Libertarianism, classical liberalism and the fair go

To many Australians, libertarianism is a kooky American concept that embodies the excesses of what people consider to be the free market. The US libertarian movement is largely infused with a kind of historical and cultural specificity unique to the American context. This means that libertarianism, copied and pasted into an Australian context, can jar awkwardly.

An authentic Australian libertarianism can be actively differentiated, whilst retaining those qualities which make libertarianism what it is: a scepticism of top-down, bureaucratic solutions; a faith in people and civil society; a belief in core principles such as freedom of expression, association and conscience; and property rights.

Australians who believe in these ideas can pick up forgotten threads from elsewhere in history – such as from the classical liberals of the 19th century.

Classical liberalism has a proud and rich tradition of progress and activism which is a natural fit with the Australian conception of the fair go.

Classical liberals in Europe and the USA fought battles against the anti-free trade Corn Laws and against slavery. They fought for women's suffrage and teamed up with the burgeoning labour movement to reject the corporatism of the capitalist class.

There needs to be a cultural shift in Australia, where people look at the government with more scepticism than they do currently. Part of the way to do that is to rehabilitate the image of the free market and reinforce the strengths of society.

The Hawke and Keating governments undertook massive reforms to the Australian economy and advanced a fundamentally progressive notion in the process. This notion was that economic growth is what would liberate the least well-off from poverty much more effectively than the slew of trade barriers and economic protectionism which existed then. This is not to say that Hawke and Keating were perfect, but that legacy is difficult to dismiss.

Classical liberalism can articulate its values in a way that doesn't just pay lip service to socially just outcomes – it makes it a key part of the message. So much of what government does has consequences, sometimes unintended, which disproportionately impact the most vulnerable in our society. Sometimes the government legislates away the civil liberties of all of us.

Australia is often regarded as one of the freest countries in the world. We are living proof that freedom and a fair go aren't mutually exclusive concepts. Classical liberalism is what people who believe in libertarian ideas should draw on to advance a broader freedom agenda in Australia.

Trisha Jha is a Policy Analyst at The Centre for Independent Studies.