Prime Minister gets doggy toy from INPEX. INPEX gets Australian gas for free, sold for $50 billion. Cool and normal. @australiainstitute.org.au @markogge.bsky.social @punterspolitics.bsky.social

AUKUS submarines aren't coming. Peter Briggs: "Adding the requirement to build additional submarines to replace those to be sold to Australia would require *more than a four-fold* increase in construction yard output measured by tonnage." johnmenadue.com/post/2025/09...

I'm speaking at Monash Uni tomorrow about Australia's gas policy mess and Woodside in particular. @australiainstitute.org.au @nteumonash.bsky.social

Kinda amazed (but not surprised) how little talk there has been in Australia about Trump's naked attempt to interfere in Brazilian politics on behalf of his good mate Jair Bolsonaro. The screeching would be deafening if China tried anything like that anywhere.

Australia's preferential voting system is often praised, and for good reason. But in terms of reflecting overall votes cast it's not much better than first past the post. My look at how our winner-takes-all voting system skews election outcomes for @australiainstitute.org.au 👇 #auspol

From me for the @australiainstitute.org.au live blog: why we don't need to toll EV owners to make the fuel excise "fair". This is in response to an AFR article yesterday which, to be fair, has some nuanced arguments.

With inflation at 2.1%, @mattgrudnoff.bsky.social reminds us that the RBA has not been great at hitting its target and also needs to worry about inflation falling *below* the target range #OffTheCharts australiainstitute.org.au/post/when-ta...

Port Kembla dockworkers went on strike in 1938 to stop iron exports to Japan - which had committed mass murder of civilians and POWs in China. Menzies called it "a provocative act against a friendly power" but grateful Chinese-Australians sent food to striking workers.

Australia has a proud tradition of disruptive protests -- for @australiainstitute.org.au I look at eight protest movements that were controversial in their day but celebrated now. australiainstitute.org.au/post/the-pro...

It's complete horseshit - our polling shows a majority are actually in favour of the changes. Please, please may the LNP take this advice.

I wrote something for @australiainstitute.org.au blog this morning on AUKUS, highlighting one of its main military and strategic implications - threatening China's nuclear deterrence. t.co/sWYmVhwb1y

Some thoughts from me on the EU-US trade deal featuring energy purchase live.australiainstitute.org.au/2025/07/aust...

Another sign that Beijing attaches quite some importance to Australia: the day after the visiting Dutch defence chief called on AUS to boost its military, the Global Times editorialised on the issue - with fairly cautious language one might say. t.co/QEIpzcBdD5

The latest unemployment figures show the RBA has utterly failed its role of maintaining full employment. #OffTheCharts australiainstitute.org.au/post/the-lat...

At the risk of speaking too soon - US foreign policy orthodoxy has remarkable staying power when it comes to Ukraine. Trump seems to have been pulled back into line. Not to mention in his first term he went beyond Obama to send Javelin missiles to Ukraine. t.co/owgeuStb6L

Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese lands in China to meet with President Xi Jinping at a critical time between the two countries. #auspol

With due respect to the AFR editorial board - at what point does the mantra that "it's more complicated [than your little brains can comprehend]" become a battle-cry to rally around existing orthodoxy in defiance of evidence?

This by @jewishcouncilau.bsky.social's Max Kaiser is absolutely on point.

Interesting to leave out the key detail and present it as if Houthis' attack was wanton: Houthis had imposed sanctions on shipping companies (like the two involved) whose ships continued to dock in Israel. Again, when our enemies do things, no explanation is needed! ab.co/3GjhGFc

Regular reminder: Green hydrogen in Aus = essential Hydrogen exports = ridiculous 1/x @australiainstitute.org.au www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/125bn...

The 2022-23 tax stats just dropped. And there we have it: 91 millionaires who paid ZERO tax

Newspapers now have near-zero ability to sway elections, including The Australian. They should, therefore, have near-zero ability to sway politicians, not to mention public servants and the ABC.

If you bet on the winner of the Miles Franklin, your windfall is tax free but if you win the Miles Franklin you pay tax. There's an easy and cheap way for the gov to help our best artists and writers. Make prizes tax free. Thanks to @charlottewood.bsky.social & Melissa Lucashenko for their thoughts

Oh look, Env Minister Murray Watt just tripled the area of native habitat that tax-shy gas company Arrow Energy can destroy! When LNP's Greg Hunt approved this, he imposed "some of the strictest env conditions in Aus history" Not so strict anymore...1/4 @australiainstitute.org.au

On ABC Radio National Breakfast, Frank Yuan talks about China's reaction to Washington's AUKUS review, China's own submarine program, and why we don't need to worry about a war over Taiwan for now. @yuan-frank.bsky.social, Postdoctural Research Fellow at the Australia Institute. #auspol

"The outer-Melbourne electorate of Calwell had "the most complex count in Australia's history", but almost nobody was talking about it before the election. Why? Only four journalists live in the seat, the least of anywhere in Australia. @rodcampbell.bsky.social writes ⤵️ #auspol

Worried you might one day have more than $3m in super and then might get less of a tax break? First off, seriously, you are worried about having $3m in super?? Secondly, as @grogsgamut.bsky.social writes, stop worrying you are not going to ever have $3m australiainstitute.org.au/post/dont-be...

Information about China’s foreign policy is often misleading, with much of the meaning & nuance lost in translation. The Australia Institute's @yuan-frank.bsky.social has produced an accurate assessment of foreign policy views of Chinese officials & state-affiliated analysts, from primary sources.

My latest analysis: what China has been saying about the trade war, Taiwan, Europe, and Russia, over the past six months. Find it at @australiainstitute.org.au t.co/rjNC1f6mZW

A brilliant brief from @yuan-frank.bsky.social explaining how the Chinese foreign policy establishment views world affairs right now, including their determination to "resist Trump's trade offensive" australiainstitute.org.au/report/chine... @australiainstitute.org.au

Interesting story for many reasons. The far-right content problem on Tiktok which Mrs da Silva mentioned ironically indicates the platform's independence - far-right politics, esp. in a country like Brazil, tend to go against China's diplomatic interest. www.scmp.com/news/china/d...

The Aus's Dennis Shanahan devoted a column to @australiainstitute.org.au 's new report on declining media power & this was the best he could do: "the big election editorial has never counted for much with voters. To suggest there’s been a decline of their influence ignores the political reality." 🧵

Business groups are calling for the government to overhaul the tax system. Excellent! As @grogsgamut.bsky.social writes, we have some ideas... australiainstitute.org.au/post/busines...

Missed this from last week - China re-opens Tibet to Indian pilgrims. Hardly not the most politically significant bilateral move but it does show 1) increased trust between the two 2) more confidence from Beijing about Tibet security as well www.reuters.com/world/asia-p...

From @joshuablackjb.bsky.social and myself on the flippant and cynical anti-Chinese redbaiting, which re-surfaced in the final days of this election campaign but has deeper history. Fearmongering for political expediency does a great disservice to all Australians.

@joshuablackjb.bsky.social and I and I put together this piece (our first collab!) on the appalling 'Chinese spy' beat-up in recent days. It was a great pleasure working with a fellow historian and an outstanding writer. live.australiainstitute.org.au/category/aus...

unpaywalled here: @fmols.bsky.social australiainstitute.org.au/post/austral...

Quite possibly the dumbest thing printed today. Apparently, the age pension is amazing - a couple on it are nearly millionaires!!! (if it was paid in a lump sum and we make a whole stack of assumptions and also we fart through our ears)

The debate about defence ignores that Australia is already a spends a huge amount on defence and the military. As @mattgrudnoff.bsky.social writes lifting spending to 3% of GDP would be more than Sth Korea! #OffTheCharts australiainstitute.org.au/post/austral...

Last week of the campaign, the obligatory red scare kicks in... Read my lasted on the @australiainstitute.org.au live blog live.australiainstitute.org.au/2025/04/aust...

Australia’s universities spend hundreds of millions of dollars on travel, marketing and consultants, while cutting costs, staff and courses, according to new research by The Australia Institute's @joshuablackjb.bsky.social. Read:

In @thediplomat.com, a companion piece that distills the key findings of my @acri-uts.bsky.social report 'Framing the future: Australia’s China policy in the lead-up to the 2025 election' bit.ly/4jSOhQ9

Both major parties talk big about how important it is to prevent domestic and family violence but as @mattgrudnoff.bsky.social & @jack-thrower.bsky.social note - when you look at the size of spending a lot of other things seem more important... #OffTheCharts australiainstitute.org.au/post/the-tal...

Election entrée: more than one in four people living in Australia don’t get counted in elections. On the @australiainstitute.org.au live blog from @yuan-frank.bsky.social live.australiainstitute.org.au/2025/04/aust...

Credit where due: this puts in sharp relief the fact that the resources we direct to defence come at the expense of the society's general welfare. I doubt that Dutton would give an Eisenhower-style explanation though... t.co/hmnmg1b2Kw

"Attorney General shall initiate appropriate action to repeal or amend the implementing regulations for Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 for all agencies" What's Title VI? "prohibits discrimination against or otherwise excluding individuals on the basis of race, color, or national origin"

Had fun writing this election factoid (organised by the brilliant @browne90.bsky.social ). australiainstitute.org.au/post/election-entree-more-than-one-in-four-people-living-in-australia-dont-get-counted-in-elections/

My latest on the @australiainstitute.org.au live blog. "Wanna deal with Trump? Show strength" live.australiainstitute.org.au/category/aus... Thanks to Amy as always but also our colleague who has now made it so easy for anyone to share an individual post.

For @australiainstitute.org.au live blog: Is Trump going to start demanding protection money? Somewhat surprising this hasn't been given more attention in the mainstream news in the West. (Thanks to a friend who brought this to my attention) Read the post here t.co/02TO6RYRTM

Oh f*ck off