Chris Wallace, How to win an election (Sydney: NewSouth Press, 2020), xiv + 145pp. Paperback. $29.99. ISBN: 978-1-7422-3687-2.

In 2019, federal elections were held in Australia and Canada and in both countries the incumbent Liberal Party was victorious. The key difference is that the Liberals in Canada are the main centre-left, social democratic party whereas the Liberals in Australia are the main centre-right, conservative party. Canadian polls predicted a tight race, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau managed to retain power in a hung parliament. His Australian counterpart, Bill Shorten, led the Labor Party to a narrow defeat despite consistent polling suggesting he would win. The following year, Aotearoa New Zealand’s Labour Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, not only retained power but greatly increased her party’s vote. One of the key questions in Chris Wallace’s new book, How to Win an Election, is why Australia’s social democratic party bucked this international trend and seemingly snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.