Why Australia’s political class can no longer look the other way

October 21, 2026 — 2:00am

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Ten months ago, the nation’s assumptions about itself were shattered by the alleged terror attack at Bondi. Then, like now, our leaders appealed for a more toned-down public discourse to push back the tide of rising extremism.

The dilemma is that the calls for civility after the alleged attack on Helen Haines clash with the political, social, and economic forces that have brought about a more dangerous and disunited nation.

Anthony Albanese’s call to “take the temperature down” comes at a moment of overlapping crises: financial stress and inequality caused by a quick succession of economic shocks; fears of job displacement from AI; existential worry about climate change; and historically high levels of migration causing anxiety over housing and cultural displacement.

A person’s political bent will determine which of these factors they emphasise. What is clear is that polls show more Australians feel like the country is headed in the wrong direction.

Australia is far from immune from the problems of its peers. Real wages have fallen since the pandemic. Overdoses among Gen X men, the same group shifting most strongly to the populist right, spiked 50 per cent to record levels, while other deaths of despair also........

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