👉 Watch here: https://youtu.be/bGv018CfXg8

In this episode of Liberalism in Question, we dive into Roger Partridge's provocative Quillette essay, "Classical Liberalism Without Strong Gods", where he challenges the rise of "strong gods" like religion and nationalism as antidotes to liberal society's spiritual void.

You can read the article here: https://quillette.com/2025/06/10/classical-liberalism-without-strong-gods-open-society-popper/

As Chairman and co-founder of The New Zealand Initiative, Roger defends Karl Popper's vision of the open society. He argues that epistemic humility, critical inquiry, and moral seriousness can foster cohesion without authoritarian risks, while proposing fixes like civic education reform, housing deregulation, welfare tweaks to support families, and local autonomy.

Join us as Roger unpacks liberalism's drift, the threats from identity politics and relativism, and a bold path forward.

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Watch here: https://youtu.be/ybqWLEwL28Y From economic reform and rising government spending to cultural shifts and the decline of liberalism, Costello reflects on the ideas that shaped the Howard years and what’s needed to renew them today.

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Peter Costello was elected to seven terms as a Member of the Australian House of Representatives and was Treasurer of the Commonwealth of Australia from March 1996 to December 2007, the longest term of any Treasurer in Australian history. Mr Costello delivered twelve federal budgets, including ten surpluses. During this period, Australia’s Sovereign Credit Rating was updated twice to its current AAA rating. Mr Costello set up Australia’s system of financial regulation establishing the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). He also established the Takeovers Panel. In 2006, after the Government debt was eliminated in net terms, Mr Costello established the Australian Future Fund. From its original deposit, the Future Fund has grown to over $230 billion invested in diverse asset classes.

Mr Costello served as Chairman of the Future Fund from 2014-2024. Mr Costello has served on the IMF Committee and as Chairman of the Global Group of 20 Finance Ministers & Central Bankers (G-20).

After leaving politics in 2009, Mr Costello joined a number of international and domestic boards and was chair of the Independent Advisory Board to the World Bank. Mr Costello was Chairman of the Nine Entertainment Corporation from 2016-2024. NEC is the largest Australian-owned media company with television, radio, publishing and streaming operations.

Is the 2020s an echo of the 1970s for classical liberalism? In this episode of The Stutchbury Sessions, Michael Stutchbury recaps the CIS Consilium, exploring how free enterprise, free trade, and limited government are under assault from both the left and the populist right. Featuring insights from Andrew Neil on the plight of mainstream conservatism and Dave Rubin on the liberal side of MAGA, Stutchbury discusses globalization, immigration, tariffs, big government deficits, and the future of western liberal values amid rising populism.

👉 Join CIS:

🔹 Become a member: https://www.cis.org.au/membership-2-step-1/

🔹 Make a donation: https://www.cis.org.au/support/donate/today/

🔹 Learn more: https://www.cis.org.au/