Paul Keating's unfinished argument for an independent Australia
Sep 5, 2026 •
Paul Keating has been out of office for thirty years. But he’s never really left the national conversation.
Keating wanted Australia to find its security in Asia, not from it, and to stop defining itself through bigger powers in the Anglosphere.
That vision now sits uneasily alongside AUKUS, a more powerful China, and an Australia tied ever more closely to the United States.
Today, historian and author of Grand Ambition James Curran, on Keating’s argument for a more independent Australia – and why it continues to challenge the modern Labor Party.
If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.
Paul Keating's unfinished argument for an independent Australia
2035 • Sep 5, 2026
Paul Keating's unfinished argument for an independent Australia
Paul Keating has been out of office for thirty years. But he’s never really left the national conversation.
Keating wanted Australia to find its security in Asia, not from it, and to stop defining itself through bigger powers in the Anglosphere.
That vision now sits uneasily alongside AUKUS, a more powerful China, and an Australia tied ever more closely to the United States.
Today, historian and author of Grand Ambition James Curran, on Keating’s argument for a more independent Australia – and why it continues to challenge the modern Labor Party.
If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.
Guest: Historian and author of Grand Ambition, James Curran
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7am is a daily show from Solstice Media.
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