How Australia Became Little More Than a Collection of States
The pandemic has challenged federal authority in unprecedented ways. A national referee is being elected as much as a prime minister.
Whose country is it, anyway?
Photographer: Mathieu Polak/Sygma PremiumTo listen to one of Australia’s most prominent politicians, you might be forgiven for thinking the pandemic began in Sydney, Melbourne or the national capital, Canberra. The political and administrative demands of the two-year war against Covid have deepened regional divides and challenged the limits of federal authority. National cohesion is in retreat. Provincial identity is ascendant.
The trend isn’t unique to Australia, and the pandemic highlighted similar themes in much larger democracies, such as the U.S. and India, as expressions of state power became more visible. Just consider the many aspects of daily life that changed during the Covid era — from border control and quarantine rules to vaccinations and mask-wearing — that were managed at the regional level. What’s different in Australia is the surge of local power from a position of relative weakness. The shifting dynamics promise to make the job of whoever is elected prime minister Saturday, incumbent conservative Scott Morrison or opposition Labor Party leader Anthony Albanese, that much tougher. It will also frustrate the response to the next great crisis, be it related to the economy, health, the environment or security.