The 69-year-old calls for a return to universal policies that assist broad swathes of the population to achieve social justice, rather than competing with the Greens on “woke” identity politics that aid particular groups.
And he laments the dearth of policy debates in caucus and the broader Labor machine, noting the growing number of MPs with frontbench positions or aspirations stopped people challenging decisions by the party’s leadership. That played a role in Labor’s decision to barrel toward failure on the Voice, Carr argues.
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Labor led in the polls for much of this term, but this masthead’s Resolve Political Monitor shows its primary vote dropped from 42 per cent in May last year to 30 per cent this month as it confronted the fallout from the Voice and crises of inflation and housing. Its key achievements or reforms this term include running back-to-back surpluses, pivoting towards green energy, starting to fix the National Disability Insurance Scheme and resetting relations with China.
Evans, the former foreign minister, said in a September speech that Labor had reverted to a cautious, wedge-avoiding approach on issues ranging from gambling advertising to its post-Voice reconciliation agenda.
