The book’s cover teases Wolpe as “Australia’s leading expert on US politics”. And with good reason. Born and raised in the US, he has worked at the highest levels in both Australian and US politics and held senior executive positions at Fairfax Media.
I was proud to have appointed Wolpe as a senior fellow during my tenure as CEO of the US Studies Centre at the University of Sydney. His equally formidable partner, Lesley Russell, is an expert on public health and contributes an important chapter on America’s COVID response under Trump.
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Wolpe identifies key institutions of Australian politics as limiting the influence of Trump-like populism and authoritarianism here. Compulsory voting is listed first in Wolpe’s telling, an assessment I share (I’d also note the moderating influence of preferential voting), alongside Westminster style-government (an executive drawn from and responsible to the legislature), public funding of elections and professional, non-partisan election administration (the Australian Electoral Commission). He also adds the ABC and the less partisan or ideological character of judicial appointments in Australia.
Some of these are more fragile than others. Major Australian political parties have kept themselves “closed shops” with respect to pre-selections, eschewing US-style primary elections. Donald Trump only becomes president because of primaries; a Trump-like character would be consigned to the sidelines of Australian politics, perhaps winning a House or Senate seat or two, a la Palmer or Hanson. Likewise, Australian political parties could choose to amend the Electoral Act to make voter turnout voluntary, or to politicise the AEC, the ABC or judicial appointments.
As Wolpe masterfully shows us, the lesson of Trump is that our democracy is not a “set and forget” proposition, but rather demands constant vigilance.
Simon Jackman is former CEO of the US Studies Centre at the University of Sydney, where he is now an honorary professor.
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