Wounded narcissist, visionary, team player, a mother's love? The alchemy of good (and bad) political leadership

Join Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell with three top political minds as they get up close and very personal with power —  and Australia's prime ministers past and present — to consider where it succeeds and struggles. What traits do you look for in a political leader? Honesty? Authenticity? An ego probably helps, but what about knowing how to manage it?  Are leaders made rather than born? And what do the mothers Australia's prime ministers have in common? When Canada's Prime Minister took to the World Economic Forum stage in Davos this year, staking a claim for middle powers and standing up against the bullies across his border, the world took notice. Is that what good political leadership looks like? How does Australia's current Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stack up? 

Speakers

Jennifer HewettBusiness journalist and a national affairs columnist, Australian Financial Review.

Troy BramstonSenior journalist, The AustralianAuthor and political biographerAuthor, Gough Whitlam: The Vista of the New (Harper Collins Australia, 2025)

Paul StrangioHistorian and Emeritus Professor of politics, Monash UniversityAuthor, The Alchemy of Leadership: Seven Australian Prime Ministers in a Turbulent 21st Century (Melbourne University Publishing, 2026)

Thanks to Festival director Corrie Perkin, Isabel Pinkster, and colleagues.