individual says: "How about a suggestion for an alternative that doesn't require leaving their countries in the first place".

Good comment. We have the capacity - or we did before China gave us their virus - to aid people in our region; but they are not the ones wanting to come here illegally. Those who want to enter our country illegally are not from our region, and we need to do nothing to offer them options. All aid should also benefit Australia, and should go to our region to combat Chinese incursions and their shonky 'aid', which is really all about putting poor countries in the red so that territory can be taken over by the Chinese Communist Party.

This has to be one of the most facile and misguided analysis published in On-Line Opinion.

“He had defeated Malcolm Turnbull, who was seen as a gentleman, an urbane and distinguished lawyer, who had decided to provide, pro bono, some adult supervision for the country.” He may have been seen as that by the Left when elected PM but surely the behaviour of Malcom Turnbull since being voted out in a spill he called surely has demonstrated how misguided that view was.

As to Abbott being the world’s worst Health Minister I beg to differ. There have been 12 Health Ministers in the past 20 years. Someone I know who a consultant to the Ministry of Health (and a Labor supporter) and worked with many of them said of Tony that he always read his briefs, always asked intelligent questions, and (best of all) actually made decisions. Indeed this person said (through gritted teeth) that Tony was easily the best Health Minister Australia has had.

On-Line Opinion published the following article by me ten years ago: Who has the higher 'emotional intelligence', Julia or Tony? My opinion still holds.

thanks EQ

bucko shows how hatred of anything or anyone decent just blinds people despite their intelligence level. No doubt if in America he would fit in very well with the lying liberal media.

My query is, what would Mark Buckley know about what is & is not good for this Nation ?
I mean a "Writer" ? Well, as a "writer" one would think he'd boast of his experience in all matters he writes about. Has anyone read of them? All he appears to be champion in is attack anything that is not Left ? Right ?

I'd be in favour of strengthening the UN
Aidan,
For that to happen, we need COVID-19 go through that organisation first & then pull the plug to drain that particular swamp.
If the UN could be made to do what it is supposed to do for the billions given, then I think more than half of the problems of the World could be solved overnight.

Don't ever let anyone tell you that the LNP, MPs, corporates and think tanks ever kowtow to foreign interests, especially UK and/or US against Australian interests.

The IPA is part of the Koch's Atlas Network, as is the AIP:

https://www.atlasnetwork.org/partners/global-directory/australia-and-new-zealand

'The Atlas Network (formerly known as the Atlas Economic Research Foundation) was founded in 1981 by Antony Fisher. A "Johnny Appleseed" of antiregulation groups ..... ....Atlas Network is an "associate" member of the State Policy Network, a web of right-wing “think tanks” in every state across the country.'

https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Atlas_Network

Another group in the same Koch orbit are ALEC American Legislative Exchange Council, a 'bill mill' which produces model legislation and policy 'wish lists'

'ALEC is a corporate bill mill. It is not just a lobby or a front group; it is much more powerful than that. Through ALEC, corporations hand state legislators their wishlists to benefit their bottom line. Corporations fund almost all of ALEC's operations. They pay for a seat on ALEC task forces where corporate lobbyists and special interest reps vote with elected officials to approve “model” bills.'

https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=American_Legislative_Exchange_Council

Nothing like good old Australian 'sovereignty'.....