You are invited to attend:
Faculty of Law Twilight Seminar
Political Trust and the 2025 Federal Election
Dr Jacob Deem
Date: Thursday 1 May 2025
Time: 5.00pm-6.30pm (AEST)
Venue: BLD04_3_41
The seminar will commence at 5.30pm with light refreshments being offered from 5pm (vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free options available).
Trust in politicians, or lack thereof, promises to be a defining feature of the upcoming federal election. Political leaders - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton - sit at the centre of voters' evaluations ahead of the 3 May ballot, as does faith in the Electoral Commission and the political system as a whole. But while it is widely accepted that trust is a vital part of the democratic process, the exact drivers of perceived dis/trust are the subject of significant debate.
This seminar presents new survey data from over 6000 Australians collected in March-April 2025 as part of the Australian Constitutional Values Survey series. Using the upcoming election as a frame, the seminar compares the perceived trustworthiness of the Prime Minister, Opposition Leader and other key political figures, highlighting how different characteristics or traits emerge as important drivers of trust when applied to different actors. Reflecting on the role of trust in Australia's democratic system, the seminar outlines key lessons for trust research ahead of the election and beyond.
Please register your attendance by 5pm on Tuesday 22 April.
Dr Jacob Deem
Dr Jacob Deem is an Assistant Professor at Bond University’s Faculty of Law. His research focuses on public law, especially constitutional law, federalism and public trust. In his recent book Rethinking Decentralization (published by McGill Queens University Press), Dr Deem examines how citizens’ attitudes and political culture contribute to successful federalism in eight countries, including Australia, and explores reform options to strengthen federal structures. Dr Deem was the project lead on the 2021 Australian Constitutional Values Survey and is a Chief Investigator on the $1.2 million Australian Research Council-funded Discovery project "Mapping and Harnessing Public Mistrust" examining how institutions can better harness mistrust (healthy scepticism) to promote citizen confidence in government decision-making. Dr Deem has also worked on several research projects on the use of technology in improving access to legal services for regional Australians and culturally and linguistically diverse communities.