A short look at long problems

Thomas Hale’s book Long Problems skilfully unpacks the effect of people’s unwillingness to plan long-term when formulating and implementing responses to existential threats like climate change.

The young ones

For the first time, Gen Z and Millennials hold most of the voting power in this Federal election, so how might they wield it?

Could it happen here?

The threats to democracy in the USA are a global issue, and the differences in our media and political systems won’t limit their impact in Australia forever.

Fumbling the ball

The Coalition went into the election campaign neck and neck with Labor, but some campaign fumbles have seen Labor stretch ahead, so what’s gone wrong for Peter Dutton?

Understanding preference voting

Australia’s parliamentary system is complicated by its proportional representation system, so knowing how preferences work is the key to making your vote count, before you get to enjoy your hard-earned democracy sausage.

The preference game

Every election cycle sees the media focus on the preference deals between parties, and the 2025 election is no exception, although voters can of course vote for who they want, no matter what their preferred party advises.

The central battleground

Pundits and political scientists like to repeat that we live in an age of political polarisation but Australia’s parliamentary system means the major parties tend to converge by fighting for the centre ground.

Pull up to the bumper sticker

Bumper stickers rarely change anyone else’s ideas or behaviour but they do allow people to express, perform and affirm their identity.

The not-so-great debate

Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton have met for the third leaders’ debate of this election campaign, this time on the Nine network. And while the debate traversed much of the same ground as the first two, the quick-fire set up of the debate allowed for some more animated exchanges less than two weeks from election day.

The early voting dilemma

Australians have enthusiastically embraced the opportunity to vote early in recent elections. But there are some risks for voters if they jump the gun too quickly. And it’s upending the way parties and other candidates organise their campaigns.

Promises, promises

Both major party blocks have made plenty of pledges in this election campaign, so, how can voters distinguish between deliverable promises and the downright impossible?

Generation Zzzz

Barely 1 in 10 voters in ‘Generation Z’ voted with enthusiasm in the last election, with nearly half going to the polls merely to avoid a fine, so what can be done to re-engage them with democracy?