Latest Articles
We are encouraged to rely more and more on government officials to do for us what we could equally well do for ourselves—and, maybe more importantly, not to do what might help us solve our own problems.
Sep 08 2024
10 mins
If we imagine a metric called the Pinocchio Scale, which measures the number of lies told by a politician as a percentage of his or her overall public statements, our current prime minister (for want of a better description), Airbus Albo, has moved well into uncharted territory.
Sep 06 2024
5 mins
Further Thoughts on the Case of Ben Roberts-Smith
Since the judgment in the Ben Roberts-Smith defamation trial was handed down we have been deluged with some pretty strange commentary. Here are some examples, in no particular order.
Joe Hildebrand on Sky News claimed the finding that Roberts-Smith murdered innocent civilians or unarmed prisoners shows that we are no better than the Taliban. Memo to Joe: the Taliban are not contemplating prosecuting any of their ranks who have committed innumerable atrocities. They’re not bound by either rules of engagement or the rules of war.
See also: Yamashita’s shadow falls on the ADF
Another is the claim that the SAS is the ‘tip of the spear’. Part of the problem, the rewards of which we are now reaping, has been the deification of the SAS. This has led to a mindset among some SAS members that they are above the standards applied to mere mortals. The SAS is not the ‘tip of the spear’. It is a niche unit, albeit very highly trained, established to carry out specific and…
Madam: Archbishop Fisher (July-August 2024) does not resist the attacks on his church by the political, social or scientific atheists and those who insist on not being told what to do.
Aug 29 2024
6 mins
To claim Aborigines have the world's oldest continuous culture is to misunderstand the meaning of culture, which continuously changes over time and location. For a culture not to change over time would be a reproach and certainly not a cause for celebration, for it would indicate that there had been no capacity to adapt. Clearly this has not been the case
Aug 20 2024
23 mins
A friend and longtime supporter of Quadrant, Clive James sent us a poem in 2010, which we published in our December issue. Like the Taronga Park Aquarium he recalls in its 'mocked-up sandstone cave' it's not to be forgotten
Aug 16 2024
2 mins
