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Since Labor took office in 2022, the Albanese government has been consistently criticised for its lack of ambition. After its 2025 landslide victory, there’s more pressure than ever to embark on bold policy reform, even in a very uncertain world.
But if we look back at Australia’s political history, we can see not all big changes have been politically successful. Some policies have made prime ministers, while others have proven to be their undoing.
It’s this mixed legacy we explore in our new series, Power and Policy. In its six parts, experts will look at how policies created legends, such as with Bob Hawke and Medicare, while others ended in disaster, like John Howard and WorkChoices.
To kick it off, political scientist Patrick Leslie writes about the different paths governments can take to making meaningful changes that actually last. With a federal budget looming, it remains to be seen which path the Albanese government will choose.
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Erin Cooper-Douglas
Public Policy Editor
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Pat Leslie, Australian National University
Governments are often criticised for lacking ambition and failing to tackle the long-term issues facing Australia. But it’s been done before, and can be done again.
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Warwick Smith, The University of Melbourne
The way we deal with rising inflation is highly problematic.
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Peter Newman, Curtin University; Ray Wills, The University of Western Australia
With the same fiscal support that Canberra found to back the oil industry, we could start to end our oil dependence.
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Glen Fuller, University of Canberra
Plan your route, keep your bike by the door, and don’t worry about Lycra – small habits can get you back on the bike.
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Tamara May, Monash University
People with AuDHD often find their traits and experiences don’t neatly fit into either category – and they can find themselves pulled in different directions.
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Rachel Gallagher, Griffith University
In the 1940s, tent cities and ‘shanty’ settlements appeared across Australia as families struggled to find homes. The government acted then – and it needs to now.
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Hunter Bennett, Adelaide University
Smartwatches aren’t always as accurate as you might think. In some cases, you’d be better off listening to your body.
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Dr Ellen Ryan-Colton, Australian National University; Christine Schlesinger, Charles Darwin University
Without a national policy, the spread of smothering buffel grass will continue unchecked.
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Politics + Society
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Adrian Beaumont, The University of Melbourne
Applying 2025 election preference flows would give Labor below a 51–49 lead over the Coalition, their worst result since their re-election last year.
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Melanie O'Brien, The University of Western Australia
A bail judge has ruled there are ‘exceptional circumstances’ in the Ben Roberts-Smith case and granted the accused war criminal bail.
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Marika Sosnowski, The University of Melbourne
Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a ten-day ceasefire. This may end one phase of the conflict, but it’s unlikely the violence will end.
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Damien Kingsbury, Deakin University
China may be pivotal to the outcome.
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Health + Medicine
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Rebekah Moles, University of Sydney; Jack Collins, University of Sydney
Each Australian state and territory has different rules around when, how and where you can access contraception. Two researchers unpack the details.
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Lauren Ball, The University of Queensland; Timothy Piatkowski, The University of Queensland
Yet another weight loss drug is causing a stir online. But health authorities and experts say it may bring more risks than rewards.
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Emmy van Esch, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau; Hanoku Bathula, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau; Laszlo Sajtos, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
New research shows ‘cultural intelligence’ has both beneficial and unintended effects, challenging common assumptions about its role in healthcare.
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Business + Economy
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Rod McNaughton, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
Youth unemployment is rising in New Zealand as junior roles increasingly disappear from the labour market. But the picture is more complex than AI eliminating jobs.
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Marta Khomyn, Adelaide University
Markets only work when everyone plays by the same rules. Right now, not everyone is.
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Environment + Energy
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Helen Rutter, University of Canterbury
A new report shows nitrate contamination has been worsening at more than a third of monitored groundwater sites – likely because of human activities.
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Science + Technology
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Rusty Langdon, University of Technology Sydney
A recent report into the federal government’s Cheaper Home Batteries Program found major problems with safety and compliance.
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Arts + Culture
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Roberta Kwan, University of Sydney
Could seeing ourselves as good neighbours help us navigate the present-day churn of disconnection, polarisation and uncertainty? Shakespeare invites us to try.
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Books + Ideas
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Meighen McCrae, Australian National University
Gallipoli was a hastily launched military campaign over a maritime choke point – and has parallels with the Strait of Hormuz.
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What can go in the yellow bins
“Reading about what recycling you can put in the yellow bin was enlightening, but for the wrong reasons. I would class myself as an avid recycler, often to the pains of my family who now ignore my lectures about what can and can't be recycled. Now, I'm just depressed at the difficulties of recycling, with most of it likely ending up in landfill. I find it ridiculous that a plastic milk or drink container would be made of one plastic while the lid and seal from another and the label from a third plastic, and the three can't be recycled together! As the article points out, packaging needs redesigning to suit recycling, and a big part of that should be
reusability (like we used to do for glass bottles, yes I'm that old!). It's time the government puts policies in place to require packaging to adapt to recycling.”
Mark Stevens, St Agnes, SA
We'd love to hear from you. You can email us with your thoughts on our stories and each day we'll publish an edited selection.
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Australia-Korea Foundation (in conjunction with InASA and Seoul National University)
Gwanak-gu, Seoul, South Korea
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