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“What do the following countries have in common: Germany, Spain, Portugal, New Zealand, every Scandinavian nation… and, as of the past few weeks, Australia?
Answer: all of them have social democratic or labour-movement parties in government, either solely or in coalition. That means Anthony Albanese’s election victory in May was just the latest in a sweep of successes for centre-left parties across Europe and comparable countries. Whereas one of the predominant political narratives of the past decade has been the talk of a ‘crisis of the left’, now it is the turn of right-wing parties in many places to face the future with trepidation.
As Rob Manwaring writes, in many of these cases, centre-left parties have achieved success by going back to their roots, turning away from the ”“third way”“ manifestos of Tony Blair or Bill Clinton in the 1990s, and embracing core policies such as minimum wage rises, improved pensions, affordable housing and a carbon-neutral economy. And the pandemic has reinvigorated the idea of investing significantly in public services and institutions such as healthcare.
But the centre-left resurgence hasn’t happened everywhere. France’s Socialist Party is in the electoral doldrums, and power is still a distant prospect for Britain’s Labour Party, despite last week’s implosion of their Conservative rivals.”
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Michael Hopkin
Deputy Chief of Staff
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Rob Manwaring, Flinders University
The pandemic has helped fuel a resurgence of social democratic parties
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Hugo Dobson, University of Sheffield; Kristian Magnus Hauken, University of Sheffield
Shinzo Abe’s murder is the latest political attack in Japan, a country which has strict gun laws.
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Darcy Watchorn, Deakin University; Luke Emerson, Deakin University
Greater gliders are fluffy, cat-sized possums with large ears. State governments have failed them at every turn, and continue to raze their habitat.
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Nicole Mockler, University of Sydney
New research examines 25 years of newspaper reporting of teachers and finds consistent evidence of “teacher bashing”.
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Ian Olver, University of Adelaide
Social factors influence how likely we are to suffer from many types of disease, including cancer.
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John Glover, Torrens University Australia; Sarah McDonald, Torrens University Australia
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in Australia. And it doesn’t affect everyone equally.
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Tom van Laer, University of Sydney; Davide Christian Orazi, Monash University
Mullets, perms and neon clothes are all back – but Gen Z can’t be nostalgic for an era they never experienced.
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Politics + Society
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Craig Mark, Kyoritsu Women's University
The world is in shock after news Japan’s former prime minister Shinzo Abe has been shot dead during a speech in Nara, western Japan.
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Anne Twomey, University of Sydney
Johnson will remain prime minister until a new party leader is chosen - which could take months.
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
University of Canberra Professorial Fellow Michelle Grattan and Assistant Professor Caroline Fisher discuss the week in politics
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Lorelle Holland, The University of Queensland; Maree Toombs, The University of Queensland
First Nations children are 20 times more likely to be incarcerated. Governments need to consider raising the age of incarceration and pursuing culturally-led care for these children.
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Science + Technology
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Jennifer Flegg, The University of Melbourne; Michael P.H. Stumpf, The University of Melbourne
Our ability to use mathematical modelling is accelerating breakthrough discoveries in health care and biotechnology.
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Environment + Energy
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Wesley Morgan, Griffith University
While Australia worries about Chinese influence, Pacific nations are more worried about climate change. By boosting climate ambition, Australia could be the region’s security partner of choice.
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Education
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Craig Jeffrey, The University of Melbourne; Jane Dyson, The University of Melbourne
Australian researchers will welcome the newly announced review of how their main source of non-medical federal funding, the Australian Research Council, operates. There’s a lot to consider.
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Amir Ghapanchi, Victoria University
The proportion of Australian university students who want to found a business after they graduate is increasing fast and is now around 16%. But most of their courses perpetuate an ‘employee mindset’.
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Arts + Culture
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Suzie Gibson, Charles Sturt University
For many Australians, Bathurst is defined by car races. But as Fast Cars & Dirty Beats demonstrates, the town is much more complex and multicultural.
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Books + Ideas
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Shane Satterley, Griffith University
What is the appeal of cults? How do they work? And what is the damage they do? A new book, by the creator of the podcast Let’s Talk About Sects, answers these questions and more.
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Sarah Attfield, University of Technology Sydney
A powerful new memoir of prison life in the 1960s and 70s – uncovered while researching lesbians in Sydney – is a searing indictment of Australian society and its institutions.
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Business + Economy
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Peter Whiteford, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
Compared with other OECD nations, Australians pay much less tax than some headline statistics suggest.
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Cranlana Centre for Ethical Leadership at Monash University
Melbourne VIC, Australia
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Auckland, New Zealand
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Auckland University of Technology
Auckland, New Zealand
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Gold Coast QLD, Australia
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