Originally, labels for a person’s economic perspective, “left” and “right”, have been transformed into social markers that are not only wielded as weapons in political discourse but also actually tell us very little about how someone will vote. In fact, most Australians prefer to call themselves “centrist” regardless of their beliefs.
So does the left-right political spectrum still apply to Australian politics in 2026?
That’s the question debated in today’s episode by me, Crikey politics editor Bernard Keane and RedBridge senior insights adviser Alex Fein. We cover the generational divides, economic transformation and total erosion of trust that has almost all voters, from orange to blue to red, united against the “ruling class”.
So, what’s the alternative? And does it even matter?
NB: The quote at 44:36 is by Nobel Prize-winning economist Robert Lucas.
Read the transcript here or watch the discussion below.
Cut Through is Crikey’s weekly podcast bringing you spin-free analysis of Australian news, politics and power. Each week, readers’ editor Crystal Andrews is joined by Crikey journalists to discuss the week’s biggest news story. Listen in the link above, on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or watch on YouTube.
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