Will the new CIC reduce government corruption?

The Federal Government has finally announced steps to tackle corruption in its midst, however, while the model proposed is an improvement on the piecemeal status quo, it may not go far enough to be effective.

Hatred is no substitute for strategy

Controversial political leaders such as US President Donald Trump stir up strong feelings in their opponents, but a calm and rational approach to political debate, rather than a surfeit of passion, is the best way to strengthen the democratic process.

George H.W. Bush deserves his glowing tributes

Americans today could do worse than heed the 41st President’s counsel about the importance of allies, the danger of hubris, illusions of omnipotence, and the wisdom of limits, restraint and modesty in a messy and pluralistic world.

Introducing integrated e-government in Australia

Launching a national effort to integrate service delivery across all three tiers of government would be a political challenge but it would deliver benefits for every Australian.

The great wall of silence: Australia’s failure to talk about China

Australia’s silence on the attribution of cyber-attacks and intellectual property theft by China is part of a broader silence which does nothing to serve Australia’s national interest.

Restoring trust in governments and institutions

The difficult task of restoring political trust will require leaders to reflect on their own behaviour and then working for significant reforms to social and economic policies and electoral systems in the public’s interest, rather than their own.

Tinkering can achieve a lot. Politics isn’t broken

Today’s politicians are often criticised for failing to deliver the bold, sweeping reforms of their predecessors, but in reality much of the progress in our political and social systems comes through gradual and incremental change.

Penny Wong on courage and political change

The McKinnon Prize in Political Leadership aims to recognise political leaders who’ve driven positive change and Labor senator Penny Wong hopes it will help politics reconnect with a disgruntled electorate.

Mapping out policy priorities for states and territories 

State and territory governments can always do more to improve the lives of Australians but a new Grattan Institute State Scorecard shows how outcomes vary between states across a broad range of areas.

Fascism has not returned to Europe

Were fascism to ascend again in Europe, international security would be menaced and the liberal international order be even more imperilled. However, Europe’s current far-right parties fail to meet the minimum fascist criteria.

On the side of the angels?

Nations are never angelic, but in these fraught and disruptive times, the smart national interest should be to stand on the side of the angels.

Modernising the governance of Australian cities

Australia needs innovative metropolitan governance for our cities in order to effectively tackle increasingly complex global issues – lessons that have already been learnt overseas.