Australia’s Future with Tony Abbott

This week former prime minister and Distinguished Fellow of the IPA Tony Abbott and IPA director of research discuss the last week of the election, what the role of an opposition is in democracy, and the three major issues Tony believes the next government must focus on.

This week IPA Distinguished Fellow and former prime minister Tony Abbott and IPA Director of Research Daniel Wild discuss two recent surveys which reveal the vast majority of Australians are unwilling to pay any meaningful amount for Australia to reach its net zero target. Tony also shares some interesting and special insights into leaders' debates - Tony gives us a behind the scenes look into how he prepared for debates and shares with us a story about himself, Kevin Rudd, and the make-up room.

Former prime minister and Distinguished Fellow of the Institute of Public Affairs Tony Abbott shares his unique insights into what makes for a successful election campaign. Reflecting on his watershed victory in 2013 and 2010 campaign which fought Labor to a draw, Tony argues that you must have a clear vision of how, in concrete terms, the nation will be different, and better, if its government were to change.

Tony also shared his perspective on why Australia is becoming more polarised, and how this in being reflected in modern politics.

Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott talks with John Roskam about what makes the Australian way of life unique and valuable. Mr Abbott and John discuss the meaning of classic Australian characteristics like the fair go and mateship, and why they are still relevant today, before going on to talk about the interaction of economic and cultural issues affecting mainstream Australia play out in our politics, and what normal people can do to keep our country strong and prosperous.

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Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott talks with John Roskam about some of the challenges facing our country and how they can be overcome. Tony and John talk about the recent wave of iconoclasm that has followed the Black Lives Matter protests and why it is a mistake to condemn Australia, one of the fairest and most prosperous countries in the world, as fundamentally racist.

They discuss the cultural and historical illiteracy that underpins this imported critique and the failure of the political class and other elites to push back against it.This is the second episode in a three-part discussion about the future of the Australian way of life. Episode 3 will be released on 30 July.

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In this first episode, Tony and John discuss some of the economic and cultural implications of the coronavirus pandemic. They note that politicians have been trying to duck accountability for their decisions by hiding behind the experts, and Australians seem to have gone along – so far. This raises the question of whether we have seen equality of sacrifice in the struggle against the virus, and why politicians and senior public servants should take a pay cut for the duration of the crisis. More broadly, the pandemic has taken place amid the rise of the “talking class” and the decline of the “doing class”. The reasons for this trend are discussed, along with what can be done to restore economic opportunity and confidence in our institutions and way of life.