Australia: The Politics of Degraded Democracy

Australia’s political system shows marked degradation, undermining credibility, accountability, and public trust.

Why is there a sense of unease about Australian politics? William Maley argues that a key reason is that while Australia is not facing a crisis of democracy, the functioning of its political system has degraded markedly in recent decades. The Commonwealth Parliament is not a credible deliberative body and nor is it effective in holding the executive to account. MPs and Senators h...