“But a new international study of 204 countries published in The Lancet Public Health estimates that the average Australian now spends 13.9 of those years living with illness or disability” writes @lukeslawomirski.bsky.social Read the full piece on The Point: thepoint.com.au/opinions/260...

“As Jews, we know what genocide looks like. The Holocaust taught us that the world’s failure to act in the face of evidence is something that cannot be allowed to happen again." www.jewishcouncil.com.au/2026/06/jewi...

Jewish Council condemns Israel's deliberate targeting of children as UN inquiry reaffirms genocide finding

MEDIA RELEASE 24 June 2026 The Jewish Council of Australia condemns Israel’s actions in the strongest terms and urges country-level […]

jewishcouncil.com.au

The same day top mining lobbyist Tania Constable claimed @australiainstitute.org.au criticisms of the government’s safeguard mechanism were “ridiculous" ....turns out the government paid foreign owned gas exporter/ tax cheat - Shell $90m free carbon offsets despite INCREASING it’s emissions

Paul Keating in 1996 warned that fears around multiculturalism were linked to "a yearning for an Australia which no longer exists" He championed a unified Australian identity built on diversity, arguing that retreating into monoculture is absurd. True then. True now. speakola.com/political/pa...

Paul Keating: ''A very ugly, resentful and xenophobic cat has been let out of the bag', The Myth of Monoculture, UNSW - 1996 — Speakola

11 November 1996, UNSW, Sydney, Australia

speakola.com

When my family and I arrived in Australia in the mid-80s, people would shout "speak English" at us in the street. So this is a bit of a personal one ... and I'm very concerned about where our public discourse is heading. Let's call out bigotry and racism. thepoint.com.au/opinions/260...

The genie of racism is trying to escape. Letting it will diminish this nation

A dangerous genie is trying to escape from its bottle. Letting it out will diminish us as a people and a nation. Beating hate requires leadership, investment and institutions that help people belong. ...

thepoint.com.au

Important piece debunking NDIS fraud claims. Disabled Australians deliberately screwed by known BS. Sickening. thepoint.com.au/news/260604-...

My thoughts on the changes to the PHI rebate. Basically echoing what others without a pecuniary interest in private health have said: 1. modest adjustment; will have minimal impact on the public system 2. likely to be net positive if the revenue spent in aged care thepoint.com.au/opinions/260...

Why fears over private health insurance rebate changes for older Australians are overstated

Last week, Health Minister Mark Butler told the ABC that the government would be moving forward with its proposal to change private health insurance rebates for older Australians. The proposed change ...

thepoint.com.au

Great article in Japanese on Australia's gas-tax debate and Japan's role in it. Minimal coverage of this in Japan to date. I'll post link to English version in comments below. @kikonet.org @australiainstitute.org.au @foejapan.bsky.social @marketforces.org.au

Global News View （GNV）@global-news-view.bsky.social · 3mo ago

《新着記事📰》 【なぜオーストラリアは自国のガスをタダ同然で手放すのか】 「どうして世界有数のガス輸出国の一つの国に住んでいるのに、ビールからの税の方が多いんだ？」 なぜオーストラリアのガス開発は巨額の利益を上げる日系や他の多国籍企業には有利で、オーストラリア国民には不利なのか。 なぜ政治家はそんな制度を放置し、変えようとしないのか。 ☟ globalnewsview.org/archives/987...

Quite a chart from @grogsgamut.bsky.social live.thepoint.com.au/2026/05/the-...

Australia Institute polling shows three in four Australians support a ban on gambling advertising. Australians lose more gambling than anywhere else in the world. It's time for the government to step up and make real changes. #auspol

What Australia's health expenditure would look like if our obesity rates halved ...

it might be an idea to start doing something about obesity … a $100B+ albatross around Australia’s neck @thepointau.bsky.social thepoint.com.au/off-the-char...

Australia beat tobacco. We can do the same with obesity

Australia’s win against tobacco shows that we can solve big public health problems. But there are other health epidemics that we’re way behind on. When it comes to obesity – a major risk factor in man...

thepoint.com.au

Taxing gas exports can buy us some good things thepoint.com.au/explainers/2...

Taxing gas to fund health, schools and other good things

The $17 billion in revenue that Australia is foregoing each year by failing to properly tax gas exports is enough to fund many of the essential services Australians rely on. One example is the Pharmac...

thepoint.com.au

Anthropic head Dario Amodei says a tax on Artificial Intelligence will be "inevitable" after years are spent working out details. He ignores the role of power in policy-making and politics. The graveyard of policy is littered with great ideas that people worked on for years.

Huge -- the High Court has struck down a big loophole for the major parties in Victoria's donation laws. The "nominated entities" loophole let the major parties receive uncapped donations from their fundraising vehicles, while everyone else was strictly limited.

The first of two pieces on private health. Don't blame the funds. thepoint.com.au/explainers/2... @australiainstitute.org.au #PHI #privatehealth

Private health premiums are rising, but is the system working? (spoiler: no)

This is the first of two articles examining the value private health insurance and private healthcare bring to the Australian healthcare system.

thepoint.com.au

thepoint.com.au/opinions/260...

Faster giving, faster change: billions in philanthropy is moving too slowly to meet the moment

Australia has more than $11 billion sitting in philanthropic funds that have already received generous tax deductions. Much of that money is intended for public good, but only a small portion is requi...

thepoint.com.au

Great piece on how Aus coal and gas decisions impact Asian countries. NSW stopped coal mines. Korea will end coal sooner. Feat Solutions for Our Climate in @newcastleherald.bsky.social www.newcastleherald.com.au/story/920499...

Breaking – the PM has requested modelling on a potential new gas tax. Australia Institute analysis shows that replacing the broken PRRT with a flat 25% tax on gas exports could raise more than $17 billion a year. ✍️ Sign to fix our gas export laws: https://theaus.in/4uY7Ahx

$30,000 a minute @roderickcampbell.bsky.social thepoint.com.au/opinions/260...

If the NDIS is ‘runaway spending’, what do we call $16 billion in fossil fuel subsidies?

New research shows fossil fuel subsidies will reach $16.3 billion in 2025–26, rising faster than the NDIS. Handouts to mining giants are growing faster than support for Australians with disability.

thepoint.com.au

Here's the full report: australiainstitute.org.au/report/the-h...

The hole in Australia’s gun laws

To get a firearm licence in Australia requires having a “genuine reason” to own a gun. In most jurisdictions, this requirement can be satisfied by being a paid-up member of a sports shooting club. Sho...

australiainstitute.org.au

“But beyond these shocking examples, Australia has a widespread problem with unnecessary and inappropriate medical interventions,” writes Luke Slawomirski, Senior Postdoctoral Fellow at The Australia Institute. Read the full piece on The Point: https://theaus.in/4tZwSuT

My reflections on the recent Four Corners episode ‘Scarred’ @australiainstitute.org.au thepoint.com.au/opinions/260...

Four Corners case highlights a deeper problem in Australian healthcare

The Four Corners program aired on Monday night detailed how Melbourne gynaecologist Simon Gordon performed surgeries to remove the ovaries and uteruses of dozens of young women who did not need these ...

thepoint.com.au

“Lifting interest rates to slow inflation is often referred to as a blunt instrument. In this instance, the blunt instrument is being used to smash the wrong culprit,” said Greg Jericho, Chief Economist at The Australia Institute. Read more: https://theaus.in/40tD40I

guess where i was yesterday?

A wide range of studies show that private schools don’t actually offer a better education than public schools; their advantages on standardised tests come almost entirely from the wealthier backgrounds of their students. Read the full piece on The Point: https://theaus.in/4aZs4y9

After revealing penalties on PwC inc a Ban after their Global Tax Scandal - never eventuated - Australia Institute’s Rod Campbell pushes for new legislation so consequences can proceed “There is zero consequence for any economist who essentially lies for their client.”💥 #auspol

My thoughts on specialist fee transparency thepoint.com.au/opinions/260... @thepointau.bsky.social @australiainstitute.org.au

Paid an arm and a leg to see a specialist? Fee transparency could help

The 78% fee increase since 2010 shows that specialists are simply charging what the market will bear.

thepoint.com.au

Schumpeter, Smith and the limits of market logic in medicine. www.linkedin.com/pulse/can-cr...

Can creative destruction heal? Schumpeter, Smith and the limits of market logic in medicine

This piece is based on the Australian healthcare landscape but most of the concepts can be applied to any hybrid system. It’s becoming clear that Australia’s private healthcare sector is in a moment o...

linkedin.com

Thomas Mann's 'Der Zauberberg' is an incredible book. Should be part of medical school curricula. www.medicalrepublic.com.au/medical-auth...

Medical authority as moral authority: the prescience of 'The Magic Mountain' - Medical Republic

‘Illness is nature’s attempt to heal us.’ – Thomas Mann, The Magic Mountain.

medicalrepublic.com.au