John Roskam’s Opinion Newsletter
IPA Senior Fellow John Roskam explains the good, bad and ugly of Australian politics in his weekly opinion newsletter, One & Free.
Could the Albanese government’s hopelessness get it re-elected?
My column in the Financial Review on Friday was about Peter Dutton's suggestion of a referendum to allow the government to deport dual citizens convicted of serious crimes. I said that while the idea had some merit, with a federal election a few days away from being called, it was a strange time for the opposition leader to start [...]
Politics is an inside job.
New research on parliamentarians' backgrounds shows exactly what you'd expect. I would rather be governed by the first 2,000 people in the Boston telephone directory than by the 2,000 people on the faculty of Harvard University. William F Buckley Jr Years ago I wrote a column, 'In defence of Ricky Muir'. You might remember him (or maybe not). [...]
Where our freedoms die.
Australia's civics and citizenship education is destroying democracy. Within these circles, Australia is best known for its strict response to the pandemic, as well as new hate speech laws and the Australian government's tendency to refuse visas to people who may be planning to utter controversial statements on Australian soil. Many attendees regarded Australia as something verging on [...]
The vibe shift hits Melbourne…sort of…
At the Werribee by-election on the weekend. I spent Saturday night arguing with a bunch of 19-year-olds. I was a scrutineer for the Liberal Party at the counting of the votes at the by-election for the seat of Werribee in the Victorian Parliament. Candidates can have scrutineers watch the count of ballot papers by the staff of the [...]
The direction of travel is changing
Growing support for Australia Day is about more than just a date. 'Is the fate of Australia Day heading only in one direction?' Back in January 2023 that was the question in the headline to a 1,600 word article in The Age. The article predicted that 'as young people age, overall support for Australia Day will tumble into [...]
The grass between the bricks.
Three people to read in 2025 That’s a photo I took this morning of the bricks in my driveway at home. I was doing some gardening on the weekend and I was thinking that the bricks look impenetrable but somehow between the cracks grass always finds a way to grow. I was contemplating that as I was [...]
