Should a public figure out of favour with Their ABC assert that the world is round, the Fact Check Unit will leap into action, mustering carefully selected quotes from carefully selected 'experts' to the effect that the earth isn't a sphere but an ellipsoid. Another conservative refuted as the Twitter mob cheers

After the Aztecs ran out of still-beating hearts, it came to be accepted that weather isn’t within humanity’s command. Lately, though, we’ve revived that ancient mindset, with all and any talk of emissions reduction inevitably invoking the need for endless and only marginally less painful 'sacrifices'

Even republicans don’t really care about the republic, which explains why they’ve let the debate stall at exactly where it was in 1999—and why they’re content to allow a failed prime minister and a grown man with a pirate fetish to be the public faces of their little movement

The yen to be taken seriously is the most craven of vices and leads to the worst outcomes. Consider, as but one example, the generations of very serious people -- state and federal politicians, mostly -- who pondered how best to manage Australia’s energy needs. The result: the world's highest energy prices

I once used 'trannie' to describe a male-turned-female who attempted to murder several people with an axe, a contraction in the venerable Australian tradition that drew vexatious complaints to various legal and administrative bodies. Their deliberations proved so drawn-out, not to mention expensive, the now-imprisoned attacker had commenced re-transitioning to male

Venture a gentle line about mankind’s greatest invention — “Say, what do you reckon about all of this climate change malarkey?”—and you’ll know immediately if your interlocutor is worthy of sharing further thoughts, a fence-sitter or a challenged type for whom you must speak far more slowly

A chat with opinion editor and gastrophile James Morrow prompted us first to seek a particular recipe, then a tastier alternative, and then -- by Lord knows how many inexplicable online deviations -- to seek recipes favoured by horror-movie actors. That's how Boris Karloff's remarkable guacamole came to light and, I hope, to the tables of Quadrant readers

Is it any wonder Rudd & Co's plan to insulate homes against climate change went so wildly and tragically astray? Predictably, the number of insulation installers soared twenty-eight fold, cowboys dominated, reputable operators forced out and people died. This is what happens, folks, whenever the dead hand of government gets involved

Summer’s sounds are now long faded, replaced by the less […]