A political slogan where the key word has seven syllables will always be a hard sell.

In-ter-gen-er-a-tion-al is such a word. It may only take a few moments to figure out that it means between generations. But generations are not homogeneous.

“Intergenerational equity” conjures equality. It is an aspiration for fairness that is widely shared and deeply rooted in the Australian psyche.

But a slogan that captures that desire for a fair go and shows what it means in real life would probably have better cut-through.

What we need is “It’s the economy, stupid” – but on steroids.

For years, surveys have been showing that young and old alike fear that the future will not be as good as the past.

Both lived experience and the research data show that inequality in Australia has been growing over the past two decades. That inequality shows up in many ways, of which the ability of young people to buy homes is just one important marker.

The young are also increasingly unlikely to be able to afford university education, which has been the traditional pathway to greater economic security. Even those with a post-school education are more likely to be working as casuals or in multiple jobs. Deferring having children because of economic precarity. And beset with anxiety about climate change, AI and the moral injury that comes from watching as oligarchs and autocrats push the world to the brink of collapse.

Yet among the loudest critics of the government’s........

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