Are Australians divided or united when it comes to politics?

Originally, the labels “left” and “right” for a person’s economic outlook were transformed into social signals that not only were used as weapons in political discourse but also gave us little information about how someone would vote. In fact, most Australians prefer to call themselves “centrists” regardless of their beliefs.

So is the left-right political spectrum still relevant for Australian politics in 2026?

This is the question I discuss in today’s episode, cricket politics editor Bernard Keane and RedBridge senior insights advisor Alex Fein. We cover generational divides, economic transformation, and a complete erosion of trust, with nearly all voters from orange to blue to red united against the “ruling class.”

So what is the alternative? So does this matter?

Notes: The quote at 44:36 belongs to Nobel Prize-winning economist Robert Lucas.

Read the transcript here or watch the discussion below.

Uninterrupted like that Crikey’s Weekly podcast offering non-stop analysis of Australian news, politics and power. Each week she joins reader editor Crystal Andrews cricket Journalists will discuss the biggest news of the week. Listen at the link above Spotify or Apple Podcastsor watch YouTube.