Story of Our Country

Paul Keating once remarked, “We at least in the Labor Party know that we are part of a big story, which is also the story of our country”.

Story of Our Country unpacks that big story and Labor’s place in Australia’s narrative.

It explains why the ALP’s purpose and character make it unique among centre-left parties in America, Britain, and Europe. Central to Labor’s purpose is its promise to offer people a “share in those things that make life worth living” – the common good.

Labor’s vision of the good life is anchored in the everyday experience of working people. This gives Labor its distinctive strength – a paradoxical character that is at once progressive and conservative. Adrian Pabst argues that to gain and retain power, Labor needs to build coalitions between its traditional working-class base and middle-class voters.

Labor can achieve this by deploying its distinctive strength to tackle the most critical issues facing Australia: inequality, precarious jobs, the care crisis, climate change, and emerging foreign powers.