Reflections on the ‘Canberra Model’ inform future

Renowned international political scientist, Sir David Butler, will hand down his latest report card on Australia's political system this week. Sir Butler will deliver his findings and reflect on the past 40 years' of Australian politics, during a half-day conference hosted by The Australian National University's School of Politics and International Relations. Sir Butler is a global-leading psephologist, renowned for his extensive studies on elections and as co-developer of the swingometre, author of more than 20 titles and an Emeritus Fellow of Oxford's Nuffield College. Professor John Uhr, Director of the Centre for the Study of Australian Politics at ANU said Tuesday's free public conference was inspired by Sir Butler's 1973 book The Canberra Model: essays on Australian Government , which explores how Canberra governs Australia. " The Canberra Model brought international attention to innovation, and also, underperformance in the Australian Government," Professor Uhr said. "Butler provided Australia with an international report card showing that the 'style of politics' in this country was pragmatic and unidealistic. He noted how well Australia was economically but how poor the country was politically, often with weak political leadership or with frequent changes in political leaders," Professor Uhr said.