Tony Abbott seeks return to values

Tony Abbott will lead a new movement to defend and revive traditional Australian values, as a report warns of a collapse of living standards.

Former prime minister Tony Abbott will re-emerge in the political sphere to champion a new movement defending and reviving traditional Australian values. Picture: Tim Hunter

Tony Abbott will lead a new movement to defend and revive traditional Australian values, as a report to be published on Tuesday warns of a collapse of living standards over the past two decades.

Appointed a fellow of the Institute of Public Affairs, the former prime minister told The Australian on Monday that he would be “dealing with issues upstream of politics” that would help to shape political debate.

While it was important to discuss and dispute mainstream ­Australian values, and a rethink of how we want to live our lives was needed, Mr Abbott declared: “It is not the time for the politically ­correct woke reset which seems to be brewing.”

Mr Abbott said people should “shun cheerleading” even on Australia Day. He said the plight of ­Indigenous Australians had to be recognised, but Australians “could not underestimate the damage being done” by a decline in the way we live.

The IPA will on Tuesday release an Australia Day report that has found the quality of the Australian way of life has decreased by almost 30 per cent since 2000.

Trust in governments has fallen, traditional dreams such as a house with a backyard are proving unattainable and the economic benefits of the mining boom have waned, it states.

After an optimistic start to the new century with the Sydney Olympic Games boosting morale and a strong economy where debt was being cut, the global financial crisis of 2008-09 marked a sudden downturn in the Australian way of life that has accelerated in the past 10 years.

And the COVID-19 pandemic sparked another sharp decline last year in the way Australians pursue traditional hopes.

The policy think tank’s analysis covers 25 key areas that are considered ­to be essential to the Australian way of life, including buying a house and starting a ­family, being able to get work, establish a small business, finding study or work for young Australians, and having faith in a democratic system that effectively manages the economy and seeks to fulfil national aspirations.

Only two indicators showed an improvement between 2000 and 2020: car ownership is up and the ratio of migrants to new jobs improved last year after being a negative for several years.

The biggest collapse in support for the traditional Australian way of life was within governance, which is down 55 per cent since 2000. More than half of that fall (52.3 per cent) was due to the GFC, ballooning government debt and spending, a loss of faith in the political system as successive prime ministers were removed by party machinations, and a general rise in welfare dependence.

But the fall with the most direct impact on way of life was in the area of “home”, which fell almost 40 per cent in 20 years as housing affordability fell, household debt soared, commuting time to work rose and people were buying houses on smaller blocks — with little room for a backyard — further from the city.

“Given that making a home is one of people’s strongest preferences, this might suggest, taking ‘home’ as a proxy for people’s ability to pursue their dreams, that throughout this period people’s hard work was going only towards maintaining their quality of life, rather than improving it,” the ­report states.