13th Annual Hawke Lecture
Re-thinking Australian Politics: Engaging the Disenchanted
Delivered by Professor Geoff Gallop AC Director, Graduate School of Government, The University of Sydney and Former WA Premier
Wednesday 13 October 2010, Adelaide Town Hall
Rarely is there commentary these days without some reference to the disenchantment of the voting public, not just about the way politics is conducted but also about the outcomes from the process, particularly as they relate to long-term challenges.
The Lecture will examine the various interpretations of this disenchantment and the different solutions that have been proposed to address the issue, ranging from constitutional reform to public sector reform to parliamentary reform to electoral reform to party political reform. The question will be posed – is this an issue requiring system change or is it one that goes to the heart of our political culture and the way it has developed in recent years?