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Practically every school and university in America claims to teach “critical thinking.” It appears in mission statements, accreditation documents, course catalogs, and commencement addresses with the regularity of a loyalty oath. Ask any dean what distinguishes a college education from a YouTube tutorial, and “critical thinking” will come up within the first sentence. It has become the universal binding agent of higher education’s value proposition—the one phrase that justifies tuition, tenure lines, and the institutional architecture.

This is a problem. Critical thinking, as commonly understood and widely practiced, is not enough to form a young mind. And our failure to say so clearly is costing us something we may not be able to rebuild.

On this episode of After America, Dr Lindsay Owens joins Dr Emma Shortis to discuss World Cup ticket pricing, the consolidation of corporate power in Trump’s America, the impact of the war on Iran on the US economy, and fighting back against efforts to use misinformation about the economy to demonise migrants.

This episode was recorded live on Thursday 11 June.

Support the research powerful interests fear. Make a tax-deductible donation to the Australia Institute’s End of Financial Year Appeal before 30 June.

Guest: Lindsay Owens, Executive Director, Groundwork Collaborative // @lindsayowens

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

Host: Angus Blackman, Executive Producer, the Australia Institute // @AngusRB

Show notes:

Shorter America: America’s best writers; Empire of white supremacy; Empire of toxic masculinity by Emma Shortis, The Point (June 2026)

25 May 2026 - National LGBTIQ+ group Equality Australia has slammed a private member’s bill that would weaken federal anti-discrimination protections for LGBTIQ+ people and women. 

Nationals MP Alison Penfold on Monday introduced the bill to federal parliament, which includes a narrow definition of sex and seeks to exclude trans women from a range of public spaces and protections. 

Equality Australia Legal Director Heather Corkhill: 

“This bill would give sexism and misogyny a free pass while stripping trans women of basic protections. 

“This bill is legally messy, socially divisive and risks weakening protections for all women. 

“These changes would fundamentally reshape Australia’s sex discrimination laws. 

“Sex discrimination has never been about biology alone — decades of case law make clear it is about gendered stereotypes, assumptions, and the unequal treatment of women and how they ‘should’ act and live. 

“Rather than improving women’s safety or equality, this culture war risks dragging LGBTIQ+ and women’s rights back to the dark ages.” 

15 May 2026 – National LGBTIQ+ group Equality Australia has welcomed a Federal Court judgment that has upheld the right of trans women to live free from discrimination. 

In a judgement handed down in Sydney on Friday, the Full Court of the Federal Court dismissed an appeal by Sall Grover and her app Giggle for Girls, confirming that Roxanne Tickle was discriminated against when she was excluded from the app for being trans. 

The Court found Ms Tickle was directly discriminated against on two grounds because of her gender identity, and increased damages to $20,000 after taking into account Ms Grover’s aggravating conduct. 

Equality Australia Legal Director Heather Corkhill said the ruling was a clear and significant win for equality and fairness. 

“Today’s decision is an important win for everyone protected under the Act, including women and LGBTIQ+ people,” she said. 

“This ruling affirms that all women deserve to live free from discrimination, without being judged on appearance, presentation or perceptions.” 

April 24, 2026 — Equality Australia has welcomed the recommendations of a NSW inquiry that found LGBTIQ+ people are among the communities targeted by right-wing extremism, alongside Jewish communities, women and other minority groups. 

The report, handed down yesterday, found that right-wing extremism is rooted in prejudice, including homophobia and transphobia, as well as antisemitism, racism and misogyny.  

It also notes these forms of hate are not isolated, but are actively promoted, normalised and amplified through online platforms and extremist networks that seek to recruit and radicalise individuals. 

“Importantly, the inquiry makes clear that LGBTIQ+ people are deliberately targeted within extremist narratives that seek to normalise hate in public discourse,” said Equality Australia CEO Anna Brown. 

“It also recognises that addressing extremism requires more than law enforcement — it must include action on the social drivers that enable it.” 

The report emphasises that prevention and early intervention are critical to addressing the rise of extremism in NSW, alongside stronger community-based responses. 

March 17, 2025 — Equality Australia says new legislation to strengthen hate crime laws in NSW is an important first step, but warns a broader response is needed to address the rise in targeted hate against LGBTIQ+ people.

The legislation, to be introduced to NSW parliament on Tuesday, follows media reporting of gay and bisexual teenagers lured through dating apps and violently assaulted on camera in Sydney.  

However, police data obtained by the ABC shows a wider pattern of violence, with almost 200 incidents of anti-LGBTIQ+ attacks reported in NSW since 2023. 

“These reforms are a significant first step but legislation alone won’t address the growing threat facing LGBTIQ+ people,” said Equality Australia Legal Director Heather Corkhill. 

“We are seeing an alarming rise in often violent, targeted attacks against LGBTIQ+ people driven by a dangerous and deeply entrenched form of hatred. 

“Addressing this will require more than stronger penalties — it also means improving reporting pathways, tracking emerging hate trends and ensuring victims have access to properly funded support services.” 

5 March 2026 – Equality Australia has welcomed a Queensland Appeal Tribunal ruling that found an earlier court judgment dismissing a vilification complaint against Lyle Shelton was affected by significant legal and factual errors. 

Drag performers Johnny Valkyrie and Dwayne Hill, who perform under the names Queeny and Diamond, brought the complaint against the National Director of Family First over a series of blog posts in 2020. 

The posts by Shelton followed a Drag Queen Story Time event organised by Rainbow Families Queensland, at which the performers read the children’s book ‘Love Makes a Family’ and supervised a craft activity where the children drew pictures and made paper dolls of their family. 

In the posts, Shelton stated that Mr Hill and Mr Valkyrie were “dangerous role models for children” and likened them to “creeps like Harvey Weinstein, Jeffrey Epstein and Prince Andrew”. 

On Tuesday, the Queensland Civil and Administrative Appeal Tribunal found an earlier Tribunal decision in 2023 - which ruled the complaint against Shelton did not amount to unlawful vilification - was fundamentally flawed and wrongly decided on seven grounds. 

3 March 2026 – Equality Australia has welcomed renewed UN pressure to end LGBTQ+ discrimination in religious schools, saying it’s time for Labor to finally make good on its promise to protect students and staff.

Over the weekend, the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights recommended Australia fix the exemptions that allow this discrimination in both schools and healthcare.

This is the second UN rebuke this year, with the same recommendation made during Australia’s Universal Periodic Review in January. 

“Labor promised these reforms before forming government yet LGBTQ+ students and staff are still facing discrimination in religious schools because Australian law continues to permit it,” said Equality Australia Legal Director Heather Corkhill. 

“No woman should lose her job for falling pregnant, and no student should be expelled or denied enrolment because of who they are. It’s time for our laws to align with the values of fairness and equality that define modern Australia.” 

Under federal law, religious educational institutions and service providers can legally discriminate against students, staff and the people who rely on their services, based on their sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital or relationship status, or pregnancy. 

February 27, 2025 — Equality Australia says shocking new police data on anti-LGBTIQ+ violence underscores the urgent need for action from the NSW Government to address rising hate-motivated attacks. 

Almost 200 incidents of anti-LGBTIQ+ violence have been reported in NSW since 2023, according to police data obtained by the ABC. 

Assault, aggravated robbery and affray were the most common violent offences recorded. 

The ABC reported on Friday that many of the attacks appear to be driven by teenage boys, with 36 incidents involving perpetrators luring victims through dating or hook-up apps. 

“These figures are shocking and likely only the tip of the iceberg,” said Equality Australia Legal Director Heather Corkhill. 

“This data captures only the most serious violent offences and does not account for the widespread verbal abuse, threats, online hate and doxxing that LGBTIQ+ people experience constantly. 

“Despite years of sustained warnings about escalating hostility towards our communities, government responses — at both state and federal levels — have fallen short. 

February 25, 2025 — Equality Australia and ACON have welcomed a commitment from NSW Premier Chris Minns to do more to combat rising hate against the LGBTIQ+ community following a spate of violent assaults in Sydney. 

However, both organisations have cautioned that a criminal justice response alone will not be sufficient to prevent further harm. 

An ABC investigation published on Wednesday detailed deeply distressing footage and first-hand accounts of gay and bisexual teenagers lured through dating apps and bashed on camera in Sydney. 

Equality Australia Legal Director Heather Corkhill said the attacks were a stark example of how online anti-LGBTIQ+ hatred is spilling into real-world violence. 

“For years, we have sounded the alarm about rising hostility toward our communities and yet the response has been woefully inadequate,” she said. 

“The pattern of assaults against gay and bi men around the country makes it clear that this is not isolated behaviour but part of a sustained and troubling trend. 

“Our community is understandably frightened and looking to the government for leadership and action. We welcome the premier’s unequivocal condemnation of these attacks and a commitment to strengthening the law.” 

February 19, 2025 — Intersex advocates and LGBTIQ+ groups have welcomed the passing of landmark legislation in Victoria that will protect future generations of intersex children from irreversible medical procedures. 

The new law, which passed the upper house on Thursday with multipartisan support (24 votes to 15), delays deferrable medical interventions until a person is able to make the decision for themselves. 

Independent assessment panels will also oversee proposed treatment plans for children born with innate variations of their sex characteristics, with additional support for parents and clinicians. 

The reforms follow decades of advocacy by intersex people and community organisations, and build on similar protections introduced in the ACT in 2023. 

Tony Briffa, long standing intersex advocate in Victoria, Co-Chair of InterAction for Health and Human Rights and patron of Equality Australia:  

“I am incredibly proud to see Victoria take this historic step for the next generation. 

February 6, 2025 — Equality Australia and intersex advocates have welcomed the passage of landmark legislation through Victoria’s lower house that will protect intersex children from unnecessary and irreversible medical procedures.

The bill passed without opposition on Thursday.

“These reforms are about stopping unnecessary harm - not stopping necessary and appropriate care,” said Equality Australia Legal Director Heather Corkhill.

“Intersex people deserve the right to decide what happens to their own bodies, rather than being subjected to interventions that are not medically necessary and can cause permanent physical and psychological harm.”

Under the legislation, deferrable medical interventions would be delayed until a person is able to make the decision for themselves with independent assessment panels overseeing proposed treatment plans.

The reforms follow decades of advocacy by intersex people and community organisations, and build on similar protections introduced in the ACT in 2023.

Ms Corkhill said the changes were critical to preventing lifelong harm.

“Too many intersex children are still at risk of undergoing unnecessary medical procedures that could be safely delayed or avoided altogether if the right safeguards were in place,” she said.

SUBMISSION TO THE SENATE ECONOMICS LEGISLATION COMMITTEE Author: Cathal Leslie, Senior Economist, Prosper Australia9 June, 2026 Summary of recommendations Prosper Australia supports the Government’s stated objectives of improving housing affordability and intergenerational equity. However, we cannot support the proposed reforms. The package is poorly targeted and may prove counterproductive by increasing taxes on productive investment […]

With the government set to review the scheme this year, the research shows the Safeguard Mechanism’s biggest  failure is its overwhelming reliance on carbon offsets which, in some cases, have enabled big polluters, including fossil fuel producers, to increase their actual pollution.

The report exposes the extraordinary lack of integrity in offsets as well as the accounting tricks which have enabled the government to keep approving new fossil fuel projects while falsely claiming its policies are reducing real emissions.

Key points:

• The Safeguard Mechanism has failed to deliver promised reductions in gross emissions.
• The scheme has enabled polluters to claim “net reductions” in emissions while actual pollution levels are rising.
• Proposals to open the Safeguard Mechanism to international offsets would further reduce the scheme’s integrity.
• By enabling coal and gas expansion, the policy could put Australia in breach of international law.
• Allowing big polluters to use unlimited offsets makes Australia an outlier in international climate policy, alongside countries like Kazakhstan.

“While millions of Australian homes and businesses are doing the right thing, installing solar panels and batteries, and buying EVs, many of our biggest polluters are using dodgy offsets to pollute more than ever,” said Dr Richard Denniss, co-CEO of The Australia Institute.

So, it’s no surprise that as the far right seeks to stoke hatred against immigrants and the queer community, Australia is also experiencing co-ordinated efforts across three states to wind back women’s access to abortion.

The far right is a place of differing grievances and conspiracies, including neo-Nazis and incels but there’s plenty of evidence to suggest a hatred of women sits at the centre of their toxic overlapping interests. “Misogyny isn’t just a side issue: it connects everyday violence with radicalisation.”

Just like whipping up hatred against immigrants, efforts to restrict abortion are designed to be a political lightning rod, driving outrage and engagement amongst its rabid supporters.

One Nation’s policy seeks to radically restrict abortion, with one of its senators supporting a total ban. The tactics from One Nation and others from the far right are imported straight from MAGA in the United States.

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.

Early Canadian social democrats routinely ignored the issues facing Indigenous communities, despite regularly claiming concern with poverty and social justice. Frank Calder fought to change this when he was elected as an MLA for the British Columbia CCF in 1949.

We are going to begin this series at its foundation—the IOU. The foundational capacity on which all finance is built is the capacity to make a promise. Specifically, the capacity to issue an IOU. Meaning:  issuing a promise, most commonly a promise to pay a certain sum of money at a certain period in the future. It can also be a promise to accept an IOU in payment: for example a storekeeper can issue a token—or a gift card—which can be used to pay for items in the shop. Whatever its form, it's the ability to enter into an agreement promising something of value in the future which serves as the “cellular premise” of finance. In other words, finance at its most basic level flows from the right to contract.