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.

The rise of the female independent

Whilst it is early days, there are certainly some interesting takeouts from the surprise victory of Dr Kerryn Phelps in the recent Wentworth byelection.

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.

Turmoil in Trumpland

Tumult is the Trump administration’s middle name – and never more so than in the last few days. However the latest revelations about President Trump’s erratic behaviour and chaotic White House may only further endear him to his supporter base.

Political leadership cannot be disentangled from collective psychology

Much has been made of individual motives for revenge in recent political turmoil, but collective psychology underlines that people behave as members of a collective as well as individuals.

The high costs of our destructive coup culture

There are no easy ways to rid ourselves of the coup culture, or to force tin-eared politicians to lift their game. But it wouldn’t hurt for more people to follow the example of those in the community leadership program and remind their MPs of their KPIs.

Malcolm Fraser’s political manifesto would make good reading for the Morrison government

In their calculations about how to rebuild the Coalition’s shattered credibility, Morrison and Frydenberg should remind themselves that a lot of Australians are fed up with politics as usual.

Riders on the storm: what the Tour de France tells us about global security

The world’s greatest sporting event, the Tour de France, is coming to its climax for another year. As well as a great sporting drama in itself, it offers a handy metaphor for the current state of play in global politics.

Career, culture and character: New Zealand’s three women Prime Ministers

When Jacinda Ardern became New Zealand’s Prime Minister in 2017, not only was she the youngest PM in 150 years, but she was also the country’s third female leader. When it comes to women in politics in general, there seems to be a lot that we could learn from our neighbours.

Are Australians ready to embrace libertarianism?

How much influence does libertarianism have on Australian politics? The first thing to know is that the Australian political system has very few libertarians in it.

The worried West – Chronic decline or hypochondria?

Being Russian, North Korean or Chinese at this moment in history and watching liberal democracies talk themselves into decline must be odd but satisfying.

Huntington redux? A new era of civilisational politics

A quarter of a century after Samuel Huntington published ‘The Clash of Civilisations’, the issue has returned to the world stage with a vengeance. However the issue can be a Pandora’s box and, once released, the idea of cultural incompatibility can be very difficult to contain.