Conspicuous by its absence as a topic either party has been prepared to address: what next for Australia's ongoing military involvement in the Middle East?  Where do we stand when ISIS has been subdued and the many regional players' interests, agendas and rivalries collide?

Whatever Barack Obama aimed to achieve in Syria with half measures and rhetoric, allowing he had any firm notion to begin with, must be deemed far from fruition. The contrast with Putin's willingness to place military muscle at the service of strategy could not be more clear -- or more damning

When cultural relativism flowed from university campuses to the broader society and venturing unpopular or unfashionable opinions began to incur a certain risk, many found it easier to shrug, scoff and do nothing. That was a huge mistake, perhaps a fatal one