Politics with Michelle Grattan
News:Politics
Every election is unique, but each also presents comparisons and contrasts with elections past.
In this podcast, Australian National University history professor Frank Bongiorno gives his insights into the current battle but also takes the long views of campaigns.
Bongiorno talks about the role of leaders in what’s often dubbed the “presidential” election age (“a kind of proxy for judgements about policy”) and how Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese are presenting themselves.
The debate on wages and inflation has overtones of the arguments in the 1970s and 1980s, but “sort of minus the policy”.
This was supposed to be a “khaki” election, but the khaki has faded during the campaign, perhaps unsurprisingly. Most often, Australians are solidly focused on domestic issues when they vote.
The “teals” have been a special feature of this campaign. But are they a new version of other breakaways, like the Australian Democrats of old?
The rise of voter disillusionment is a feature of recent elections, as is the detachment of voters from the major parties. Not so long ago, about seven in ten voters voted at each election the same way as they had voted throughout their lives, Bongiorno says, based on the ANU’s Australian Election Study. But now it is just under four in ten. “That means there’s a growing number of voters whose support is biddable, and the independents and minor parties are benefiting from that kind of loosening of the hold of the major parties over the voters.”
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Stephen Duckett on what's gone wrong with the rollout
Linda Burney on the treatment of Indigenous Women
Sussan Ley on being a woman in politics
Zali Steggall on Monday's march and Scott Morrison's response
Fleur Johns on the rule of law
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Patricia Sparrow on the Royal Commission into Aged Care
Former MP Kate Ellis on the culture in parliament house
David Littleproud on The Nationals and net zero
Anthony Albanese on his new frontbench, Joel Fitzgibbon, and Labor’s imminent workplace policy
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg on promising budget figures
Chief Scientist Alan Finkel on climate, energy and emissions
Asia-Pacific expert Bates Gill on China’s endgame
two views on increasing the super contribution
Defence expert Allan Behm on the background to the Brereton report
Joel Fitzgibbon on Labor climate policy and leadership
economist Danielle Wood on Australia’s ‘blokey’ budge
a budget for a pandemic
Chris Richardson on what Tuesday’s budget will and should do
New Zealand’s Helen Clark on the pandemic inquiry and avoiding election ‘cat fights
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