxiety as Socialism: AI Moratorium Fantasies

Rumours and streaks of hysteria are running rife about what such artificial intelligence (AI) systems as ChatGPT are meant to do. Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy recently showed himself to be ignorant with terror about the search bot created by OpenAI. “ChatGPT taught itself to do advanced chemistry. It wasn’t built into the model. Nobody programmed…

Politicians, advocates and prominent Australians call for JobSeeker increase in Federal Budget

ACOSS (Australian Council of Social Service) Media Release Politicians from across the aisle, academics, business leaders, community advocates and other prominent Australians have joined in a rare display of unity to urge the Prime Minister to implement the first priority recommendation of the Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee and deliver a substantial increase to JobSeeker and…

Labor Insiders Call to Raise the Rate

Media Release The powerful NSW Labor Administrative Committee will this week consider a motion to request the Federal Labor Government to raise the rate of Jobseeker. Chris Haviland, former Federal Labor MP and Administrative Committee member will move the motion, which asks the Government to increase Jobseeker in line with the recommendation of the Government’s…

Blood, Golf and Saudi Arabia: The LIV Tournament in Adelaide

The recently concluded LIV Tournament in Adelaide was a matter of bread, circuses and golf. It was something of a triumph for the chief sponsor: the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and, more notably, the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Critics, and criticism about the regime and the blood-spattered House of Saud, were generally forgotten. This…

Dutton: pedophile hysteria and child protection

Dutton is the right politician for the post-QAnon age: in fact the radical right zeitgeist caught up with him. His decision to drum up (another) pedophilia crisis to stain the referendum on the Voice to parliament is both grotesque and on trend. In the QAnon conspiracy everyone in power on the progressive side is a…

Wurundjeri Woi-wurring Elders ready to take a formal position on Voice to Parliament vote

Elders at the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation will next week take a formal position on the Voice to Parliament ahead of Australia’s first referendum since 1999. Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation CEO Donald Betts said calls from the public to the Wurundjeri office had increased in recent weeks, as the people of…

Blogotariat

Oz Blog News Commentary