This week, Inq exposed how the Chinese government has dramatically increased its surveillance of resident Australians. Inq spoke to people who are under surveillance by China’s operatives in Australia and looked at both how and why this is happening.

Elsewhere, Bernard Keane and Guy Rundle offered different takes on Trump’s decision to withdraw troops from Syria. Justine Landis-Hanley asked why successful chefs seem to have such a hard time paying staff a proper wage. Plus, Jeff Sparrow explored our curious obsession with live video feeds of animals.

As always, we’d love to hear what you thought of the week’s news. Write to boss@crikey.com.au and don’t forget to include your full name if you’d like to be considered for publication in our comments section.

BERNARD KEANE 4 minute read

Donald Trump is rarely right, and consistently inconsistent, but his resistance to 'Endless Wars' is sensible, as the hysterical reaction to his Syria decision reveals.

GUY RUNDLE 4 minute read

There are 'forever wars', and then there are those that have to be fought. It’s important not to get confused.

JUSTINE LANDIS-HANLEY 4 minute read

Celebrity chefs are calling for an amnesty for employers who underpay their workers, insisting the Australia's labour laws are too complicated to follow. But the experts Crikey spoke to say it's not that hard.

JEFF SPARROW 3 minute read

A Melbourne nest of peregrine falcons is the focus of one of Australia's most wholesome fandoms. How and why did we become so obsessed?

3 minute read

Chinese enrolments are expected to plummet. Indian students are facing huge difficulties after visa changes. The question for Australia’s higher education sector is: what's next?

CHRISTOPHER WARREN 3 minute read

Fresh from the US and with a new nationalistic spin, Scott Morrison has some new talking points. Is Australian media prepared to counter them?

CHARLIE LEWIS 4 minute read

Margaret Simons' biography reveals a politician who is determined to beat the bullies, the racists and the homophobes by being the smartest and toughest person in the room.

BERNARD KEANE 2 minute read

There are rumours swirling about Mark Dreyfus' exit from parliament — rumours he's categorically denied. So who's benefiting from leaving the question open?

CHARLIE LEWIS 2 minute read

A strange ad attacking renewable energy appeared in the News Corp papers yesterday. Its source: the Climate Study Group.

MICHAEL BRADLEY 4 minute read

Extinction Rebellion has faced a calculated overreaction from right-wing media and the Coalition. Is that co-opting our supposedly apolitical police forces?

BERNARD KEANE 3 minute read

Stagnation has become the defining characteristic of the nation under a government determined to maintain the status quo — to lock Australia firmly in place, incapable of progressing.

GLENN DYER 2 minute read

Along with the Murdochs, News Corp CEO Robert Thomson brought home an extravagant pay package in 2018-19. Just don't expect to hear about it in The Herald Sun.

KISHOR NAPIER-RAMAN 2 minute read

It's not just Kerri-Anne. The Australian media has had an overtly hostile response to the climate activists.

GUY RUNDLE 4 minute read

The right should be scared for what China's economic success does to their pathetic fairytales of history and West. China essentially refutes a philosophy they have based their life on.

AMBER SCHULTZ 3 minute read

Crikey speaks to the makers of Green Light, a new documentary about the black-market entrepreneurs serving the massive demand for medicinal marijuana in Australia.

JASON MURPHY 4 minute read

From supermarkets to human services, these industries don't suffer competition — and Australians are paying the price.