Richard Cooke

You'd need a heart of stone not to laugh at right-wing think-tanker Tim Wilson becoming a Human Rights Commissioner. Whatever the merits of his appointment, it’s an ace piece of industrial strength trolling by George Brandis, parachuting a culture warrior …

Rewriting the Gillard years

For the other countries of the first world, a US government shutdown is a real curiosity. It might even be exciting, if it wasn’t for the consequences. We all have political problems, but only America deals with them by becoming Somalia for a while. …

The delusion continues post-election

I once asked a right-wing poet (they exist) about the pitifully low number of female contributors published by conservative magazines. Why was it so? In response he took me on a long tour of the weak excuse department, trying everything from the historical …

Read part 1 here Western Sydney and the shallows of abundance “We are a wealthy country” is a familiar phrase of entreaty in refugee advocacy. Implicit in it is an understanding, even if it’s an indirect one, …

The failure of the pro-refugee movement The Papua New Guinea solution marks the symbolic failure of the humanitarian case for refugee resettlement in Australia. More than a decade of persuasion, from the infographics posted on Facebook, …

The Australian cricket team’s painful declension from the Invincibles to the Washington Generals has paused, thanks to Ashton Agar’s defiance. He might spark a comeback of fortunes, but for now Australian fans are still tasting something unfamiliar: …

Today we know that a petition ended the political career of Julia Gillard. But we don’t know if the petition ever really existed. Even when this mysterious document was still being circulated no MP would say they had actually seen or signed it, …