Rethinking Policymaking in Australia: Three New Books Exploring Power, Time, and Place

Abstract

This panel convenes the authors of three new books - Future Generations Policymaking, Leadership and Governance: Ending “Policrastination”; Space XX: Gender, Power and the New Space Race; and Neighbours: Australia and the Pacific - to examine how policymaking in Australia is being reshaped by emerging domains, temporal challenges, and shifting regional relationships. Moderated by Prof Bec Strating (Director, La Trobe Centre for Global Security), the panel will consist of Dr Elise Stephenson (Deputy Director, Global Institute for Women’s Leadership), Professor Susan Harris Rimmer (founder of EveryGen, Griffith University) and Professor Joanne Wallis (Director, Stretton Institute, Adelaide University). Although focused on distinct policy arenas, the books share a common concern with how power operates within Australian policymaking – including whose voices, interests, and futures are prioritised or marginalised. Space XX interrogates gendered power dynamics within the rapidly evolving space sector, revealing how innovation and geopolitics intersect with persistent inequalities in access, representation, and decision-making. Future Generations Policymaking shifts attention to the temporal dimensions of governance, arguing that short-term political incentives and institutional inertia produce “policrastination,” undermining the capacity of governments to address long-term challenges. Neighbours situates Australian policymaking within its regional context, critically examining relationships with Pacific Island countries and the ways in which diplomacy, development, and strategic competition shape policy choices and narratives. Taken together, we invite a rethinking of policymaking across power, time, and place. The panel will encompass a discussion of individual book summaries by the authors, followed by a moderated discussion and audience questions. By bringing these perspectives into conversation, the panel contributes to broader debates in political science about how policymaking adapts - or fails to adapt - to complex, cross-cutting challenges.

Title	Details
Neighbours: Australia and the Pacific	View Paper Details
Future Generations Policymaking, Governance and Leadership: Ending “Policrastination”	View Paper Details
Space XX: Gender, Power and the New Space Race	View Paper Details