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THE STATE OF DEMOCRACY AND REPRESENTATION IN AUSTRALIA

Australia, like many other democracies, has not escaped the climate of disaffection and disillusionment with representative politics that has permeated academic and public discourse in recent years. This essay explores why this might be the case, by evaluating the current state of representative government and politics in Australia and by looking at four sets of ‘challenges’ to the current system. Each of these areas has sparked salient debate in the last few years: challenges to voting and elections, the character of Australian parliamentary and political culture, the future of political parties in Australia, and the world of politics beyond parliament. Salient examples include guaranteeing effective electoral administration, regulating the role of ‘micro-parties’ in elections, addressing the continuous underrepresentation of women and minorities in the parliament, acknowledging the decline of political parties as mass-membership organisations, and recognising the extent of political engagement taking place beyond the realm of formal representative institutions.