There are good reasons to be distressed about the state of today’s world and Australia’s place in it. We are besieged by crises on several fronts, and they are magnified by a deep sense of malaise that grips the national psyche.
We at CIS are usually optimists: after all, during the past three decades the world has witnessed unprecedented progress and prosperity thanks in large part to the spread of global capitalism. However, COVID, cancel culture, climate policy and China, may well have put an end to the golden age that Australia has enjoyed for so many years.
Yet, while some are fearful about the future of Australia, others are looking at it as a chance for Australia to become a stronger and more prosperous nation. So, do these crises bring with them new opportunities for Australia?
Tom Switzer is executive director of the Centre for Independent Studies and a presenter at the ABC’s Radio National.
Nicholas Moore is chairman of CIS and former Chief Executive Officer of Macquarie Group Limited.
Robert Forsyth is a senior fellow at CIS and has been extensively involved in the areas of religious freedom and public policy.
Anjali Nadaradjane former research assistant at CIS in our, China and Free Societies program.