Parties, databases and campaigning in 2016

With just days to go, the 2016 election seems to be a very close race with opinion polls showing the parties to be neck-and-neck. In such a close battle, the success of the… Continue reading →

Is ‘economic management’ Labor’s Achilles heel?

I suspect the obituaries for Labor’s campaign have already been written: Bill Shorten performed above expectations, won back Labor’s ‘base’ but failed to appeal to swinging voters on ‘economic management’. There is truth… Continue reading →

New style lobbying: how GetUp! channels Australians’ voices into politics

We see their spokespeople quoted in the papers and their ads on TV, but beyond that we know very little about how Australia’s lobby groups get what they want. This series shines a… Continue reading →

Not so grassroots: how the snowflake model is transforming political campaigns

This article is part of the Democracy Futures series, a joint global initiative with the Sydney Democracy Network. The project aims to stimulate fresh thinking about the many challenges facing democracies in the… Continue reading →

Why aren’t we watching political debates?

Here’s a trick question. Just past the halfway mark of the eight-week federal election campaign, how many leaders’ debates have taken place, or been scheduled, before the July 2 polling day? Election debates… Continue reading →

Many young people aren’t enrolled to vote – but are we asking them the wrong question?

As soon as the 2016 federal election was called, the race was on to find those who are dragging their heels to the ballot box. While nearly one million eligible Australians are not… Continue reading →

Have we hit peak Green?

As is most appropriate I start with a confessional. I am a member of the ALP and my views on the Greens and Labor dynamic are well known. Nevertheless I believe the data… Continue reading →