In a country where the institutions, the national government and even most celebrities are captured by the left, it’s uniquely refreshing to be surrounded by friendly, like-minded people and at the biggest conservative conference in the world.
Returning home, then, it’s encouraging to see the same friendly faces floating around. Already the effects of the CPAC USA trip are being felt, with a network of almost twenty young people coordinated to continue creating change. Events are a little bit bigger. Each of our social media feeds are a little more shamelessly conservative. New conversations are being had.
It reminds me of William Wilberforce’s Clapham Sect – the network of individuals, across sectors, who campaigned for social reform to end slavery, support education initiatives and improve prison conditions. At the crux of this, importantly, was a willingness for action, supported and enabled by a small group of doers. There is no shortage of ideas and opinions regarding political change. Some, in fact, are brilliant ideas. But these go nowhere without people mobilised to do things – to run events, vote in party meetings, run for office, financially support others, start clubs, post on social media, and more. When a group of people supporting each other begin these things, the impact is magnified exponentially.
The right in Australia is currently fractured between multiple parties, with conservatives feeling increasingly disenfranchised in a post-COVID age (note low formal party membership, for example). In this environment, small networks of doers hold the monopoly of power. A few influencers and leaders carry the mantle for a body of disenfranchised conservatives, who wonder where best to put their energy (my personal opinion being through formal membership of the LNP…but that’s a topic for another day!).
In the meantime, small influential networks like the young adults who went on the CPAC Global Explorers trip in 2026 carry the legacy of the conservative movement forward. The impact of a small, unified group of people advancing the causes of the right is the most effective progress. Hopefully that enthusiasm and unity is contagious, and the larger body of conservatives in Australia joins us. For now, it’s a mantle of responsibility in safe hands.
The Global Explorers program is made possible by the generosity of our CPAC donors. Applications for 2027 will open later this year — stay tuned for details.
Think this could be you? Learn more about the Global Explorers program here and start getting ready.