Free, RSVP > https://nb.australiainstitute.org.au/politics_in_the_pub_dead_centreHave you ever wondered why our politicians don’t implement popular and evidence-based policies that would improve Australia’s health, education or public transport systems? Or why they ignore scientific research that tells us things like approving new gas and coal projects is bad for the environment?
Like an old street directory, the left/right/centre map of Australian politics is dated, disorienting and dangerously incomplete. The focus on the ‘sensible centre’ has created a bad map where the road leads to nowhere, ignoring evidence when it is convenient and stifling democratic debate about how we can create the country that Australians want.
We need a new map. If the government is serious about their commitment to progressive patriotism, they need to tackle the big problems, rather than relying on a centrist narrative that maintains the status quo. Join Dr Richard Denniss and Dr Alice Grundy as they discuss the breadth of the choices the Australian government has, and the bravery and boldness they need to address Australia’s biggest challenges. Copies of Dead Centre are also available for purchase on The Australia Institute website or on the night.
SPEAKERS:
Dr Richard Denniss – Executive Director, The Australia Institute
Dr Alice Grundy– Managing Editor, Australia Institute Press
ABOUT DEAD CENTRE:
Dead Centre: How political pragmatism is killing us | Vantage Point Issue 2
The sensible centre. Evidence-based policy. These are not the same. In fact, they are at odds with each other.
The scientific evidence tells us that building new gas, oil and coal mines will cause catastrophic climate damage this century. Yet politicians describe a call for the end of new mines as extreme. Likewise with online gambling, junk food advertising or incarcerating children: the evidence of harm is clear, but the sensible centre is defined not by evidence but by politics. Media reports on such issues presuppose that there are two sides and a centre to every debate, but evidence shows there is not. The political right thrives in such fear-fuelled, fact-free arenas, where traditional media and subject matter experts struggle to fight fear with facts.
In this essay, economist and Executive Director of The Australia Institute Richard Denniss, explores the contradiction between centrism and evidence that sits at the heart of democratic debate in Australia. He shows that when both major parties oppose reform then the position of the sensible centre becomes indistinguishable from blind support for keeping things as they are.
When
Event Venue
Verity Lane Market, Sydney Building, 50 Northbourne Ave, City ACT 2601, Australia, Canberra
