Professor Matthew Ogilvie

The Spectator has published my opinion piece , which argues that the WA Parliament should keep the Lord’s Prayer, which is not only a prayer to God, but also a solemn symbol of the foundational Judeo-Christian values that made our liberal democracy possible.

I was honoured to be interviewed by Perth Dialogues about the move to ditch the Lord's Prayer from the daily opening of the WA Parliament. https://youtu.be/a8kSy3YCqJk?si=swW4Zd19bXyeRSDZ 

 Why do the Greens oppose action against regimes who want them, and Australians in general, dead…? The answer is complex, but one factor seems to be an entrenched shared outlook of ressentiment, which Nietzsche argued was a deep-seated and reactive anger that emerges from perceived weakness or impotence. The Iranian regime, and their Hamas and Hezbollah proxies, would oppress and even execute the Greens and their voters for their support of secularism, feminism, LGBTQ+ rights, and gender ideology. But ressentiment, victimhood, and the politics of grievance appear to override principles, core values, and even self-preservation. To read more, please visit  https://www.spectator.com.au/2026/03/why-do-the-greens-support-people-who-want-them-dead/

In the context of US-Israeli attacks that have decapitated the Iranian leadership, prophets of doom are already predicting an Iranian descent into the chaos and violence seen in surrounding Arab nations. I believe that such prophecies are based on a superficial account of the region’s history, while deeper knowledge gives us hope. Despite civilian suffering, and the risk of chaos, Iran’s deep history and culture will help them endure. For starters, doomsayers neglect the decades-long internal pressure for change...... ... One can never guarantee success, but the Iranians have a solid chance to avoid the failures of other states in the region. For that reason, I think we can be more optimistic than the prophets of doom. To read more, please visit The Spectator at  https://www.spectator.com.au/2026/03/reasons-for-hope-in-irans-future/

  I’m honoured to have been interviewed by Nirmal Singh for the “Perth Dialogues” program. https://youtu.be/-Fn6Yr7JomY We covered the “ Bondi attack response, Antisemitism, Free Speech, Gun Laws, Migration.” There’s a lot there, so I have linked directly to individual questions/topics that may be of interest.   01:50 The Bondi Terror Attack: Context and Significance 03:24 The Security Situation for Jewish Australians 04:58 Australian counter-terrorism capability (comments from Lt Col Itay Gil) 07:39 Understanding Hanukkah and Its Importance 11:20 The message sent by the terrorists 13:42 Calls for a Royal Commission: Community Demands 15:46 Can the Prime Minister be Trusted? 18:57 Two-tiered/unequal law/migration enforcement in Australia 21:45 Exploring the Drivers of Terrorism (Ideology, incitement) 24:34 Does terrorism/Bondi really have “nothing to do with religion”? 28:07 The Concept of Intifada and Its Implications 29:03 Antisem...

 The issue of fake degrees from overseas has hit the news. But this is not a new issue. Concerns have been raised for years -- it has been claimed that people are being admitted to Australian universities based on fake qualifications from overseas. To its credit, the ABC has covered this issue, but insufficient action has been taken. The worst example that I read was of students who were supposed to have IT degrees, but many of these students "seemed to be unable to understand instructions or understand the material that was put in front of them, and there were, also, cases of students who apparently didn't understand how to use a computer in any sophisticated way, so even logging on was a struggle for some students. There were also stories about students not recognizing what a USB stick was and other incidents which you would not expect to see from students who have an IT degree."  ABC: Cash Cows  https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-06/cash-cows/11084858 ABC: Degrees of ...