Pearls and Irritations
@johnmenadue.com
Progressive analysis on politics, foreign policy, the economy, media, and culture, with a focus on peace and justice. John Menadue, Publisher & Editor in Chief
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Big batteries keep getting cheaper, wind costs are easing, and coal and gas are rising. CSIRO’s GenCost report confirms again that firmed renewables are Australia’s cheapest electricity option, writes Sophie Vorrath. #energy #renewables #auspol
Cost of wind and batteries fall as CSIRO finds new way to show renewables are cheapest
CSIRO’s latest GenCost report shows battery costs falling fast, wind costs stabilising and coal, gas and nuclear lagging well behind. For the seventh year running, firmed renewables remain the lowest-cost path for Australia’s electricity system.
johnmenadue.com
December 21, 2025 at 11:01 PM
Big batteries keep getting cheaper, wind costs are easing, and coal and gas are rising. CSIRO’s GenCost report confirms again that firmed renewables are Australia’s cheapest electricity option, writes Sophie Vorrath. #energy #renewables #auspol
Australia’s roads are filling up with ever-larger SUVs and utes. Bigger vehicles increase the risks for pedestrians, cyclists and other drivers – and may also change how people drive, writes Milad Haghani. #RoadSafety #SUVs #TransportPolicy #Australia
Australia’s roads are full of giant cars, and everyone pays the price
Australia’s growing love affair with SUVs and utes is reshaping road safety. Larger vehicles don’t just cause more harm in crashes – they may also change how drivers behave.
johnmenadue.com
December 21, 2025 at 10:46 PM
Australia’s roads are filling up with ever-larger SUVs and utes. Bigger vehicles increase the risks for pedestrians, cyclists and other drivers – and may also change how people drive, writes Milad Haghani. #RoadSafety #SUVs #TransportPolicy #Australia
Climate breakdown, extinction, resource depletion, misinformation and conflict are not separate crises. Together they form a single human emergency that demands coordinated global action, writes @JulianCribb
#climate #environment #globalcrisis #future #auspol
#climate #environment #globalcrisis #future #auspol
Ten threats, one emergency: how to become Earth Citizens
Humanity is facing a compounding crisis driven by population growth, consumption, pollution and power. These interconnected threats cannot be addressed one by one if civilisation is to endure.
johnmenadue.com
December 21, 2025 at 10:31 PM
Climate breakdown, extinction, resource depletion, misinformation and conflict are not separate crises. Together they form a single human emergency that demands coordinated global action, writes @JulianCribb
#climate #environment #globalcrisis #future #auspol
#climate #environment #globalcrisis #future #auspol
Christmas doesn’t begin with strength or certainty, but with vulnerability. What that says about fragility, care and shared humanity matters far beyond the season, writes Bill Uren. #Christmas #ethics #humanity
Vulnerability at the heart of Christmas
Christmas begins with fragility rather than power. The story of Jesus’ birth places vulnerability, dependence and shared humanity at its centre.
johnmenadue.com
December 21, 2025 at 10:15 PM
Christmas doesn’t begin with strength or certainty, but with vulnerability. What that says about fragility, care and shared humanity matters far beyond the season, writes Bill Uren. #Christmas #ethics #humanity
Australia’s teen social media ban may have an unintended cost: cutting young people off from online book communities that made reading social, visible and fun, writes Bec Kavanagh.
#auspol #SocialMediaBan #Reading #Youth
#auspol #SocialMediaBan #Reading #Youth
What Australia’s teen social media ban could mean for reading
As under-16s are locked out of major social media platforms, online book communities that helped many teens discover reading are disappearing too. What’s being lost, and what might replace it?
johnmenadue.com
December 21, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Australia’s teen social media ban may have an unintended cost: cutting young people off from online book communities that made reading social, visible and fun, writes Bec Kavanagh.
#auspol #SocialMediaBan #Reading #Youth
#auspol #SocialMediaBan #Reading #Youth
New Year’s Day promises renewal, then lets it slip away. That fading sense of openness may be the point, not the problem, writes Adrian Rosenfeldt. #NewYearsDay #Culture #Time #Meaning
New Year’s Day and the promise that does not last
New Year’s Day promises renewal, then lets it slip away. That fleeting openness may be the point – not a failure, but a reminder about how meaning actually appears in our lives.
johnmenadue.com
December 21, 2025 at 9:45 PM
New Year’s Day promises renewal, then lets it slip away. That fading sense of openness may be the point, not the problem, writes Adrian Rosenfeldt. #NewYearsDay #Culture #Time #Meaning
The Bondi massacre, antisemitism and criticism of Israel have become tightly entangled in public debate. Context matters if fear is not to harden into blame, writes Jack Waterford.
#auspol #Bondi #antisemitism #MiddleEast #media
#auspol #Bondi #antisemitism #MiddleEast #media
This one’s on Netanyahu, not Albanese
The Bondi massacre sits within a wider international context that has reshaped public attitudes to Israel, antisemitism and protest, complicating how grief, fear and responsibility are understood in Australia.
johnmenadue.com
December 21, 2025 at 9:30 PM
The Bondi massacre, antisemitism and criticism of Israel have become tightly entangled in public debate. Context matters if fear is not to harden into blame, writes Jack Waterford.
#auspol #Bondi #antisemitism #MiddleEast #media
#auspol #Bondi #antisemitism #MiddleEast #media
After the devastating attack at Bondi, Pearls and Irritations Editor Catriona Jackson reflects on the search for clarity, shares a new Pearlcast, and looks to the year ahead.
#Bondi #PearlsAndIrritations #AustralianPolitics #Media
#Bondi #PearlsAndIrritations #AustralianPolitics #Media
Message from the Editor
I hope you have had time to read our offerings on the terrible shootings at Bondi this week. Amidst a thicket of coverage, here and overseas, many readers were struggling to process the tragic events.
johnmenadue.com
December 21, 2025 at 9:15 PM
After the devastating attack at Bondi, Pearls and Irritations Editor Catriona Jackson reflects on the search for clarity, shares a new Pearlcast, and looks to the year ahead.
#Bondi #PearlsAndIrritations #AustralianPolitics #Media
#Bondi #PearlsAndIrritations #AustralianPolitics #Media
Western power is fading, China’s influence is rising and Australia remains bound to a dangerous alliance while climate risks mount, writes Pearls and Irritations Founder and Editor-in-Chief John Menadue.
#YearInReview #auspol #geopolitics #China #AUKUS #climate
#YearInReview #auspol #geopolitics #China #AUKUS #climate
2025 in Review: The fading West, a cautious Labor win and an uncertain world
From the erosion of Western authority to Australia’s election result, 2025 exposed deep shifts in global power, alliance politics and the limits of domestic reform.
johnmenadue.com
December 21, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Western power is fading, China’s influence is rising and Australia remains bound to a dangerous alliance while climate risks mount, writes Pearls and Irritations Founder and Editor-in-Chief John Menadue.
#YearInReview #auspol #geopolitics #China #AUKUS #climate
#YearInReview #auspol #geopolitics #China #AUKUS #climate
Homelessness is a housing and health crisis. New research shows Australia could end rough sleeping with a 'housing first' approach – if governments choose to act, write Katrina Raynor.
#auspol #Homelessness #HousingFirst #PublicHousing
#auspol #Homelessness #HousingFirst #PublicHousing
How much does it cost to end rough sleeping? An Australian-first study may have just found out
Homelessness in Australia is worsening, with services stuck in crisis mode. Evidence from Finland – and new research in SA and WA – shows a different path is possible.
johnmenadue.com
December 20, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Homelessness is a housing and health crisis. New research shows Australia could end rough sleeping with a 'housing first' approach – if governments choose to act, write Katrina Raynor.
#auspol #Homelessness #HousingFirst #PublicHousing
#auspol #Homelessness #HousingFirst #PublicHousing
Plastic pollution, toxic lead recycling and the threat to northern Australia’s savannas show how environmental and health risks are being overlooked, writes Peter Sainsbury.
#auspol #environment #publichealth
#auspol #environment #publichealth
Environment: More good recycling is needed – emphasis on good
Low levels of plastic recycling are bad for human health and the environment. For lead, high levels of dangerous recycling are doing the damage. Northern Australia’s vast, ecologically relatively intact savannas are undervalued.
johnmenadue.com
December 20, 2025 at 9:45 PM
Plastic pollution, toxic lead recycling and the threat to northern Australia’s savannas show how environmental and health risks are being overlooked, writes Peter Sainsbury.
#auspol #environment #publichealth
#auspol #environment #publichealth
Julian Assange has lodged a complaint against the Nobel Foundation, arguing Peace Prize funds should not go to a figure backing US military action against Venezuela, writes Brad Reed.
#auspol #Venezuela #JulianAssange #NobelPeacePrize
#auspol #Venezuela #JulianAssange #NobelPeacePrize
Assange sues Nobel Foundation to stop war-promoting Machado from receiving Peace prize cash
Julian Assange has filed a legal complaint seeking to block Nobel Peace Prize funds from being paid to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado over her support for US military actions.
johnmenadue.com
December 20, 2025 at 9:30 PM
Julian Assange has lodged a complaint against the Nobel Foundation, arguing Peace Prize funds should not go to a figure backing US military action against Venezuela, writes Brad Reed.
#auspol #Venezuela #JulianAssange #NobelPeacePrize
#auspol #Venezuela #JulianAssange #NobelPeacePrize
Public safety is a duty of government, not a stage for moral performance. Protection works best when it is even-handed, institutional and resistant to factional pressure, writes Sasha Klumov Attard.
#auspol #publicsafety #democracy #socialcohesion #politics
#auspol #publicsafety #democracy #socialcohesion #politics
A defence of 'doing nothing'
Public safety can be strengthened without turning fear into a political performance. When protection becomes theatre, institutions weaken and social division deepens.
johnmenadue.com
December 20, 2025 at 9:15 PM
Public safety is a duty of government, not a stage for moral performance. Protection works best when it is even-handed, institutional and resistant to factional pressure, writes Sasha Klumov Attard.
#auspol #publicsafety #democracy #socialcohesion #politics
#auspol #publicsafety #democracy #socialcohesion #politics
As Christmas and Hanukkah intersect after the Bondi massacre, Fr Frank Brennan reflects on courage, faith and the choice to light a candle rather than curse the darkness. #auspol #Christmas #Hanukkah #Bondi
Holding on to hope – a Christmas reflection
In the shadow of the Bondi massacre, Christmas and Hanukkah sit side by side this year. Acts of courage and faith remind us how light is kept alive in dark times.
johnmenadue.com
December 20, 2025 at 9:00 PM
As Christmas and Hanukkah intersect after the Bondi massacre, Fr Frank Brennan reflects on courage, faith and the choice to light a candle rather than curse the darkness. #auspol #Christmas #Hanukkah #Bondi
Chile has elected a president who openly admires Pinochet. Ariel Dorfman writes that Kast’s victory reflects deep unease – and a dangerous belief that democracy can no longer deliver. #Chile #Democracy #Authoritarianism #Pinochet
Chile swerves to the right and into the past
José Antonio Kast’s election marks the first time since Chile’s return to democracy that an admirer of the dictatorship has reached the presidency. The implications run deep.
johnmenadue.com
December 19, 2025 at 11:16 PM
Chile has elected a president who openly admires Pinochet. Ariel Dorfman writes that Kast’s victory reflects deep unease – and a dangerous belief that democracy can no longer deliver. #Chile #Democracy #Authoritarianism #Pinochet
Does ASIO have the cultural reach it needs to detect emerging threats? Bernard Collaery argues the Bondi tragedy raises serious questions about human intelligence and community insight. #auspol #ASIO #Bondi #NationalSecurity
Bondi raises questions about ASIO’s community intelligence reach
The Bondi attack has renewed scrutiny of whether Australia’s domestic intelligence agencies have sufficient cultural reach and human intelligence within the communities they monitor.
johnmenadue.com
December 19, 2025 at 11:01 PM
Does ASIO have the cultural reach it needs to detect emerging threats? Bernard Collaery argues the Bondi tragedy raises serious questions about human intelligence and community insight. #auspol #ASIO #Bondi #NationalSecurity
East Asia has led the global recovery since 2020, but its productivist welfare model is now undermining consumption, fertility and long-term growth, write Arvid Lukauskas and Yumiko Shimabukuro. #economy #EastAsia #socialpolicy
Shrinking East Asia needs a safety net
East Asia has led the global recovery since the pandemic, but deep welfare imbalances are now threatening the sustainability of its growth model.
johnmenadue.com
December 19, 2025 at 10:46 PM
East Asia has led the global recovery since 2020, but its productivist welfare model is now undermining consumption, fertility and long-term growth, write Arvid Lukauskas and Yumiko Shimabukuro. #economy #EastAsia #socialpolicy
The ACCC’s case against Microsoft goes beyond pricing and transparency. Australia’s reliance on bundled software hides real alternatives, writes Dan Wild.
#auspol #techpolicy #DigitalSovereignty
#auspol #techpolicy #DigitalSovereignty
Why are you still using Microsoft Windows?
The ACCC’s case against Microsoft raises questions about market power and consumer transparency – but it also highlights how dependence on bundled software limits real choice for users.
johnmenadue.com
December 19, 2025 at 10:30 PM
The ACCC’s case against Microsoft goes beyond pricing and transparency. Australia’s reliance on bundled software hides real alternatives, writes Dan Wild.
#auspol #techpolicy #DigitalSovereignty
#auspol #techpolicy #DigitalSovereignty
The US is escalating pressure on Venezuela – not just over oil, but to reassert control across Latin America. What’s happening in Caracas has implications for the whole region, writes Vijay Prashad. #auspol #Venezuela #LatinAmerica #USForeignPolicy
Why did Trump send his warships to Venezuela?
As US pressure on Venezuela intensifies, Washington is reviving an openly interventionist approach to Latin America. The targets extend beyond Caracas to the region as a whole.
johnmenadue.com
December 19, 2025 at 10:15 PM
The US is escalating pressure on Venezuela – not just over oil, but to reassert control across Latin America. What’s happening in Caracas has implications for the whole region, writes Vijay Prashad. #auspol #Venezuela #LatinAmerica #USForeignPolicy
After the Bondi attack, grief was swiftly politicised. Demands made in the name of safety risk curbing protest, dissent and social cohesion, writes Raghid Nahhas. #auspol #Bondi #CivilLiberties
What the Bondi Beach tragedy reveals about Australia’s political faultlines
In the aftermath of the Bondi Beach attack, grief was quickly accompanied by political demands that blurred the line between combating antisemitism and suppressing dissent, with troubling consequences for social cohesion and civil liberties.
johnmenadue.com
December 19, 2025 at 10:00 PM
After the Bondi attack, grief was swiftly politicised. Demands made in the name of safety risk curbing protest, dissent and social cohesion, writes Raghid Nahhas. #auspol #Bondi #CivilLiberties
Hope is not optimism or denial. It is a discipline – a commitment to keep acting without guarantees, even when the future feels uncertain, writes Stewart Sweeney. #auspol #Hope #Democracy #Climate
Choosing hope in an uncertain world
In an age of political, ecological and social strain, hope is often mistaken for denial. But real hope is neither passive nor naïve – it is a choice to keep acting, even without guarantees.
johnmenadue.com
December 19, 2025 at 9:45 PM
Hope is not optimism or denial. It is a discipline – a commitment to keep acting without guarantees, even when the future feels uncertain, writes Stewart Sweeney. #auspol #Hope #Democracy #Climate
China is not a military threat to Australia. Acting as a proxy for an aggressive and declining US hegemony is the real danger, writes John Menadue. #auspol #China #AUKUS #IndoPacific
China has neither the intent nor the capability to attack us
Australia faces no credible military threat from China. The real danger lies in uncritical alignment with US strategy, fear-driven rhetoric and the steady erosion of national sovereignty.
johnmenadue.com
December 19, 2025 at 9:15 PM
China is not a military threat to Australia. Acting as a proxy for an aggressive and declining US hegemony is the real danger, writes John Menadue. #auspol #China #AUKUS #IndoPacific
Revelations about overseas training, intelligence gaps and policing failures make one thing clear: Bondi cannot be examined behind closed doors, write Greg Barns and Kym Davey. #auspol #Bondi #nationalsecurity #intelligence
Bondi demands answers – and a Royal Commission
Revelations about overseas training, intelligence failures and police responses raise urgent questions that cannot be left to internal reviews.
johnmenadue.com
December 19, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Revelations about overseas training, intelligence gaps and policing failures make one thing clear: Bondi cannot be examined behind closed doors, write Greg Barns and Kym Davey. #auspol #Bondi #nationalsecurity #intelligence
In the aftermath of the Bondi shooting, grief was quickly overtaken by political opportunism, as leaders and lobbyists moved to exploit tragedy and target dissent, writes Stefan Moore.
#auspol #Bondi #freespeech
#auspol #Bondi #freespeech
The Bondi Beach massacre: exploiting tragedy
The tragic massacre at a Hanukkah celebration in Bondi was followed by a rush to assign blame, inflame fear and curtail dissent.
johnmenadue.com
December 18, 2025 at 10:46 PM
In the aftermath of the Bondi shooting, grief was quickly overtaken by political opportunism, as leaders and lobbyists moved to exploit tragedy and target dissent, writes Stefan Moore.
#auspol #Bondi #freespeech
#auspol #Bondi #freespeech
Only three in five Australian students now attend school at least 90 per cent of the time, with more than a year of learning lost by Year 10. Governments need a new approach, write Amy Haywood and Jordana Hunter.
#auspol #education #SchoolAttendance #Kids
#auspol #education #SchoolAttendance #Kids
Australia’s school attendance crisis needs urgent national action
School attendance has been sliding for more than a decade, with more than a million Australian students now missing significant classroom time. Governments have set ambitious targets to reverse the trend, but meeting them will require a fundamental shift in approach.
johnmenadue.com
December 18, 2025 at 10:30 PM
Only three in five Australian students now attend school at least 90 per cent of the time, with more than a year of learning lost by Year 10. Governments need a new approach, write Amy Haywood and Jordana Hunter.
#auspol #education #SchoolAttendance #Kids
#auspol #education #SchoolAttendance #Kids