Stewart Sweeney's recent articles

31 May 2025
Beyond the sensible centre: A critical reflection on political imagination in the 21st century
The “sensible centre” is the most overpopulated address in Australian politics today.

27 May 2025
Dee Madigan and the art of the possible: Branding progress or boxing it in?
In the pantheon of contemporary Australian political strategists, few have the profile — or the punch — of Dee Madigan.

26 May 2025
Australia’s billion-dollar blind spot
Australia now ranks seventh in the world for the number of publicly listed companies worth more than a billion US dollars.

23 May 2025
From campaign genius to nation-builder? Paul Erickson and Labor’s long game
Paul Erickson is a name rarely heard outside political circles, yet his influence runs deep.

22 May 2025
Factional comfort gazumps innovation courage
Sandy Plunkett’s lament in the Australian Financial Review (15/5) over Ed Husic’s sacking as federal industry minister captures a familiar truth: innovation ministries in Canberra are often burial grounds for political ambition. Husic’s fall may have been sealed by factional headwinds, but the deeper problem is that “innovation” in Australia is rarely allowed to mean what it should.

20 May 2025
After the victory: Kelty’s warning and why it’s still not enough
The Labor Party has just secured a resounding second-term mandate – defying forecasts, media pessimism and internal doubts.

19 May 2025
The vanishing elders of Australian politics
Australia is ageing. An estimated 14% of our population is now over the age of 70 – more than one in seven citizens.

17 May 2025
Still waiting for the Asian Century? The world-system has moved on
Dr Allan Patience’s recent essay, Australia’s misunderstanding of the Asian Century, is a wake-up call we can no longer afford to ignore.

13 May 2025
Productivity with purpose: Roy Green, structural reform and Australia’s place in the world
Roy Green’s recent article on productivity reform offers one of the most cogent and hopeful visions for Australia’s economic future.