You Get What You Pay For: Tackling The Tax Taboo

It took decades of neoliberalism to destroy both Australia’s institutions of governance and the public’s expectations of those institutions. And it will take more than one term of office to repair the rot that has set in. But if that repair doesn’t begin soon, and the public do not begin to see rapid returns from that repair, then it’s not inevitable that Australia’s Westminster democracy will last as long as the building it is named after.

The simultaneous election of a majority Albanese Government, a record number of Greens and independents in the lower house, and what is likely to be the most progressive Senate crossbench in our history, creates a unique moment in Australian politics. How this moment is used, or stymied, will likely shape Australia for decades to come.

While people and policies come and go, institutions created by parliament last a lot longer for the simple reason that what both Houses of Parliament create, only both Houses of Parliament can dissolve.

Which is why decades after John Howard lost office, his 1990s-era policy thinking lives on through institutions like the Productivity Commission – which have overseen the steady decline in Australia’s productivity. It’s also why decades after the Hawke Government created Medicare it still survives, albeit in increasingly shabby shape.

Anthony Albanese has already committed to creating Australia’s first Federal Integrity Commission by the end of this year. And while the Commonwealth will be the last jurisdiction in Australia to create such a dedicated corruption watchdog, the consequences for the way that policy is made, public funds are awarded,