In Australian politics today, the neoliberal consensus seems unshakable. But the experience of the Curtin and Whitlam Labor governments shows the potential of progressive populism to deliver social change — a potential we can also glimpse in the recent growth of the Greens.

The Write Stuff, a recent collection of essays from the ALP’s conservative wing, argues that Labor must shift even further to the right to become electorally successful. The book’s authors couldn’t be more wrong — to win, Labor must ditch the neoliberal policies they celebrate.

Australian PM Scott Morrison is often compared to Donald Trump. Morrison is certainly a race-baiter who serves the rich, but his brand of reheated “populism” borrows far more from Britain’s Margaret Thatcher and former PM John Howard. Unfortunately, it’s not dead yet.

Australia is not for its people but for its plutocrats: for the billionaires, for the coal barons, for the media oligarchs, and for the corrupt politicians who represent them. It doesn’t have to be this way.

It’s been 10 years since the Greens first introduced legislation for a Federal ICAC to Parliament, subsequently blocked at every turn by the Coalition. Meanwhile, Liberal and National Party politicians have racked up at least 100 examples of corruption and cronyism, virtually without consequence. Coincidence? Probably.

This nation is stained with blood, soaked with white supremacy, and shameless with its boastful brand of discrimination. Aboriginal leaders and refugees light the path to justice and healing, we just need the courage to follow them, writes Liam McLoughlin.