We know we were colonised by the British and built by the criminals they sent here. But how much do we really understand about the very beginning of European settlement in Australia? David Hill, former managing director of the ABC and author of Convict Colony
Australia enjoys the best of both worlds- free trade with China and a strong alliance with the US. How much longer can it last? US Secretary of State says Australia can either 'sell your soul for a pile of soybeans, or you can protect your people.' Could this kind of rhetoric widen the gap between two of the most powerful nations in the world, forcing Australia to 'choose a side'? Kevin Rudd, former prime minister of Australia and president of the Asia Society in New York. John Mearsheimer, prof...
Winston Churchill inspired his fellow Britons to resist the rise of the Nazis and led them to victory in World War Two. All this in the face of a complex childhood, a love for alcohol and a self-described long battle with the 'black dog' of depression. Andrew Roberts is the author of Churchill: Walking with Destiny , the most recent and highly-regarded biography of the man who was the twice-prime minister of Britain....
Looking back at the shock election result, Gerard Henderson says it's no wonder the media got it so wrong. Despite the forecast by the academics, the polls and the pundits, there is no substitute for 'staying in touch' with the voting public. Will May 18 go down as the most dramatic failure of political prediction? Gerard Henderson, author, columnist for The Australian and executive director of the Sydney Institute. WITH THE BENEFIT OF HINDSIGHT 70 years after the establishment of NATO, the thre...
Is nationalism an excuse for world domination? If you have an arsenal of weapons like the US does, you need a more nuanced catch-phrase than 'America first' if you don't want to start a war. Brendon O'Connor, Associate Professor in American Politics, United States Studies Centre , University of Sydney, co-author of Ideologies of American Foreign Policy Joseph Sternberg explains why the challenges of Generation Millennial go beyond spending their house deposit on avocado toast in his book The The...
The good, the bad and the ugly of politics in 2019. Expert commentators join Tom to discuss the shock election result, China, America and the world. Will the lessons of this year roll into 2020? Jennifer Hewett, columnist with the Australian Financial Review. Judith Sloan, columnist with The Australian. Stephen Loosely, senior fellow at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.
We know we were colonised by the British and built by the criminals they sent here. But how much do we really understand about the very beginning of European settlement in Australia? David Hill, former managing director of the ABC and author of Convict Colony
Whatever you think about the Communist regime, there is no market that will replace China for decades as far as Australia is concerned. So why are we so worried about China’s intentions? Also Like most countries, Australia has a growing population of homeless citizens. Are we looking in all the wrong places for answers?
Does Australia face a 'cold peace' with China? The recent refusal of entry to two Australian politicians certainly fans that fear. James Paterson, Liberal Senator from Victoria Andrew Hastie, Liberal MP from WA Also How the Liberals become the 'surprise party' of 2019. Aaron Patrick, Australian Financial Review’s senior correspondent and author of The Surprise party: how the coalition went from chaos to comeback....
Why haven't we in Australia witnessed a populist explosion? Not One Nation nor Clive Palmer can compare with the nativism now seen across Europe and the US. There have been no Trump or Brexit moments for us. Are we due for one? Sam Roggeveen, author of Our very own Brexit: Australia's hollow politics and where it could lead us , a Lowy Institute Paper and director of the Lowy Institute’s International Security Program. Also Dictators. History is littered with them-Hitler, Stalin, Mao tse-tung......
Six months after losing the unlosable election, what now for the Australian Labor Party? Some believe that Bill Shorten took the right mix of policies to the May 18 election. Others say there should have been a shift towards the centre. One thing was clear. The voting public did not want either. Nick Dyrenfurth, executive director of the John Curtin Research Centre and author of Getting the blues: the future of Australian Labor. Emma Dawson, executive director of Per Capita. Also Britain is head...
Islamic State mastermind Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead. Now what? After five years of his Sunni jihadist movement's caliphate across parts of Syria and Iraq, and widespread barbarism, video-recorded beheadings, mass executions and the enslavement and raping of women, what should we expect? Will the jihadists bounce back? Jessica Stern, research professor at Boston University’s Pardee School of Global Studies and co-author of ISIS: The State of Terror. Also Recently the Liberal Party of Australia ...
Joe Biden's advisor, Nicholas Burns, blames China for the 'theft of American intellectual property.' He says they have 'ripped off part of the natural wealth of the US' and that President Trump used this sentiment in his 2016 campaign. Burns was a recent guest of the Lowy Institute in Australia. He would like to see Australia step up to help ease the anguish around China's place in the world. Nicholas Burns, advisor to Joe Biden and professor of the practice of diplomacy and international relati...
Winston Churchill inspired his fellow Britons to resist the rise of the Nazis and led them to victory in World War Two. All this in the face of a complex childhood, a love for alcohol and a self-described long battle with the 'black dog' of depression. Andrew Roberts is the author of Churchill: Walking with Destiny , the most recent and highly-regarded biography of the man who was the twice-prime minister of Britain....
What did this beauty queen do to be banned from entering China? It is the 70th anniversary of China's Communist Revolution but when it comes to human rights, how far has the regime come? Activist Anastasia Lin has learned that if you speak ill of the communist regime you quickly become a 'persona non gratis' in the eyes of the Chinese government. Also Can any one sector solve the myriad issues of any one society? Sevaun Palvetzian says no, they can't. She explains why action needs to come from a...
If Trump is impeached, can American politics regain the trust of the voting public? Either way, there is no guarantee that the Democrats will win the 2020 election. Pat Buchanan, author and former adviser to presidents Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan. Eleanor Clift, columnist with The Daily Beast and a contributor to MSNBC. Also, with the benefit of hindsight: Jacques Chirac had one of the longest political careers in Europe, but he may best be remembered internationally for leading France's str...
The US wants Iran's 'exploratory violence' to be discussed at this week's UN General Assembly. Both American and Saudi officials blame Iran for an attack on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia. And despite Donald Trump's attempt to rally the support of other countries, he plays down chances of a military strike. Professor Amin Saikal, middle-east specialist at the ANU and author of Iran rising, the survival and future of the Islamic Republic . Danielle Pletka, American Enterprise Institute in Washing...
The PM is invited to a rare state dinner at the Whitehouse. And although the relationship between Morrison and Trump is warm, could it be over before the main course arrives if they clash over China's increased assertiveness? Paul Dibb, emeritus professor of strategic studies at the Australian National University's College of Asia and the Pacific. Also When it comes to philanthropy, Americans are the world beaters. Karl Zinsmeister says that when it comes to private giving and voluntary action, ...
Boris Johnson has one job: to make Brexit happen. But three years after the vote to depart the EU, the British parliament sits stagnant. No divorce deal. No general election. And with the prime minister describing the October 31 deadline as 'do or die', is there a chance it won't happen at all? Simon Heffer, British commentator, historian and author of Staring at God- Britain 1914-1919. Also Robert Mugabe is dead. But while the world saw the 40 year leader of Zimbabwe as a despotic monster, ther...
The Islamic world has a blind spot when it comes to China's treatment of the Muslim community. Beijing's brutality of the ethnic Uighurs in the north-west province of Xinjiang continues to anger countries around the world. Should Australia step-up its opposition to Xi Jinping's regime and risk losing our most important trade relationship? Daniel Pipes, president of the Middle East Forum in Philadelphia, USA.
We are running out of energy so why not consider the nuclear option? Whether it is an act of war, the result of a natural disaster, a side-effect of testing or a total accident, nuclear energy and waste have resulted in too many catastrophes. Now it is being considered in parliament as an alternative solution to dwindling energy. Is it possible to forget the past in order to embrace the future? Adam Bandt, deputy leader of the Australian Greens Party and David Limbrick, Liberal Democratic Party ...
80 years after the genocide of 6 million Jews, anti-Semitism is alive and well in Australia and around the globe. For many, the legacy of the Holocaust is not enough to curb discriminating, victimising and in some cases, attacking Jewish people. Holocaust deniers say it didn't happen in the first place. Deborah Lipstadt says that the problems they face come from both sides of the political fence. Deborah Lipstadt, Jewish History and Holocaust Studies academic and author of Anti-Semitism, Here an...
Does symbolism like constitutional recognition and changing Australia Day, distract us from addressing the disadvantage of being an indigenous Australian? Jacinta Price says it does. Her upcoming nationwide tour is called Minding the gap: bridging the indigenous divide Jacinta Price, Warlpiri-Celtic woman, director of indigenous research at the Centre for Independent Studies. Also Three years on from the referendum, how is it that Brexit still hasn't happened? Peggy Grande, head of a global pro-...
Australia enjoys the best of both worlds- free trade with China and a strong alliance with the US. How much longer can it last? US Secretary of State says Australia can either 'sell your soul for a pile of soybeans, or you can protect your people.' Could this kind of rhetoric widen the gap between two of the most powerful nations in the world, forcing Australia to 'choose a side'? Kevin Rudd, former prime minister of Australia and president of the Asia Society in New York. John Mearsheimer, prof...
Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un continue to make strange bedfellows despite ongoing disagreement about nuclear weaponry. Can the relationship between the mogul US President and the enigmatic leader of North Korea promise anything other than a good photo opportunity? Anna Fifield, Asia correspondent for the Washington Post and author of The Great Successor: the secret rise and rule of Kim Jong Un Anna will appear at Antidote 2019 at the Sydney Opera House on 31 August and 1 September. Also It is wid...
Who is Britain’s new prime minister Boris Johnson? Is he competent and serious enough to be PM? Or is he just a gaffe-prone joker, who flies by the seat of pants? And is he likely to deliver Brexit?
Is nationalism an excuse for world domination? If you have an arsenal of weapons like the US does, you need a more nuanced catch-phrase than 'America first' if you don't want to start a war. Brendon O'Connor, Associate Professor in American Politics, United States Studies Centre , University of Sydney, co-author of Ideologies of American Foreign Policy Joseph Sternberg explains that the challenges of Generation Millennial go beyond spending their house deposit on avocado toast in his book The Th...
Iran is working towards weapons-grade uranium power. Sanctions are not working to prevent them. Nor is global condemnation. Will warnings from the US contain the country's resolve or will Donald Trump lead a military crack-down on the rogue state? Clifford May, founder and president of the Foundation for Defence of Democracies. Amin Saikal, Director of the Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies at the Australian National University. Author of “Iran Rising: The Survival and Future of the Islamic Rep...
The disparity between rich and poor is rapidly growing. Could socialism be the answer to narrow the gap? The claim is that many do not understand the history of the political movement. But without other options on the table shouldn't we start to look forward towards a new socialism, rather than back on the mistakes of the past?
Israel Folau is no longer in the news for his talent as a rugby player. He is now the lightning rod for debate about freedom of speech, religious expression, discrimination and homophobia. Is he responsible for any of this or is he just a bit player in a large-scale community dilemma? And Animal Justice Party's Emma Hurst takes veganism to the NSW Upper House.
