'Afraid of change': political optimism now a rare commodity in Australia
Australian political discourse is shifting toward pessimism as economic indicators like real net national disposable income stagnate. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has noted a rise in support for populist movements like One Nation, reflecting voter frustration with the current economic climate.
Why it matters
It highlights the link between declining household prosperity and the rise of populist political movements in Western democracies.
Paul Keating this week told an audience in Sydney that governments are "afraid of change". ( AAP: Darren England )
Link copied Share Share article What a despairing mob we've become.
This week's national accounts confirmed how stuck we are in a foul and pestilent congregation of vapours … to steal from English literature's greatest melancholy wobbler.
It's doubtful Hamlet ever dwelt on the state of Denmark's real net national disposable income (RNNDI) per capita.
But if he had he might have embraced what a downer it is.
RNNDI is one of those measures that helps explain why voters look desperate to try new and "dangerous" things, as the prime minister put it this week. He was referring to One Nation and its quickening political momentum around the country, where Pauline Hanson is eagerly harvesting the dark mood.
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