Laura Tingle is chief political correspondent for ABC-TV’s 7.30. She won the Paul Lyneham Award for Excellence in Press Gallery Journalism in 2004, and Walkley awards in 2005 and 2011. She is the author of Chasing the Future: Recession, Recovery and the New Politics in Australia and three acclaimed Quarterly Essays, Great Expectations, Political Amnesia and Follow the Leader.
In a tumultuous year, Australia and New Zealand have never been closer, as we move towards a shared travel zone, based on remarkable success in suppressing COVID-19. But why, despite being so close, do we seem to know so little about each other? And is there such a thing as national character?
What is true leadership, and how do we get it? What qualities should we wish for in our political leaders?
Whatever happened to good government? What are the signs of bad government? And can Malcolm Turnbull apply the lessons of the past in a very different world?
Rather than relaxed and comfortable, Australians are disenchanted with politics and politicians. Laura Tingle shows that the answer goes to something deep in Australian culture: our great expectations of government.
