Ep. 368: Introducing The Recount: 21 Federal Elections, One Epic Campaign Journey with Dr Stephen Mills | Australia's Labor Podcast

Australian Labor politics podcast Socially Democratic is launching something new. Starting next month, we're embarking on a two-year series called The Recount: a month-by-month deep dive into every single federal election since 1972. That's 21 elections, one per episode, all the way from Gough Whitlam's 'It's Time' to Labor's historic 2025 victory. No one has ever done long-form analysis of Australian federal campaigns quite like this. We're going to speak to the people who were in the room, examine what actually happened, from the strategy, the technology, and the seminal moments that turned each election. We ask the question that hangs over all of it: do campaigns actually matter? Joining Stephen Donnelly for the entire journey is Dr Stephen Mills, a journalist, former speechwriter in Bob Hawke's office, and author of three landmark books on Australian political campaigns: The New Machine Men, The Hawke Years, and The Professionals. In this introductory episode, they discuss how Australian federal campaigning transformed from gut feel and state-based fiefdoms to data, analytics and national strategy. The Recount begins on September 18 with Episode 1: 1972, It's Time. Don't miss it. Socially Democratic is an Australian Labor politics and campaigns podcast with expert guests. New episodes every Friday. Mentioned in the Show: 'The Professionals: Strategy, Money and the Rise of the Political Campaigner in Australia' [ https://amzn.to/4yemmRO ] by Dr. Stephen Mills Support the show Socially Democratic is an opinion-based political and campaign podcast that facilitates discussion on a range of topical issues. The opinions of guests are not an endorsement and do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff at Dunn Street and Socially Democratic. Access ad-free episodes and send in questions by joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SociallyDemocratic If you like the show, rate and review us on your favourite podcast app. Follow Us on Socials: Facebook (https://tr.ee/9jGIOy) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/sociallydemocratic) LinkedIn (https://tr.ee/YxyYJh) X (https://x.com/SocialDemPod) YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@DunnStreet) The presenting sponsor of the Socially Democratic podcast is Dunn Street. For more information on how Dunn Street can help you organise to build winning campaigns in your community, business or organisation, and make the world a better place, look us up at: dunnstreet.com.au