The history of Australia from 2007 to 2022 was marked by sustained economic expansion tempered by global financial turmoil, a turbulent era of political leadership changes, and significant social reforms. At the same time, the country faced growing debate over climate change and energy policy, enduring some of its worst natural disasters on record. Politically, Australia saw frequent leadership turnover, with six changes of Prime Minister in 15 years, reflecting an increasingly volatile domestic politics. Socially, the nation moved toward greater inclusion, exemplified by the legalization of same-sex marriage in 2017, even as it continued to grapple with the enduring disparities affecting its Indigenous peoples. This era witnessed Australia's deepening engagement with global affairs and its own region, participation in overseas conflicts and peacekeeping, and a re-examination of national identity through reconciliation and multiculturalism.
Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard in 2006. Gillard went on to become Australia's first female Prime Minister.
Rudd government (2007-2010)
Kevin Rudd held the office until June 2010, when he was replaced following internal Labor Party coup by his colleague and deputy Julia Gillard. The Rudd government moved quickly to ratify the Kyoto protocols, dismantle the previous government's Work Choices industrial relations reforms, and issue an apology to Aboriginal Australians for past policies, particularly the removal of Aboriginal children from their families.[1]
The government was soon confronted by the 2008 financial crisis and the Great Recession, responding with a series of economic stimulus measures worth A$75 billion. Although economic growth slowed in 2008, Australia was one of the few advanced economies in the world to avoid recession.[2] His prime ministership coincided with the initial phases of the 2008 financial crisis, to which his government responded through a large package of economic stimulus – the management of which later proved to be controversial.[3]
The Rudd government proposed an emissions trading scheme (ETS) to address climate change, but the legislation was twice rejected in the Senate. After the failed December 2009 UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, the government decided to postpone its ETS until 2013, a decision which saw Labor lose some electoral support to the Greens.[4] The government's proposed a Resources Super Profits Tax adversely affected Labor's support in the resource-rich states of Queensland and Western Australia.[5]
The government changed its predecessor's asylum seeker policy by closing the Nauru processing centre, abolished temporary protection visas and improving the legal rights and processing time for applicants for asylum. However, unauthorised arrivals by boat increased sharply from 2009 and the number in mandatory detention stretched capacity. The new leader of the opposition, Tony Abbot, promised that a coalition government would "stop the boats."[6][7]
Gillard government (2010-2013)
In June 2010, with the government behind the opposition in polls and Rudd's popularity falling, the Labor caucus replaced Rudd with Julia Gillard as leader: Australia's first female prime minister.[7] The new leader was able to negotiate concessions on a new mining tax with large mining companies but failed to reach agreement with East Timor on a proposed migration processing centre there.[8]
Amidst increasing controversy on management of stimulus spending over policy directions on taxation, immigration and climate change, the Labor Party replaced Rudd with Julia Gillard, who became the first woman Prime Minister of Australia and narrowly retained office against the Liberal-National Coalition led by Tony Abbott, at the 2010 Federal election by securing the support of independent members of the first hung parliament in Australia since the 1940 election.[9]
The drought was broken definitively by severe flooding associated with the La Niña weather effect in the summer of 2010–2011. Queensland in particular suffered dramatic flooding which swept through parts of the capital city of Brisbane and caused some deaths and serious financial loss. Soon after tropical cyclone Yasi struck the already beleaguered coast.
The Gillard government passed enabling legislation for a National Broadband Network, a carbon pricing scheme, a mining tax, a National Disability Insurance Scheme, and school funding reforms.[10] Following the 2010 election, the Gillard government entered an alliance with the Australian Greens and was destabilized by breaking an election promise not to introduce a carbon tax, by leadership rivalry and by lacking the numbers to push some controversial legislation through the Parliament. Nevertheless, the cross-bench alliance continued to operate and though facing declining poll support and firm opposition from the Liberal-National Coalition, in October the government successfully passed its Clean Energy Bill 2011 aimed to restructure the Australian economy in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with global warming by increasing costs to industry for carbon emissions.[11] A carbon tax was introduced in Australia on 1 July 2012.
The government negotiated an agreement with Malaysia to process some asylum seekers there but the plan was struck down by the High Court. In response, the government reopened offshore processing centres on Manus Island and Nauru.[12]
Rudd's return (2013)
Following mounting leadership speculation and poor polling for the government, Rudd defeated Gillard in a leadership ballot in June 2013 and returned as prime minister, promising to replace the carbon tax with an emissions trading scheme and to ensure that people arriving without authority by boat would not be settled in Australia.[13] Kevin Rudd was reinstated as prime minister in a Labor leadership spill on 27 June 2013.
Following two and half decades of economic reform and amidst booming trade with Asia, Australia—in stark contrast to most other Western nations—avoided recession following the 2008 financial crisis.[14]
The opposition, promising to "stop the boats," abolish the carbon tax and mining tax, and reduce the Budget deficit and government debt, won the September 2013 election.[15] After the 2013 Australian General Election, Rudd lost the role of prime minister to Tony Abbott, the Liberal Leader.
The return of the Liberal-National Coalition to power after six years in opposition initially failed to restore stability to the office of prime minister. Prime Minister Tony Abbott's rival Malcolm Turnbull challenged for and won the leadership of the Liberals within Abbott's first term. After Turnbull narrowly returned the coalition to office in 2016, Party dissatisfaction with his leadership saw him replaced by Scott Morrison in 2018.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott's government began implementing its policies on unauthorised maritime arrivals, including Operation Sovereign Borders, boat turnbacks, the reintroduction of temporary protection visas, and the resettlement in third countries of those found to be refugees. The number of people arriving by boat fell from 20,587 in 2013 to none in 2015.[16][17]
The government continued Australia's economic engagement with Asia, signing trade agreements with China, South Korea and Japan. The government also embraced the intervention against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, joining the air campaign, sending special forces and providing training for the Iraqi army.[18]
The government's May 2014 Budget proved unpopular, with the perception that it had involved breaking a number of election promises.[19] The government secured the passage of legislation abolishing the carbon tax (July 2014) and the mining tax (September 2014).[18] The Clean Energy Bill 2011 was repealed by the Abbott government on 17 July 2014, backdated to 1 July 2014.
The Prime Minister announced a number of decisions – most notably the reintroduction of knighthoods and a knighthood for Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh – which had not been approved by cabinet and which were widely criticised in the media.[20][21]
By September 2015 the government had lost 30 Newspolls in a row and Malcolm Turnbull successfully challenged for the leadership.[22]
The new Turnbull government announced a National Innovation and Science Agenda and delivered a Budget featuring cuts to company tax.[23] However, the elections of July 2016 saw the government returned with a majority on only one and a minority in the Senate. Following a national postal plebiscite, the government legalised same-sex marriage in December 2017.[24]
In foreign affairs, Australia signed a refugee exchange deal with the US in September 2016, allowing those in detention on Manus Island and Nauru to be settled in the US.[25] There was increased tension with China over its policies in the South China Sea, Australia's new laws targeting foreign influence in domestic politics, and a ban, on national security grounds, on Chinese companies supplying Australia's 5G communications network.[26][non-primary source needed]
In 2017, the United States, Japan, India and Australia agreed to revive the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue in order to counter Chinese ambitions in the South China Sea.[27] Australia signed a modified Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement with 10 other nations in March 2018 after the US withdrew from the original agreement.[28]
The government lost five by-elections in July 2018. When, in August, the government made a commitment to meet Australia's emissions target under the Paris Agreement, a number of coalition members rebelled. The controversy harmed the government, which had already lost more than 30 consecutive Newspolls. The parliamentary Liberal Party elected Scott Morrison as its new leader and he was sworn in as prime minister.[29]
Morrison government (2018–2022)
A barricade in Coolangatta enforcing the border closure between Queensland and New South Wales in April 2020 that was implemented by the Queensland Government in response to the COVID-19 pandemic
In 2017, a convention of 250 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander delegates had issued the Uluru Statement from the Heart, calling for constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australians and a "voice to parliament". In 2019, the government announced a process to ensure that Indigenous Australians would be heard at all levels of government.[33]
The last months of 2019 and into early 2020 were marked by intense bushfires on the east coast that became known as the "Black Summer".[34] The fires are very likely Australia's costliest natural disaster at about A$100 billion.[35]
The government banned foreign nationals entering Australia and formed a National Cabinet to address the crisis.[37][38] The national cabinet announced restrictions on non-essential business, travel and gatherings of people. These restrictions were eased from May, although individual states and territories reimposed restrictions in response to particular outbreaks of COVID-19.[39][40]
Scott Morrison with fellow AUKUS founders Prime Minister Boris Johnston of the UK and US President Joe Biden.
In June 2021, Australia and the United Kingdom announced that they had struck a preliminary deal on a free-trade agreement.[41] On 16 September 2021, the government announced that Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States had agreed to the creation of an enhanced trilateral security partnership, dubbed AUKUS. The first initiative under AUKUS would be for Australia to acquire nuclear-powered submarine technology. As a result of the agreement, Australia cancelled its 2016 contract for the diesel-electric Attack-class submarine with the French company Naval Group.[42] The decision drew rebukes from China and France.[43][44]
In the early morning hours of 9 September 2022 Australia Eastern Standard Time, Queen Elizabeth II died. The Queen was succeeded by her eldest son, King Charles III, who now reigns as the King of Australia.
Indigenous Australia
The early 21st century brought new policy interventions, formal recognition of past injustices, and continued efforts to address health and social disparities faced by Indigenous communities.
In the early 21st century, much of indigenous Australia continued to suffer lower standards of health and education than non-indigenous Australia. In 2007, the Close the Gap campaign was launched by Olympic champions Cathy Freeman and Ian Thorpe with the aim of achieving Indigenous health equality within 25 years.[45] In 2007, Prime Minister John Howard and Indigenous Affairs Minister Mal Brough launched the Northern Territory National Emergency Response. In response to the Little Children are Sacred Report into allegations of child abuse among indigenous communities in the Territory, the government banned alcohol in prescribed communities in the Northern Territory; quarantined a percentage of welfare payments for essential goods purchasing; despatched additional police and medical personnel to the region; and suspended the permit system for access to indigenous communities.[46]
However, the new government under Kevin Rudd led a formal bi-partisan apology on 13 February 2008.
Society and culture
Immigration continued to grow under the Labor government (2007–13) with prime minister Kevin Rudd proclaiming a "big Australia" policy. The immigration intake averaged around 190,000 a year from 2011–12 to 2015–16, a level based on research indicating the optimum level to increase economic output per head of population. India and China became the largest source countries of new migrants.[47] The immigration intake was reduced to 160,000 in 2018–19 as some State governments complained that high immigration was adding to urban congestion. The opposition also linked high immigration with low wages growth while the One Nation party continued to oppose high immigration while proclaiming: "It's okay to be white.".[48]
In film, the number of Australian productions averaged 14 per year in the 1970s but grew to 31 per year in the 2000s and 37 per year in the 2010s.[49] A number of Australian directors and actors, including Baz Luhrmann, George Miller, Peter Weir, Cate Blanchett, Nicole Kidman, Geoffrey Rush and others, have been able to establish careers both in Australia and abroad. The technical expertise developed in the Australian industry, and the increasing number of internationally successful Australian directors and actors, encouraged foreign producers to make more films in Australia.[50] Major international productions made in Australia in the past decade include Mad Max: Fury Road and The Great Gatsby.
LGBTQ
A wall with the signage "Yes" painted in the colours of the LGBT flag, designed to demonstrate the support for Australia's Marriage Equality survey from 2017. Advertising in Australian media frequently used the phrase "Australia said yes" in response to the survey result.
By the late 2000s and early 2010s, support for LGBT rights in Australia generally grew, and a number of significant legal achievements were made. Nationwide equalisation with respect to the age of consent laws was achieved when Queensland amended the law in 2016. The decade was also marked by the implementation of expungement schemes in many states and territories, which allowed men who had been charged with anti-homosexuality laws to apply to have their convictions removed from the record. As of November 2018, all of the eight states and territories have passed expungement laws.
States and territories, with the exception of South Australia, also abolished the use of the gay panic defence in common law and the first nationwide anti-discrimination law was passed by the Federal Parliament in the form of the Sex Discrimination Amendment (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Intersex Status) Act 2013, the provisions of which extended to intersex people. Significantly, adoption laws were amended in six states and territories (New South Wales 2010; Tasmania 2013; Victoria 2015; Queensland 2016; South Australia 2017; Northern Territory 2018) to allow same-sex couples the right to adopt children. South Australia's amendment of assisted reproduction laws in 2016 ensured same-sex couples had equal access to these methods in all jurisdictions.[51] By 2018, all states and territories, with the exception of Western Australia and the Northern Territory, had implemented a relationships registration scheme, which allowed couples to demonstrate proof of the existence of a de facto relationship for the purpose of federal law. Some of these laws included the option for a couple to have a formal, state-sanctioned ceremony. Queensland made history in this regard by legislating for civil unions twice in the decade, once in 2011 and again in 2016 after the intervening Newman LNP Government had repealed the legislation in 2012.[52]
Transgender people in the Australian Capital Territory, the Northern Territory, South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia also benefited from landmark reforms which allowed them to change their gender marker on their birth certificate, irrespective of whether or not they had undergone sexual reassignment surgery, though this was rejected by the Victorian Parliament in 2016.[53] Arguably the most significant reform in the transgender space was a November 2017 ruling from the Family Court of Australia which allowed transgender children to access cross-sex hormone treatment (known as "stage 2 treatment") without court approval needing to be sought, in cases where there is no dispute between a child, their parents, and their treating doctors, hormone treatment can be prescribed without court permission.[54][55]
In the relationships recognition space, federal law would be critical. The Federal Parliament's reforms of de facto recognition in 2008/09, spearheaded by the Rudd government, would amend 85 pieces of Commonwealth legislation to allow same-sex couples equal access to a range of areas including taxation, superannuation, health, social security, aged care and child support, immigration, citizenship and veterans' affairs.[56][57] In time however, glaring examples of deficiencies between de facto relationships and marriages would be identified, enhancing the momentum for same-sex marriage.[58][59] Same-sex marriage legislation would fail 22 times in the Federal Parliament between 2004 and 2017,[60] most notably in September 2012 when legislation was rejected by large majorities in both houses of Parliament, despite the Gillard Labor government agreeing to a conscience vote on the issue.[61][62] In 2017, the Turnbull Liberal/National government, having been denied the opportunity to hold a plebiscite, succeeded in conducting a voluntary postal survey on same-sex marriage, which resulted in a 61.6% "Yes" vote in favour of legalisation.[63] Consequently, the Federal Parliament passed a law amending the Marriage Act 1961 to allow same-sex couples to marry in December 2017.[64][65]
Republicanism
Australia remained a constitutional monarchy under the Constitution of Australia adopted in 1901, with the duties of the monarch performed by a Governor-General selected by the Australian Government. The Gillard government which took power in a hung parliament following the 2010 Australian Election has indicated an intention not to revisit the issue of a vote for an Australian republic during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, while the Opposition Liberal-National Coalition is led by Tony Abbott, a supporter of the constitutional monarchy.[66] Cultural interest in the Royal Family endures, with 7 million Australians (one third of the population) tuning in to watch the Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton in April 2011.[67]
In 2011, Australian public support for a republic fell to its lowest level since March 1994.[68] Support for a republic outright was 41%,[68] with support rising to 48% of respondents in a scenario with Charles on the throne and his wife, Camilla, as princess consort.[68]
Military engagements
Australian and Afghan soldiers patrol the poppy fields in the Baluchi Valley Region, April 2010
Following the death of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden at the hands of US forces in May 2011, Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced that Australian forces would remain in Afghanistan.[69] As of May 2011, a further 24 Australian military personnel had been killed while serving in the Afghanistan conflict (including one with the British Armed Forces).[70]
↑ Bongiorno, Frank (2019). "A tale of two leaders: Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison in Historical perspective". In Evans, Mark; Grattan, Michelle; McCaffrie, Brendan (eds.). From Turnbull to Morrison: The trust divide. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press. pp.325–26. ISBN9780522876130.
↑ SCRGSP (Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision) 2020, Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage: Key Indicators 2020, Productivity Commission, Canberra. Section 1.11
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