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GAP in 2019 – A year in review
Catherine Fritz-Kalish | December 19, 2019Global 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.
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Who’s in the driving seat?
Rod Lyon | December 12, 2019Global 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.
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Voter trust in politicians hits a new low
Michelle Grattan | December 11, 2019The 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.
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Australian climate politics need an independent path
Warren Brown | December 4, 2019The 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.
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Nuance and nostalgia
Frank Bongiorno | November 15, 2019The 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.
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The death of a “grievance-based organisation”
Michelle Grattan | November 13, 2019Did 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”.
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The world needs political leadership from its democracies
Chris Patten | November 11, 2019Democratic leaders must teach their electorates once again that countries must cooperate to tackle global problems such as mass migration, arms proliferation and environmental loss.
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Arvanitakis on American politics – What characterises today’s populists?
James Arvanitakis | November 9, 2019It 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.
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Why the government’s proposed facial recognition database is causing a stir
Sarah Moulds | October 26, 2019The 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.
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Good policy needs strong leadership
Andrew Trounson | October 25, 2019Former 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.
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The airport border ‘crisis’ is a symptom of management failure
Daniel Ghezelbash | October 22, 2019From 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.
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DFAT’s budget squeeze damages Australian interests
Melissa Conley Tyler | October 21, 2019Diplomacy 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.