''On Line Opinion'', or ''Online Opinion'', is an

open access Open access (OA) is a set of principles and a range of practices through which nominally copyrightable publications are delivered to readers free of access charges or other barriers. With open access strictly defined (according to the 2001 de ...

electronic journal An academic journal (or scholarly journal or scientific journal) is a periodical publication in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. They serve as permanent and transparent forums for the dissemination, scr ...

, specialising in social and political debate. The journal is published in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, although content is not necessarily limited to Australian issues, and extends at times to publication in wider areas, such as, religion, ethics, and philosophy.

Owner and publisher

''On Line Opinion'' is owned and published by

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

based

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

political '

think tank A think tank, or public policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governme ...

' the Australian Institute for Progress Ltd (AIP). The AIP receives funding from property developers, and according to the Executive Director, it is 'ideologically centre-right', with its criticisms favouring

right-wing Right-wing politics is the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position based on natural law, economics, authority, property ...

political parties. Prior to 2014 the AIP was called The National Forum. In 2009, ''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...

'' reported that the board of The National Forum had editorial oversight over ''On Line Opinion'', and had involved itself in rejecting an article that the editor had previously agreed to publish.

Political links

The owner AIP has strong links to the

Liberal National Party of Queensland The Liberal National Party of Queensland (LNP) is a major conservative political party in Queensland, Australia. It was formed in 2008 by a merger of the Queensland divisions of the Liberal Party and the National Party. In most other states ...

. Editor Graham Young was once the vice-president of the

Queensland Liberal Party The Queensland Liberal Party, officially known as the Liberal Party of Australia (Queensland Division), was the Queensland division of the Liberal Party of Australia until 2008. It was initially formed in October 1943 as the Queensland People ...

. ''

The Australian ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet daily newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964. As the only Australian daily newspaper distributed nationally, its readership of b ...

'' reported that Young "was shown the door f the Queensland Liberalsin 2007 for "something like" bringing the party into disrepute on his well-regarded Online Opinion website."

History

''On Line Opinion'' was established in 1999 by political commentator Graham Young. In 2012, the report of the Independent Inquiry into Media and Media Regulation by former Federal Court judge Raymond Finkelstein stated that: "While the start-up costs for new print publications have been prohibitive and inhibited new enterprises emerging, the streamlining of the relationship between content producers and consumers has led to many new websites and web-based services. Among the most important such websites that have grown up in Australia over the last decade are '' Inside Story, Australian Policy Online, Online Opinion, The Drum,

The Conversation ''The Conversation'' is a 1974 American neo-noir mystery thriller film written, produced, and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. It stars Gene Hackman as a surveillance expert who faces a moral dilemma when his recordings reveal a potential ...

'', and '' New Matilda''." The journal is referenced by the

Australian National Library The National Library of Australia (NLA), formerly the Commonwealth National Library and Commonwealth Parliament Library, is the largest reference library in Australia, responsible under the terms of the ''National Library Act 1960'' for "mainta ...

, with .Australian Public Affairs Information Service
Electronic Journals and Conferences
/ref>

Purpose

The contributors to ''On Line Opinion'' constitute a wide range of writers, including politicians, academics, and ordinary citizens with no particular public profile. Research suggested that ''On Line Opinion'' had a greater audience interactivity, but lower objectivity to comparable citizen journals because it publishes opinion only. It also suggested that, in comparative terms, publication within ''On Line Opinion'' is more timely than is the case with other citizen journals. Graham Readfern suggests ''On Line Opinion'' has given a platform to several climate science deniers.

References

{{Reflist, 30em, refs= {{Cite web, date=2003–2019, title=About On Line Opinion, url=https://www.onlineopinion.com.au/display.asp?page=about, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200619174805/https://www.onlineopinion.com.au/display.asp?page=about, archive-date=2020-06-19, website=onlineopinion.com.au {{Cite web, date=2020, title=On Line Opinion Author Index, url=https://www.onlineopinion.com.au/author.asp, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200622170701/https://www.onlineopinion.com.au/author.asp, archive-date=2020-06-22, website=onlineopinion.com.au {{Cite web, date=2014-11-01, title=Historical details for ABN 67 101 843 396, url=https://abr.business.gov.au/AbnHistory/View?id=67101843396, url-status=live, archive-url=https://archive.today/20200625045208/https://abr.business.gov.au/AbnHistory/View?id=67101843396, archive-date=2020-06-25, website=Australian Business Register {{Cite web, date=2019, title=On line opinion lectronic resourceurl=https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/4395745, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170620191741/http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/4395745, archive-date=2017-06-20, website=Australian National Library Catalogue {{Cite news, last=Duffy, first=Michael, date=2009-03-20, title=Many voices in a net spread thin, url=https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/many-voices-in-a-net-spread-thin-20090320-94dk.html, url-access=limited, url-status=live, archive-url=https://archive.today/20200625131102/https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/many-voices-in-a-net-spread-thin-20090320-94dk.html, archive-date=2020-06-25, work=The Sydney Morning Herald, publisher=Fairfax {{Cite news, last=Houghton, first=Des, date=2014-10-31, title=Free radicals rally to challenge the Left, url=https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/opinion/opinion-free-radicals-rally-to-australian-institute-of-progress-to-challenge-the-left/story-fnihsr9v-1227108841731, url-status=live, archive-url=https://archive.today/20200621133958/https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/opinion/opinion-free-radicals-rally-to-australian-institute-of-progress-to-challenge-the-left/story-fnihsr9v-1227108841731, archive-date=2020-06-21, work=

The Courier-Mail ''The Courier-Mail'' is an Australian newspaper published in Brisbane. Owned by News Corp Australia, it is published daily from Monday to Saturday in tabloid format. Its editorial offices are located at Bowen Hills, in Brisbane's inner norther ...

, publisher=News Corp Australia, location=Qld. {{Cite web, last=Readfearn, first=Graham, date=2017-11-22, title=The climate science denial promoters behind Queensland's energy scare election headlines, url=https://reneweconomy.com.au/climate-science-denial-promoters-behind-queenslands-energy-scare-election-headlines-49474/, url-status=live, archive-url=https://archive.today/20200625011647/https://reneweconomy.com.au/climate-science-denial-promoters-behind-queenslands-energy-scare-election-headlines-49474/, archive-date=2020-06-25, website=RenewEconomy {{Cite web, last=School of Law, date=2020-06-19, title=The Australian Institute for Progress Ltd v The Electoral Commission of Queensland & Ors 020QSC 54, url=https://law.uq.edu.au/research/our-research/human-and-civil-rights/human-rights-case-law/australian-institute-progress-ltd-v-electoral-commission-queensland-ors-2020-qsc-54, url-status=live, archive-url=https://archive.today/20200701133200/https://law.uq.edu.au/research/our-research/human-and-civil-rights/human-rights-case-law/australian-institute-progress-ltd-v-electoral-commission-queensland-ors-2020-qsc-54, archive-date=2020-07-01, website=

The University of Queensland The University of Queensland is a public research university located primarily in Brisbane, the capital city of the Australian state of Queensland. Founded in 1909 by the Queensland parliament, UQ is one of the six sandstone universities, an i ...

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, publisher=Fairfax, url-access=limited {{Cite journal, last1=Taylor, first1=A., last2=Cokley, first2=J., date=2013, title=How citizen journalism websites are working in Australia: news and discussion, url=http://ejournalist.com.au/v13n2/TaylorCokley.pdf, url-status=dead, journal=Ejournalist: A Refereed Media Journal, volume=13, issue = 2, page=12, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510143356/http://ejournalist.com.au/v13n2/TaylorCokley.pdf, archive-date=2017-05-10 Social sciences literature Australian political websites Open access projects