As the new independent federal anti-corruption commission begins operation in Australia, there are already claims that political parties are weaponising the watchdog to further their goals. In an interview with Seven’s Sunrise program, Nationals MP and former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce alleged that the Australian Greens party had politicised the commission after one of…

Australian Liberal Senator David Van has been dumped from the Opposition party room following accusations by Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe and former Liberal Senator Amanda Stoker that he had sexually assaulted them. Stoker’s allegations were released in a media statement on Thursday and followed Thorpe’s accusation on Wednesday. On Wednesday afternoon, under parliamentary privilege, Thorpe accused Van of…

Australian Liberal Senator David Van has been dumped from the Opposition party room following allegations by Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe and former Liberal Senator Amanda Stoker, and another unnamed individual that Van had sexually assaulted them. Stoker’s allegations were released in a media statement on Thursday and followed Thorpe’s accusation on Wednesday. While the third allegation was revealed…

Commentary With a crisis comes the inevitable knee-jerk government response. It seems to be an affliction that is universal in Australia (and most leaders nowadays) irrespective of the level of government or its stripes. The reaction is always more state interference in our lives and regulation. The view being the quicker the better because that…

The Labor government has been forced to bunker down after being buffeted on two fronts (in both the upper and lower house) by the opposition over the Higgins saga and the Australian Greens on housing affordability. This comes after finance minister, Senator Katy Gallagher, faced claims she had misled parliament over her knowledge of Brittany…

Commentary Brittany Higgins has crashed from her pedestal, potentially bringing with her key government ministers. The silencing of proper public debate about the weaponization of this pivotal rape case has ended, revealing widespread community contempt about the way this has all been handled. When we look back at what caused it all to fall apart,…

Commentary Brittany Higgins has crashed from her pedestal, potentially bringing with her key government ministers. The silencing of proper public debate about the weaponization of this pivotal rape case has ended, revealing widespread community contempt about the way this has all been handled. When we look back at what caused it all to fall apart,…

Finance Minister Katy Gallagher has backflipped on her statement made two years ago that she had no prior knowledge of details surrounding Brittany Higgins’s rape allegation and denied misleading the parliament. Gallagher confirmed that she was made aware of some of the allegations shortly before they were made public but “categorically rejected” accusations that Labor…

Commentary Readers would be familiar with the statue of Lady Justice, which takes its name from the Roman goddess, Iustitia. Lady Justice is emblematic of one of the pillars of liberal democracy: the rule of law. Dressed in a toga, she holds in one hand balance scales, which represent impartiality and the obligation of the…

The Labor government stands accused of seeking to “politically profit” from Brittany Higgins’ rape allegations. Higgins reached a compensation agreement with the Commonwealth in December 2022 after she launched legal action against her employers in the previous coalition government. Higgins alleged she was raped by Bruce Lehrmann in 2019 inside the office of then-Coalition minister…