Showing results by publisher "Bolinda Audio" in Elections & Political Process

When the Coalition government of Australia was overthrown in 2022, it was tempting to portray the loss as a repudiation of Scott Morrison. And when opposition leader Peter Dutton torpedoed the referendum on establishing an Indigenous Voice to parliament, his credibility as a political leader improved at the expense of the prime minister's. That was when, according to Niki Savva, the conservative Coalition thought it had the forthcoming election in the bag. What followed was a sequence of events that resulted in an improbable triumph for Labor and a historic drubbing for the Liberal Party.

When society seems to demand confidence and certainty, how much courage does it take to admit doubt, especially self-doubt? In this personal essay, one of Australia's most respected journalists argues in favour of a doubtful mind. Her classic personal essay carries a message about the value of truth, scrutiny and accountability - a much-needed antidote to fake news. Donald Trump, the post-truth world and the instability of Australian politics are all examined in this fresh take on her prescient essay on the media and political trends that define our times.

For decades, Rupert Murdoch's global media empire has shaped political landscapes, influenced elections and fuelled public opinion. But behind the headlines lies a darker story – of targeted campaigns, smear tactics and relentless attacks on those who don't fit the Murdoch mould. From LGBTQI communities and women's rights advocates to progressive politicians, human rights defenders and even conservatives deemed 'not right enough', Getting Murdoched: How Murdoch's Media Wields Power and Punishment exposes how dissent is silenced and reputations destroyed.

In Quarterly Essay 49, Latham argues that the time has come to go beyond criticism to solutions. In that spirit, he offers a timely assessment of the future for Labor. He examines the key challenges: the union nexus, the Keating settlement, a real education revolution, a new war on poverty, climate change, and handling the Greens. With wit and insight, he suggests that Labor's biggest problem is the steady erosion of its traditional working-class base.

In Quarterly Essay 46 Laura Tingle shows that the answer goes to something deep in Australian culture: our great expectations of government. Since the deregulation era of the 1980s, Tingle shows, governments can do less, but we wish they could do more. From Hawke to Gillard, each prime minister has grappled with this dilemma. Keating sought to change expectations, Howard to feed a culture of entitlement, Rudd to reconceive the federation. Through all of this, and back to our origins, runs an almost childlike sense of the government as saviour and provider.

How the red shoe resistance is busting the merit myth in the Liberal Party. Merit has very little to do with the increasing dominance of men in the modern Liberal Party. Yet Liberal women continue to defend it. Until now. On Merit explores this imbalance, its implications for the party's future, and how a pair of red shoes may spark a rebellion against the merit myth.