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Dechlan Brennan

Dechlan Brennan

Dechlan Brennan is a Melbourne-based writer, specializing in Australian and Indo-Pacific politics as well as Indigenous affairs.

Alongside his work for the Diplomat, Dechlan has been featured in Vice, The Saturday Paper, and Umbrella News and a host of other publications, as well as appearing on the 7AM podcast.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts (International Relations/History) from Macquarie University and is currently enrolled in a post-graduate diploma of Journalism at RMIT

Follow him on Twitter: @allhandzon

Posts by Dechlan Brennan
September 07, 2023

Kalsakau Out as Top Vanuatu Court Weights in on No-Confidence Vote

By Dechlan Brennan
Sato Kilman became Vanuatu's third prime minister in less than 10 months after the Supreme Court ruled that last month’s no-confidence motion had, indeed, passed.

September 02, 2023

Queensland Allows Children to be Imprisoned in Police Watch Houses

By Dechlan Brennan
A new law allows children to be imprisoned in police watch houses, the equivalent of jails in the United States, as youth detention centers overflow. All while the number of youth offenders hits a decade low.
August 24, 2023

Australia Resumes Use of the Phrase ‘Occupied Palestinian Territories’

By Dechlan Brennan
Internationally, the decision to realign the definition is seen as very uncontroversial. But it does put Australia out of step with the United States.

August 16, 2023

No-Confidence Vote in Vanuatu Fails

By Dechlan Brennan
Despite the outcome of the no-confidence vote, there is no doubt the constant political sniping – both by lawmakers and international players – is damaging to the internal politics of Vanuatu. 

July 31, 2023

Can China Deliver What Solomon Islands Wants?

By Dechlan Brennan
As Honiara denies its new security pact with China poses a threat to the Pacific, it would behoove the West to consider what it is the Solomons want and need from their partners.

July 19, 2023

Robodebt and the Demonization of Welfare in Australia

By Dechlan Brennan
The scheme, engineered to claw back funds supposedly overpaid to welfare recipients, was broken and cruel from the start. Despite a royal commission’s findings, its political backers are unlikely to face punishment.
June 30, 2023

New Zealand’s Deft Realpolitik on Display

By Dechlan Brennan
Newly strengthened military ties with Fiji and Japan contrast with the amicable meeting between Prime Minister Hipkins and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

June 19, 2023

End Days for Australia’s Nauru Detention Center?

By Dechlan Brennan
The offshore processing facility’s last asylum seekers are expected to be removed by the end of this month.

June 02, 2023

New Caledonia’s FLNKS Still Seeking Independence

By Dechlan Brennan
FLNKS says it is seeking advice from the International Court of Justice over the 2021 independence referendum, which the pro-independence party boycotted.

May 24, 2023

In Victoria, First Peoples’ Assembly Moves Toward Treaty

By Dechlan Brennan
Inaugural Co-Chair of the Assembly and Nira illim bulluk man of the Taungurung Nation Marcus Stewart said that the Victoria government can see that a “long-term commitment” for the treaty process is needed. 

April 26, 2023

Will Australia Enshrine an Indigenous Voice to Parliament in Its Constitution?

By Dechlan Brennan
Altering the Australian Constitution is difficult, but present polling suggests support for an Indigenous Voice, despite some boisterous opposition.
April 18, 2023

Pacific Responses to AUKUS a Mix of Unease and Understanding

By Dechlan Brennan
The region's worries range from fears of nuclear proliferation to the opportunity cost in terms of climate change, but there is also an understanding of the pact's security rationale.

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