news
defence
defence May 14, 2022
Ben Roberts-Smith trial calls next witness
As the Ben Roberts-Smith defamation case continues, his four star witnesses face their own difficulties in and out of the witness box.
ir April 30, 2022
Exclusive: Defence review questions Afghanistan war deaths
A review of Australia’s involvement in Afghanistan questions whether soldiers’ deaths helped strategic outcomes and calls for ongoing royal commission-like powers to prevent misconduct.
ir April 16, 2022
Pine Gap’s role in China–US arms race makes Australia a target
The Pine Gap base near Alice Springs is expanding, and so is its importance to the US military. It also means Australia is becoming a more obvious global target, whether we realise it or not.
defence March 12, 2022
Defence spending booms as efficiency dives
By cutting public service jobs then outsourcing to contractors, the cost of defence staffing has doubled. With problems from planning through to delivery, the billions being spent are not giving taxpayers value for money.
defence December 18, 2021
Andrew Leigh on humanity’s one-in-six chance of ending
According to a new book by Labor frontbencher Andrew Leigh, humanity has a one-in-six chance of ending in the next hundred years. The biggest threats are not the ones he expected.
immigration November 20, 2021
Afghanistan once more a terrorism threat
Key military and diplomatic figures have admitted that Afghanistan could again become a hub for terrorist activity.
immigration November 13, 2021
Australia to allow visas for trapped Afghans to expire
Australia will let emergency visas expire for those still in Afghanistan, as it emerges the US was consulted on evacuation a month before Kabul’s ‘unexpected’ fall.
resources November 13, 2021
How fear of abandonment informs Australia’s defence strategy
Australia’s defence priorities have oscillated between protecting the country from invasion and joining foreign allies abroad in the hope of future support. Scott Morrison has opted for the latter, following a map drawn up by John Howard.
immigration October 23, 2021
Three interpreters killed in Afghanistan
The Australian government’s emergency 449 visas are set to expire, as another ex-ADF interpreter has been reported dead.
immigration October 9, 2021
What happened to the asylum seekers aboard SIEV X?
Twenty years after it sank, there is still a terrible mystery about what happened to the asylum seekers aboard SIEV X and why they were not rescued by Australia.
resources September 25, 2021
Under the surface of Australia’s submarine deal
Hours before cancelling a $90 billion contract for French submarines, Australia was still telling the company to proceed with design – but the plan to renege had been in the works since 2019.
