Farewell Scotty from marketing

Australia has churned through 6 Prime Ministers since John Howard left office in 2007 in a bipartisan melee of bitter back-stabbing but no-one was less qualified for the job than Scott Morrison, a man whose messianic belief in his own infallibility saw him secretly assume personal control of vast swathes of government during the pandemic.

Why populists are popular

Simplistic, divisive and bombastic demagogues like Donald Trump succeed because of those traits, rather than despite them.

Defeating the dictators

A new book by Charles Dunst, a foreign policy advisor to Colorado Democratic Senator Michael F. Bennet, outlines a number of ways by which democracies can combat the threat of rising authoritarianism.

Estimates and inquiries

Senate estimates and inquiries are important parts of the Australian political system, allowing more detailed scrutiny of government actions than the rowdy pantomime of Parliament and the media.

Revisiting the Republic

Despite the rejection of a Republic in 1999, a more radical and comprehensive plan for a new national settlement, incorporating taxation and government as well as the severing of ties with the UK, could be a popular option.

Storm clouds over Canberra

Australian democracy remains robust, but a succession of political scandals in recent times have damaged public faith in our politicians.

Narrowing the trust divide

Mistrust between elected politicians and the electorate continues to widen, undermining faith in democracy itself. Fergus Neilson discusses proposals from political professionals and voters to narrow the ‘trust divide’ and improve the internal resilience of Western liberal democracy.

Three ways to shape the future

Pessimism about our ability to address the issues that face humanity is understandable, but there are many signs we’re making progress in a number of ways.

Will Labor’s slide continue into 2024?

In less than two years, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has gone from clear choice to fighting for majority support in the polls. What happened and will he fight back next year?

Against tribalism

A new book argues that the tribal identities exalted by the neo-Marxist ‘woke’ agenda are undermining the traditional claims of the left for a universalist understanding of justice and progress – and woke reviewers don’t like it.

Marking the class of 2023

It’s not just Australian children who get report cards as school breaks up. So do government ministers, when parliament rises at the end of the year, so how is Anthony Albanese’s administration faring as the inevitable political problems pile up now the honeymoon is over.

Reflections on the Voice Referendum

The dust has begun to settle after Australia’s contentious Voice Referendum, but amid the accusations of bad faith and ignorance, how many people on either side bothered to read or understand the report which laid out how the Voice would have worked, and the problems it raised or failed to address?