Australia’s response to the Spanish flu tolls a warning for today

Australian states are finally enforcing social isolation, as they did a hundred years ago against Spanish Flu, but the worst is yet to come. Neither should restrictions be lifted too quickly, as many Australians were killed by a second wave of Spanish Flu in the autumn of 1919.

Nuance and nostalgia

The internal report on Labor’s election debacle bemoans the party’s tendency to become the vehicle for various interests with diverse grievances at the expense of serving the needs of economically insecure working-class voters.

Farewell to Bob Hawke

On the cusp of probable re-election of a Labor government, Labor’s greatest leader of recent times has passed away.

The big kick off

History suggests that most governments are returned to power, but the polls have favoured Labor for months. As the election campaign kicks off, the only certainty is a cranky and mistrustful electorate.

Your time starts now: how leadership instability and revenge became woven into our political fabric

While Australia is one of the most stable democracies in the world, the churn of leaders in the highest office of the land seems to have become more incessant than ever.