The need to modernise politics

Whatever you think of the Federal election result one thing seems clear. The make-up of the Australian Parliament will be largely the same as before so don't expect the election to automatically be a catalyst for breakthroughs on public policy questions that have become stuck in political process.

In the new parliament the major parties will have a similar number of seats and a handful of cross-benchers in each House will likely exert significant influence on policy and legislation. That means that, at best, its uncertain if the new parliament will produce more progress on issues that voters identified as important for the nation - healthcare, cost of living, crime, and the state of the environment (Ipsos Issues Monitor as reported in SMH, 21 April 2019). Chances are we will see issues becoming trapped within the existing political infrastructure once again with various negotiations amongst parties and cross-bench MPs driving a kind of 'horse-trading' on public policy.

It's a precarious situation for all.

For the major parties they risk policies being watered-down to the point of being ineffectual or requiring a trade-off that's unsavoury to their base. For cross bench MPs there's a risk they will confront irreconcilable conflicts between commitments made to their electorate and a responsibility to the nation that's placed them in this position of power. Whatever they choose they will always risk criticism from the Left or Right depending on the way their vote swings. For us voters, we may have intended to vote against the dominance of the major parties but our specific intention on any single issue is less clear. For both the electors and the elected we're going to need to find new ways of making decisions after we've voted if we want to minimise the risks. 

There are now ample experiments from around the world - many from Australia itself - that could be purposefully explored for the potential to be integrated with our current political structures and processes. Some are more about engaging citizens face to face - such as citizens' juries or mini-publics. Some are more tech-based - which makes sense given 89% of Australians now own a smartphone. The NSW parliament is taking steps to better reflect and respond to the community but we are yet to know how far that work will go.

Change seems inevitable and with the evidence and examples now available, parliaments have an opportunity to be proactive, improve process and begin to win back trust in the political system.