Whatever happened to the “populist surge”?

Australian populism is more a form of long-term grumble about the state of the world than a sharp reaction to the threat of cultural loss and has had little impact on the election.

Will Labor’s ‘drover’s dog’ have his day?

If the polls are right, Bill Shorten will become the next prime minister, so what kind of national leader would he be?

The telling silences of this election campaign

Political parties try to choose the ground on which they fight, but amid the hustle and bustle of the election campaign there are some tricky issues which neither party wants to face.

Who is Scott Morrison?

People tend to see Prime Minister Scott Morrison as tough and pragmatic, but defining what he actually believes in remains open to question.

Don’t write off One Nation

One Nation’s scandals and extremism count against it, but if it can clean up its act it could tap into greater electoral support as many Australians still express concern about immigration issues.

The battle of the slogans

Voters have been bombarded by political advertising on their TVs, radios, social media feeds, and even on their phones, but which party has the most effective slogans?

All image, no vision

Scott Morrison ditched the hat, and Bill Shorten started smiling more, but it hasn’t helped either candidate generate genuine charisma. Australia’s image-conscious but visionless leaders have made for a dreary Federal election campaign.

It’s time to pin the blame for the Parliament hack

Whoever becomes prime minister after the election will face a sobering moment in Australia’s China policy.

Cricket balls and “shadow values”

Like the Cameron Bancroft and Steven Smith ball tampering scandal, Australia’s foreign aid spending exemplifies the disconnect between our rhetoric and the reality of who we are and what we value as a nation.

Here’s how to renew Australia’s democracy

Citizen juries, an independent speaker, and ensuring MPs get to sit with their opponents, not opposite them, are all proposals at the heart of a new push to improve how Australian democracy works.

The foreign policy impact of Australia’s growing Asian minority

Will Australia’s growing Asian minority mean the government’s foreign policy looks towards China rather than the USA?

Nice try Pauline but your crocodile tears won’t work on us

While the major parties scrap it out this month for office, the poor performance of Pauline Hanson’s “One Nation” in the polls may indicate a long term trend towards broader public acceptance of a multi-cultural Australia.