Sir Winston Churchill was quoted as saying “democracy is an awful way to run a country, but it is the best system we have”. However, ‘doing democracy’ effectively and fairly would surely deliver more equitable and progressive governance.The democratic process is central to a free and progressive society. It is (or should be) of and for the people but democracy is constantly under threat – perverted and undermined by government using questionable tactics and eroding confidence in politicians, political priorities, and the democratic process itself. How to know that democratic processes are being undermined? Two things. First, an education in democracy and second, just watch how Government handles the big issues.
As a Tasmanian voter, it was clear to me that people’s voice was either not heard or ignored. A case in point is the Macquarie Point Stadium Proposal.
Not since the Franklin River was saved by the Democrats in the early 1980’s has an issue in Tasmania been as contentious as this stadium. Tangled up with the cost and construction issues is the influence of a sporting organisation demanding a new and very expensive stadium. Regardless of how it was presented, the people of Tasmania did not want it.
Tasmanian politics is dominated by Liberal and Labor. If the voting population objects to the government’s course of action, there may be a shift to the alternative. But if both major parties support the plan, choices are limited. The Greens party may be an option, though some voters will be put off by their strident policies. Enter the independent representing themselves as grassroots democracy! Deals are done, positions are changed and election platforms put quietly to bed. Then comes the maverick individual, undermining the teamwork needed for true democratic solutions.
Tasmanian polls show a majority of Tasmanians want their own AFL team but not the new stadium proposed by the two major parties. The major parties however, can go ahead and ignore their constituencies, secure in the knowledge that voter options are limited. An independent review of the stadium showed mismanagement and the cost rising to $1.13 billion. The state will borrow nearly $500 million for construction.
This is a political system ignoring the voices of the majority, thus undermining the people’s trust in democracy. That is a concern!
Of course, all good democracies have fail-safes such as independent planning commissions and the like. Governments appoint independent reviewers to double-check what is being proposed and in a well-functioning democracy those independent processes generate advice and recommendations that a government would consider and react to appropriately. With the Stadium proposal, those processes were ignored through workarounds and the development of a specific legislative instrument to skip the fail-safe. Perversely, the democratic process is being used to construct legislative mechanisms that undermine those fail-safe systems!
For transparency, I am not specifically against a new stadium or similar venue but I am against the existing proposal and the process being used to realise it. This is my position due to the absence of quantitative benefit: cost analyses that demonstrate environmental, social, and financial benefits at a location, and of a construction, deemed unsuitable by the State’s very own independent Tasmanian Planning Commission. The government and the major opposition party’s ambivalence to the voice of Tasmanians should concern anyone in a democracy.
The stadium is certainly a big issue but I see it as not being THE issue. The bigger issue we should be concerned about is the corruption and perversion of our democratic process in the handling of this matter, the ignoring of the independent fail-safes our democratic system has, and most importantly, the loud voice of a majority of Tasmanians being ignored. There are of course other issues in the State that demonstrate all or some of these concerns. The operation of unsustainable salmon farming in delicate water bodies and sensitive environments, the continuation of old-growth logging as part of a government-subsidised industry, and the parlous state of an economy unable to support an effective and adequate education and health system. All are illustrative in some way of a failure in ‘doing democracy’ right.
But I hear the question asked by many ordinary Tasmanians I speak to, “What choice do we have?” “One lot is as bad as another- they’re all the same”, “Voting is a waste of time- I can’t change anything”. When the people lose faith in their democracy, we should be very concerned. And be willing to act. It’s all about informed and effective choice and having a say. It is about being listened too.
I am sure if the Tasmanian voter genuinely saw their vote as an opportunity to participate in an effective democracy in which they live, they would not only be less cynical, but they would be enriched as contributors to an effective and progressive democratic system that benefits them and their family, the environment in which they live, and the positive economy that system generates.
What are the answers to addressing these problems and shortfalls? Put simply, they are:
- The return of effective and genuine political choice.
- Value-based and socially progressive government.
- A return to the democratic ideals where the elected government is a government of the people and for the people.
A potential political alternative exists that can deliver these answers- the Australian Democrats. The Australian Democrats are a values and evidence-based progressive political party that offers a form of Government that is of the people and for the people. They are armed with a suite of intelligent and principle-based policies that provide for environmental, social, and economic equity and a progressive and fair system of Government. And who doesn’t want that?
You might argue the Australian Democrats are such a small political party, they cannot deliver Government. However, if every person supportive of the progressive government I describe in this article were to support the Australian Democrats, that Government scenario would be realised rapidly. If you believe in a return to a progressive people’s government, delivering on values, democratic participation, truly and genuinely listening to voters, and maintaining high political standards, you can choose that through becoming a member of the Australian Democrats.
It’s just about who you support and where you put your vote translating to an informed, intelligent, and committed vote to better our situation.
And it all starts with you!
Andrew Bishop – Tasmanian Democrats
