The Invisible Erosion of Democracy: An Unlikely Case Study

Democracy requires a robustness many have forgotten...

Objectively for some, heavily subjectively for others, Australia consistently features high in the global list of the last remaining nations that stays true to the original intent and definition of democracy: a system of government in which power is held by elected representatives who are freely voted for by the people, or held directly by the people themselves¹.

Every day in Canberra—not always known globally as Australia’s capital and the heart of Australia’s national system of government—decisions are made, policies are implemented, and programs are adjusted. Ministers announce initiatives, bureaucrats draft guidelines, and service providers adapt their operations. To the casual observer, this looks like democracy in action—free and fairly elected representatives setting direction, public servants executing policy, and outcomes being delivered to citizens.

Behind the scenes however, many mechanisms in government are geared towards inputs to—as opposed to value or outcomes of—the system and ministerial ‘announceables’. The federal Budget, for example, focuses on expenditure—how much taxpayers funds are going to what purpose, or interest group, over what period. Ministers will often announce new programs (with or without funding) and are rarely held to account for programs that fail to deliver—and more often than not are able to place blame elsewhere for shortfalls or failures (think public servants, previous governments, global headwinds, etc.).