Richard Denniss
Richard Denniss is a prominent Australian economist, author and public policy commentator, and has spent the last twenty years moving between policy-focused roles in academia, federal politics and think-tanks. He is a regular contributor to The Monthly and co-chief executive of the Australia Institute.
Left-right labels make political commentary easy, and democracy hard
Is protecting freedom of speech a left wing issue or a right wing issue? And if you aren’t sure, how on earth can the press gallery or anyone else talk about what a ‘centre right’ political party's stance on such a point of principle should be.
My advice? There's no such thing as the 'centre right'
Leaving aside the fact that it was John Howard who buried so many of the landmines blowing up the Modern Liberals' backyard, he was right about a few things, including his observation that ‘politics is governed by the iron law of arithmetic’. So, let’s count some votes.
Engaging with people you disagree with is part of democracy. Silencing authors is not.
The Australia Institute’s decision to withdraw its involvement in, and sponsorship of, Adelaide Writers’ Week was easy to make but raises difficult questions. As a research-based think tank, we thrive in the cut and thrust of disagreement, and we regularly participate in events, debates, and conversations with people we disagree with.
