BOOK REVIEW: Landslide — The 2025 Australian Federal Election

A comprehensive account of the 2025 Election that misses what Labor’s landslide reveals about the flaws in Australia’s electoral system, writes Chek Ling.

LANDSLIDE: The 2025 Australian Federal Election is a curious book, the 19th in a series on federal elections. What are its aims?

At nearly 500 pages, much was written, diligently, about the new political landscape: baby boomers outnumbered by those under 45; increasing social media turbulence; erupting cultural, faith and ethnic contentions; Trump; populism; campaign leadership of the hero and the fallen pretender; and foreboding signs for the Greens and Community Independents. And everything you might wish to know about the results.

But what does the landslide portend?

No campaign lies told this time, but disinformation rampant and the Government seemingly unwilling to enact “truth in political advertising” with a full set of teeth; both leaders schtum on AUKUS; the Greens’ new campaign tactics unrewarded; and Community Independents facing fatigue and a hangman’s noose under the new Act.

But no mention of the “salmon industry protection” Bill or “Donfather’s” Bill rushed through by the duopoly just before the 2025 elections were called, to protect the duopoly’s own interests. Not a word on the languishing three-year-old Parliamentary Report on gambling that included a ‘comprehensive ban on online gambling advertising’ recommendation. Alas, the gambling empires had donated millions to each side’s campaign funds.

Most critically, the book misses the iconic takeaway from the landslide. One vote for ALP is worth 32 votes for the Greens: the ALP won one seat with 0.38 per cent of the popular vote; the Greens won one seat with 12.2 per cent.

In its November 2023 Report, the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters presented the merits of proportional representation (PR) in its first 14 pages.

In addition, the PR Society of Australia has provided an analysis of the 2025 Election from which the telling results are abstracted below:

Seats won under PR: Labor: 60; Coalition: 57, Greens: 21; Teals/Independents: eight.

ACTUAL: Labor: 94; Coalition:43; Greens: one; Teals/Independents: ten.

Under PR, there would have been no landslide. A healthy Opposition would have existed and the intention of Greens voters honoured, the beginnings of a civilised parliament, like in Denmark.

Ah, a Labor/Greens minority government. Banning online betting advertisements, to outlaw children being groomed for gambling addiction, would have eventuated without the usual circus duel, a civilising effect of a multi-party governance sustained by actors with decades of substantial careers outside political nurseries before entering Parliament: to reform; not to beget a career. With a civilised Parliament, more Teal-like reformers would become the norm.

And had critical threads, like democracy mirror, been tracked through the series, the landslide should have exploded the myth that our fair and honest elections are a testament to our vibrant democracy.

‘twas a turbulent time. The book’s academic timbre could have been augmented with renditions from leadership experts and recitals from journalists with deep memories of our triennial political opera.

Hopefully, the next book, in 2029, would aspire to challenge political actors to become courageous, shy away from self-interest, and focus on bringing about a fairer, compassionate and enlightened society, as befits the founding role of the Australian National University.

'Landslide: The 2025 Australian Federal Election' was published by and is available from ANU Press.

This book was reviewed by an IA Book Club member. If you would like to receive free high-quality books and have your review published on IA, subscribe to Independent Australia and receive your complimentary IA Book Club membership.