Menzies created the Liberals from the rubble of its once successful but ultimately dysfunctional forebear, the UAP. It wasn’t the first time the centre-right reinvented itself. It could happen again.
Articles on Australian political history
Displaying 21 - 40 of 51 articles
Paul Keating’s recent savage criticism of the Albanese government over the AUKUS deal is a reminder that former leaders have not always publicly disparaged their own parties.
Chris Wallace’s book Political Lives entertains, but also does something far more valuable: it lights up the present by illuminating the past.
History shows us there is no guarantee of sweetness and light simply because the same party holds office in a state and in Canberra.
If the 2023 referendum fails, it will at least in part be due to the shortcomings and spoiled hopes of 1967.
It is true failed referendums do not usually destroy governments, but they do have the potential to undermine leaders and governments.
The partnership between the Liberal and National parties has a long and at times chequered history – but it has also had tremendous success in winning and holding government.
While some prime ministers loom large in the public imagination, others are largely forgotten. Why were they so unremarkable- and is that fair?
The climate emergency is in many ways the Vietnam of today’s young people. The 50th anniversary of the release of resisters to that conflict should give today’s decision-makers pause for thought.
The Yes/No case has long been flawed and the government is right to dispense with it. But it will need to replace it with something else to counter misinformation – and do so with great care.
The Whitlam government’s removal of the sales tax may seem small, but it increased access to the pill for many women and in doing so, changed their lives.
It is hard to say how big an influence the Nationals’ stance may have – but history shows us the Yes case in referendums is easily defeated.
In Dreamers and Schemers, the activities of male political elites take precedence over other social movements.
Australia has a long history of imaginative, even transformative, electoral politics – and a new book argues the 2022 federal election shows that spirit is still alive and well.
Ex-prime ministers have been a varied bunch - some committing themselves to public service; others firing shots from the sidelines. Scott Morrison appears to be taking an altogether different path.
There’s a good reason why first-term governments are re-elected – but Labor’s victory last month may not fit the mould.
Of 44 referendums put to the Australian people since federation, only eight have passed – but those championing a First Nations Voice to Parliament need not be deterred.
He is only the fifth Labor leader to win government from opposition since the first world war, and there’s every indication he will be a consensus prime minister.
Elections where a national security threat have been a major talking point have historically played well for incumbent governments. But this time is different.
The federal government rarely holds policy referendums. But research shows they are more common in the states and territories, and voters are more amenable to them than politicians might believe.
Top contributors
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Director, Vice-Chancellor's Centre of Public Ideas (CoPI) and Donald Horne Professor of History and Public Ideas, University of Canberra
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Emeritus Professor of Politics, Monash University
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Lecturer in Australian Political Studies, University of Canberra
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Senior Lecturer in History, Australian Catholic University
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Professor Emerita in Constitutional Law, University of Sydney
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Professor, Canberra School of Government, University of Canberra
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Associate Professor of History, UNSW
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Lecturer, Politics and International Relations, Australian Catholic University
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Emeritus Professor of Political Science, Monash University
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Associate Professor School of Government and International Relations, Griffith University
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Professorial Fellow in History, The University of Melbourne
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PhD Candidate, UNSW
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Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Queensland, The University of Queensland
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Senior research fellow, University of Technology Sydney
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Associate Professor of History, CQUniversity Australia