The one thing America could learn from us
This week Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that Australia will next month recognise a Palestinian state at the UN. These developments remind us that identity cannot be separated from politics. At a time when democracies elsewhere are fracturing under the weight of polarisation, Australia's institutional resilience should embolden us to embrace our differences more openly in political discourse – not frighten us.
As an Australian studying in the US during both of Trump's presidential victories I saw first hand how identities can be politicised to fracture a society. After the October 7 Hamas attacks I witnessed, as a graduate student, how Harvard students retreated into ideological silos, avoiding dialogue with those whose identities they perceived to be at odds with their own.
Australia feels different – partly because of how our political system is structured. Identity weighs less heavily on our social conscience, but perhaps that's why it's so often ignored.
Identity politics refers to the idea that our race, gender, religion or class shapes our political views. Over time it has often been framed as divisive. Peter Dutton, after the 2023 Voice referendum defeat, said the result was a rejection of 'the madness of identity politics'. But his own loss in the 2025 election might suggest otherwise. A wave of post-election commentary emphasised the Liberal Party's need to better reflect 'modern Australia', with female representation highlighted as one of the most glaring absences in the party room.
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Australia's electoral system structurally limits the worst elements of polarisation caused by identity politics. Unlike the US, where turnout hovers around 60 per cent, Australia's compulsory voting system ensures broad participation and fosters a more centrist politics. Our Westminster system means Australian voters elect a party to govern, not a singular leader. Our ballots are cast for local MPs, and the party with the majority elects our prime minister. In contrast, the US system centres on the direct election of a president, making national politics more personalised by design.
Preferential voting also encourages engagement with more than one party and rewards coalition-building over extremism. This institutional design helps insulate us from the deep political tribalism seen in the US and gives us the space to explore identity in a less adversarial way.
A few months ago, during the 2025 Australian federal election, the main topics on the campaign trail were the cost of living, Medicare, affordable housing and Australia's future energy mix – a far cry from the US presidential election, which focused on a 'war on woke' and employed rhetoric that divided American voters along lines of race, gender and sexuality. This contrast is driven in part by the need of American candidates to use emotionally charged narratives to boost voter turnout.
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ABC News
6 minutes ago
- ABC News
Coalition frontbencher accuses government of failing to consult on Palestinian recognition
Coalition frontbencher Tim Wilson has chided the government for failing to consult with the opposition before breaking with a long-held bipartisan position to recognise Palestinian statehood next month, suggesting instead to align with the United States. After much anticipation the prime minister earlier this week announced that Australia would join with France, the United Kingdom and Canada to recognise a Palestinian state at the United Nations meeting in September. The move was immediately rejected by the Coalition which argued it would embolden Hamas, the listed terror organisation in control of the Gaza Strip, and vowed to reverse recognition if elected in three years' time. Mr Wilson — who was re-elected at this year's election and immediately elevated to the frontbench as the shadow minister for industrial relations, employment and small business — told ABC's Insiders on Sunday that "there wasn't engagement" with the opposition before the government's announcement. "I would have thought that actually having an engagement with the opposition for a lasting policy position from the Australian government would be a sensible way forward," he said. "They've chosen not to take that path." Both sides of Australian politics support a two-state solution in the Middle East, meaning an Israeli state and a Palestinian state existing side-by-side. But the Coalition believes that Palestinian recognition, which would ultimately be required for that outcome, should only occur at the end of a negotiated peace process. That process would have to include the return of Israeli hostages and the removal of Hamas, Mr Wilson said, wearing a yellow ribbon pin that signifies support for the hostages. "We've set pre-conditions and we've been very public about that. Up until last Monday that was also the position of the government," he said. "Now, what the government has done is essentially throw that into turmoil by making a commitment to recognise a Palestinian state, but not being able to then say if those preconditions are going to be met, that they're going to back down." The government has said its decision to recognise Palestinian statehood now after more than seven decades was part of a "coordinated global effort" to build momentum towards a two-state solution and put an end to the conflict. Announcing the plan, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said it was predicated on commitments given by the Palestinian Authority, which controls the West Bank, that it would reform governance, demilitarise and hold general elections. He also pointed to the authority's recognition of Israel's right to exist and stressed that Hamas could have no role in a future state. Mr Wilson did not say what the Coalition believed the government should do instead to encourage an end to the war in Gaza, stating only that "Australia is very limited in what it can do apart from exercise its voice internationally". He also stressed that the United States and Israel needed to be part of any resolution, suggesting the decision to move on recognition now had limited Australia's influence over allies' actions. "What we've [the opposition] sought to do is to take a position that works with countries like the United States because they need to be part of the resolution to a long-lasting solution," he said. "What they [the government] have done is written a blank cheque, very clearly, to those who are sponsoring terror." Earlier this week, the US ambassador to Israel Mark Huckabee said Australia's decision was met with disgust by senior members of the Trump administration and that the timing of it hurt chances of negotiating a deal with Hamas. "This is a gift to them [Hamas] and it's unfortunate," he told ABC's 7.30. Mr Albanese rejected accusations by Israel that Palestinian recognition was a reward for Hamas, even after the group released a statement to ABC applauding Australia's action. "Such a move reflects a growing global awareness of the necessity to end the injustice suffered by our people for decades," Hamas media director Ismail Al-Thawabta said this week. "We call on the Australian government to translate this recognition into concrete actions — by exerting diplomatic pressure to end the Israeli occupation." The Australian prime minister has repeatedly said that Hamas will be excluded from the process of Palestinian recognition, as the international community works with the Palestinian Authority to bring democratic elections back to the territory. He has also repeatedly pointed to a statement from the Arab League, which is made up of countries neighbouring Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, that said Hamas can have no role in a future state.
9 News
36 minutes ago
- 9 News
States move to send hundreds of National Guard members to Washington
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here Three states moved to deploy hundreds of members of their National Guard to the nation's capital as part of the Trump administration's effort to overhaul policing in Washington through a federal crackdown on crime and homelessness. West Virginia said it was deploying 300 to 400 Guard troops, while South Carolina pledged 200 and Ohio says it will send 150 in the coming days. The moves announced on Saturday came as protesters pushed back on federal law enforcement and National Guard troops fanning out in the heavily Democratic city following President Donald Trump's executive order federalising local police forces and activating about 800 District of Columbia National Guard members. Washington Metropolitan Police officers and military police soldiers with the District of Columbia National Guard watch as activists protest President Donald Trump's federal takeover of policing of the District of Columbia. (AP) By adding outside troops to join the existing Guard deployment and federal law enforcement officers, Trump is exercising even tighter control over the city. It's a power play that the president has justified as an emergency response to crime and homelessness, even though city officials have noted that violent crime is lower than it was during Trump's first term in office. So far, National Guard members have played a limited role in law enforcement in DC and it's unclear why additional troops are needed. They have been seen patrolling at landmarks like the National Mall and Union Station and assisting with crowd control. A protest against Trump's intervention drew scores to Dupont Circle on Saturday before a march to the White House, about 2.5km away. Demonstrators assembled behind a banner that said, 'No fascist takeover of DC,' and some in the crowd held signs saying, 'No military occupation.' Trump was at his Virginia golf club after Friday's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. Activists protest President Donald Trump's federal takeover of policing of the District of Columbia near the White House. (AP) Morgan Taylor, one of the organisers who coordinated Saturday's protest, said they were hoping to spark enough backlash to Trump's actions that the administration would be forced to pull back on its crime and immigration agenda. 'It's hot, but I'm glad to be here. It's good to see all these people out here,' she said. 'I can't believe that this is happening in this country at this time.' Fueling the protests were concerns about Trump overreach and that he had used crime as a pretext to impose his will on Washington. John Finnigan, 55, was taking a bike ride when he ran into the protest in downtown Washington. The real estate construction manager who has lived in the capital for 27 years said Trump's moves were 'ridiculous' because crime is down. 'Hopefully, some of the mayors and some of the residents will get out in front of it and try and make it harder for it to happen in other cities,' Finnigan said. Jamie Dickstein, a 24-year-old teacher, said she was 'very uncomfortable and worried' for the safety or her students given the 'unmarked officers of all types' now roaming Washington and detaining people. Dickstein said she turned out to the protest with friends and relatives to 'prevent a continuous domino effect going forward with other cities.' Gov. Patrick Morrisey, announced Saturday that he was sending a contingent of 300 to 400 Guard troops to Washington, while South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster authorised the deployment of 200 of his state's National Guardsmen and Ohio Gov Mike DeWine said his state would send 150 military police at the request of the U.S. Defense Department. 'West Virginia is proud to stand with President Trump in his effort to restore pride and beauty to our nation's capital,' Morrisey said. Members of the District of Columbia National Guard patrol in front of the White House as a woman rides past on a scooter. (AP) The West Virginia activation suggests the administration sees the need for additional manpower after the president personally played down the need for Washington to hire more police officers. Maj. Gen. James Seward, West Virginia's adjutant general, said in a statement that members of the state's National Guard 'stand ready to support our partners in the National Capital Region' and that the troops' 'unique capabilities and preparedness make it an invaluable partner in this important undertaking.' Federal agents have appeared in some of the city's most highly trafficked neighbourhoods, garnering a mix of praise, pushback and alarm from local residents and leaders across the country. City leaders, who are obliged to cooperate with Trump's order under the federal laws that direct the district's local governance, have sought to work with the administration, though they have bristled at the scope of the president's takeover. Members of the District of Columbia National Guard patrol along the National Mall. (AP) On Friday, the administration reversed course on an order that aimed to place the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration as an 'emergency police commissioner' after the district's top lawyer sued to contest. After a court hearing, Trump's attorney general, Pam Bondi, issued a memo that directed the Metropolitan Police Department to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement regardless of any city law. City officials say they are evaluating how to best comply. In his order on Monday, Trump declared an emergency due to the 'city government's failure to maintain public order.' He said that impeded the 'federal government's ability to operate efficiently to address the nation's broader interests without fear of our workers being subjected to rampant violence.' In a letter to city residents, Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, wrote that 'our limited self-government has never faced the type of test we are facing right now.' She added that if Washington residents stick together, 'we will show the entire nation what it looks like to fight for American democracy — even when we don't have full access to it.' USA Donald Trump World washington CONTACT US
Perth Now
2 hours ago
- Perth Now
‘Nuisance tariffs': Chalmers' shot at Trump
Jim Chalmers has blasted tariffs as a 'tax on the workers and families of the country that levies them' while flagging further action on 'nuisance tariffs'. Nuisance tariffs are import taxes that, while generating some government revenue, are considered inefficient and burdensome. The Treasurer last year removed some 500 duties on a range of everyday items, including toothbrushes, women's health products and fridges. In a thinly veiled shot at Donald Trump, he said on Sunday 'there are good reasons to swim against the tide a bit when it comes to tariffs'. Treasurer Jim Chalmers is mulling further action on 'nuisance tariffs'. Martin Ollman / NewsWire Credit: News Corp Australia 'Some of these nuisance tariffs in our economy risk doing more harm than good, and tariffs are essentially a tax on the workers and families of the country that levies them,' Mr Chalmers told Sky News. 'So we've made a heap of progress abolishing 500 nuisance tariffs, working closely with (Trade Minister) Don Farrell and other colleagues to do that.' He went on to say the Albanese government was 'very proud of that progress that we've been able to make unilaterally, because tariffs push up compliance costs on business'. 'They risk pushing up prices for workers and families as well,' Mr Chalmers said. 'If I can build consensus and momentum to go further on that, I would like to, but I'll do that in a way that works closely with Don Farrell, conscious of the negotiations that he has under way. 'But I think we've shown a willingness and enthusiasm to cut those nuisance tariffs. 'I would like to go further, if I can. They do often do more harm than good, and so we approach the challenge in that light.' His comments come as trade talks with the US drag on. While Australia managed to avoid an increase in US tariffs earlier this month, exports are still subject to blanket 10 per cent levies. Some sectors, such as steel and aluminium, have rates of up to 50 per cent. The US President has also threatened to slap imposts of 250 per cent on foreign pharmaceuticals – a move that would hit Australian producers hard. The Albanese government has repeatedly labelled tariffs 'economic self-harm'. Mr Chalmers did not specify which products he considered slumped with nuisance tariffs, but he did say 'there's hundreds'. 'In those first 500 that we abolished, there were a lot of instances where it costs more actually to levy the tariff than to the benefit that we get from it,' he said. 'So I'm not prepared to put a number on any additional steps that we might be prepared to take, but this has been a pretty constant interest of mine.'
