To be competitive again, the Liberal Party should focus on just one word
The conservative wing of the Liberal Party bears responsibility for deciding that 'politics is downstream from culture' and training all its energies towards fighting back against the progressive culture wars. That distracted the party from prosecuting strong economic arguments. The centre right faction is responsible for fungible focus-group policies. Meanwhile, the moderates seemed to believe that the way to win was to cloak themselves in the policies of their political opponents.
The moderate approach is pointless because, even if you win, becoming your opponent is obviously Pyrrhic. If victory can only come from capitulation, what sense is there in fighting? To the marketing faction: messages are a tool, not a plan. And culture is, to adopt management speak, important but not urgent. Certainly not urgent in the same way as feeding your family. Conservatives should not need to have that explained.
The Liberal Party has had numerous chances to correct course, but it hasn't. From Victorian Labor premier Dan Andrews' triumph in 2018, it should have learnt that culture is downstream of economics. Andrews ran an election campaign focused entirely on infrastructure, then announced that he won because Victoria is 'the most progressive state in the nation'.
'The trick goes like this,' I wrote at the time, 'win on delivery but then attribute the win to culture.'
In 2019, Scott Morrison showed that he had, at least, learnt half the lesson. But he missed his moment to define the zeitgeist and governed by polling from thereon in.
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In 2025, Anthony Albanese campaigned hard on the idea that voters would have their pockets lined by Labor and has now pivoted from that prosaic win to a grand statement on culture. Australia, he told this masthead, will pursue what he calls 'progressive patriotism'.
It's a great propaganda slogan: it has absolutely no meaning, but somehow sounds right. And putting two words that appeal to opposite sides of politics in close proximity with one another might just create space for patriots to be progressive and progressives to be patriotic (I won't hold my breath for the latter).
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The Age
3 hours ago
- The Age
The inside story of how Australia's moment to shine in the arts world went horribly wrong
The historic grip of major galleries over Australia's representatives had been broken, and the newish selection process seemed to be serving Australia well. On December 16 last year, Collette and Creative Australia's head of visual arts, Mikala Tai, conferred and the pair's selection was confirmed, the decision tightly held in the organisation for weeks for fear it would leak. Among the select few with knowledge of the successful team, the decision was regarded as 'bold' or 'courageous' – Sabsabi's Lebanese heritage and public pro-Palestinian stance connected him to the Middle East at a time when conflict in that region was emotive and polarising. But a week before the planned February 7 announcement, police lobbed their own explosive device into this febrile mix, going public with their investigations into a caravan loaded with explosives in north-west Sydney. The incident was quickly labelled a 'terrorism threat', although later the Federal Police would describe it as 'a criminal con job'. By then, a federal election was imminent and polling showed voters were starting to turn against Labor. Loading Two days after the caravan discovery, Creative Australia briefed Minister for Arts Tony Burke on its upcoming announcement. Mention was made in the ministerial dispatch that Sabsabi, along with other artists, had withdrawn from the Sydney Festival in 2022 in protest after the festival accepted funding from the Israeli Embassy, 'out of solidarity with the Palestinian people and the Palestinian cause'. But the minister's office was not alerted to historical works which would later be raised in the Murdoch press and in parliament, including You (2007), a multichannel video and sound installation featuring imagery of the late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, in the collection of the Museum of Contemporary Art. 'That the work was seen as highly ambiguous, and already nearly 20 years old … appears to have given staff confidence that any controversy connected with the work could be managed,' the report says. A staff member later left a message with Burke's office alerting them to the work's existence but appears not to have followed that call up. A 'questionable' matter The board of Creative Australia was backgrounded on the winning team but played no direct role in the selection process. Members were not alerted to any potential controversies. Days after the team's announcement, as its sister tabloid paper defended allegations it tried to entrap a Sydney cafe in an antisemitic sting, The Australian described Sabsabi's use of imagery of Nasrallah as 'ambiguous' and 'questionable'. Collette and senior members of his team were unaware of a second sensitive work, Thank you very much (2006) featuring imagery of the 9/11 attacks and US President George W. Bush, until Senate question time two days later when the Coalition's then-shadow arts minster Claire Chandler rose to her feet. By all accounts, Chandler's questions sparked panic. Soon after, around 3pm, the CEO, chair and head of public affairs held a call with Creative Australia's external communications advisers, who concluded the negative media narrative around the artist and his prior artworks posed a significant risk to the reputation of Creative Australia if the stories continued to run. Burke then called Adrian Collette at 3.30pm asking why he was not alerted to the contentious artwork. He later insisted he did not demand Sabsabi's head. The report found that the minister's statement was consistent with the information received by the panel during its review. Loading Collette later recalled in testimony to Senate estimates: 'We anticipate always that the selection of the Venice artist will be controversial. It has been from time immemorial. 'Everyone has a view on the artist, on the art. We don't resile from any of those decisions; we haven't in the past. But what happened at that moment was a recognition by me and the board that this entire process was going to be mired in the worst kind of divisive debate.' At 6.05pm an emergency meeting of the board had been convened, and it was determined to offer the artistic team the opportunity to withdraw from the project under threat of sacking. The board did not seek the advice of the head of visual arts or its head of communications, and did not allow the artist to present his case. It was beyond the panel's terms of reference to judge the legitimacy of the board's decision, but it's clear the board acted hastily without drawing breath. The board could have announced a review of the team's selection. Instead, it brought a gun. 'Nobody except those involved can ever know how fraught and heartbreaking that meeting was,' board member and artist Lindy Lee later recalled. She resigned the next day. Officially, the board said it acted to avoid the unacceptable risk to public support for Australia's artistic community of a 'prolonged and divisive debate'. The panel found the board felt compelled by 'a strongly negative narrative [that] was expected in the media around the artworks and the artist, and the decision to select the artist had become a matter of political debate'. Another factor that may have been weighing on some board members was the potential for the controversy to be used as a battering ram to reduce the funding and independence of Creative Australia. With an election imminent, Creative Australia faced an existential threat from cuts, real or imagined, as conservatives made every noise they would follow the playbook of Donald Trump in stirring up the culture wars. Notably, it is in a more benign political environment with Labor securing a thumping majority that Sabsabi and Dagostino have now been reinstated. In any event, at 7.41pm on February 13, Collette contacted the artistic team and advised them of the board's decision. Sabsabi and Dagostino refused to resign. Forty minutes later, after the board's statement was prepared, Collette made three unsuccessful attempts to contact them. Sabsabi and Dagostino later recalled being stunned by the turn of events: 'The Venice Biennale is one of the biggest platforms in Australian art,' Sabsabi told this masthead. 'To be selected and then have it withdrawn was devastating. It was heartbreaking and has caused ongoing anxiety. It's had a serious impact on my career, my wellbeing and my family's wellbeing.' By 6pm the following day the Herald had broken the news that philanthropist Simon Mordant had resigned, along with Mikala Tai and program manager Tahmina Maskinyar. Petitions and protests followed, the outrage lasting four months until the board voted two weeks ago to rescind its decision. Had Creative Australia been as well-prepared for the public announcement as it should have been, it is possible that its senior leadership and board may have reached a conclusion that any controversy around both works could be sensibly managed, the report concluded. The organisation was caught between its conflicting desire to do right by the artists and political realities. Ultimately, the entire mess could have been avoided if cooler heads had prevailed and due processes were followed. Changes afoot Former publisher Louise Adler is not the only commentator to draw parallels between the Sabsabi debacle and Antoinette Lattouf, the radio broadcaster who was last week awarded $70,000 after a Federal Court found she was unfairly sacked by the ABC for her political opinions concerning the war in Gaza. Like Lattouf, Sabsabi's pro-Palestinian views were well known at the time of his appointment, and complaints flooded Creative Australia as soon as the appointment was publicised, cheered on by the Murdoch media. Holding or expressing a political opinion was held by the federal court as not a valid reason for terminating Lattouf's employment, even at the national broadcaster. Sabsabi and Dagostino had been selected by an open expression of interest process, by an organisation founded on the principle of artistic independence. Both stand as an abject lesson to the dangers of knee-jerk reactions to pressure tactics. Sabsabi and Dagostino speak of a sense of renewed confidence that allows them to move forward with optimism and hope after a period of significant and collective hardship. The arts world feels vindicated by their intervention. Loading It's likely there will be changes to the Venice selection process, and there is every indication that Collette, an experienced arts administrator, will seek to make things right, and then make a diplomatic exit. 'At the end of the day, Adrian became the kingmaker,' said one campaigner. 'He brought the recommendation to the board. The buck stops with him.' Mikala Tai made a rare statement via social media after a period of media silence in which she said she had come to learn why she wanted to work in the arts industry. 'I have also learnt a lot about cultural leadership. That we have conferred leadership on administrators and that this is a distraction from the fact that artists remain the heart of the industry and that the moment we forget the artist, we sacrifice the industry.'
Sydney Morning Herald
4 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Australian government super tax: Most Australians are far from being affected by new tax on Superannuation, ATO data shows
Known as the super guarantee, this rate has gradually climbed from 9 per cent in 2013 to 12 per cent, beginning this month, meaning younger workers will be contributing a larger slice of their income to their super over a longer period. Chalmers has said Labor's legislation would not increase the $3 million threshold in line with inflation, meaning more people would be pushed past the cap in decades to come, and by which time that amount will not be worth as much in real terms. Loading Australian Council of Trade Unions secretary Sally McManus told Channel Nine's Today program this week that it would be 'a very long time into the future' before the average worker would be affected by the $3 million cap. McManus also said the threshold has 'got to be indexed' to make sure most people do not end up being hit by the new tax rate. Calculations based on the latest ATO data, for example, suggest a surgeon – the highest income occupation in 2022-23 – earning the job's average salary of about $470,000 a year, and contributing 12 per cent to a super fund (returning an average of 5 per cent), would still have to work about 22 years to accumulate $3 million in superannuation. That includes an assumption that their wages grow at 3.5 per cent a year. Under the same assumptions, an individual earning $180,000 would have to work 34 years before reaching the $3 million cap, and a person earning the median salary of $62,000 in 2022-23 would have to work five decades. The data from the Tax Office shows the median super account balance for those earning more than $180,001 grew from nearly $304,000 in 2021-22 to just over $315,000 in 2022-23, while the overall median balance climbed from $57,900 to $60,000. Grattan Institute Housing and Economics Security program director Joey Moloney, meanwhile, says that in 30 years' time, the $3 million threshold will still hit only the top 10 per cent of income earners, and the threshold – like ones for personal income tax – is likely to change under future governments even without indexation. 'There are people forecasting 30-, 40-plus years into the future as if this threshold will never change,' Moloney said. 'That strikes me as a very bold assumption because there'll be 10 electoral cycles in between that.' Moloney also noted that 85 per cent of those with super balances over $3 million are aged over 60 and the super tax change would reduce the pressure on younger Australians because older, wealthier Australians would shoulder more of the burden of budget repair and the ageing population. Latest data from the ATO shows men aged 60 to 64 and women aged 70 to 74 have the biggest median super balances, at just under $225,000, with both seeing a drop-off in the size of their nest eggs after 75. Men in the ACT, Western Australia and South Australia had the highest median super balances in 2022-23, while among women, median super balances were highest in the ACT, South Australia and Tasmania. Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter.
Sky News AU
8 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley says attempted attack on East Melbourne Synagogue an act of 'hate'
An attack on a Jewish synagogue has been condemned by Sussan Ley who declared the incident an act of "hate". An unknown man is understood to have entered the grounds of the synagogue on Albert Street in East Melbourne about 8pm on Friday night. The alleged offender poured a flammable liquid at the front entrance of the East Melbourne Synagogue, before allegedly setting it on fire and fleeing the scene on foot in a westerly direction. About 20 people were inside the synagogue enjoying a Shabbat dinner when the incident happened, but they safely self-evacuated out the back of the building. The Opposition Leader said the act was "horrifying". 'This is not protest,' she wrote on social media platform X. 'This is hate. And it has no place in Australia.' Victorian Liberal MP David Southwick said the Jewish community 'deserves protection, not platitudes'. 'A second arson attack on a synagogue in Melbourne, this time on the Sabbath along with a Jewish restaurant in the CBD,' he said in a statement. 'The perpetrators and organisers must be found and brought to justice. My thoughts are with every members of the Jewish community affected by these vile attacks.' 'We cannot let these haters hijack our streets, our city, or our state. We must stand united against anti-Semitic violence.' Former Liberal treasurer Josh Frydenberg said Australia had to continue trying to stamp out antisemitism. 'When you firebomb a synagogue with people inside & attack a local restaurant because it's owned by Jews, it's NOT about Israel, it's NOT about protest, it's a hate crime,' Mr Frydenberg wrote on X. 'Violent anti-Semitism is a threat to us all & until it's called out for what it really is, it will continue!' No injuries have been reported. Firefighters attended the scene and put the blaze out, but it was fortunately contained to just the front door. Victoria Police have confirmed the investigation is now with the detectives from the Counter Terrorism Security Investigation Unit. The incident is not being treated as a terrorism incident, but the investigation will look at the "intent and ideology" of the person or persons responsible to determine if the incident is actually an act of terrorism, a police statement said. Police have released an image of a man who detectives want to speak to in relation to the matter. The man is described as being aged in his mid 30's, having a beard and long hair. He was wearing a dark blue or black jumper, black pants and black beanie when pictured. Detectives are also investigating potential links to two other overnight incidents, including a public order incident and an arson and criminal damage to a business. Northwest Metro Region Acting Commander Zorka Dunston told media on Thursday afternoon it was "incredibly lucky" that no one was injured the incident. "I'd like to make it very clear that we do recognise that these crimes are disgusting and abhorrent. But at this stage, we are not declaring this a terrorist incident," she said. "... Whilst I acknowledge that the fire itself may be small in nature, we are taking this investigation incredibly seriously. And given there were 20 people inside the building at the time, the outcome could have been a lot more devastating. "This was clearly a targeted fire and we will not accept any acts of antisemitism or hate-based crime."
