Is Australian Democracy Broken?

'Let me remind any women of any generation still worried by the tag ... feminism is about equality, political equality, economic equality, cultural equality, personal equality, social equality. That’s it, it’s as simple as that.'

Fran Kelly is one of Australia’s leading political interviewers and commentators. She has earned a reputation as an intelligent, informed and balanced journalist who has been a key contributor to the nation’s political and social debates for the past 25 years. In that time she’s been the ABC’s Europe Correspondent based in London, the political editor for The 7.30 Report and the political correspondent for the prestigious AM program. 

Fran is the Presenter of ABC RN Breakfast,  Australia’s leading national morning current affairs radio show.

She is currently hosting the  political panel programme, Insiders, on ABC TV on Sunday mornings.

Malcolm Turnbull was elected the leader of the Liberal Party and 29th Prime Minister of Australia in September 2015 and was re-elected as Prime Minister at the Federal Election in July 2016, leaving Parliament in 2018.

Malcolm and his wife Lucy live in the eastern suburbs of Sydney and have two children and four grandchildren.

Malcolm Turnbull was educated at Vaucluse Public School and Sydney Grammar School, before graduating from Sydney University with a BA LLB. He won a Rhodes Scholarship and completed a further law degree at Oxford. During and after his studies at Sydney University, Malcolm worked as a journalist with The Bulletin, 2SM, TCN 9 and the London Sunday Times.

After a successful career in journalism Malcolm began practising law in 1980. He quickly established a reputation as an effective advocate, most notably when he successfully defended former MI5 agent Peter Wright against the British Government, in the 'Spycatcher' trial. Malcolm left law for business in 1987 where he has since been responsible for the establishment and success of many Australian businesses. In 1997 Malcolm was elected to attend the Australian Constitutional Convention. He led the republican case in that convention and in the subsequent referendum.

At the Federal election in October 2004, Malcolm was elected as the Member for Wentworth. Following a leadership ballot in September 2008, he was elected by his colleagues to lead the Liberal Party as Leader of the Opposition, a position held until December 2009. Malcolm was the Minister for Communications from September 2013 to September 2015.

Margaret Simons is Associate Professor in the School of Media, Film and Journalism, Monash University. In 2015, she won the Walkley Award for Social Equity Journalism. Her recent books include Six Square Metres, Self-Made Man: The Kerry Stokes Story, What's Next in Journalism?, Journalism at the Crossroads and Malcolm Fraser: The Political Memoirs, co-written with former Prime Minister of Australia Malcolm Fraser. The latter won both the Book of the Year and the Douglas Stewart Prize for Non-Fiction at the NSW Premier's Literary Awards 2011. 

In addition to her academic work, Margaret regularly writes for the Saturday Paper, the Age, the Sydney Morning Herald, Griffith Review, the Monthly and other publications.

Malcolm Fraser (1930–2015) served as Australia’s 22nd Prime Minister from 1975 until he resigned from federal politics in 1983, after 28 years as the Federal Member for Wannon. He held several ministries during his time in Parliament, including Minister for the Army, Minister of State for Defence and Minister for Education and Science.

Since leaving government, Mr Fraser played a distinguished role in international relations. He was Co-chairman of the Commonwealth Committee of Eminent Persons in 1986, formed to encourage reform in South Africa. He served as Chairman of CARE Australia from 1987 until 2001, and President of CARE International from 1990 to 1995. He was a foundation Board Member of the International Crisis Group from 1996 to 2000 and has served as a Senior Advisor there since. In 2011 he became a member of the Asia–Pacific Leadership Network for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament.

Mr Fraser has been appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia and received the President’s Gold Medal for Humanitarian Service from B’nai B’rith International, as well as the Australian Human Rights Medal from the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission.

Lindsay Tanner was the minister for finance and deregulation in the Rudd-Gillard governments, and held the seat of Melbourne for the ALP from 1993 to 2010. Having retired from politics at the 2010 federal election, he is now a special adviser to Lazard Australia, and is a vice-chancellor's fellow and adjunct professor at Victoria University. Mr Tanner is the author of several previous books, including Politics with Purpose (2012) and Sideshow (2011), also published by Scribe.