Like many other democracies, Australia has experienced growing political polarization in recent years, particularly during the last nine years of conservative government, led by the Liberal Party, in coalition with the smaller, rural-based National Party.
That is why the result of the federal election in May could hold important lessons for other polarized polities.
Consider the outcome in Kooyong, the safest of all Liberal seats. The electorate covers some of Melbourne’s most affluent suburbs and, since its creation in 1901, has always elected a Liberal or a representative of its conservative predecessors. In the recent election, the sitting member for Kooyong, Josh Frydenberg, served as federal treasurer and deputy leader of the Liberal Party and was widely talked about as a future prime minister.