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Articles by David O'Halloran
The problem of biblical “Israel” in 2025
Words that once spoke of ancient hope now land in a world shaped by war and grief. What does it mean to sing “Israel” in Advent in 2025? “O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel.” For most Christian congregations, this Advent hymn is a gentle invocation of hope, sung in candlelight as the year winds down. Yet in 2025, those lines no longer sit comfortably inside the warm glow of liturgy. They carry another resonance, one shaped not by ancient longing but by the daily news.
MAGA buyers’ remorse and the trouble with Christian nationalism
For those who do begin to question, the challenge is not to nudge them leftward or toward some ideologically approved alternative. The challenge is simply to stay in the discomfort long enough for something more honest to emerge. Every movement that trades in certainty eventually produces a subset of disillusioned former believers. The MAGA movement, particularly its Christian nationalist variant, is no exception.
Five books the Bible could do without
When ancient scriptures continue to shape modern ideology and policy, especially where harm is done, it becomes necessary to ask: do all parts of the Bible deserve to be treated as sacred? The Bible’s canonisation was never a purely spiritual act. The books we now call Scripture were chosen through a series of ecclesiastical decisions shaped as much by institutional politics as by divine inspiration.
Job and the point of a good life
Job is not a manual for how to live well. It’s a reflection on why one would want to. The Book of Job is one of the most unsettling and sophisticated texts in the Bible – and perhaps the most honest. Even literalists tend to make allowances for it. It’s not quite allegory, but it’s clearly not history. It has the form of poetry, the structure of drama, and the function of philosophy. It opens with a man who is good in every conventional sense: blameless, ethical, devout, prosperous.
Scott Morrison's King's Birthday honour is an insult to the truth
Scott Morrison’s award of a Companion of the Order of Australia in Monday’s King’s Birthday Honours is not just a political misjudgment – it is an affront to decency. I wasn’t personally targeted by the Robodebt scheme, but as a volunteer and supporter of the Australian Unemployed Workers’ Union, I frequently encountered people whose lives were turned upside down by it.
Award for Morrison an insult to the truth
Scott Morrison’s award is not just a political misjudgment – it is an affront to decency. I wasn’t personally targeted by the Robodebt scheme. But as a volunteer and supporter of the Australian Unemployed Workers’ Union, I frequently encountered people whose lives were turned upside down by it. False debts, threats of prosecution, inexplicable Centrelink letters, and the quiet trauma of being treated like a criminal by your own government – all of it real, all of it devastating.
From welcome to jeering: How disrespect spreads
Norms do not sustain themselves. They are shaped, modelled, and sometimes destroyed – publicly, rhetorically, politically. At this year’s Anzac Day dawn service in Melbourne, a small group of attendees booed during the Welcome to Country. It was a jarring breach – not just of civility, but of the solemnity and peace the service is meant to embody. Yet, the more important moment came seconds later: fellow attendees told the hecklers to be quiet. “This is not the time or place,” they said.
If I were minister for employment services: No more bastardry dressed up as policy
If I were minister for employment services, I’d begin by stating what should already be obvious: Australia’s employment services system is not fit for purpose. It does not primarily assist people into meaningful work. It manages them, disciplines them, and — too often — actively undermines them. And it does so with bipartisan support. This is not a glamorous portfolio. It’s rarely given to those tasked with driving reform.
Submarines are not instruments of peace: A Quaker’s response to Australia’s strategic obsession
Rear Admiral Peter Briggs’ recent defence of submarines offers a polished, strategic case for Australia’s continued investment in this kind of military hardware – especially nuclear-powered ones. But beneath the surface of his argument lies a troubling worldview that must be challenged. As a staunch pacifist, I reject the logic that stealth, surveillance, and the capacity to strike without warning constitute a pathway to peace.
Is Workforce Australia a modern-day Stanford Prison Experiment? Shortly after being appointed as chair of a parliamentary inquiry into Australias $7.1 Billion employment services sector, Labor MP Julian Hill recently announced to the annual conference of the National Employment Services Association: When I read and explored the Targeted Compliance Framework and the Penalty Zone. It felt like Boston Consulting meets Squid Game in a dystopian reality TV show that we make citizens play every day.
Rebuilding Employment Services will take more than a few virtuous words
Pearls and Irritations weekly roundup this week commented on the paucity of analysis regarding the House of Representatives Select Committees report Rebuilding Employment Services. This is not surprising given the number and complexity of its recommendations. However, it is hard to pin down many specifics in the report other than the current system is useless.
What does a good employment service look like?
This week, the House Select Committee on Workforce Australia Employment Services held one of its public hearings. During the opening remarks, the Committee chair, Julian Hill remarked that he had asked the Department of Employment what a good service model looks like, and they couldn’t answer. He said they looked like a bunch of “well-paid, gaping fish”. Harsh.
What appears to be absent from the politicians and public servants appearing in the Robodebt Royal Commission is an understanding that it was a moral failure a sin. Finding the sinners to punish in atonement might make us feel better for a moment, but it might not fix the sin.
The widows mite: a call to justice, not sacrifice
The early Quakers knew that a deep understanding of the Bible was critical to recognising when they were being fed bullshit cloaked in religious language. By knowing Scripture well, they resisted manipulation and propaganda, ensuring faith remained a force for justice rather than a tool of power. The story of the widows mite (Mark 12:4144) is often used to inspire sacrificial giving and faith in the face of hardship. Yet this interpretation misses the profound critique Jesus offers.
David O'Halloran: One hour a week counts as employed - it doesn't matter
_One hour a week counts as employed - it doesn’t matter. _ Much criticism is levelled at the unemployment rate when working as little as one hour a week can count as being employed. However, the criticism is unjustified and distracts from the real problems with calculating the unemployment rate. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)’ Labour Force Framework classifies the adult population (aged 15 years and over), at a given point in time, into three mutually exclusive categories: 1. Employed, 2.
Australias main Active Labor Market Program, the Duttonesque sounding Workforce Australia, is the latest iteration of a long line of models for Employment Services inflicted on the unemployed since the demise of the CES 25 years ago. Its yet another Morrison government turd that the Albanese government should have flushed away the minute the ink was dry at Yarralumla. ESTRAGON: Fancy that.
Building Australia’s future - For whom?
As the next federal election looms, the Albanese Government is preparing to campaign under a new slogan: “Building Australia’s Future”. _ _ It continues a trend of future-focused messaging, following 2022’s “A Better Future”. Yet, for all its forward-looking optimism, what’s conspicuously absent from both major parties is a meaningful conversation about who benefits from that growth – and who is being left behind. The current government is keen to highlight its economic credentials.
Amid rising demands for robust employment reforms, the Albanese government’s response disappoints, offering vague promises over decisive action. This critique unpacks why minimal improvements and continued reliance on flawed policies may leave the most vulnerable behind, questioning if mere mediocrity is the new standard.
Calling all pacifists
We are called to live in the virtue of that life and power that takes away the occasion of all wars. Do you faithfully maintain our testimony that war and the preparation for war are inconsistent with the spirit of Christ? Search out whatever in your own way of life may contain the seeds of war. Stand firm in our testimony, even when others commit or prepare to commit acts of violence, yet always remember that they too are children of God.
The missing story of the adulteress: censorship, power, and the bible
By grappling with the history of the story of the adulteress, we are reminded to approach Scripture critically, aware of how it has been shaped and reshaped to suit power. In doing so, we ensure that its calls for justice, equity, and mercy are not silenced but remain central to our understanding of faith and humanity. Bishop Mariann Edgar Buddes heartfelt plea for mercy, delivered in front of President Trump during a National Cathedral sermon, stirred both outrage and admiration.
OSCAs quiet arrival: Rethinking how Australia defines work
Australias new job classification system, OSCA, replaces ANZSCO with little fanfare. Its streamlined approach raises questions about workforce planning, transparency, and the evolving definition of work. Governments have long classified jobs to track employment trends, inform workforce planning, and shape policy decisions. A well-structured system helps determine migration eligibility, identify skills shortages, and guide education and training initiatives.
Unpacking the Jevons Paradox: how effectiveness gains in the NDIS lead to increased demand
Australia has just completed major reviews of two of its largest public expenditures the NDIS and Employment Services. Each program manifests problems predicted by two lesser-known economic theories: the Jevons Paradox in the case of the NDIS and Goodharts Law in the case of employment services. Neither were mentioned in either review.
Every day is Christmas: A Quaker perspective
The peace, goodwill, and love of Christmas arent confined to Decembertheres an opportunity to see the sacred in everyday moments, all year round. At my office, theres a competition this year to decorate each section in a Christmas theme. Snowflakes and tinsel have appeared, and the collective excitement is contagious. But my first reaction was a bit bah humbug.
The Bible, the Hawking Index, and the case for critical engagement
If a younger me had come across an article written by an older me arguing that the Bible should be taught in schools, Id have assumed some serious u-turn was in my destiny. Have I suddenly gone happy-clappy? Have I joined some evangelical revival? A hard no to both. But hear me out this isnt about preaching. Its about critical thinking, intellectual engagement, and treating one of the most influential texts in history like any other major literary or philosophical work.
Goodhart's Law and the overlooked complexities in Australia's employment services sector
Yesterday, I wrote that the Jevons Paradox is a good explanation for the problems of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). Today, I look at another theory Goodharts Law to explain what is wrong with Australias $3 Billion a year employment services sector. The recent Workforce Australia review labelled the system a failure. ‘Tell us something we dont know,’ you might say.
Hope: A shared responsibility
In uncertain times, hope can feel fragile, but it remains essential. Its up to the adults in the room to foster resilience and take practical steps to inspire and support future generations. At my Sunday meeting for worship, the children return from their activities during the final minutes. Their whispers and shuffling ripple through the stillness like drops of rain on a calm lake disruptive yet refreshing. Their presence is a reminder of vitality and renewal, a glimpse of the possibilities ahead.
When the system fails
As someone who has spent most of my life working with people for whom the system is profoundly broken, I wrestle with the same question that many middle-class people do: Why do so many disenfranchised people support figures like Donald Trump, whose policies often seem designed to further entrench inequality?
When life gives you oranges...
While the result of the US election is bleak in some ways, it may ultimately lead to a more independent Australian foreign policyone that centres on regional needs rather than simply following American interests. A renewed Trump presidency disrupts established norms in international relations and challenges the rules-based order. The last four years of his administration saw the U.S. retract from global leadership, alienate allies, and adopt a more transactional diplomatic approach.
Howards Iraq War legacy: Tasmanias brief moment of integrity
The release of newly declassified 2004 cabinet documents about Australias involvement in the Iraq War sheds further light on one of the most controversial decisions in the nations history. The evidence confirms what many suspected: secrecy, manipulation, and unverified claims drove the Howard governments decision to commit troops to Iraq. Amid the rush to war, Tasmanias The Mercury briefly stood apart, publishing an anti-war editorial in September 2002 that warned of the dangers ahead.
Payslip harassment: Another scandal in the Australian welfare system
New revelations have exposed the continued abuse of vulnerable Australians by privatised employment services under Workforce Australia. Documents obtained under Freedom of Information by the Australian Unemployed Workers’ Union confirm that several providers are threatening job-seekers with payment suspensions to coerce them into handing over payslips. This is a clear breach of the guidelines, but the government has failed to hold these providers to account.
The Bible, the Hawking Index, and the case for critical engagement
If a younger me had come across an article written by an older me arguing that the Bible should be taught in schools, I’d have assumed some serious u-turn was in my destiny. Have I suddenly gone happy-clappy? Have I joined some evangelical revival? A hard no to both. But hear me out – this isn’t about preaching. It’s about critical thinking, intellectual engagement, and treating one of the most influential texts in history like any other major literary or philosophical work.
OSCA’s quiet arrival: Rethinking how Australia defines work
Australia’s new job classification system, OSCA, replaces ANZSCO with little fanfare. Its streamlined approach raises questions about workforce planning, transparency, and the evolving definition of work. Governments have long classified jobs to track employment trends, inform workforce planning, and shape policy decisions. A well-structured system helps determine migration eligibility, identify skills shortages, and guide education and training initiatives.
The widow’s mite: a call to justice, not sacrifice
The early Quakers knew that a deep understanding of the Bible was critical to recognising when they were being fed bullshit cloaked in religious language. By knowing Scripture well, they resisted manipulation and propaganda, ensuring faith remained a force for justice rather than a tool of power. The story of the widow’s mite (Mark 12:41–44) is often used to inspire sacrificial giving and faith in the face of hardship. Yet this interpretation misses the profound critique Jesus offers.
The missing story of the adulteress: censorship, power, and the bible
By grappling with the history of the story of the adulteress, we are reminded to approach Scripture critically, aware of how it has been shaped and reshaped to suit power. In doing so, we ensure that its calls for justice, equity, and mercy are not silenced but remain central to our understanding of faith and humanity. Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde’s heartfelt plea for mercy, delivered in front of President Trump during a National Cathedral sermon, stirred both outrage and admiration.
Hope: A shared responsibility
In uncertain times, hope can feel fragile, but it remains essential. It’s up to the adults in the room to foster resilience and take practical steps to inspire and support future generations. At my Sunday meeting for worship, the children return from their activities during the final minutes. Their whispers and shuffling ripple through the stillness like drops of rain on a calm lake – disruptive yet refreshing.
Can Labor avoid political collapse?
As the Albanese Labor government announces modest employment services reforms, it faces growing disillusionment and risks losing ground to Peter Dutton’s Trump-inspired exploitation of economic and cultural frustrations. On December 6, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations Murray Watt announced a new complaints service to hold employment service providers accountable.
A flicker of reform: Can Labor avoid political collapse?
As the Albanese government announces modest employment services reforms, it faces growing disillusionment and risks losing ground to Peter Dutton’s Trump-inspired exploitation of economic and cultural frustrations. On December 6, 2024, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations Murray Watt announced a new complaints service to hold employment service providers accountable.
Pearls and Irritations
As someone who has spent most of my life working with people for whom the system is profoundly broken, I wrestle with the same question that many middle-class people do: Why do so many disenfranchised people support figures like Donald Trump, whose policies often seem designed to further entrench inequality?
Pearls and Irritations
While the result of the US election is bleak in some ways, it may ultimately lead to a more independent Australian foreign policy—one that centres on regional needs rather than simply following American interests. A renewed Trump presidency disrupts established norms in international relations and challenges the “rules-based order.” The last four years of his administration saw the U.S. retract from global leadership, alienate allies, and adopt a more transactional diplomatic approach.
Please, don't bring back the Commonwealth Employment Service
By David O'Halloran, Adjunct Lecturer in Work and Labour Market Theory, Monash University Trade unions want the Commonwealth Employment Service brought back, in part because the government manages contracts with private providers poorly. It might also manage the service poorly. Read complete article © The Conversation -
Please, don't bring back the Commonwealth Employment Service Original
There’s talk of bringing back Australia’s Commonwealth Employment Service. The Community and Public Sector Union has launched a campaign, the parliament has begun an inquiry into the appropriateness of the present system of outsourcing employment services, and the government’s employment white paper has been deeply critical of the system we have at the moment.
Please, don't bring back the Commonwealth Employment Service
There’s talk of bringing back Australia’s Commonwealth Employment Service. The Community and Public Sector Union has launched a campaign[1], the parliament has begun an inquiry[2] into the appropriateness of the present system of outsourcing employment services, and the government’s employment white paper has been deeply critical[3] of the system we have at the moment.
Manufacturing the future: The next era of global growth and innovation
The global manufacturing sector has undergone a tumultuous decade: large developing economies leaped into the first tier of manufacturing nations, a severe recession choked off demand, and manufacturing employment fell at an accelerated rate in advanced economies. Still, manufacturing remains critically important to both the developing and the advanced world. In the former, it continues to provide a pathway from subsistence agriculture to rising incomes and living standards.
Ask an expert: Successful Continuous Improvement
Among other things, Continuous improvement (CI) needs supporting tools, dedication and mindset changes if it is to succeed, a virtual panel of senior experts advise. Our new virtual panel discussion is in response to some of the more frequently asked questions we get. Have a question or questions you’d like to see addressed? Send to Operations. Our experts often get questions around Continuous Improvement (CI).
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