Dead Centre, How Political Pragmatism is Killing Us is a recent essay by Richard Denniss, published by the Australia Institute, and available in bookstores.

In this essay Denniss analyses the Australian political scene and explodes some long held views on the terms ‘left’ and ‘right’.

At the outset he claims: ‘Like an old street directory, the left/right centre map of Australian politics is dated, disorienting and dangerously incomplete.’ He cites the issue of nuclear power where there are supporters on both sides of the so-called left/right divide.

He states, “‘Centrism’ is the idea that neither left or right ideologies are correct and aiming for the middle road is the best option.”

He then poses the question, “What is the centrist position on slavery, or abortion or whaling?” On these issues centrism makes no sense and this can then be related to the debate on climate change. What is the centrist position when the science is unequivocal?

Denniss goes on to analyse why Labor seems incapable of taking strong action on climate change.

Labor evades tough decisions like emissions targets by pointing to the fact that Labor’s targets are more ambitious than the Liberals wanted but less ambitious than the Greens’ target. They use these comparisons to claim the sensible centre and label both the Liberals’ and Greens’ positions as extreme.

Denniss disparages this approach by pointing out it is nonsensical on issues such as blood-alcohol levels for drivers or safe levels of exposure to lead. On the issue of climate change, Labor keeps claiming we need a sensible transition to a much more renewable economy. ‘Sensible transition’ is their mantra and they use it to rule out any definite action such as banning new coal and gas mines.

Denniss points out that there have been bold actions in the past that have bucked the centrist position: Malcolm Fraser’s opening of our borders to Vietnamese refugees, the Hawke/Keating government’s floating of the dollar, John Howard’s gun legislation and the revamping of IR laws by the Albanese government.

We don’t have to live in the pragmatic centre!

Graeme Lechte

(This was based as a talk by Richard Denniss for The Australia Institute, Melbourne 8/9/2025)