A Liberal Party in the 21st Century

But to counter identity politics Liberals offer something distinct – a deep commitment to the individual but also to shared national identity. Liberals are not uncomfortable speaking of liberty in the same breath of the things to actually make it work – responsibility, a respect for institutions, tradition, family, duty, community and, in turn, love of country. Liberals know that seeing people as individuals, and not as part of a group, is what gives them dignity. For all of these things Liberals also know that a belief in individuals is not selfishness – it is a recognition for people to act, seek reward, create, innovate, fail, succeed and, at the same time, create communities.

Offering individuals something to counter identity politics is more than re-igniting the culture wars but involves speaking to a much deeper civic identity. Liberals should be proud of the broad appeal of their instincts, not just across people but across time. Where else could Liberal principles be more apparent than in the dignified and earnest elements that built Australia, which forged an individually thriving but socially cohesive colony, created space for environmental mastery and the expansion of commerce, sustained respect for parliamentary democracy and basic human rights, and helped forge a deep military tradition defending freedom against aggression and conquest.

In not just identity politics but in the wider challenges of our time we are also seeing the increasing pressures on individuals, which in turn calls for more and not less Liberal appeal. Historians underline our new plateau to the 'knowledge economy', distinct from the age of hunter gatherer, agriculture, and the 'big tool' economy of industrialisation, urbanisation and mass migration. Automation, we are told, means Australian children will, in the first decade of their careers, change not just jobs but entire industries over three times. And seasoned commentators note that our contemporary populist flashpoints will, from the future, be seen as the eclipse of the politics of left and right by the politics of culture and identity.

All these factors point to rediscovering our shared national identity and not creating an entirely new one. Liberals can offer a philosophical toolkit to responding to these challenges – a framework for aspiration, the space for people to search for meaning in work and in their communities, and a long and proud history of moulding diversity into a shared civic identity.

Principles of the time – the telescope not the microscope

Just as good artists, poets or musicians respond to the unique nature of their time so must good, principled and practical politics.

A notable criticism Menzies made of Labor "was that it tended to live in the past, on old hatreds and shibboleths, pursing a current policy which demanded bigger and better pensions and other social benefits, fighting old and losing battles about issues long since dead." He added that "no symptom emerged of a real study of basic policy. Like the Bourbons, they learned nothing and forgot nothing." The Liberal Party prospers because it learns from something and forgets nothing.

In possessing a proud history, though, Liberals understand there is caution in philosophical purity or reaching to a Menzies, or a Howard, for every policy play or new idea. The challenges can change, as is said, but the principles remain the same. In his time Harold Holt, for example, said the Liberal Party stood for the "four decencies": a good job, a home, adequate social security and an expanded educational service. Today, however, Liberals tend to battle over the quality of education and not its expansion. Menzies, too, deliberated over policies on government intervention and national wealth that do not apply today.

Not all of the ideas in this piece are silver bullets. Indeed, with time's passage, I suspect new ideas will emerge and challenge them. Many Liberals will also disagree with these priorities and possess their own. But I hope they invigorate Liberals and others to think hard about applying the Party's beliefs – strong and prosperous individuals, thriving communities, a rewarding economy, and a nation proud of its heritage – to the supreme challenges of our time.