Weak economic data and sluggish wages have contributed to the Coalition’s poor showing in the latest Newspoll, which gives Labor a 54-46 lead on two-party preferred.
Future Australian governments need to work harder at making foreign affairs more accessible to the public, such as better explaining the “Pacific pivot”.
Dan Himbrechts/AAP
Whoever forms the next government should increase investment in foreign affairs and trade, finding ways to make Australia more prominent in global dispute resolution.
There are thousands in the Australian community who say they would sponsor a refugee’s resettlement, but only if the program was reformed.
from shutterstock.com
The current community support program that allows Australians to sponsor a refugee’s resettlement is flawed. It exploits the goodwill of the community while shifting costs away from the government.
On racist dog-whistling and on climate change, the “right” now finds itself on the wrong side of public opinion – so the acrimonious public debates on ideological lines may be coming to an end.
Since the Whitlam government in 1972, the major parties have taken a similar approach to managing relations with China, albeit with a few key differences.
AAP/EPA/Roman Pilipey
No matter who forms government after the next election, managing Australia’s relationship with China will continue to be a major challenge, and vitally important in a region remaking itself.
Despite some improvements in recent years, the facts on gender-based violence in Australia still paint a grim picture.
Shutterstock
Despite some progress in recent years in addressing gender-based violence, there is still a long way to go. A concerted and holistic approach is needed.
This coming election, look closely at what positions the Coalition and Labor take on needs-based school funding.
www.shutterstock.com
There are still some tricky equity issues for the incoming government to tackle.
Just as gaining the right to vote did not end the women’s rights movement, so, too, will marriage equality not end the LGBTI+ rights movement.
George Groves/Midsumma
Marriage equality was an important step for LGBTI+ rights in Australia, but there are many other areas in which LGBTI+ people in Australia still face discrimination.
The funding gap between the most and least well-off schools has grown over the last ten years.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
Schools funding doesn’t pass the playground test of fairness: state schools get less government funding than governments themselves say the schools need.
John Gerrard Keulemans. Published by Muséum national d'histoire naturelle (France)
Australia is losing mammals faster than any other country, as well as plenty more plants and animals besides. Extinction is theft from future generations – it’s time to treat it as such.
The challenge on Indigenous rights is to achieve reform that goes beyond limited understandings of these issues as being symbolic or practical.
AAP/Dan Peled
Instead of paying lip service to promoting Indigenous Australians’ rights as First Nations, the next federal government should be guided by the Uluru Statement from the Heart to make real progress.
As prime minister, republican Malcolm Turnbull said there would be no more moves towards an Australian head of state while Queen Elizabeth remained on the throne.
AAP/Ward/WENN.com
Bill Shorten is committed to an Australian head of state, but it will likely take lost priority to constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australians.
Scott Morrison’s claim that Operation Sovereign Borders is the country’s great national security achievement overlooks all that has been achieved in a complex area.
AAP/Lukas Coch
Australia’s current greenhouse emissions target is not ambitious enough, and we’re not on track to hit even this modest goal. But the potential is there to hit zero emissions by mid-century if we try.
Linda Reynolds was today sworn in as defence industry minister and promoted into cabinet.
AAP/Lukas Coch
The prime minister is remaining stoic about the loss of a batch of ministers ahead of this year’s election, but in truth it points to the Coalition’s dim chances of re-election.
Linda Reynolds replaces Steve Ciobo as defence industry minister.
AAP/Mick Tsikas
The defence minister and defence industry minister are set to become the latest in a string of high-profile government MPs exiting at the upcoming election.
The number of Medicare claims Australians make in a year doubled between 1984 and 2018.
By Sopotnick
Jane Hall, University of Technology Sydney and Kees Van Gool, University of Technology Sydney
Paying doctors a fee for each service they provide isn’t delivering optimal value for the health dollar. Instead, we should pay doctors a lump sum to care for a patient’s medical problem over time.
Premium subsidies encourage Australians to take out and keep private health insurance.
Subsidies for private health insurance premiums cost the government over A$6 billion a year. Is it time to scrap the rebate and redirect these funds elsewhere in the health system?
We need a cyber safety equivalent to the Slip! Slop! Slap! campaign to nudge behavioural change in the community.
Shutterstock
If the next government is serious about protecting Australian businesses and families, here are seven concrete actions it should take immediately upon taking office.
Senior Lecturer in Political Science: Research Fellow at the Cairns Institute; Research Associate for Centre for Policy Futures, University of Queensland, James Cook University