, Columnist
Australia Can't Afford Complacency
The country has coasted for too long on its mining riches.
"Raging Turnbull" must wage war against Canberra smugness.
Photographer: Stefan Postles/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
The first time I met Malcolm Turnbull, Australia's new leader, all he could talk about was Japan. It was June 2002 and the Goldman Sachs banker-turned-politician couldn't comprehend how a smart, democratic government could simply stand by as an enervating malaise strangled the economy.
When I asked him whether something similar could happen in Australia, Turnbull stared out his Sydney office window. "There are real risks for Australia in globalization and we could be a loser in the future just as we have been a winner to date," he said.