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Members event: February

— Organisation: Prosper Australia — Monday 9th February 2026

Kicking off the year, members are invited to hear from Rayna Fahey who has stepped into the role of Executive Director at Prosper Australia. As a long term advocate for housing, land policy, and making our cities fairer, Rayna will share a bit about our priorities for the year — from land value capture to […]

The post Members event: February first appeared on Prosper Australia.

What’s On Feb 9-15 2026

— Organisation: Free Palestine Melbourne — Monday 9th February 2026

What’s On around Naarm/Melbourne & regional Victoria: Feb 9-15, 2026

Inclusionary Zoning: Four principles for a targeted, consistent, and balanced policy

— Organisation: Per Capita — Monday 9th February 2026

The Planning Amendment (Better Decisions Made Faster) Bill 2025 passed both houses of parliament last week. The amendment will streamline building approvals, including allowing low-risk building permits to be processed faster. Changes also include a provision that enables councils and state government to make the use or development of land conditional on the provision of an affordable housing contribution as long as:

the relevant planning scheme identifies a need for affordable housing and
the application exceeds a dwelling number or development value threshold.

This is a promising change that lays the groundwork for inclusionary zoning (IZ) – a land use planning intervention that either mandates or incentivises the delivery of social or affordable housing or in-lieu financial contributions as part of market rate housing development. This is something local councils, industry leaders, social housing and homelessness experts and researchers have been calling for for years.¹

With the correct policy settings, IZ has proven an extremely effective approach to delivering affordable housing. In England, inclusionary zoning delivered 27,400 affordable homes in 2023-2024, accounting for 44% of all affordable homes built in England that year.² Over 110,000 affordable homes have been produced in the US through IZ programs.³

Noam Chomsky, Jeffrey Epstein and the Politics of Betrayal

— Author: Chris Hedges — Monday 9th February 2026

The ghost of loss gets into you

— Author: Julia Doubleday — Sunday 8th February 2026

Most days I still think of calling my mother.

Today, for example, I imagine ringing her up, telling her I’m back at work on The Gauntlet, writing away. She always loved to hear that.

“Yes,” I’d tell her, “I’m writing about how devastated I’ve been since you died.”

My mom died on January 3, 2026.

A bunch of doctors gathered in the hallway outside her room to thank her for being an organ donor, reading a tribute written by my father. The doctors learned about her master’s degrees in math and music, and how she conducted our church choir for decades. They listened patiently as they learned she taught college and high school math classes for many years, how she took up painting after retirement, how she was a loving mother to two children: my brother Kevin, and me.

I was here in DC, still homebound, watching via Facetime on Kevin’s phone. A dear friend lay in bed with me while I sobbed, holding my hand. They removed all the life support. She breathed for one more hour.

Since January 3rd, I’ve read Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner, The Mercy Papers by Robin Romm, A Heart that Works by Robb Delaney, A Very Easy Death by Simone de Beauvoir, The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, and The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion.

Chris Hedges on Trump, Epstein and the Decline of American Democracy | UpFront

— Author: Chris Hedges — Sunday 8th February 2026

02/06/2026 Market Update

— Organisation: Applied MMT — Friday 6th February 2026

IVF Is Not the Answer to the Fertility Crisis

— Organisation: The Claremont Institute — Friday 6th February 2026

One year ago, President Trump signed an executive order directing his administration to develop policy recommendations to protect access to in vitro fertilization (IVF), expand its availability, and lower its cost to patients. Then in October, the administration announced additional measures to lower costs for IVF and common fertility drugs and explore pathways like expanded employer benefits or excepted benefit categories for assisted reproductive technologies. While this included joint efforts across federal agencies to make this costly intervention more affordable, the administration stopped short of imposing broad new federal mandates for insurance coverage or direct government funding of IVF.

The American Mind Podcast: The Roundtable Episode 303

— Organisation: The Claremont Institute — Friday 6th February 2026

The American Mind’s ‘Editorial Roundtable’ podcast is a weekly conversation with Ryan Williams, Spencer Klavan, and Mike Sabo devoted to uncovering the ideas and principles that drive American political life. Stream here or download from your favorite podcast host.

The Mini-Bus, the Short Bus, and the Clown Car | The Roundtable Ep. 303

Speech: Opening Statement to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Economics

— Organisation: Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) — Thursday 5th February 2026

Governor Michele Bullock provides an update on the Bank’s operations and activities, before she and senior colleagues answer questions from the Committee members.

Stopping the European Censorship Machine

— Organisation: The Claremont Institute — Thursday 5th February 2026

Shortly before Christmas, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Undersecretary of State Sarah Rogers made a dramatic announcement: the U.S. was placing five individuals described as “agents of the global censorship-industrial complex” on a visa sanctions list in an effort to curb foreign suppression of Americans. The undoubted headliner of the group is Thierry Breton, the former E.U. Internal Market Commissioner who spearheaded efforts to enforce the E.U.’s Digital Services Act (DSA) during the last years of his tenure in the European Commission. The list also includes the two managing directors of the hitherto relatively obscure German organization HateAid, which serves as a so-called “trusted flagger” under the DSA.

Does the Phillips Curve Steepen When Costs Surge?

— Organisation: Federal Reserve Bank of New York — Publication: Liberty Street Economics — Thursday 5th February 2026

Simone Lenzu

Why MAGA is here to stay | Between the Lines

— Organisation: The Australia Institute — Thursday 5th February 2026

The Wrap: Australia doesn’t need a strong Opposition, but it does need a strong Parliament

“Australia is an ‘elective dictatorship’, an ominous term coined in the 1990s by David Hamer. Mr Hamer was a Liberal parliamentarian who served in both houses of Parliament (he was an MP and a senator). His point was that, between elections, the Government’s power is barely constrained by law or the Constitution.

“Instead, the Government is constrained by the Parliament. However benign or well-meaning a Government, democracy depends on the option for the Parliament to intervene to stop abuse of power,” writes Bill Browne.

Read more

Frontline services stretched to breaking point as housing crisis deepens

— Organisation: Everybody's Home — Thursday 5th February 2026

Frontline organisations responding to Australia’s housing crisis are operating at breaking point, reporting sustained increases in demand, escalating complexity, and diminishing capacity to help, according to Everybody’s Home.

The national housing campaign’s ‘No Way Out’ sector survey of dozens of frontline organisations found nine in ten (89%) reported increased workloads over the past year, while almost all (98%) expect demand for their services to rise further in 2026.

More than four in five (82%) organisations reported the housing crisis is either significantly affecting their daily operations or severely threatening the effectiveness of their programs.

The crisis is increasingly affecting the workforce itself, with seven in ten frontline organisations (71%) reporting increased stress or burnout among their workforce, while more than three quarters (78%) said housing insecurity is impacting their staff or volunteers.

Almost three-quarters (72%) said the increased workload has contributed to staff turnover in the past year, and more than one quarter of respondents (27%) said they’d considered leaving their role due to workload or housing-related pressures.

What Will the Future Look Like in the ‘New World Order?’ (w/ John Mearsheimer) | The Chris Hedges Report

— Author: Chris Hedges — Thursday 5th February 2026

This interview is also available on podcast platforms and Rumble.

Karl Marx, in his essay “The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte,” said that history repeats itself, “the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce.” Donald Trump’s actions in the first year of his second term have spelled out to many that tragedies of history are beginning to repeat themselves, this time certainly as farces.

John Mearsheimer, the renowned scholar, author and R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago, joins host Chris Hedges on this episode of The Chris Hedges Report to contextualize what Trump’s political missions mean through the lens of history.

OAA welcomes new Open Science Policy from NHMRC & MRFF

— Organisation: Open Access Australasia — Thursday 5th February 2026

How Australian high schools became the most expensive in the developed world

— Organisation: The Australia Institute — Thursday 5th February 2026

On this episode of Dollars & Sense, Greg and Elinor discuss the Reserve Bank’s decision to raise interest rates and the absurdity of elite private schools receiving substantial public funding.

This discussion was recorded on Thursday 5 February 2026.

A time for Bravery: what happens when Australia chooses courage is available now via Australia Institute Press. Use the code ‘POD5’ to get $5 off the regular price – offer available for a limited time only.

Host: Greg Jericho, Chief Economist, the Australia Institute // @grogsgamut

Host: Elinor Johnston-Leek, Senior Content Producer, the Australia Institute // @elinorjohnstonleek

Show notes:

Australian high schools the most expensive in the world – new research, the Australia Institute (February 2026)

What are the odds? The RBA has raised interest rates – for no real reason other than to meet the desires of speculators by Greg Jericho, Guardian Australia (February 2026)

Anatomy (not Autopsy) of the Phillips Curve

— Organisation: Federal Reserve Bank of New York — Publication: Liberty Street Economics — Wednesday 4th February 2026

Simone Lenzu

Immigration and the Moral Limits of Federalism

— Organisation: The Claremont Institute — Wednesday 4th February 2026

If Hayek taught us to inquire about who ought to decide and Lincoln taught us to ask to what end, then the question of immigration compels us toward a third and inescapable question: Where is the line drawn?

The principles of subsidiarity and federalism demand that matters should be resolved at the lowest level of authority competent to manage them. Much of what the national government has usurped would be more wisely and justly managed by the states, local communities, families, and institutions of civil society. The Constitution itself was framed to embody this division of powers, preserving the vitality of local self-government against the dangers of centralized tyranny.

Hillary Clinton’s Failure of Empathy

— Organisation: The Claremont Institute — Wednesday 4th February 2026

Reading Hillary Clinton’s most recent article, “MAGA’s War on Empathy,” it’s hard not to have at least some sympathy, and perhaps even empathy, for her.

Yes, Clinton was one of the most ruthless political operators of the last century, a woman who would seemingly do almost anything in pursuit of power. She was extremely close to becoming president, the prize she had always wanted, before being thwarted by Donald Trump of all people, a figure she treated as little more than an absurdity during much of her 2015-16 campaign.

It would be easy to dismiss anything Clinton writes as simple, cynical political posturing. And to be sure, there is plenty of politicized misrepresentation of facts in her latest article. And yet her recent piece attacking the Trump GOP for its supposed lack of empathy, using Minneapolis as a backdrop, is revealing, for it lays bare the moral core of today’s Democratic Party.

If her piece were just political and not reflective to some degree of her sincere belief, she could have done it as an X post or a short op-ed—she certainly didn’t need 6,000 words in The Atlantic to make her case. In this respect I differ somewhat from Pastor Joe Rigney, one of the targets of Clinton’s ire, who wrote his own excellent response. Clinton wrote this essay because, to a certain extent, she means it.

Activists Make History: A New Era for the NDP with Tanille Johnston

— Publication: Perspectives Journal — Wednesday 4th February 2026

Listen to the full conversation on the Perspectives Journal podcast, available to subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Amazon Music, and all other major podcast platforms.

SUBSCRIBE to the Perspectives Journal Podcast and Activists Make History for previous and upcoming interviews with the 2026 NDP leadership race candidates.

North America's Best Transit Cities: A Countdown

— Publication: CityNerd — Wednesday 4th February 2026

Jackhammering Into the Sewer

— Author: Sarah Kendzior — Wednesday 4th February 2026

“They’re jackhammering into the sewer and the whole house is shaking,” I texted my husband.

I was sitting on a window seat watching a construction crew drill into the sidewalk below. I didn’t want to stand on a floor that trembled. Everything valuable threatened to fall. A photo of my children flipped over like a memory I couldn’t trust.

Outside, a stream of liquid coated the road. The workers gathered in a circle and looked down at something terrible. One picked up the jackhammer again and drilled deep and hard. The rest stood back and watched while he did it. I closed the windows, but I could not block out the sound or the feeling of earth giving way.

When will this stop, how can I make it stop I started to write, then deleted it. I saw my original text. I wrote instead:

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to accidentally summarize the state of the nation.”

* * *

“They rushed this”: why the Reserve Bank got it wrong by raising rates

— Organisation: The Australia Institute — Wednesday 4th February 2026

On this episode of Follow the Money, Matt Grudnoff joins Ebony Bennett to discuss big economic reform opportunities facing the government and why the Reserve Bank of Australia is so cautious about cutting rates, yet so quick to hike them up.

Join economist, author and former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis and friends in Adelaide on Sunday 1 March and in Sydney on Thursday 5 March. Tickets are selling fast, so get yours now.

Guest: Matt Grudnoff, Senior Economist, the Australia Institute // @mattgrudnoff

Host: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director, the Australia Institute // @ebonybennett

Show notes:

Hasty decision inflicts more pain and will cost jobs, the Australia Institute (February 2026)

Social Democrats of the North: Agnes Macphail

— Publication: Perspectives Journal — Tuesday 3rd February 2026

Listen to the full conversation on the Perspectives Journal podcast, available to subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Amazon Music, and all other major podcast platforms.

The Road to Pax Americana Runs Through Congress

— Organisation: The Claremont Institute — Tuesday 3rd February 2026

Many in Washington have begun to speak the language of war. Republicans tell us we are fighting for the Constitution, for the culture, and for the future of the country. That rhetoric alone marks a welcome change. For decades, American politics has been treated as a technocratic dispute among credentialed elites, where process matters more than outcomes and elections merely decide if the managerial state has to occasionally mount some resistance against GOP political appointees.

Yet, there exists a harmful disconnect between rhetoric and behavior. While Republican leaders increasingly talk like participants in an existential struggle, they continue to govern like caretakers of the status quo. They campaign like insurgents, but legislate like custodians.

This contradiction is heightened with talk of a “Golden Age,” a phrase often invoked as a form of reassurance or a fulfilled prophecy. Republicans, though, are mistaken: we are not in a Golden Age. Augustus did not declare the Pax Romana in the middle of a civil war, let alone a cold one like ours. It was named after power had been consolidated and institutions reshaped. Golden ages follow conquest; they don’t precede it.

The Pax Americana will come after victory is achieved, not before it.

New York Fed EHIs Reveal Small Business Struggles

— Organisation: Federal Reserve Bank of New York — Publication: Liberty Street Economics — Tuesday 3rd February 2026

Will Aarons and Asani Sarkar

Massive, Toxic Gas Leak? No Problem!

— Organisation: Climate Town — Tuesday 3rd February 2026

Everybody’s Home encouraged by reports of changes to CGT discount

— Organisation: Everybody's Home — Tuesday 3rd February 2026

Everybody’s Home is pleased to see reports that the Albanese Government is considering winding back the capital gains tax discount for property investors.

Media reports today suggest the government is considering scaling back the 50 per cent CGT deduction as it prepares for a “significant reform” budget in May.

The national housing campaign has consistently been calling on the government to abolish the CGT discount and negative gearing – property investor tax breaks that cost taxpayers billions of dollars annually and make the housing crisis worse.

“Tax breaks for property investors are making the housing crisis worse and everyday Australians are paying the price. Lining the pockets of investors largely benefits higher income earners and makes housing more expensive for everyone else,” Everybody’s Home spokesperson Maiy Azize said.

“The federal government spends billions more on property investor tax breaks than on providing rentals that people can actually afford. That is the opposite of what we need to do to fix the housing crisis.

“What matters now is whether any changes actually help fix the housing crisis. That means changes big enough to stop fuelling speculation and to free up money to build the public and community homes that Australia desperately needs – not just small tweaks that raise money for the budget.

A New Dataset for Consumer Spending in the New York Fed EHIs

— Organisation: Federal Reserve Bank of New York — Publication: Liberty Street Economics — Tuesday 3rd February 2026

Rajashri Chakrabarti, Thu Pham, Beck Pierce, and Maxim L. Pinkovskiy

Mother and children unloading groceries

We are enhancing our set of Economic Heterogeneity Indicators (EHIs) by adding a set of metrics on consumer spending with data presented by income, education, race and ethnicity, age, and urban status. The data will help track the evolution of aggregate behavior by analyzing the spending of specific groups in a more timely manner than is possible using public surveys.

Hasty decision inflicts more pain and will cost jobs

— Organisation: The Australia Institute — Tuesday 3rd February 2026

The RBA was cautious when it came to cutting interest rates last year. The board repeatedly told borrowers it didn’t want to be hasty and would wait for more data before bringing rates down.

Today’s decision is, predominantly, a reaction to one month of inflation data. The annual inflation rate increased to 3.8 percent in December, above the Reserve Bank’s target band of 2-3 percent. But that was almost entirely driven by one-off spending on travel and accommodation.

The underlying or “core” inflation – which strips out all the big jumps and falls – was 0.23 percent in December, the lowest in six months.

“By its own cautious standards, the RBA should have waited at least another month before inflicting more pain on borrowers,” said Matt Grudnoff, Senior Economist at The Australia Institute.

“The December CPI numbers were driven almost entirely by the increase in prices for travel and accommodation.

“Today’s decision will cost jobs. The RBA wants unemployment to go up. It believes low unemployment makes it hard for businesses to hire workers, forcing them to increase wages to attract them, and those higher wages will lead to higher prices.

“But unemployment has been below the RBA’s sustainable rate of 4.5 percent for four years and wages have not shot up. Forcing unemployment up will just create pointless misery.”

Statements on Monetary Policy

— Organisation: Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) — Tuesday 3rd February 2026

The Statement on Monetary Policy sets out the Bank's assessment of current economic conditions, both domestic and international, along with the outlook for Australian inflation and output growth. A number of boxes on topics of special interest are also published. The Statement is issued four times a year.

Statement by the Monetary Policy Board: Monetary Policy Decision

— Organisation: Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) — Tuesday 3rd February 2026

At its meeting today, the Board decided to increase the cash rate target by 25 basis points to 3.85 per cent.

Why Is Marsha Blackburn Hanging Out With Nicki Minaj?

— Author: Betsy Phillips — Monday 2nd February 2026

Our senior senator claims to advocate for victims of abuse. Nicki Minaj is no friend to abuse victims.

Why MAGA is here to stay with Don Watson

— Organisation: The Australia Institute — Monday 2nd February 2026

On this episode of After America, author and former speechwriter Don Watson joins Dr Emma Shortis to discuss the trajectory of the Trump administration, why Australia can’t avoid the rupture being brought about by the MAGA movement, and where Democratic leadership might come from in a “woefully” split party.

This discussion was recorded on Friday 30 January 2026.

A time for Bravery: what happens when Australia chooses courage is available now via Australia Institute Press. Usually available for $34.95, use the code ‘POD5’ to get $5 off – offer available for a limited time only.

Guest: Don Watson, author of The Shortest History of the United States

Host: Emma Shortis, Director, International & Security Affairs, the Australia Institute // @emmashortis

Show notes:

The Shortest History of the United States of America by Don Watson, Black Inc. (2025)

How corporations are co-opting regenerative agriculture and increasing their power in the agri-food system

— Publication: Progress in Political Economy — Monday 2nd February 2026

Our current agri-food system is unsustainable. It contributes to at least one third of global greenhouse gas emissions and agriculture is the leading driver of deforestation. Meanwhile, 20-40% of agricultural land is degraded, with declining soil health a key food security concern. 2.83 billion people cannot afford a healthy diet and in countries such as the UK, US, and Australia, around 50% of calories consumed come from ultra-processed foods.

Forum: Grief to Action

— Organisation: Free Palestine Melbourne — Monday 2nd February 2026

Saturday 14 February 2025, 6pm-10pm, Keysborough VIC.

The Lemon Test

— Organisation: The Claremont Institute — Monday 2nd February 2026

Fake constitutionalism is increasingly becoming a problem in America. There is a marked tendency for public officials, political commentators, and those in the media to invoke bogus constitutional principles or bogus interpretations of genuine constitutional principles. They do this mainly to cast blame on their political opponents or to shelter the otherwise unacceptable behavior of their political allies. Fake constitutionalism undermines constitutional government by spreading misconceptions about what our Constitution means.

Regrettably, the First Amendment has become one of the most fruitful areas in which fake constitutionalism thrives. It is now commonplace for Americans—even constitutional lawyers—to make inflated claims about the protections afforded by the First Amendment, extending its scope far beyond the safeguards the American Founders had in mind when they debated and wrote this essential provision of our Constitution. The most recent case in point is the misplaced outrage over the supposed violations of the First Amendment involved in the arrest of Don Lemon.

Announcing: Nameless

— Author: Zoe "Doc Impossible" Wendler — Monday 2nd February 2026

Going Beyond “You’re Fired!”

— Organisation: The Claremont Institute — Monday 2nd February 2026

R.J. Pestritto is right that the removal fight matters. If the president cannot fire executive subordinates, it becomes difficult to see how he can “take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed.” But Pestritto also says near the end of his essay that removal is only a first step, and he cautions against merely substituting judicial power for administrative power. That’s the point I want to pull forward here: restoring presidential control over the executive branch alone does not cure an unconstitutional delegation and a fusion of powers. We need to address the fact that most of the administrative state has no constitutional warrant—and also that restoring such awesome power to the president absent greater reforms might in fact do more harm than good.

The Trump Administration is asking the Supreme Court to overturn its decision in Humphrey’s Executor v. United States (1935), which held that Congress could limit the president’s power to remove members of “independent regulatory commissions.” In that case it was the Federal Trade Commission, but the principle has been applied to others like the National Labor Relations Board, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Federal Communications Commission, and, biggest of all, the Federal Reserve.

What’s On Feb 2-8 2026

— Organisation: Free Palestine Melbourne — Monday 2nd February 2026

What’s On around Naarm/Melbourne & regional Victoria: Feb 2-8, 2026

January 2026 Media Highlights

— Organisation: The Australia Institute — Monday 2nd February 2026

From the fallout from Adelaide Writers’ Week, to our gun research referenced several times in Parliament, we had a busy start to the year. Watch just a few of our media appearances from January 2026.

The post January 2026 Media Highlights appeared first on The Australia Institute.

Australian high schools the most expensive in the world – new research

— Organisation: The Australia Institute — Sunday 1st February 2026

The soaring cost of educating high school students is driven by the unusually high number of Australian students who go to private schools and the unusually high prices of those private schools.

It costs Australian families $4,967 per year to send a child to high school, almost four times the OECD average. This figure is the average for all families with a child at high school. Families who send their children to private schools are paying even more, with fees now reaching up to $55,000 per child, per year.

Key findings:

More than 40% of Australian high school students now attend private schools. If the current trend continues, most Australian high school students will attend private schools by 2055.
Despite increasingly high fees, private schools don’t offer a substantially better education than public schools. Research shows gaps in test results are mainly due to differences in the socio-economic background of students, rather than the quality of the teaching.
Private schools that have enough money to build swimming pools and horse stables still receive significant public support. At the same time, public schools face a funding shortfall of over $4 billion.

“Governments are throwing public money at private schools that clearly don’t need it,” said Richard Denniss, co-CEO of The Australia Institute.

Why I don't use Google Maps in Amsterdam

— Publication: Not Just Bikes — Sunday 1st February 2026

Clowns to the left of us, jokers on the right – and voters stuck in the middle

— Organisation: The Australia Institute — Friday 30th January 2026

Australian politics is often unedifying. But watching the latest spill-non-spill-spill (or Schrödinger’s spill, if you will – it being both on and not on at the same time) play out, while Sussan Ley’s team beg for their jobs in a WhatsApp chat group (this columnist is not on the invite list) seems yet another low point.

We have a Nationals MP challenging a leader without canvassing any votes (either a stalking horse move or just another Queensland MP tantrum) and a Liberal Party unable to work out if it has a challenger just yet, or if it wants to wait until the election review is released and that dust settles before stepping in.

The opposition has a stand-in shadow cabinet, while its MPs claim it is still auditioning for government. Branson is riding high on the discontent.

Meanwhile, the government preaches social cohesion. All while preparing to welcome the Israeli president – who posed for content signing bombs that were later dropped on civilians in Gaza – and having just passed hate speech laws that make criticism of Israel’s actions against Palestine a potential crime.

Protest the visit of Israeli President Herzog to Australia

— Organisation: Free Palestine Melbourne — Saturday 31st January 2026

Nationwide protest Monday 9 February 2026 - Melbourne, 5:30pm at Flinders Street Station.

Northern Suburbs Action Planning Day

— Organisation: Free Palestine Melbourne — Saturday 31st January 2026

Saturday 7 February 2026, 12:30pm-5pm, Coburg VIC.

Public Forum: Unite to fight racism

— Organisation: Free Palestine Melbourne — Saturday 31st January 2026

Wednesday 25 February 2026, 6:30pm, Trades Hall, 54 Victoria St, Melbourne.

Master of the Medium

— Organisation: The Claremont Institute — Friday 30th January 2026

When Donald Trump addressed the World Economic Forum last week, he was draped in the tricolor semiotics of American mythology: a bright red tie blazing against a navy suit and a brilliant white shirt, the azure backdrop proclaiming “World Economic Forum” in relentless repetition.

“We are the hottest country in the world,” he declared, as actual temperatures prepared to plummet toward record lows. Yet this apparent contradiction reveals not cynicism but rather a profound understanding of politics and human nature. Trump operates in the order of symbolic truth, where the sign serves not to deceive but to reveal deeper patterns of meaning.

His appearance in Switzerland, swimming in the red, white, and blue of the American flag while surrounded by the gray neutrality of European technocracy, was no accident. It was rather a deliberate act of semiotic resistance, a refusal to surrender national identity to the homogenizing forces of globalist abstraction. Trump understands intuitively what others labor to learn: that in an age of mass communication, the skillful deployment of signs can restore meaning to a world threatened by semantic collapse. His color palette functioned as a vital reminder that symbols still possess power, that representation can serve truth rather than obscure it.

An Ethical Alternative to IVF

— Organisation: The Claremont Institute — Friday 30th January 2026

Approximately 10-15% of U.S. couples of reproductive age experience infertility. One response is to pursue in vitro fertilization (IVF), which is fraught with many negative ethical and practical implications. Another way is to get to the root cause of infertility. Shouldn’t that be the MAHA way?

President Trump expanded access to IVF with his February 2025 executive order. In October, he lowered costs for IVF and other fertility treatments.