Australia 2022 Election

[MaxQue]

On a more general point, why have far-right parites been so uniquely electorally successful in australia compared to other  anglo countries ?

Have they, though? I'd argue the UKIP/Brexit has done better than our populist right parties, and the US's main center-right party is basically a fascist one at this point. One Nation is not that big....

Canada....well look at Quebec. Admittely Anglophone Canada is pretty anti far-right, but equally it's not like their Tories are that moderate.

Maybe in the form of One Nation, they were *prototypically* successful in Australia.  But not so much "electorally".

And when it comes to Quebec, the whole PQ/BQ lineage has never been precisely "far right", whatever their position on head coverings and whatnot--indeed, right up to the Orange Crush, such electoral forces were commonly viewed as *left* of centre...

And since the PQ took a more far-right aligned turn, it cannot be said they had a lot of success...

[MaxQue]

I mean, if the ALP manage to blow this one they might as well pack up and go home.

Yeah, that would be a major bit of soul searching. They had most things going for them - high inflation, a not super well-regarded COVID response, climate change coming true, disliked PM. And they weren't victims to a scare campaign. The obvious answer is that Albanese ran a crap campaign and people can get bought off.

I think if Labor learn the right lessons (don't coronate a leader, a small target needs an effective overarching message) they could absolutely run up the score in 2025 as the issues that have plagued the current government will only get worse. But there is little reason to think that they will.

Which is NOT the right lesson. Labour big problems seems to be that policy is designed to please the malignant big unions, rather than the voters. Also, they need a secret plan to quickly pass antitrust laws in media the second they win.

[MaxQue]

How easy of a ride will Labour get in the Senate? Getting the support of the Greens and David Pocock for socially liberal legislation seems very achievable, but the latter doesn’t seem to have talked much about his economic views (though it’s not like Labor have a markedly left wing agenda). Jacqui Lambie seems kinda left wing (or at least ‘populist’), would she be a reasonably reliable person to negotiate with?

He talked a lot about housing avaliability (and his only tweet about the new Cabinet was expressing satisfaction that Housing is now a Cabinet position).

[MaxQue]

And with Albo announcing his Ministry, I think we can officially declare the election season over.

Among the appointments is Matt Thistlethwaite, who has been made Assistant Minister for the Republic!

What is the Assistant Minister for the Republic? Why does Australia even have a position like that, it isn't even a republic.

Assistant Minister is an invention of Turnbull, they were formerly called Parlimentary Secretary (and are similar to the equivalent in Canada or UK).