Australia’s two major parties — the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and the Liberal-led Coalition — are steadily declining in popularity, mirroring similar trends around the world. Both are largely very happy with Australia the way it is today and seek to preserve a status quo that is, for them, a happy one.

It’s not that they’re blind to the inequalities and injustices of today’s Australia. Rather, they see them as actively desirable at worst, or at best unavoidable.

Certainly, their perspectives are different. The Coalition’s vision for Australia is labor-antagonistic capitalism, while the ALP’s vision is a labor-inclusive version of capitalism, where “unions and business work together for the common interest.” But fundamentally, both seek to strengthen capitalism, not weaken it.