Politics With Michelle Grattan: Wayne Swan On A 'Dramatically Different' Political Contest

(MENAFN- The Conversation)

Next week, Labor will hold its 50th national conference in Adelaide. After the party's record 94-seat win at last year's federal election, its members should have plenty to celebrate. Yet since that election, both Labor and the Coalition have watched their support erode, largely in favour of One Nation.

Labor's national president, Wayne Swan, saw the danger signs last year.

Swan was treasurer in the Rudd-Gillard government, including through the global financial crisis. He was also deputy prime minister, and previously led Wayne Goss's 1989 Queensland election campaign, ending three decades of conservative reign in the state.

Soon after last year's landslide, Swan issued a clear-eyed warning that Labor's victory was“wide but shallow”. Despite its strong showing, he pointed out that Labor had“simply failed to secure strong support from lower-income, lower-educated Australians” – once a core part of its voter base.

At next week's conference, after eight years in the job, Swan will pass on the party presidency to former federal minister Kate Ellis.

Swan joined us on the podcast to discuss living in a time of“dramatic insecurity”, voter volatility, artificial intelligence (AI) and more.

'A dramatically different contest'

Asked about his“wide but shallow” warning, Swan said it was prompted by seeing the two major parties win just two-thirds of last year's vote, while the remainder was already“splintering around the edges”.

Voter volatility and anxiety

So has Labor reached the lowest point of its primary vote – or could it fall further? Swan said Labor needs to keep showing it's focused on helping with cost-of-living pressures.

On the rise of AI

Productivity has been low across much of the Western world, including in Australia. Swan said AI was“an important part of technological innovation”, leading to gains in productivity over time.

But is he optimistic or worried about the rapid rise of AI in Australia and globally?

On needing to serve retirees better

Swan is now the chairman of one of Australia's largest industry superannuation funds, CBUS Super.

After appearing at a superannuation roundtable alongside the architect of the A$4.5 trillion superannuation sector, Paul Keating, Swan described the mood in the room.

Around 2.5 million Australians are expected to retire over the next decade, in what's been dubbed a coming“silver tsunami”.

Over the next few years, Swan said all super funds will need to get better at serving Australians well into retirement.

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