03/09/2026
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.
