The ABC’s new flagship forum failed to interrogate key claims and perspectives on antisemitism, leaving major gaps in a critical national debate.

The inaugural program of the much-heralded successor to ABC TV Q&A, the _ABC National Forum_, on 9 March was a sad damp squib.

Vivienne Porzsolt

THERE HAS BEEN many investigation on why TRUMP got elected in 2024... The motives are numerous, from the rejection of the WOKE influence, to Kamala (HARRIS) being UNDEMOCRATICALLY chosen and being incoherent and WISHY-WASHY... But for GUS Leonisky, CARTOONIST extraordinaire since 1951, the main deception that tipped the scale in favour of the NOW WARRIOR-in-chief was the WARMONGER party, also KNOWN as the uniparty, the Demorepubicrats, that did a fantastic switcheroo...

REMEMBER that the Cheneys and JOHN Bolton, WARMONGERS of renown, defected from the "Republicans" to join the DEMOCRATS as anti-TRUMP... This would have irked some democrats... THAT WAS A clever TRICK.

According to The Washington Post, the Pentagon recently asked the White House to approve a more than $200 billion request to Congress to fund the war.

The Trump regime goes from madness to madness, ignoring any and every international law. Michael Pascoe writes Trump’s latest threat looks like a promise.

Make no mistake, there is no easy or early end to the Middle East quagmire Donald Trump has dumped the world into, encouraging the mad king to float another adventure to change focus from the mess he has created.

The Madness of Trump. What’s his next criminal outrage gonna’ be?
by Michael Pascoe

“I do believe I’ll be … having the honour of taking Cuba,” Trump announced. “Whether I free it, take it – think I could do anything I want with it.”

While the “Iran war” is fuelling Israel’s desire for Middle East chaos, Australia finds itself in strategic quagmire of confused priorities and escalating energy costs. Stuart McCarthy reports.

According to the 2023 Defence Strategic Review, Australia is confronting the “worst strategic circumstances since WWII.” A need to “pivot” from pointless “forever wars” in the Middle East towards the Indo-Pacific and counter a rapid build-up of Chinese military power evidently warrants an overhaul of our “not fit for purpose” defence force, expenditure of up to $368B on AUKUS submarines and a plan to enter the “missile age.”

The language and beliefs driving the US–Israel war on Iran point to escalation, not restraint – with global consequences.

When you watch the US Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, announcing Operation Epic Fury, his surprise attack on the citizens of Iran, you observe a performance crafted to mirror his vision of almost unlimited US power.

John Jiggens

United States President Donald Trump has told Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi that he expects her country to “step up” to assist with securing the Strait of Hormuz amid the US- and Israeli-led war against Iran.

But at a news conference in the Oval Office on Thursday, a reporter pressed Trump about why he did not tell US allies like Japan in advance about his administration’s plans to attack Iran.

Trump responded with a quip about the Japanese sneak attack on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor during World War II.

“We wanted surprise. Who knows better about surprise than Japan, OK? Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor?” Trump asked Takaichi, who appeared uncomfortable.

The map of the Middle East is being redrawn in real-time. Today, March 19, 2026, we go inside the most critical diplomatic gathering of the decade. As the sun set over the Saudi capital last night, foreign ministers from across the Arab and Islamic world descended upon Riyadh for an emergency summit. The mission: to prevent a total regional collapse.

Following the Feb 28 joint strikes and Iran’s subsequent "chokehold" on the Strait of Hormuz, the geography of the Gulf has turned into a "Zone of Interception," with over 438 drones and 36 missiles neutralized over Saudi soil alone in the last three weeks.

I wrote this preview note, not sure if I’m even allowed to, but in today’s modern Wild West, it feels like we can do whatever we want.

Briefly, though, this story is important—it affects the American economy, and I wanted to share it. Yet Americans—all of us included—don’t suffer in the ways others around the world do. We often view the world as a source of entertainment, spending money and enjoying lives untouched by the wars we have created.

While Americans Worry About Grocery Bills, Israel’s U.S.-Backed War Is Devastating the World

SHEERPOST

So once again, here we have a story that hits our wallets. No kidding. We are in the midst of genocide and mass destruction on a global scale, brought on and funded by our tax dollars, and yet most of us only care about food costs and gas prices.

• Shipping fuel prices have nearly doubled due to the Middle East war and Strait of Hormuz blockade, reaching "truly unprecedented" levels, according to IBIA.
• VLSFO prices have surged; Fujairah saw a doubling since February 27, and Singapore is up 106%. This impacts shipping costs globally.
• Shipping firms are adapting by slowing ships or finding alternative routes. The UN began talks March 18 to address the shipping crisis.

LONDON - Shipping fuel prices have reached “truly unprecedented” levels, having nearly doubled from the cargo crunch driven by the Middle East war, an industry leader told AFP on March 18.

One of the key architects of the GST deal that will cost federal taxpayers $60 billion has defended the policy as affordable and vital to protecting the federation, putting him at odds with one of his fellow former ministers, who says it is hurting the nation’s economy and should be dumped.

Cormann v the rest: Why former finance minister is still backing this $60b blowout

Shane Wright

Mathias Cormann, finance minister under Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison and now the head of the OECD, has used a Productivity Commission inquiry into the 2018 GST deal to argue it was a “sound long-term investment” and should be maintained.

New laws are poised to pass the Senate and enshrine ASIO’s extraordinary powers of interrogation without proper judicial, parliamentary or public review. Marcus Reubenstein reports.

In July 2025, an extension of Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) powers to detain suspects without judicial warrants and with limited access to legal representation was rammed through the House of Representatives in just two days, with the full support of the Government and Opposition.

Civil liberties. Senate to approve extraordinary ASIO powers
by Marcus Reubenstein

The name of the long game is to destabilise/destroy RUSSIA.

Since 1917, America has vowed to become the master of the world. In order to achieve this, it needs to control the HEARTLAND [Russia]. This is in the footsteps of Mackinder's theory — AN ENGLISH DUDE who invented the game of WORLD GEOPOLITICS. And in 1917, RUSSIA had invented the antithesis to CAPITALISM: Communism.

The WEST needs to influence politics in RUSSIA.

The West needs to get rid of PUTIN, from the inside of Russia.

PUTIN SAVED RUSSIA FROM FALLING INTO THE WESTERN’S CLUTCHES.

WE HATE PUTIN.

Who can the WEST find to DESTROY PUTIN politically.

Several candidates come to mind…

One of them is called NAVALNY. Navalny is a small time crook, crusading on ANTI-CORRUPTION...

Navalny is made an offer:

MI6 will help him become president of RUSSIA.

Navalny hates PUTIN.

Joe Kent resigned [....] as the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, the top U.S. government post responsible for integrating and analyzing terrorism-related intelligence, because of his opposition to the war in Iran. Let’s hear it for the boy!!! Before taking this job, Joe served as a Army Ranger, as a Green Beret, as a member of a Top Secret special access program Army Intelligence unit and served with the CIA’s Special Operations Division. The man had 11 combat deployments and was awarded SIX bronze stars. And the despicable, loathsome Donald Trump had the audacity to call this man “weak” on security matters.

Joe Kent Hero… Tulsi Gabbard, a Contemptible, Craven Zero
by Larry C. Johnson