Sydney Festival and UNSW Centre for Ideas present

Politics has been transformed by the COVID era, with national power siphoned towards state premiers, the allergy to massive government spending thrown out the window and scientific advice brought to the fore.

But as well as new developments, the pandemic has placed existing fault lines in our relationship with politics and politicians under the microscope. What do Australians want from their governments? Who can we trust if our politicians don’t represent us or tell us the truth? If corruption and pork barreling in politics are no longer a source of shame, what else will we be willing to accept?

Journalist Fran Kelly chairs a discussion between political correspondent Laura Tingle, constitutional lawyer Rosalind Dixon, and political commentator and author George Megalogenis.