As has already recently been noted here by Michael Jennings, Australia is just now doing rather badly at cricket. The first day of the recently concluded Melbourne game was, for Australia, particularly calamitous. Australia all out 98, England 157 for no wicket. That, trust me, was very bad indeed for Australia. Bear in mind that this was not just any old bad day; this was Boxing Day at the MCG, a...

I see that Australia is considering a US request to re-settle inmates from the Guantanamo Bay military prison camp, but is unlikely to take any detainees,  Acting Prime Minister Julia Gillard said today. Gillard said Australia had been approached along with Britain to accept inmates to help US President-elect Barack Obama meet a promise to close the camp in a US enclave on Cuba. But Australia...

We move on from the West Indies match. (The rules of the game are explained here.) This time Alex gets choice of country and first choice of player. He's gone for Australia and made the predictable initial selection. All I...

Even in an irrigation district, conditions in Australia can be dry Australia is re-thinking its subsidy to drought hit farmers. This has a wider relevance, both in terms of how one adapts agricultural policy to climate change and how a subsidy can grow almost unnoticed. Australia has pursued a policy of eliminating agricultural subsidies, other than in investment in knowledge and R and D which mos...

GetUp Australia! is an interesting example of an independent political organisation in Australia which is using the Internet to promote social activism and greater democracy. It was founded in 2005 by Jeremy Heimans and David Madden, two young Australian graduates of Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. Its website provides information on its aims, campaigns and activities. It i...

The prospect of the Republic of Australia is looking ever more likely after it was announced yesterday that Republicans now head both of Australia’s main political parties. Multimillionaire former merchant banker Malcolm Turnbull was named leader of the opposition defeating his opponent by 4 votes. This election comes after Former Prime Minister, Royalist and conservative John Howa...

Japan's Foreign Minister said yesterday that he was disappointed with Australia's threat to take his country to court over its Antarctic whale hunts, while Australia vowed to approach the International Whaling Commission as soon as today.

As someone born in Australia, now living in London, it's been a poignant few weeks to be working as a senior campaigner on the Greenpeace forests campaign. When I was a young kid in Australia, we lived on a three acre property in a valley that was a mixture of bush, pasture and citrus orchards in the foothills of Perth, Western Australia.  In summer we would sniff the wind nervously.&nbs...

Well, not really rising over Australia but hanging on a wall in Tally’s house which is in Australia. Thanks for making England Rising an Internationally selling image Tally! Oh, and another big thanks to Tally for helping to test the online ordering facilities for the print here. .

The US will base Marines in Australia as it tries to strengthen its military presence in Asia