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Prefab collaboration between Australia and China could help tackle housing shortages

Prefab collaboration between Australia and China could help tackle housing shortages

Imagine a “Lego city,” swiftly assembled yet unshakeably strong, its steel modules secured to solid foundations and reinforced with seismic...

latest 5

Pearls and Irritations

Zijian Qi

Misgivings in the heart of the defence state

Misgivings in the heart of the defence state

On a quiet Wednesday night in Adelaide recently about 50 people met in a church hall to share concerns about the militarisation of their schools...

latest 7

Pearls and Irritations

Paul Laris

Trump's tariffs look exceptionally bad for Taiwan

Trump's tariffs look exceptionally bad for Taiwan

The direct impact of the extraordinary, “Liberation Day” US tariff regime is bad for Taiwan. The indirect effects may prove to be graphically...

latest 6

Pearls and Irritations

Richard Cullen

Is Marles the right fit for defence?

Is Marles the right fit for defence?

P&I readers don’t need to be told that Defence Minister Richard Marles is floundering when trying to make security links with Indonesia seem as...

latest 7

Pearls and Irritations

Duncan Graham

There's something about Jacqui Lambie

There's something about Jacqui Lambie

Jacqui Lambie is no Cameron Diaz but the title of one of Diaz’s most loved films, There’s Something about Mary, might be a useful way of thinking...

latest 6

Pearls and Irritations

Noel Turnbull

The public service under Albanese Mark 2: The good news and the bad

The public service under Albanese Mark 2: The good news and the bad

The appointment of Steven Kennedy to PM&C and Jenny Wilkinson to Treasury is welcome news for several reasons. These are two high-calibre career...

latest 7

Pearls and Irritations

Andrew Podger

Message from the editor

Message from the editor

It has been a big couple of weeks at Pearls and Irritations, featuring some of the biggest issues we have pursued strongly in the past few years:...

latest 6

Pearls and Irritations

Catriona Jackson

Australian society and the conflict for Palestine

Australian society and the conflict for Palestine

Australia’s symbolic actions on Palestine may not change the course of the conflict, but they matter deeply at home. As Gaza reshapes public...

latest 5

Pearls and Irritations

Bob Bowker

Australia's dependence on the US does not end with Trump

Australia's dependence on the US does not end with Trump

Malcolm Turnbull’s recent Foreign Affairs essay, America’s Allies Must Save Themselves, is a good intervention in the debate about Donald Trump’s...

latest 10

Pearls and Irritations

Stewart Sweeney

US progressives say stop supporting 'rogue genocidal regime' as Israel wages illegal war on Iran

US progressives say stop supporting 'rogue genocidal regime' as Israel wages illegal war on Iran

“Trump must act immediately to suspend all military support to Israel and stop allowing US arms to fuel war crimes, mass civilian death, and...

yesterday 2

Pearls and Irritations

Brett Wilkins

Perhaps Marles should ask the US why it is building up forces around China

Perhaps Marles should ask the US why it is building up forces around China

It now seems taken for granted that Australia needs to spend a lot more on its military. Fortunately, if needed, Australia could increase its...

yesterday 2

Pearls and Irritations

Brian Toohey

Environment: WA addicted to producing, burning and exporting gas

Environment: WA addicted to producing, burning and exporting gas

Albanese government eager to support WA’s gas addiction. Tasmania’s natural environment trashed by deer and loggers. Globally, one square...

yesterday 2

Pearls and Irritations

Peter Sainsbury

Sanctioning Ben-Gvir and Smotrich is but a tiny, sad step in ending the Gaza massacre

Sanctioning Ben-Gvir and Smotrich is but a tiny, sad step in ending the Gaza massacre

Alas and alack! Woe be unto us, for we have sinned: Five countries have imposed sanctions on Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National...

yesterday 2

Pearls and Irritations

Gideon Levy

Why Australia needs a defence minister

Why Australia needs a defence minister

The Virgina class submarine has been repurposed since the Republicans took the White House. So, Australia’s biggest ever military project has...

yesterday 2

Pearls and Irritations

Mike Gilligan

PM Albanese promises to restore trust in democracy

PM Albanese promises to restore trust in democracy

But his record does not give grounds for confidence. In his National Press Club address, PM Albanese referred to the “trust deficit” in other...

yesterday 1

Pearls and Irritations

John Menadue

The bamboo ceiling is still very much in place Down Under

The bamboo ceiling is still very much in place Down Under

Our business sector lacks the skills to do business in Asia. And instead of improving, the situation is getting markedly worse. With the...

previous day 10

Pearls and Irritations

John Menadue

Democracy in the City of Melbourne: Some voters are more equal than others

Democracy in the City of Melbourne: Some voters are more equal than others

Now that the dust has settled on the 2024 City of Melbourne council elections, what lessons can be learned? I stood for deputy lord mayor and lost,...

previous day 2

Pearls and Irritations

Virginia Wills

Reflections on Ukraine’s 'Spider Web' and other attacks on Russia: why the euphoria?

Reports by invested parties of battlefield success in most wars — and the war between Russian and Ukraine is an exemplary case — are best read when...

previous day 3

Pearls and Irritations

Michael Mckinley

The cultural and linguistic roots of protest in China

The cultural and linguistic roots of protest in China

In 1760, the newly established Qing Dynasty was looking to expand Chinese territory by claiming the region of Xinjiang. Many Chinese intellectuals...

previous day 8

Pearls and Irritations

John Hopkins

Tax concessions for super do not need a major rethink

Tax concessions for super do not need a major rethink

Chris Murphy’s article in The Conversation on 3 June calling for a rethink of superannuation tax arrangements misrepresents the Henry Review’s...

previous day 3

Pearls and Irritations

Andrew Podger

Biden’s advisers hid his decline – and the media didn’t dig hard enough

Biden’s advisers hid his decline – and the media didn’t dig hard enough

Last week, President Donald Trump  ordered an investigation into “who ran the United States while President Biden was in office”, alleging top...

previous day 2

Pearls and Irritations

Matthew Ricketson

Israel's attack on Iran: Nothing good will come of it

Israel's attack on Iran: Nothing good will come of it

Israel has been itching for years to attack Iran, citing its nuclear facilities as an existential threat. On Friday the 13th, it made good on its...

previous day 3

Pearls and Irritations

Mahir Ali

Tasmania in the news for all the wrong reasons

It’s rare that the biggest news in Australian politics emanates from Tasmania. But mixture of minority government, a no-confidence motion and an...

previous day 3

Pearls and Irritations

Greg Barns

Australian Honours: review

Australian Honours: review

Twice a year Government House issues a list of those awarded an honour within the Australian Honours system. The vast majority of those awarded are...

previous day 3

Pearls and Irritations

George Browning

Observations from Xinjiang

Having been fortunate enough to have made three separate trips to Xinjiang over 15 years, I believe some observations may be of interest to P&I...

previous day 2

Pearls and Irritations

Bob Rogers

An algorithm decides whether you have an online life or not

An algorithm decides whether you have an online life or not

Recently, I lost a Facebook account I’d had for 17 years. It wasn’t just a social media profile — it was a living archive of my life. It held...

previous day 1

Pearls and Irritations

Michael Cohen

A naval force to escort humanitarian aid is an act of peace

A naval force to escort humanitarian aid is an act of peace

In honour of a brave Gazan fisherwoman Madleen Kulab, the international aid boat of the same name was turned back to an Israeli port. Naval ships...

friday 1

Pearls and Irritations

Stuart Rees

Review: Perfect Victims

Review: Perfect Victims

Mohammed El-Kurd is a poet, writer, journalist and organiser from Jerusalem in occupied Palestine. Named by TIME magazine in 2021 as among the...

friday 1

Pearls and Irritations

Tony Smith

AI and robotics expected to play a big role in China’s next 5-year plan

AI and robotics expected to play a big role in China’s next 5-year plan

China is likely to leverage advanced technology to boost manufacturing, achieving self-sufficiency while becoming an indispensable exporter....

friday 10

Pearls and Irritations

Zhou Xin

The murky world of lobbying and the North West Shelf

The murky world of lobbying and the North West Shelf

It’s hard to explain to a young person how the Albanese Government could possibly have approved the North West Shelf gas project expansion last...

friday 10

Pearls and Irritations

Monique Ryan

I have good news and bad about your superannuation

I have good news and bad about your superannuation

When the government wants to  cut back the massive tax concessions the rich receive on their superannuation, the media is full of it for weeks. ...

friday 10

Pearls and Irritations

Ross Gittins

Investing in Pearls

Investing in Pearls

There’s a certain frisson as well as tension to this time of the year (June). It’s the time when those of us lucky enough (with enough) to have to...

friday 5

Pearls and Irritations

Stephanie Dowrick

AUKUS: America saving us from ourselves

AUKUS: America saving us from ourselves

The decision by the United States to initiate a review of the AUKUS agreement might very well be the moment Washington saves Australia from itself....

friday 10

Pearls and Irritations

Paul Keating

NACC ambiguity on Robodebt investigation 'worrying', says KC

NACC ambiguity on Robodebt investigation 'worrying', says KC

Three months have passed since the National Anti-Corruption Commission promised an “impartial and fair investigation” into Robodebt. Nothing has...

friday 10

Pearls and Irritations

Michelle Fahy

Two remote islands with a common purpose

Two remote islands with a common purpose

After a decades-long fight, Prime Minister Starmer in late May gave up Britain’s possession of the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean, while...

friday 10

Pearls and Irritations

Alison Broinowski

South Korea’s president faces tough balancing act between allies, adversaries

South Korea’s president faces tough balancing act between allies, adversaries

Lee Jae-myung has to deal with a North Korea emboldened by strengthened ties with Russia and must consider the stances of the US, Japan and China....

12.06.2025 10

Pearls and Irritations

Gagan Hitkari

Australia should use its power as an independent voice to push for peace

Australia should use its power as an independent voice to push for peace

Australia occupies a unique position in the global landscape, bridging East and West both geographically and culturally. Yet it continues to...

12.06.2025 10

Pearls and Irritations

Raghid Nahhas

Now AI can imitate a deceased loved one. Should it?

Now AI can imitate a deceased loved one. Should it?

As another anniversary of my husband’s death approaches, I’ve been wondering if I want AI to “resurrect” him. An AI clone of him could move,...

12.06.2025 10

Pearls and Irritations

Erica Cervini

A Joycean defence of Harvard (and Australia’s universities?) from Trump’s derangement Part 2 of 2

A Joycean defence of Harvard (and Australia’s universities?) from Trump’s derangement Part 2 of 2

In the context of President Donald Trump’s all-embracing appetites and hatreds, Harvard being under attack by his administration should, almost...

12.06.2025 4

Pearls and Irritations

Michael Mckinley

In Trump’s America, the shooting of a journalist is not a one-off. Press freedom itself is under attack

In Trump’s America, the shooting of a journalist is not a one-off. Press freedom itself is under attack

The video of a Los Angeles police officer shooting a rubber bullet at Channel Nine reporter Lauren Tomasi is as shocking as it is revealing. In her...

12.06.2025 10

Pearls and Irritations

Peter Greste

Hugh White and our post-American future

In his new Quarterly Essay, Hard New World, Hugh White delivers a devastating attack on Australia’s current defence policies. Wider than a critique...

12.06.2025 10

Pearls and Irritations

Henry Reynolds

Why does international justice fail to prosecute war criminals in Gaza?

Why does international justice fail to prosecute war criminals in Gaza?

Is documentation enough to achieve justice? Since the onset of the Israeli war on Gaza in October 2023, human rights organisations have...

12.06.2025 4

Pearls and Irritations

Refaat Ibrahim

Ministerial responsibility and cabinet solidarity: Are they misaligned?

Ministerial responsibility and cabinet solidarity: Are they misaligned?

When Tony Abbott brought Malcolm Turnbull back into his shadow cabinet as communications spokesman in 2010, the then Opposition leader mocked...

12.06.2025 10

Pearls and Irritations

Paul Begley

Genocide by starvation

Genocide by starvation

This is the end. The final blood-soaked chapter of the  genocide. It will be over soon. Weeks. At most. Two million people are camped out among the...

12.06.2025 1

Pearls and Irritations

Chris Hedges