GAP in 2019 – A year in review

Global Access Partners, the institute for active policy which publishes Open Forum, has enjoyed a busy year tackling a wide range of issues and looks forward to fresh endeavours in 2020.

Who’s in the driving seat?

Global leadership works best when liberal great powers embrace a shared, inclusive vision of global order, jointly manage the challenges to that order, and fund the public goods that underpin it. Lately, things haven’t been going so well.

Voter trust in politicians hits a new low

The Australian National University’s election study has underscored the woeful lack of trust voters have in the political system, and highlighted the role economic issues and Bill Shorten’s unpopularity played in the May poll outcome.

Australian climate politics need an independent path

The failure of Australia’s traditional political parties to act on the worsening climate crisis means that independent politicians must step up to force their hand in the Senate.

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.

The death of a “grievance-based organisation”

Did Labor really lose the Federal election “because of a weak strategy that could not adapt to the change in Liberal leadership, a cluttered policy agenda that looked risky and an unpopular leader”.

The world needs political leadership from its democracies

Democratic leaders must teach their electorates once again that countries must cooperate to tackle global problems such as mass migration, arms proliferation and environmental loss.

Arvanitakis on American politics – What characterises today’s populists?

It is easy to mock populist leaders and their supporters, but the pressure experienced by a dwindling middle class and the rising economic vulnerability that many people feel should not be so easily dismissed.

Why the government’s proposed facial recognition database is causing a stir

The Government’s proposed national identity-matching scheme must get the balance right when it comes to addressing identity crime and assisting law enforcement while protecting individual privacy.

Good policy needs strong leadership

Former deputy Labor leader Jenny Macklin argues that empathetic leaders will have to to stand up and fight to overcome the trust deficit in Australian politics and deliver key policies.

The airport border ‘crisis’ is a symptom of management failure

From high staff turn-overs to filling the appeals tribunal with political allies, the Home Affairs department needs to get a grip on Australia’s airport immigration problem.

DFAT’s budget squeeze damages Australian interests

Diplomacy could help to create a more favourable world for Australia’s interests, but cuts to DFAT’s budget are hampering its reach at a time when it’s needed more than ever.