Social cohesion is often invoked in Australian politics, especially in debates about migration, multiculturalism, national values, inequality and trust. But the term is rarely unpacked. What do politicians actually mean when they say Australian society is cohesive or when they warn that it is becoming divided?
This paper examines how Australian politicians understand social cohesion and the forces they see as strengthening or weakening it. It draws on 30 semi-structured interviews with federal, state and territory-level politicians conducted from September 2025 onward. The interviews cover national identity, belonging, multiculturalism, shared values, social divisions, policy priorities and Australian heritage. The analysis uses qualitative coding in MAXQDA, treating each politician as a separate case and comparing patterns across party, institutional level and electorate context.
The paper argues that cohesion is framed as people feeling that they belong, participating in community life, accepting difference, respecting shared rules, and recognising one another as part of the same society. The interviews also show that politicians locate social division in several overlapping pressures: housing and cost of living, inequality, political polarisation, misinformation, declining trust, racism, and uneven experiences of multiculturalism. Migration and diversity are not usually described as ‘problems’ in themselves. Rather, politicians tend to see cohesion as depending on whether institutions, communities and political leaders can manage difference fairly and create a sense of shared membership.
By focusing on political elites, the paper shows how social cohesion is narrated as a practical political project: not simply the absence of conflict, but an ongoing effort to define what Australians owe to one another and what kind of common life is still possible in a diverse society.
